The Judge put his hand on William's shoulder. "Look at me," he said. "Don't leave me. I need you. I am mean, and I know it, but I beg of you not to leave me."
"Mean!" William cried. "Who the deuce said you were mean? Show the villain to me. Show him to me, I tell you."
"There, now, sit down; it is all right."
"No, sir, it is not all right, and it never will be till I find the scoundrel that called you mean. Was it Bradley? Tell me, and I'll choke him till his eyes pop out. Was it Bradley?"
The Judge smiled. "Bradley," said he, "is one of my props. He is the son of my old friend, and I think the world of him."
"Well, let him congratulate himself on his escape, for before the Lord I would choke him. It is all right, yes, sir—but, really, John, if I tell you earnestly it was on the tenth won't you believe—"
"Yes, yes; let it be the tenth."
"Let it be! Why, confound it, I tell you it was the tenth."
"All right. When you go out I wish you would tell Florence to come here."
William grunted. "Oh, I can go out. By the way, John, Howard asked me a pertinent question this morning. And it staggered me a little. He wanted to know whether there had ever been any insanity in our family."