Robert's eyes flashed with intense anger.
"It is a lie," he said. "Take it back."
"I have every reason to believe it is true, and I won't take it back."
This was too much for Robert, who was a boy of spirit, and had been devotedly attached to his father.
"Take it back!" he repeated in a tone of menace.
"Do you think I would take it back at the order of a whipper-snapper like you?" sneered his step-father.
Robert waited to hear no more. His affection and reverence for his father were so strong that he felt outraged by the insult to his memory. He made a sudden attack upon his step-father, so impetuous that it dashed Mr. Talbot to the ground.
The man was very much frightened. His encounter with the dog showed that he was a coward, and though he, a grown person, was attacked by a boy, he seemed helpless and over-whelmed.
"Ah—what does this mean?" he gasped.
"It means that I won't allow you or any other man to insult my father's memory," answered Robert fiercely.