You will help, won't you ?" Raby watched her uncle as he read the passage, and then asked,-- "I asked father to tell me something about the Forresters, uncle, because some one--it was Mr Scarfe--had told me that he believed Captain Forrester was the father of an old schoolfellow of his at Bolsover who had a bad accident." "Is that all he told you ?" asked her uncle.
"No," said Raby, flushing; "he told me that Mr Jeffreys had been the cause of the accident." "That was so," said Mr Rimbolt.

"Sit down, child, and I'll tell you all about it." And her uncle told her what he had heard from Mr Frampton, and what Jeffreys had suffered in consequence; how he had struggled to atone for the past, and what hopes had been his as to the future.

Raby's face glowed more and more as she listened.

It was a different soldier's tale from what she was used to; but still it moved her pity and sympathy strangely.
"It's a sad story, as your father says," concluded Mr Rimbolt; "but the sadness does not all belong to young Forrester." Raby's eyes sparkled.
"No, indeed," said she; "it is like shipwreck within sight of the harbour." "We can only hope there may be some hand to save him even from these depths," said Mr Rimbolt; "for, from what I know of Jeffreys, he will find it hard now to keep his head above water.

Of course, Raby, I have only told you this because you have heard the story from another point of view which does poor Jeffreys injustice." "I am so grateful to you," said the girl.
Mr Rimbolt let her go without saying more.