“Can you receive a letter?”
“That was forbidden too.”
“A message?”
“Nothing was said about that.”
“Then will you do me the favor to say to the lady that the check will not be cashed till Mr. Stirling has been able to explain something to her.”
“Certainly. She can’t object to that.”
“Thank you.”
“Not at all.” The president rose and escorted him to the door. “That was a splendid speech of yours, Mr. Stirling,” he added. “I’m not a bit ashamed to say that it put salt water in my old eyes.”
“I think,” said Peter, “it was the deaths of the poor little children, more than anything I said, that made people feel it.”
The next morning’s mail brought Peter a second note, in the same handwriting as that of the day before. It read: