“I don’t remember. You see, at the time, his offer, if it was one, did not make any impression on me. I believe I didn’t say anything to him at all.”
“But you approved his filter?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Marcy says in the Express, and you admit it, that he offered you a bribe. You approved his filter. On the face of it, speaking legally, that looks bad, father.”
“But how could I honestly keep from approving his filter, when it was the very best on the market for our water?” demanded Doctor West.
“Then how did you come to accept that money?”
The old man’s face cleared.
“I can explain that easily. Some time ago the agent said something about the Acme Filter Company wishing to make a little donation to our hospital. I’m one of the directors, you know. So, when he handed me that envelope, I supposed it was the contribution to the hospital—perhaps twenty-five or fifty dollars.”
“And that is all?”