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Rh passed by, and we existed from hand to mouth as well as we could. The air was as full of strange and alarming rumours as the streets were of outrages and brutalities. Anything like order was with difficulty kept by Cromwell's soldiers; and he himself found it necessary to send the once all-powerful Parliament about its business. Peace had been summarily restored in Ireland and Scotland. The Battle of Worcester was followed by a few years of confidence and security. Cromwell was not the man to be guilty of any melting softness in grappling with a great and growing evil; but things were not to be allowed to go on in this way for ever; a great and overwhelming change was about to take place.

'Kerford and I continued to keep our eyes on Banwell Reginald; but that gay young gentleman was too vigilant and clever to allow himself to be easily caught. If he was in the habit of robbing us, as our old manager suspected, it was only by little and little; nothing was seriously missed, and there was no perceptible falling off in business. My father and old Mr. Reginald were on excellent terms with each other. Indeed, it was true that the former was indebted to the latter in a considerable amount. Under these circumstances, and also in consequence of my father's infirm state of health, we dared not turn Banwell out of doors, as Kerford had advised. And there was one hideous thought constantly obtruding itself upon me, go where I would or do whatever was in my power to do to overcome it or banish it from my mind. Reginald—so I shall call him in future, as I detest the name of Banwell—was in love with Helen! And as a consequence of this the suspicion arose, and would not be put down, that Helen was in love with him!

'We had lived in the same house together now for some years as brothers and sisters, amusing ourselves and each