“You are mistaken, my friend.”
“You will kindly not repeat that form of address, and explain what you mean,” replied Maxwell heatedly. 205
“Come, come; there’s no use in losing your temper, my dear rector,” retorted Nelson offensively.
“You have just two minutes to explain yourself, sir; and I strongly advise you to improve the opportunity, before I put you out of this house.’”
Nelson, like most bullies, was a coward, and evidently concluded that he would take no risks. He continued:
“As I said before, Sylvester Bascom practically owns this house. It does not belong to the church property. The Episcopals made a big bluff at buying it years ago, and made a very small payment in cash; Bascom took a mortgage for the rest. The interest was paid regularly for a while, and then payments began to fall off. As you have reason to know, Bascom is a generous and kind-hearted man, who would not for the world inconvenience his rector, and so he has allowed the matter to go by default, until the back interest amounts to a considerable sum. Of course the mortgage is long past due, and as he needs the money, he has commissioned me to see you and inform you that he is about to foreclose, and to ask you to vacate the premises as soon as you conveniently can. I hope that I make myself reasonably clear.”
In a perfectly steady voice Maxwell replied:
“What you say is clear enough; whether it is true 206 is another matter. I will see Mr. Bascom at once, and ask for his own statement of the case.”
“I don’t think it necessary to see him, as he has expressly authorized me to act for him in the case.”
“Then I suppose you came her to serve the notice of ejectment on me.”