“Perhaps you may!” he returned grimly. “Perhaps as much as I was about your father. And, speaking of your father, I don’t mind adding something more. Ever since I took charge of the Express, I’ve been advocating municipal ownership of every public utility. The water-works, which were apparently so satisfactory, were a good start; I used them constantly as a text for working up municipal ownership sentiment. The franchises of the Westville Traction Company expire next year, and I had been making a campaign against renewing the franchises and in favour of the city taking over the system and running it. Opinion ran high in favour of the scheme. But Doctor West’s seeming dishonesty completely killed the municipal ownership idea. That was my pet, and if I was bitter toward your father—well, I couldn’t help it. And now,” he added rather brusquely, “I’ve explained myself to you. To repeat your words, you can believe me or not, just as you like.”
There was no resisting the impression of the man’s sincerity.
“I suppose,” said Katherine, “that I should apologize for—for the things I’ve called you. My only excuse is that your mistake about my father helped cause my mistake about you.”
“And I,” returned he, “am not only willing to take back, publicly, in my paper, what I have said against your father, but am willing to print your statement about——”
“You must not print a word till I get my evidence,” she put in quickly. “Printing it prematurely might ruin my case.”
“Very well. And as for what I have said about you, I take back everything—except——” He paused; she saw disapprobation in his eyes. “Except the plain truth I told you that being a lawyer is no work for a woman.”
“You are very dogmatic!” said she hotly.
“I am very right,” he returned. “Excuse my saying it, but you appear to have too many good qualities as a woman to spoil it all by going out of your sphere and trying——”
“Why—why——” She stood gasping. “Do you know what your uncle told me about you?”