Can you look me in the face,
Andrew, and tell me that you honestly thought it was insanity to make
friends of my children and help them to marry the people they loved, and
divide my money fairly among you all? Can you?"

"Permit me to remind you that it was not I who signed the certificate."

There was a moment's very dead silence, and then Heriot asked--

"Then do you actually mean to shut me up in a lunatic asylum for the
rest of my days?"

Andrew had some of the finer points of the legal mind. He noted the
trace of emotion in his father's voice, and knew he was fairly on top at
last. To let this fact sink still further into Heriot's mind, he eyed
him in austere silence for a few moments before he answered--

"If I have to, I shall."

"If you _have_ to? What d'ye mean?"

"I mean that I am not going to have my business ruined--"

"Ruined! Can you not stick to the truth on a single point? I am putting
new life into it!"

"I don't care for your kind of life, thanks," said Andrew primly, "and
I repeat that I am not going to have my business--enlivened, if that's
how you choose to put it, and my family disgraced, and my reputation
lost; and if I let you go on another day as you've been going, it'll be
too late to save any of them. But I don't want to be harder than I can
help." He paused for a moment, and his lip grew longer and straighter.
"So I'll offer you an alternative."

"Well?"

"If you'll guarantee to clear out of the country and not come back
again, I'll take no further proceedings on the strength of this
certificate. I don't want to put you in an asylum any more than you
want to go, but I've got to protect myself."

Mr. Walkingshaw mused.

"When do you want me to start?"

"At once."

"At once!"

"Yes, at once, before you see anybody else."

"I'm not even to say good-by?"

"No."

"You've got some game on," said Heriot.

"I've got to protect myself and my family."

His father looked at him searchingly; but his face remained a solemn
medallion of virtue. Then Mr. Walkingshaw again fell back in his chair
and mused. Gradually the flicker of a smile appeared in his eye. It
spread to his lips, and he sprang up cheerfully.

"It's not half a bad idea!" he exclaimed. "I'm just getting to the age
when a young man ought to go about a bit and see something of the world.
New Zealand now--that's a fine country--or Japan--or Texas. By Gad, you
know I've several times wanted to do a bit of roughing i