Judge Cahill said nothing, rather to the young man’s discomfiture, so he ran on, hurriedly:
“They were very poor, and I paid them liberally for what they did for me. I confess I rather lost my head about the girl for a week! She was strikingly pretty, but she had only the most elementary education and was absurdly unconventional. Of course it was nothing, sir, and I don’t flatter myself that she felt any worse when I left than I did—at least she never made any sign,” he added, meditatively.
“I can see how, from your point of view, it appeared nothing, Dana,” said the elder man, gravely, at length. “But I hope this is the only episode of the kind in your life,” he continued, after a moment’s pause.
The younger man stood up with a rather relieved look on his face.
“Indeed it is, sir! and I think the fact that I have let it worry me so much is proof that I am a novice at it. The whole thing was so unimportant that I feel rather ridiculous for having spoken of it. There was never anything serious in the affair, and of course, sir, I did not dream—I knew it would be impossible to bring her here. You—my sister——” he stopped and looked around him rather helplessly.
“Of course,” assented the elder man, readily. “I am glad you got yourself so cleanly out of such an entanglement. As you say, it was commonplace and unimportant. Have you ever heard anything of her since?”
“O, no! I saw her for two weeks and then we parted with mutual regret, and that was all, sir! Your too complimentary remarks recalled the whole episode to my mind, and made me feel rather hypocritical, for I confess that I consider that sort of thing extremely caddish. There’s no excuse for it.”
“There is not, indeed,” assented the elder man, rising. “And it has further surprised me, because you have always seemed rather indifferent to women, Dana—almost too much so. Well—I am glad you told me. Your life has been clean, indeed, if you have no worse things to tell of than a two weeks’ flirtation with a little Western girl!” He laughed again—a deep, hearty laugh, with a relieved ring in it.
“Good-night!” he said. “To-morrow you will please get to the office promptly as a junior member should! ‘Cahill, Crosby, and Cahill’ sounds very imposing, doesn’t it, Dana? much more so than merely ‘Cahill and Crosby.’ I’m delighted, my boy! And it is especially good to think that you are back with me. What with your college life and travels, and law study, I have hardly seen anything of you for ten years, and at my age one cannot spare ten years—it is too big a slice out of the little cake left! Good-night!”
“Good-night, sir!” responded the young man, heartily, as he held the door open for his father to pass into the library.