Samuel clutched the arms of his chair and stared aghast. “Your brother-in-law!” he gasped.
“Yes,” said the other. “He is my wife's only brother.”
Samuel was dumb with dismay. And the doctor continued to pace the floor. “You see,” he said, “the position you put me in.”
“Yes,” said the boy. “I see. It's very terrible.” But then he rushed on in dreadful anxiety: “But, doctor, you didn't know it. Oh, I'm sure—please tell me that you didn't know it!”
“I didn't know it!” exclaimed the doctor. “And what is more, I don't know it now! I have heard these rumors, of course. Mr. Hickman is a man of vast responsibilities, and he has many enemies. Am I to believe every tale that I hear about him?”
“No,” said Samuel, taken aback. “But this is something that everyone knows.”
“Everyone!” cried the other. “Who is everyone? Who told it to you?”
“I—I can't tell,” stammered the boy.
“How does he know it?” continued the doctor. “And what sort of a man is he? Is he a good man?”
“No,” admitted Samuel weakly. “I am afraid he is not.”