“It’s a crime!” he cried. “Can’t he be held off somehow? Who is he? I want to know his name.”
Captain Elisha sadly shook his head. “I’m afraid he can’t, Stevie,” he said. “He’s got a legal right to all ’Bije left, and more, too. It may be he won’t be too hard; perhaps he’ll ... but there,” hastily. “I mustn’t say that. We’ve got to face the situation as ’tis. And I can’t tell you his name because he don’t want it mentioned unless it’s absolutely necessary. And we don’t, either. We don’t want—any of us—to have this get into the papers. We mustn’t have any disgrace.”
“Disgrace! Good heavens! Isn’t there disgrace enough already? Isn’t it enough to know father was a crook as well as an idiot? I’ve always thought he was insane ever since that crazy will of his came to light; but to steal! and then to leave a paper proving it, so that we’ve got to lose everything! His children! It’s—”
“Now hold on, boy! Your dad didn’t mean to take what didn’t belong to him—for good, that is; the note proves that. He did do wrong and used another man’s money, but—”
“Then why didn’t he keep it? If you’re going to steal, steal like a man, I say!”
“Steve, Steve! steady now!” The captain’s tone was sterner. “Don’t speak that way. You’ll be sorry for it later. I tell you I don’t condemn your father ha’f so much as I pity him.”
“Oh, shut up! You make me sick. You talk just as Caro does. I’ll never forgive him, no matter how much she preaches, and I told her so. Pity! Pity him! How about pity for me? I—I—”
His overwrought nerves gave way, and, throwing himself into the chair, he broke down completely and, forgetting the manhood of which he was so fond of boasting, cried like a baby. Captain Elisha turned away, to hide his own emotion.
“It’s hard,” he said slowly. “It’s awfully hard for you, my boy. I hate to see you suffer this way.” Then, in a lower tone, he added doubtfully. “I wonder if—if—I wonder—”
His nephew heard the word and interrupted.