Pen felt that the conversation was approaching an embarrassing stage, but there was no hesitancy in his manner as he replied:
"Yes, sir. The boy that got your offer, Aleck Sands, will make the response."
"H'm! I was hoping, expecting in fact, that you, yourself, would be chosen to perform that pleasing duty. Had you been, we could have prepared our several speeches with a view to their proper relation to each other. It occurred to me that your teacher, Miss Grey, would have this fact in mind. Do you happen to know of any reason why she should not have appointed you?"
For the first time in the course of the conversation Pen hesitated and stammered.
"Why, I—she—she did appoint me."
"Haven't you just told me, sir, that—"
"But, grandfather, I declined."
Aunt Millicent dropped her hands into her lap in astonishment.
"Pen Butler!" she exclaimed, "why haven't you told me a word of this before?"
"Because, Aunt Milly, it wasn't a very agreeable incident, and I didn't want to bother you telling about it."