"He has some concern about your Sam--as you have yourself. He is
disturbed because the boy has lost his heart to your tenant, Mrs.
Richie."
"Call it twelve dollars," Samuel said, embarrassed to the point of
munificence. He put the canvas bag in his pocket, and rose. "I'll
deposit this to-morrow, sir," he added, as he had added every Sunday
morning for the last twenty years.
"Samuel," said Dr. Lavendar, sternly, "sit down!"
With involuntary haste the senior warden sat down, but he would not
look at Dr. Lavendar. "It is not my purpose or desire," he said, "to
be disrespectful, but I must request you, sir--"
"To mind my own business? I will, Sam, I will. My business is to
admonish you: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy
way. First, be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy
gift."
Samuel Wright cleared his throat. "I cannot, Dr. Lavendar, discuss
this matter with you. I must be my own judge."
"I have heard that a man might be his own lawyer," said Dr. Lavendar,
smiling; "but you can't be your own judge. The Christian religion
judges you. Samuel, and convicts you. Your father is willing to see
you; he has taken the first step. Think what that means to a man like
your father! Now listen to me; I want to tell you what it's all
about."
"I have no desire, sir, to be informed. I--"
Dr. Lavendar checked him gently: "I am sure you will listen, Samuel,
no matter what your decision may be." Then, very cautiously, he began
about young Sam. "Your father thinks he ought to get away from Old
Chester; he's worried because of Mrs. Richie."
"You know my sentiments, sir, in regard to my son's idiocy."
"Oh, come, come! Falling in love is a harmless amusement," said Dr.
Lavendar; "but your father does take it a good deal to heart. He wants
to get him out of town. However, to send him away without letting him
know why, is difficult; and the last thing would be to let him think
we take his love-making seriously! Therefore your father thinks some
kind of excuse has to be made."
Here Dr. Lavendar became elaborately casual; he had decided that he
must prepare his senior warden for a possible reference to a dangerous
topic. "He mustn't be taken unawares," Dr. Lavendar had told himself.
But he quailed, now that the moment of preparation had come. "Your
father thinks the excuse might be the finding a publisher for some
poetry that Sam has written."