remark the German student had made one day which led him
to believe that Bauer's home life was unhappy and the relations between
his father and mother were unpleasant. Suppose he never came back.
Suppose he never finished his investigation of the lamp? Suppose--there
was a number of possibilities to suppose. Why, then the field would be
open to him and he could go ahead with a clear conscience. But could he?
In spite of all sophistry and special pleading with himself Walter knew
he had caught the idea of the electrodes from Bauer's drawing, which
suggested the secret. How did he know but that Bauer had discovered it
as indicated in his own diagram and was making that preliminary to the
finished lamp?

There was one honest and plain way out for Walter. He could write to
Bauer and frankly tell him that he had seen his drawings and had
received from them a hint for the discovery and ask him if he were
willing to share with him, Walter, in the result if the lamp proved
worth while financially. But here was Walter's weak point. He was proud
of his technical knowledge. Already it was conceded by all the students
in the electrical engineering department that Douglas of Milton was the
star. The instructors had given him special notice. He had already made
one or two very valuable and original contributions to the problems that
faced the shop every day. But nothing he had so far done would begin to
compare with this new arc light. The thought of sharing his discovery
with any one else touched his pride in its most sensitive and personal
spot.

He threshed it all over back and forth and when he finally went to bed
he was still undecided as to his course. The fact is, he could not
escape all the time the standard he had been trained in at home. If Paul
and Esther had done nothing else for their children they had certainly
done this; they had implanted in their minds a deep and strong feeling
that one of the things to be most desired in life is honesty; clean,
frank, wholesome honesty, free from cant and hypocrisy and double
dealing. And Walter knew in his heart that what he was going to do was
not honest to Bauer, even after he had juggled with his conscience and
proved to himself that Bauer had no real rights in the matter. He knew
perfectly well that the German student did have rights of prior
discovery. No amount of argument or defense of his own discoveries could
remove that fact.

Nevertheless, next day in the shop after