Some of his methods were, however quite near the border line which divides the good from the bad, and aroused the condemnation of some more rigid members of the Faculty who were rich enough to be independent. In most cases his makeshift measures were made necessary by lack of funds, and were, therefore, forgivable.
On my return home I found a letter awaiting me, and next morning, after my first class had recited I went to see the President. He came peering into the room with a frown on his face. On recognizing me his face lighted up and he advanced with both hands open and a beaming face.
“My dear Brown! I am so glad to see you.”
“I came over, Doctor,” said I, “to see whether you would be so good as to advise me? I have just had an offer from Ashton University, and am undecided what I had better do. I like my work very much here but they have offered me more money.”
“It is very good of you, Brown, to come to me at once and I appreciate it. I should be very sorry to have you leave, and if you will tell me whether a small addition to your salary will induce you to stay I will ask the Trustees to add, let us say, $200.00 to your allowance. But now, my dear fellow I must ask you to do me a favor. You know that Professor Last is to leave us at the end of the year and I want you to teach Metallurgy. Only two lectures a week for one term, you know?”
“But, Doctor, I am not posted on Metallurgy.”
“Oh, but I feel sure you can do excellently well. It is very simple. You put the ore and fuel into a furnace, light the fire and there you are. And Brown! now we have settled that, I want you to take tea with me to-morrow evening. I must try to see more of you. I must see that you are taken care of.”
I laughed, thanked the Doctor, said I would come, and took my leave.
The next evening six people sat down at the President’s table: the Doctor and his wife, his niece, Kitty Camden and her brother Searles, Miss Hetty Poiret and myself. Kitty Camden was tall and stately while Hetty Poiret was quite small, with a rather shy manner and a sweet smile. Searles was younger than his sister, rather boyish in manner but a nice ingenuous lad. He was tall like his sister and nervous; his hands twitched, and he threw out his head from time to time as if his collar hurt him.
“There are several ages represented here,” said the Doctor, “I think I must tell my frog story.”