"Have you heard from your nephew lately?"
"Not for months. Have you heard from the man he went out with?"
"Yes, I have heard several times."
"Does he say anything about Dean?"
"He says—but perhaps I had better not tell you. I don't want to distress you," and the squire hesitated.
"Say what you have to say. I can stand it."
"He says he discharged Dean for dishonesty."
"Dean dishonest! Why, squire, you must be jokin'."
"I am sorry to say, neighbor Dunham, that there is no joke about it. Mr. Kirby is not likely to be mistaken."
"I tell you, Squire Bates," said Adin Dunham angrily, "that my nephew Dean is as honest as I am myself. The man that charges him with dishonesty is a liar! It's a word I don't often use, but I must use it this time."