The rising inflection on the monosyllable could hardly have been called encouraging.
"The circumstance of our first meeting," I ventured again with an assumption of ease that I was far from feeling—"its duration was so brief that I feared you wouldn't remember me."
Her neck stiffened ever so slightly.
"You surely did not come here," she said icily, "merely to discuss the circumstances of our first meeting."
"N—no, not at all, at least, not altogether, Miss Habberton. But I—I couldn't help hoping—" here I tried to smile—a ghastly one at best—"I couldn't help hoping that you had managed to forgive me for performing a very unpleasant duty."
"If you will please come as quickly as possible to the object of your visit—"
"I—I will. If you'll be a little patient with me."
She averted her head, but said nothing.
"I think you know, Miss Habberton, that I've given the last eleven years of my life to Jerry. He has been like a younger brother to me and I have done what I could to develop him physically, mentally, morally, to successful manhood. I had hoped under ideal conditions to produce—"
"I fail to see, Mr. Canby—"