'Now Charlie's promised me, if I pay him, to call off the boycott. It'll give us all the Simpson Street advertising. And Hump says we'll fail in a week if we don't get it.'
'Henry!' Uncle Arthur's voice rang out with unpleasant clarity. 'You got from me a thousand dollars of your mother's estate. You sank it in this paper. I let you have that thinking it would bring you to your senses.
It has not brought you to your senses. That is evident.... Now I am going to tell you something extremely serious.
I tell you this because I believe that you are not, for one thing, dishonest. I have discovered that when I gave you that sum and took your receipt I was not protected. You are a minor. You cannot, in law, release me from my obligation as your guardian. After you have come of age you could collect it again from me.'
'Oh, Uncle Arthur, I wouldn't do _that!_'
'I am sure you wouldn't. But you can readily see, now, that it is utterly impossible for me to make any further advances to you. Even if I were willing. And I am distinctly not willing.'
'But listen, Uncle Arthur! You've got to!'
The scowl of this narrow-faced man deepened.
'I don't care for impudence, Henry. We will not talk further about this.'
'But we must, Uncle Arthur! Don't you see, I've got to pay Charlie, and have Mr Davis get his receipt and the papers signed before they learn about you, or they'll attach the estate. Why, Charlie might get all of it, and more too. They might just wreck me. I mustn't lose a minute.'
Uncle Arthur sat straight up at this. Henry thought he looked even more deeply annoyed. But he spoke, after a long moment, quite calmly.
'You are right there. That is a point. Putting it aside for a moment, what were you proposing to do with the other thousand dollars?'
Henry felt the sharp eyes focusing on him. He sprang up. His words came hotly.
'Because Hump has put in a thousand more'n I have now. He said to-night he'd have to sell his library and his--his own things. I can't let him do that. I _won't_ let him. I've got to stand with him.' Henry choked up a little now.
'Hump's my friend, Uncle Arthur. He's steady and honest and----' He faltered momentarily; Uncle Arthur was peculiarly the sort of person you couldn't tell about Humphrey's love affair; he wouldn't be able then to see his strong points.... 'He edits the paper and gets the pay-roll and goes out after the ads. And he _hates_ it! But he's a wonderful fighter. I won't desert him. I won't! I can't!... Uncle Arthur, why won't you come out and see our place and meet Hump and let him show you our books and how our circulation's jumped and...'