Overton rose abruptly to his feet.
“That won’t do! It’s useless. Besides, it would be like—like vengeance on my part, as if I had come home to ruin him.”
“You can’t shoulder the blame of it; you’ve nothing to do with the judge.”
“I’ve got this much to do—I’ve come back!”
The old man eyed him thoughtfully.
“I see! You’re taking up the load because you were disobliging enough to live to contradict Faunce. That’s a new way to look at it, my son!”
Overton glanced kindly at the old doctor. The familiar address fell pleasantly on his ear, for at the moment he felt peculiarly desolate.
“It’s the only way to shield her. I’ve got it arranged; but I shall have to see the judge.”
The doctor nodded.
“That’s right—I advise you to see him. He’s as hard to manage as a bull in a china-shop—always was; but you’re right, it’ll shield her. As for Arthur Faunce—well, he’s paying!”