Dick laughed, thanked his uncle and took the offered seat.
And really soon his presence seemed to be a godsend to the constrained party. His gay, good-humored manner and conversation soon raised the spirits and warmed the hearts of all the little group. Even Alexander had the grace to come out of his sulks, and to say:
“I must congratulate you, Dick, upon your accession to a large fortune.”
“Thank you, Alick. It came in good time, I tell you that. But Lord, Alick, maybe after all this fortune is only so much more steam clapped on the engine with which the demon is driving me on the road to ruin!” said Dick, with his usual outspoken truthfulness.
“I hope not; I hope not,” said Alick.
“And I believe not,” put in the general. “I am very glad to know that my nephew Dick has given up all his wild companions, who having spent one fortune for him, would be very glad to spend another.”
“Ran away from them, uncle, ran away from them. I hadn’t courage to give them up, so I gave them ‘leg bail’ and left them all behind in Richmond.”
“Right my boy! right! whatever may be said of the heroism of braving bodily perils, it is much wiser to run away from moral danger than to face it.”
“Dick cannot bear to give any one pain. And if he had stayed among his old associates in Richmond, he would have let them ruin him again, rather than he would have hurt their feelings by cutting their acquaintance,” explained Anna.
“Exactly. Therefore I say it was wiser to run away, as it will also be wisest to stay away,” said the general. “But here comes the waiter to lay the cloth for dinner.”