I considered you careless both of your own interests and ours,
and we began to look for another assistant. A man who fitted the place
as you did seemed hard to find and the case was _in statu quo_ when, two
nights ago, my son brought home young William Strong to dinner. Our
families are old friends and Billy's father and I were chums in college,
so the boy is at home in our house. As you probably know, he has the
gift of telling a good story, so when he began on the events of an
evening which you will remember----"
Rex's deep laughter broke into the dignified sentences at this point.
"I see you remember." Judge Rush smiled benignly. "Well, Mr. Fairfax,
Billy made an amusing story of that evening. Only the family were at the
table and he spared himself not at all. He had been in Orange the day
before, and the young lady in the case had told him how you had
protected him at your own expense--he made that funny too, but I thought
it very fine behavior--very fine, indeed, sir." Rex's face flushed under
this. "And as I thought the whole affair over afterwards, I not only
understood why you had failed me, but I honored you for attempting no
explanation, and I made up my mind that you were the man we wanted. Yes,
sir, the man we want. A man who knows how to deal with the situations of
to-day, with the vices of a great city, that is what we want. I consider
tact, and broad-mindedness and self-sacrifice no small qualities for a
minister of the gospel; and a combination of those qualities, as in you,
I consider exceptional.
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