Yet his coolness of demeanor, and the tone of the letters, evidently
written in confidence from father to son, were unanswerable. Under
other conditions--divorced from what I knew--they would be conclusive.
Now I could only wonder at them, groping blindly for some solution.
Were they really addressed to him, or had he stolen them? If the
latter, then how had he succeeded in getting his picture on the same
plate with Judge Henley's? And what were those other more important
documents on which he rested his claim? These considerations flashed
through my mind, yet I was sufficiently aroused to answer quickly,
aware that even the slightest hesitancy might awaken suspicion.
"It would seem to be unanswerable," I replied, replacing letters and
photograph on the desk. "What hurts my pride is to have been made such
a fool of."
"That's nothing, Craig; we have all had that experience. You merely
fell into the clutches of some shrewd men, and a designing woman.
Fortunately you have discovered the truth before any great harm has
been done, and I stand ready to give you a chance now on the winning
side. I would rather have you with me than opposed, and there will be
more money in it for us both. What do you say?"
"I should prefer to know more about your proposition.
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