"If the young villain submits, very well."
"If you should begin to punish him, I have no doubt he will speak or act for himself," she added.
"Bristol, you hear what has been said. Will you submit to the punishment you deserve?" demanded the major severely, turning to the culprit.
"No, sir, I will not."
"Do you hear him, marm?"
"I do, sir; and he answers just as I supposed he would."
"Then you uphold him in his treacherous treatment of my son? Then you countenance him in biting the hand that feeds him?"
Mrs. Bristol made no reply, for she did not wish to irritate the powerful man unnecessarily. She looked at her son, and she was proud of him.
"Bristol, you refuse to submit to the whipping you deserve?" demanded Major Billcord, approaching the stout youth with the riding-whip upraised.
"If you hit me with that whip, sir, I will knock you as far beyond the middle of next week as I can," replied Paul firmly and quietly. "Your son insulted my sister, and I treated him as he deserved, and just as I would another time if he did the same thing. My sister is a poor girl, but she is just as good as you are, and just as good as Mr. Walker is. If she is insulted, sir, I will stand up against five hundred Billcords as long as there is anything left of me."