Mr. Bright turned away to hide his emotion. The story had been a hard one to tell. Oliver knew not what to say.
At this juncture there was a knock at the door, and Mrs. Hanson, the housekeeper, appeared.
“Dr. Tangus is here to see you,” she said to Mr. Bright.
CHAPTER III.
MR. BRIGHT’S RESOLVE.
The announcement that Dr. Tangus had come to see his father filled Oliver Bright with dismay. Considering the story he would have to tell, the doctor’s arrival at any time would have been unpleasant for the boy, but under existing circumstances it was a thing to be dreaded. What would his father think when the whole miserable story came to light?
And yet, if it must be told, he wished that his father should first hear it from his own lips. He knew the doctor could turn the case so that it might look very black indeed.
Therefore, before Mr. Bright had time to tell the housekeeper to show the schoolmaster in, the boy leaned over and whispered,—
“I would like to speak a few words with you before the doctor comes in.”
His father nodded, thinking that his son wished to continue the conversation that had just been interrupted.