e. "You sent for me, I see."

My father returned his greeting and pointed to a chair. "Yes, I sent for
you. I told you I would when I wanted to see you," he said, sitting down
across the table from the sleek little man.

"Yes, yes, I remember, so you did. That's it, you did. I've not been
back since, knowing you'd send for me; and then, I'm a business man and
can't be loafing. But now this means business. That's it, business; when
a man like Baronet calls for a man like me, it means something. After
all, I'm right glad that the widow did speak to you. I was a little hard
on her, maybe. But, confound it, a mother-in-law's like a wife, only
worse. Your wife's got to obey, anyhow. The preacher settles that, but
you must up and make your mother-in-law obey. Now ain't that right? You
waited a good while; but I says, 'Let him think. Give him time.' That's
it, 'give him time.' But to tell the truth I was getting a little
nervous, because matters must be fixed up right away. I don't like to
boast, but I've got the whip hand right now. Funny how a man gets to the
top in a town like this." Oh, the poor little knave! Whom the gods
destroy they first make silly, at least.

"And by the way, did you settle it with the widow, too? I hope you did.
You'd be proud of me for a son, now Phil's clear out of it. And you and
Mrs. Whately'd make the second handsomest couple in this town." He
giggled at his own joke. "But say now, Baronet, it's took you an awful
time to make up your mind. What's been the matter?" His familiarity and
impudence were insufferable in themselves.

"I hadn't all the evidence I needed," my father answered calmly.

In spite of his gay spirits and lack of penetration that word "evidence"
grated on Judson a little.

"Don't call it 'evidence'; sounds too legal, and nobody understands the
law, not even the lawyers." He giggled again. "Let's get to business." A
harsher tone in spite of himself was in his voice.

"We will begin at once," my father declared. "When you were here last
Summer I was not ready to deal with you. The time has come for us to
have an understanding. Do you prefer any witness or counsel, or shall we
settle this alone?"

Judson looked up nervously into my father's face, but he read nothing
there.

"I--well, I don't know quite what you mean. No, I don't want no
witnesses, and I won't have 'em, confound it. This is between us as man
to man; and don't you try to bring in no law on this, because yo