rd and his son sat for a while in
silence. They had not met since morning; and in the presence of the
servants conversation had been scrupulously polite. Now, though they
were both waiting to talk, neither liked to begin. The older man was
outwardly placid, when Leonard, a little flushed and a little nervous of
voice, began:

'Have you had any more bills?' He had expected none, and thus hoped to
begin by scoring against his father. It was something of a set-down when
the latter, taking some papers from his breast-pocket, handed them to
him, saying:

'Only these!' Leonard took them in silence and looked at them. All were
requests for payment of debts due by his son.

In each case the full bill was enclosed. He was silent a while; but his
father spoke:

'It would almost seem as if all these people had made up their minds that
you were of no further use to them.' Then without pausing he said, but
in a sharper voice:

'Have you paid the jewellers? This is Monday!' Without speaking Leonard
took leisurely from his pocket folded paper. This he opened, and, after
deliberately smoothing out the folds, handed it to his father. Doubtless
something in his manner had already convinced the latter that the debt
was paid. He took the paper in as leisurely a way as it had been given,
adjusted his spectacles, and read it. Seeing that his son had scored
this time, he covered his chagrin with an appearance of paternal
satisfaction.

'Good!' For many reasons he was glad the debt was paid He was himself
too poor a man to allow the constant drain his son's debts, and too
careful of his position to be willing have such exposure as would come
with a County Court action against his son. All the same, his
exasperation continued. Neither was his quiver yet empty. He shot his
next arrow:

'I am glad you paid off those usurers!' Leonard did not like the
definite way he spoke. Still in silence, he took from his pocket a
second paper, which he handed over unfolded. Mr. Everard read it, and
returned it politely, with again one word:

'Good!' For a few minutes there was silence. The father spoke again:

'Those other debts, have you paid them?' With a calm deliberation so
full of tacit rudeness that it made his father flush Leonard answered:

'Not yet, sir! But I shall think of them presently. I don't care to be
bustled by them; and I don't mean to!' It was apparent that though he
spoke verbally of his creditors,