“Daresay! But—”
“Engaged at one time to my accomplished daughter.”
“But what about him?”
“I am not romancing,” said the other impressively. “I am simply giving you the downright, honest, blunt, straightforward truth when I tell you that he wrote this morning asking me for two pounds on the plea that he had become married at the beginning of the week to a publican’s daughter at Oldham.”
“Did you send it?” asked Erb, with great cheerfulness.
“I wrote and I told him that if, as he said, he had in the past lent me sums amounting in the aggregate to this total, why I could only say that the fact had escaped my memory. I would, however, take an opportunity of looking through my memoranda in order to see whether I had made any record of such transactions. Could I say anything fairer?”
“And he’s actually married?”
“There is a piece of what is termed wedding cake at home, awaiting my daughter’s return.”
“Will it—will it upset her do you think?” asked Erb nervously.
“I shall warn her not to eat it,” said the Professor.