"But William, if you will allow me to say so, is a very unusual young man," persisted Mr. Hand. "Edward, of course, is younger, and I don't know him so well. But I never saw anything like the courage with which William attacked that ferocious Baizley, who must have been twice his weight. And the way he handled him, too! It was truly wonderful, madam. Baizley was just nowhere. I never could have believed it if I had'nt seen it with my own eyes!"
"Now, Mr. Hand, you'll make me vain, if you don't stop," laughed Will.
"You wouldn't think Baizley was just nowhere if you could have seen Will's face when he came home that morning," interrupted Ted.
But Mr. Hand was now on the track he had laid down for himself, and would not be switched off.
"And, moreover," he continued, "you are a judicious young man, William, and you seem to have an excellent head for business. I admire good business abilities. In fact, I may say that for a long time I have felt well disposed toward you. Now, however, allow me to say that I feel the very highest esteem and regard for you; and as a little mark of my gratitude, and in the name of my grandson, I beg that you will accept what is enclosed in this envelope."
He drew from his pocket a long, official-looking envelope, and handed it to Will with a ceremonious bow.
Will hardly knew what to say. He could not guess what was in it, and all he could do was to stammer a few confused words of thanks. The envelope had a very important look, and he was both impressed and mystified. Ted could not repress his eager curiosity, and came around to Will's side. Even Mrs. Carter was intensely interested, and forgot to refrain from showing it. Mr. Hand looked on with a swelling sense of benevolence. He had anticipated no such delightful sensations.
With his pocketknife Will opened the envelope very carefully along the end. With nervous fingers he drew out a legal document, with red seals and several smaller documents attached.
For a moment the legal verbiage of the instruments bewildered him. Then he exclaimed:
"Why, it's the mortgage! I don't exactly understand! O, Mr. Hand, this is too good of you. You relinquish the mortgage, the whole debt, for nothing. That is too generous, really!"