"I'm going to ask the court to appoint you administrator, Daniel. You ever acted? Well, you might as well have the experience. I might take it myself, but I'm pretty busy and there'll be some running back and forth to do. You come back in a day or two and we'll see how things stand by that time. As soon as Sylvia gets rested she'll go back to college to finish up, and then come to me for the summer."
"She might not like my having anything to do with her affairs," Dan suggested. "I shouldn't want to seem to be intruding."
"Oh, Sylvia likes you well enough. The main thing is getting somebody that you've got confidence in. I know some people here, and I guess the court will do about what we want."
"I should have to come over here frequently until everything was settled," Dan added, thinking of his duties in the city. "I suppose if you find it possible for me to serve that I shall have to get Mr. Bassett's consent; he pays for my time, you know."
"That's right, you ask him; but be sure to tell him that I want it to be that way. Morton won't make any fuss about it. I guess you do enough work for him. What's he paying you, Daniel?"
"Eighteen hundred since he got the paper-mill receivership."
She made no comment, but received the intelligence in silence. He knew from the characteristic quick movement of her eyelids that she was pondering the equity of this carefully; and his loyalty to Bassett asserting itself, he added, defensively:—
"It's more than I could begin to make any other way; and he's really generous about my time—he's made it plain that he wants me to keep up my reading."
"They don't read much after they're admitted, do they? I thought when you got admitted you knew it all."
"Not if you mean to be a real lawyer," said Dan, smiling.