"Quite so," he admitted; "and that, of course, entailed a certain obligation."
"Of course," we both assented, and the narrative continued.
"An elopement had been planned, as we had every reason to believe, for a certain evening; and the elder Carhart kept the Boston wires hot all day with appeals to me to save his son."
"And did you?" Willoughby inquired.
"Yes," answered Barton, cautiously, "in a way."
"How?"
"I began by inviting him to dinner."
"And, of course, he did not accept?"
"Oh, yes, he did. He both accepted and arrived on time, and I must say I never saw a man confront a filet mignon bordelaise with more outward satisfaction; and, though we spoke upon indifferent topics, his spirits seemed exuberant beyond all bounds. But you may be sure I kept an eye upon his every movement. I was determined he should not escape. In an extremity, I was prepared to administer a harmless sleeping-potion in his coffee."
"Indeed!" said Willoughby, as he set down his cup, and ran an investigating and suspicious tongue along the edges of his lips.