During the last few weeks Horace had seen little of his sister's fiancé; in fact, since their quarrel he had drawn away from the young man as a companion; but above everything else he desired his gentle sister to be happy, and the man before him was the only one to make her so. He thought of this, and smiled a little more cordially as he said:
"Is there anything I can do for you, Everett?"
"Well, yes, there is," admitted Brimbecomb.
"I'll do anything I can," replied Horace heartily.
Brimbecomb hesitated before going on. Shellington looked so grave, so dignified, so much more manly than he had ever seen him, that he scarcely dared open his subject.
"It's something that may touch you at first, Horace," he explained; "but—"
Horace, unsuspicious, bent forward encouragingly:
"Go ahead," he said.
Everett flushed and looked at the floor.
"A case has just come into our office, and, as my father is gone from home, I have taken it on."