Marco looked very serious, and walked along in silence.

Such a turn to the conversation was entirely unexpected to him, and he did not know what to say.
"It is possible," continued Forester, "that you may be conscious that you have clearly been guilty of betraying the confidence which I have placed in you in some instance which I know nothing of, or which you suppose I know nothing of, and you may wish to confess it to me.

If you have been guilty of any such act, the best thing that you can do is to confess it to me at once; and if you wish to do it, you may wait till I come, for that purpose.

So you may wait till I come either to ask me a question, or to confess a fault.

If you do not wish to do either, you may go out without waiting for me; but you must not go a-fishing unless you can truly say that you have been faithful and honest, whenever I have trusted you before." So saying, Forester parted from Marco and went into the house.