Herbert listened to this recital in open mouthed wonder. He watched Arthur Black keenly while he was telling his story, and as he proceeded, was filled with admiration for the young man. He could see very clearly now that Arthur was not really a bad boy at heart; that he had been a spoiled child in his youth and had drifted into the company of dissolute young men. What at first was merely waywardness had gradually extended to more serious things; but fortunately his downward career had been checked just on the edge of a precipice.
There was silence in the group for a few moments, and then Blakeley spoke up in his short, snappy tones. He took Arthur by the hand, and said:
“I want to congratulate you, young man. You have shown a manliness that does you credit. Now, there is no paper in town that is more eager to obtain exclusive news than the Argus, and I am willing to admit that there are times when we feel disposed to turn sharp corners in order to beat the other newspapers; but we have the line of decency even in this office, and I propose to draw it on this occasion. You can rest at your ease. So far as I am concerned and so far as the paper is concerned, the firm with which you were connected never existed; the incident at the post office never happened. I can only say that you have my best wishes for your future success in life.”
Everybody was delighted at this evidence of a warm heart on the part of the man who had the reputation of being a cold-blooded hunter for news. But he was not through. He turned to Herbert after a few moments of meditation, and said:
“Harkins, your old place awaits you on the Argus. I want to tell you, as I have already told young Black, that my memory is a blank, that you have never offended me and that you have never thrown the paper down. Your place has never been filled. Your chair over at that desk is still vacant. Come in again on Monday morning and try to distinguish yourself.”
The manner of this man, no less than the words, impressed Herbert deeply, and he mentally vowed that he would do his duty by Blakeley and the Argus to the full extent of his ability.
There was much laughter and much hand shaking as the little party dispersed. Tomlin lingered a little longer than the others, and when they were out of ear-shot, said to Blakeley in quick tones:
“Say, old man, that was a cruel test with which you began this session—that attempt to get Herbert to squeal on Arthur Black.”
“Aye,” responded the other heartily, “it was indeed, but it was the crucial test. It was worth all the pain that it cost. It is proof positive to my mind that Harkins can be trusted absolutely. He would die before he violated a confidence. That’s the kind of men we need on the Argus.”