Here, then, was a sudden and startling occurrence. Mrs. Brent fainted. The strain had been too much for her nerves, strong as they were. Of course she must be attended to.
”Come with me; I cannot lose sight of you now, my son!“ said Mr. Granville. ”Where are you staying?“
”At the Palmer House.“
”So am I. Will you be kind enough to order a carriage.“
Mrs. Brent was conveyed to the hotel, and Jonas followed sullenly.
Of course Philip, Mr. Granville and M. Carter left the theater.
Later the last three held a conference in the parlor.
It took little to convince Mr. Granville that Philip was his son.
”I am overjoyed!“ he said. ”I have never been able to feel toward the boy whom you call Jonas as a father should. He was very distasteful to me.“
”It was an extraordinary deception on the part of Mrs. Brent,“ said Mr. Carter thoughtfully.
”She is a very unprincipled woman,“ said Mr. Granville. ”Even now that matters have come right, I find it hard to forgive her.“
”You do not know all the harm she has sought to do your son. The sum of five thousand dollars was left him by Mr. Brent, and she suppressed the will.“
”Good heavens! is this true?“
”We have the evidence of it.“
—-
The next day an important interview was held at the Palmer House. Mrs. Brent was forced to acknowledge the imposition she had practiced upon Mr. Granville.
”What could induce you to enter into such a wicked conspiracy?“ asked Mr. Granville, shocked.
”The temptation was strong–I wished to make my son rich. Besides, I hated Philip.“
”It is well your wicked plan has been defeated; it might have marred my happiness forever.“
”What are you going to do with me?“ she asked coolly, but not without anxiety.
It was finally settled that the matter should be hushed up. Philip wished to give up the sum bequeathed him by Mr. Brent; but to this Mr. Granville objected, feeling that it would constitute a premium on fraud. Besides, Mrs. Brent would have the residue of the estate, amounting to nearly ten thousand dollars. Being allowed to do what he chose with this money, he gave it in equal portions to Tommy Kavanagh and Mr. Raynor, who had informed him of the existence of Mr. Brent’s will.
Mrs. Brent decided not to go back to Planktown. She judged that the story of her wickedness would reach that village and make it disagreeable for her. She opened a small millinery store in Chicago, and is doing fairly well. But Jonas is her chief trouble, as he is lazy and addicted to intemperate habits. His chances of success and an honorable career are small.
”How can I spare you, Philip?“ said Mr. Carter regretfully. ”I know your father has the best right to you, but I don’t like to give you up.“
”You need not,“ said Mr. Granville. ”I propose to remove to New York; but in the summer I shall come to my estate near Chicago, and hope, since the house is large enough, that I may persuade you and your niece, Mrs. Forbush, to be my guests.“
This arrangement was carried out. Mrs. Forbush and her daughter are the recognized heirs of Mr. Carter, who is wholly estranged from the Pitkins. He ascertained, through a detective, that the attack upon Philip by the man who stole from him the roll of bills was privately instigated by Mr. Pitkin himself, in the hope of getting Philip into trouble. Mr. Carter, thereupon, withdrew his capital from the firm, and Mr. Pitkin is generally supposed to be on the verge of bankruptcy. At any rate, his credit is very poor, and there is a chance that the Pitkins may be reduced to comparative poverty.
”I won’t let Lavinia suffer,“ said Uncle Oliver; ”if the worst comes to the worst, I will settle a small income, say twelve hundred dollars, on her, but we can never be friends.“
As Phil grew older–he is now twenty-one–it seems probable that he and Mr. Carter may be more closely connected, judging from his gallant attentions to Julia Forbush, who has developed into a charming young lady. Nothing would suit Mr. Carter better, for there is no one who stands higher in his regard than Philip Granville, the Errand Boy.