“Commit the crime!” he repeated, with a reproving look; “perhaps it would have been a crime, but I’m not so sure about that.”
“I am; Jack I’m ashamed of you.”
“So am I; but don’t forget that I was younger then than now.”
“Yes; two or three months; persons sometimes grow a good deal in that period.”
“They may not grow so much in stature, but they do in sense.”
“I have heard of such instances, but I do not remember to have met any.”
“Come now, sister,” laughed the youth who admired his friend’s brilliancy, “I beg you to let up; I confess all you have charged; I am a base villain, for whom hanging would be too good; you will be filled with remorse when I become General of the army and you recall all the harsh words you have said of me.”
“When you become General I will mourn my cruelty in sackcloth and ashes. But I am willing to change the subject. Let us drop the past and talk of the future. Your term at West Point I believe is four years.”
“Provided I’m not ‘found’ as the expression goes. But I’m not really admitted as yet, though I passed the preliminary examination before leaving home and won my appointment in a competitive contest. The decisive examination will take place at the Point when I get there; I understand it is severe, but I am quite confident.”