"Well, I hope to see you again before long. And, by the way, I wish to tell you that my wife and daughter were charmed with your visit. They are dear to me, but they do not understand. Pardon me, I am detaining you."
For more than a week the Professor had drooped under anxiety, but now he walked high of head. When he entered the dining-room his wife asked who had called. He answered that it was some one who wanted directions to Mrs. Stuvic's. Lying might at one time have been a luxury with him, but now it was a necessity. She rarely expected the truth from him. It took him longer to tell a lie, and he was fond of talking. And besides, a failure is under no obligations to tell the truth.
"It took you quite a while to give him directions."
"Yes, it is a roundabout way."
"But you seem to have quite a knack for finding it yourself—to be presented to remarkable women."
"My knack for finding remarkable women began in my earlier years."
"Indeed! And you have been keeping yourself well in practice ever since."
"Constant rehearsal with a former discovery keeps me from growing rusty."
"Well, I don't care, but there's one thing certain! When you come home to-night you'll find that I have thrown that old sofa out into the back yard."
"It's a dreadful thing, pa," said Miss Katherine. "It's a disgrace."