“Oh, my lad,” he exclaimed in shocked tones, “I didn’t know! I only returned last night from a long journey. But with whom are you living?”
“With Aunt M’ri and Uncle Barnabas.”
The impressive silence following this exclamation was broken by the Judge.
“Why do you offer me these flowers, David?”
“Aunt M’ri picked them and told me to give them to some one who looked as if they needed flowers.”
The Judge eyed him with the keen scrutiny of the trained lawyer, but the boy’s face was non-committal.
“Come up into my office with me, David,” commanded the Judge, turning quickly into a near-by stairway. David followed up the stairs and into a suite of well-appointed offices.
A clerk looked up in surprise at the sight of the dignified judge carrying a bouquet of old-fashioned roses and accompanied by a country lad.
“Good morning, Mathews. I am engaged, if any one comes.”