“You must excuse me, Squire Pope,” answered Frank. “It belongs to Philip, and I have no right to meddle with it.”
“If Philip has told you this, he has misrepresented,” said the squire, rather discouraged by this second rebuff. “The violin does not belong to Philip. It belongs to this young man.”
And, with a wave of his hand, he designated Nick Holden.
It was not polite, but Frank Dunbar was so surprised by this announcement that he whistled.
As for Philip, he regarded Nick calmly; but there didn’t seem to be any sign of yielding in his look.
“It belongs to Nicholas, because I have sold it to him,” continued Squire Pope doggedly.
“That’s so!” corroborated Nick complacently. “The squire sold me the fiddle for two-fifty. It’s mine now, and you’d better fetch it along out, or there’ll be trouble.”
Philip turned to Squire Pope, and said quietly:
“As you had no right to sell it, the sale amounts to nothing. If you had a right, I should say you were not very shrewd to sell an instrument that cost twenty-five dollars—and was considered a bargain at the price—for two dollars and fifty cents.”
“The violin cost twenty-five dollars!” ejaculated the squire, in genuine surprise.