“If you please,” said the doctor. “Nic, my boy, fetch the two men round to my room. This way, O’Hara.”
Nic went out to obey his father’s order and the governor followed the doctor into the room which stood at the end of the house, and was used by the doctor for his own study, library, surgery, harness-room—storehouse for everything, in fact, in connection with the station.
“It’s not very serious, I hope,” said the governor, as soon as they were alone.
“Serious enough,” replied the doctor. “Dillon has told me all about it, and I am half pleased, half angry with the boy.”
“Then he can’t have done much amiss, doctor,” said the governor. “Plus kills minus. If Nic is half and half, he ought to be a very decent sort of boy.”
“You’ll help me if I want help?”
“Of course,” said the governor. “There, I dare say there’s not much amiss. Boys of seventeen, or so, are not at their worst age. It is over that trouble about your assigned servant?”
“Yes; the boy likes him, and I am not sure about him.”
“He may be honest enough now; but he was always a strangely soured fellow, and I don’t think I liked him much.”
“Prejudice, perhaps.”