human
But what has Gerald done? I think I have a right to know,
gpt
He wrote somebody else's name on the back of a promise to pay some money, which meant that the other man, who really knew nothing about it, guaranteed that the payment would be made.
human
But that is forgery!
gpt
Yes, said Mrs. Mowbray with a shudder;
human
I'm afraid it's forgery of a very serious kind, because it enabled him to obtain a good deal of money which he could not otherwise have got.
gpt
Oh, how dreadful! Beatrice impulsively crossed the floor and, kneeling down beside her mother, put her arm round her.
human
I know how you must feel it. And now I can understand Father's troubled look. He has been very quiet and stern since Gerald came home.
gpt
Your father has more trouble than you know. Perhaps I'd better tell you about it, as you must grasp the situation. You heard that Godfrey Barnett was dead, but you don't know that he died ruined by the failure of the bank.
human
Ah! All our money was in Barnett's, wasn't it?
gpt
Yes, said Mrs. Mowbray.
human
It has all gone.