At her request he took the refreshment offered to him, and was certainly benefited by it.
And they told him all the particulars of little Lenny’s abduction, and of the measures that had been taken for his recovery.
But when he heard of Dick’s adventure at the railroad station, he came down most unmercifully on that “unlucky dog.”
“You heard his voice calling you and didn’t go after him!” he indignantly exclaimed.
It was in vain that poor Dick explained and expounded; the old man would hear of no excuses.
“Sir! do you think if I had heard that helpless infant’s voice calling me, I would not have obeyed it with more promptitude than I ever obeyed the commands of my superior officer when I was in the army? What can you say for yourself?”
Dick had no word to say why sentence of death should not be immediately pronounced on him.
But Drusilla came to his relief by turning the conversation and inquiring:
“Dear uncle, how was it that you heard of little Lenny’s being lost?”
“By the newspapers, of course. I was sitting by the bedside of——”