Grandfather now called himself Elisha Spratt, and he entered under that name at Henley. By a curious coincidence, the first heat for the Diamond Sculls fell on grandpapa's birthday. Nearly a month, however, had yet to pass by before that elate. Mr. Rose's added another to the long list of indictments against grandfather, but the old man cared nothing. He went on steadily and quietly with his practice and training, and the harder he trained, the younger he began to look.
A painful incident, out of which arose another still more trying, has here to be recorded. Grandpapa, while discussing the different processes at law which he had incurred, told me, in some glee, of matters I did not know.
"I did a smart thing recently," he began. "Of course, a man must help his chums where he can, and I've been able to do so without any hurt to myself. People on the river think I've got pots of money, because I spend very freely. On the strength of this I've been asked to lend my security on about twenty different occasions. I never refused. Men thought I was a fool, but I knew what I was about very well."
The old, cunning look came back into his eyes once more. It had a very painful appearance on the face of so young a man.
"What have you done now, dear grandfather? Hide nothing from me," I said.
"I've backed a lot of bills, and gone security for thousands and thousands. A good few of the Johnnies can't pay, and they'll come down on me like a ton of bricks. Ha, ha!"
"I don't see what there is to laugh at, grandpapa. So little amuses you now."
"Why, I'm under age. That's where the laugh comes in. I'm a legal infant, or something of that sort. They can't touch me."
"A legal infant! Why, grandfather, you're a hundred and eight years old in a few weeks' time."
"Not by the New Scheme."