"
"His wishes?"
"He gave me to understand that he was anxious to have a sum to hand
over to the young lady. In fact, he wrote me a most touching appeal."
"What d----d impertinence! He had no business to appeal!"
"Well, per'aps it wasn't strictly business-like. But I think, under
the circumstances, 'e was morally--_morally_--justified. And I think
he will consider I've responded very handsomely."
"You've made him an offer, then?"
"I made it three days ago, provisionally, and he's accepted it," said
Isaac, with some heat. "Why, he's got the cheque."
"For how much?"
"For twelve hundred."
"My dear father, you know, really, that won't do."
"Do you think it was foolish to pay the two hundred extra?"
Isaac gazed at him over his fine gold-rimmed spectacles; and as he
gazed he kept drawing his beard slowly through one lean and meditative
hand. It was thus that he grasped his son's argument and drew it to a
point.
"Foolish? It was--Don't you see? We--we simply can't do it."
"Why, you said yourself we could go as far as four thousand five, or
four thousand at the very least."
Keith looked steadily at his father, who was too deeply and solemnly
absorbed to perceive the meaning of the look. "That was not quite what
I said. I said--if we were _not_ prepared to go so far, it was our
duty to withdraw. I thought I had made that clear to you."
"You 'aven't made it clear to me why you're objecting to that two
hundred now.
Pages:
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324