to him at any cost even the most sullen of will endeavor to make himself agreeable if the temptation is strong enough but the tone of his father s speech was far more forbidding even than the words themselves and his manner had a certain and shrinking in it which though he knew he was no favorite he could not at all explain and which frightened him a little notwithstanding that he once more murmured to himself he is out of his wits that s all what could the old fool be driving at and why did he keep him at a distance thus as though his touch and even his carried s eyes had returned to the and it was full a minute before he spoke again if i ask you one question william will you answer me just the truth and no more these men here your forefathers as well as mine were men of their word it used to be said though they had their faults as sure as a s word and perhaps this one virtue may remain in you yet notwithstanding � but no that is impossible and the white head and beard shook slowly from side to side what is it you mean sir interposed william with indignation i tell no more lies than my neighbors if you come to that you are not so particular about truth telling yourself it strikes me since mr is such a friend of yours you don t suppose that soft spoken gentleman never tells a lie do you and lawyer too he s another and there s plenty more i could tell off on my fingers how did really die william the effect of this sudden and most unexpected question was curious enough not only did he to whom it was put remain silent with his lips apart and his face of an but the also turned as ghostly as himself in the case of the former this was for the old squire had never before evinced the slightest interest in his daughter in law s supposed fate any more than he had in her while she was alive and as for other folks william had easily silenced their inquiries as to detail with a few sullen words nobody cares to press a bad natured man upon a distasteful matter as the had taken care to show this was to him and when his mother had been inclined to be curious he had treated her much as he had treated the jail don t ask me about poor mother the subject is too distressing to me her end was peace and let that content you which it did and the more so since the nature of the reply convinced her how much there was of good in the character of her darling son though many doubted it because it did not always crop out upon the surface thus mr william who according to his promise at that harsh meeting had to his wife the considerable sum of money paid to him by had begun to consider the existence of as an obstacle surmounted a matter that was not to trouble him more and this sudden reference to her from so unexpected a quarter embarrassed him exceedingly what could it matter to his father how she died and especially how could it so matter that the mere anxiety for the reply should change his face so that it seemed more like that of a dead man � but for that shrinking look which had come out afresh and more marked even than before � than that of the once ruddy squire he felt more alarmed and more at a loss for an answer than if the old man had asked him is your wife really dead of course he had contrived the story of her death before he had ventured home she had died of consumption with which she had long been supposed to be threatened and he had nursed her for many a long day and night not much of detail could be expected of such an end and little as we have said had been asked for but now not only had inquiry thus unexpectedly arisen but one which seemed to his own statement how did really die william absolutely nothing occurred to his mind at the moment except for evidently his father was in possession of some important fact and the want of accord with it in his reply might be with danger to his dearest hopes he was as much in love with as ms coarse and selfish nature permitted him to be and he was not going to own to any one that was living until he was absolutely obliged well it is a very distressing story father i ask how did she die if her end was such as you told your mother there must have been a of death let me have but no you are not to be trusted i will write for it to myself you would give yourself a needless trouble sir replied william slowly he saw the danger large and near before him and since there was a lie that lay ready to his tongue by which it might be he did not hesitate a moment to make use of it no such exists and since you press me so un a beggar on horseback ally � though i had hoped to spare myself so sad a story � i mast needs tell you why my poor wife was never buried the window was closed and there was a fire on that late autumn day in the little room yet the old man shivered and seemed to shrink within himself one moment sir said he in trembling tones you talk of yourself i am a very old and broken man spare me i do not know for certain what you are about to say but if you 