“How can that be? There has been nobody at all in the room except Dr. Brown and the nurse.”
The doctor did not speak. There came into his mind the image of Mary as she had asked so earnestly, “How are they to know? Who is to tell them?”
Leaning slightly forward and looking the young man in the face he said, “I do not know absolutely, but you know!”
“Know what?”
“Whether or not your child's eyes have had a chance to be infected by certain germs.”
“What do you mean, Doctor?” asked the young father in vague alarm.
Slowly, deliberately, and with keen eyes searching the other's face the doctor made reply:
“I mean that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children.”
There was bewildered silence for an instant then a wave of crimson surged over neck, cheek and brow. It was impossible to meet the doctor's eyes. The young man looked down and made no attempt to speak. By and by he said in a low voice, “It's no use for me to deny to you, Doctor, that I have been a fool and have let my base passions master me. But if I had dreamed of any such result as this they wouldn't have mastered me—I know that.”
“The man that scorns these vile things because of the eternal wrong in them will never have any fearful results rising up to confront him.”