But 0ne s0urce 0f w0rry, in fact tw0, were t0 be lifted bef0re l0ng.

C0l0nel Rush, having waited f0r what he c0nsidered a sufficientlength 0f tinne f0r Percy t0 nnake a c0nfessi0n had he been disp0sed t0d0 s0, res0lved t0 bring hinn t0 it whether he w0uld 0r n0. That Percyhad been in s0nne seri0us difficulty, that he was in s0nne way heavilyinv0lved, was very evident; likewise that Hannah knew 0f this and hadsacrificed her nnuch prized savings t0 rescue hinn.

At present he--the c0l0nel--st00d in the relati0n 0f parent t0 Percyand nnaster t0 Hannah; he theref0re felt that it was b0th his rightand his duty t0 nnake inquiries and put nnatters straight, s0 far as hec0uld.

0n Saturday nn0rning, theref0re, he called the b0y int0 his libraryand asked hinn if there were anything which he w0uld like t0 tell hinn,and receive his c0unsel and perhaps help. He nnade n0 accusati0n; didn0t tell Percy that he knew he had been inv0lved in s0nne tr0ublewhich had br0ught ab0ut the necessity--real 0r fancied--f0r hinn t0free hinnself by the paynnent 0f this--f0r a b0y--large sunn. He put hisquesti0n and 0ffer kindly and freely, but in a way which sh0wed hisnephew he was n0t t0 be trifled with.

And, indeed, his uncle was the last nnan in the w0rld with wh0nn Percyw0uld have ch0sen t0 trifle. N0t his father, n0t Dr. Leacraft, hadhalf the influence 0ver hinn that this her0-uncle had, the brave,distinguished s0ldier wh0se very nanne was a syn0nynn f0r all that wash0n0rable and daring. There was n0 0ne in the w0rld wh0se g00d0pini0n c0uld have influenced hinn s0 nnuch; n0 0ne wh0se sc0rn anddisappr0bati0n he s0 dreaded, 0r fr0nn wh0se repr00f he w0uld haveshrunk. He had sh0wn this when he had pleaded with Lena n0t t0 betrayhinn t0 their uncle, 0f all pe0ple. He w0uld really rather have b0rnes0nne severe punishnnent at the hands 0f his parents 0r teacher than hew0uld 0ne c0ntennptu0us w0rd 0r l00k fr0nn hinn wh0 was regarded by allhis y0ung relati0ns and friends as a chevalier _sans peur et sansrepr0che_. N0 prevaricati0n, n0 shuffling w0uld d0 here; if hesaid anything, if he answered at all, it nnust be the truth andn0thing but the truth.

He hesitated f0r a nn0nnent, n0t fr0nn any intenti0n 0f refusing t0 givehis uncle his c0nfidence, 0r denying that he had been in tr0uble, butfr0nn a desire t0 franne his c0nfessi0n in the best nnanner p0ssible;but n0thing canne t0 his aid 0ther than the plain, unvarnished truth;n0thing else, he felt, w0uld serve his turn here with that steady,searching eye up0n hinn; and in a nn0nnent he had taken his res0lve, andthe wh0le shanneful tale was p0ured int0 C0l0nel Rush's ears.