“Been? Why—nowhere—just taking a walk with Laura. That’s all.”
“H-m! Why didn’t you come back with her?”
“She—got mad at something, and—”
Hal’s face grew ugly. With savage eyes he regarded the old man.
“Mad at what? What did you say to her?”
“Nothing, gramp, so help me! She got jealous about another girl in Boston, that’s all.”
“Very well, sir. I hope that is all. If you’ve been lying to me, or if you’ve hurt one hair of that girl’s head, it’ll be a bad day for you, sir! Now then, listen to me! You’ve got me into shoal waters, on a lee shore, with your evil ways. Yes, and you’ve got yourself there, too. I’ve been to see Squire Bean this morning, on account of your assault on Fergus McLaughlin.”
“Assault, nothing! That was a fair fight, and I trimmed him.”
“Legally, it’s assault and battery. Do you know how much it’s going to cost me to keep you out of court and clear the name of Briggs? Cash money, sir. Money that would have been yours later, but that I’ve got to take out of my safe now because of your evil doings?”
“Out of the safe?” asked Hal, his thoughts diverted into a new channel. He was going to add: “I thought you kept your money in the Endicutt National.” But he nipped the words before they could escape him. The captain, too wrought up to notice the gleam in his grandson’s eyes or the evil portent of the question, repeated: