“Yes, sir, I know that too,” said Glyn; “and Singh must not go to this man’s apartments again.”
“My dear young friend,” cried Morris, whose brow was damp with perspiration, “I quite agree with you there. It was rather thoughtless on my part—a slip such as we are all liable to make. I was led away by the literary part of the question, and I somehow thought that it would be to the advantage of our young fellow—student if he learned from a good authority a little more about the inscription upon those stones.”
“Yes, sir; there was no harm in that,” said Glyn quietly.
“No, Severn, not the slightest, and as soon as I found the Professor making such a request—one that he certainly ought not to have made—I repented very bitterly of that which I felt to be a gross error on my part. There,” he continued, with a half-laugh, “you see I can speak frankly when I have made a mistake. I hope you will always do the same. But, of course, you do not think it in the slightest degree necessary that you should make any report about this to the Doctor?”
“What do you think, sir?” said Glyn coldly.
Morris uttered a gasp, and, looking wildly in the young speaker’s eyes, he felt behind him till one hand touched a chair-back, and then he sank down speechless, to seek for his pocket-handkerchief and wipe his wet brow.
“What do I think?” he said, at last, with a groan. “I think it means ruin for me. Mr Severn, I have apologised for speaking so sharply to you, and now I must humble myself to you. If you report this to the Doctor only one thing can follow. I shall have lost his confidence for ever, and he will tell me at once to send in my resignation. Mr Severn, you and your young companion don’t know what it is to be poor. The loss of my post here under such circumstances, due to a weak desire to help a fellow-master in distress, would be quite sufficient to injure me dreadfully. If I have sinned I am bitterly punished for what I have done. This is a humiliation, a cruel humiliation, such as you can hardly realise.”
“Please don’t say any more, sir,” said Glyn quickly. “This hurts me almost as much as it does you. What I have said was on behalf of Singh, and I shall certainly not say a word to the Doctor, for I know that now you will help me in watching over my father’s ward.”
“Mr Severn,” began Morris, “I—I— Oh, I cannot speak. Try and realise what I feel. But tell me once more, so that I may go away at rest: this is to be a private matter between us two?”
“Yes, sir, of course,” cried Glyn earnestly, and they separated.