Samuel Wright's large pallid face suddenly twitched; his dull eyes
blazed straight at Dr. Lavendar; "Finding a publisher--for poetry! Dr.
Lavendar, rather than have my son encouraged in making what you call
'poetry,' I'd let him board at Mrs. Richie's!"
"Well," said Dr. Lavendar, easily, "never mind about his poetry; your
father has an idea that life in a small place with only your own
interests, is narrowing; and I guess he's right to some extent. Anyway
this project of a journey isn't a bad one. Sam has never been further
from his mother's apron-string in his life, than Mercer."
"My dear Dr. Lavendar," said Samuel, pompously, "a boy attached to
that string will never have the chance to fall into temptation."
"My dear Samuel," said Dr. Lavendar, "a boy attached to that string
may never have the chance to overcome temptation--which would be
almost as serious. I tell you, Sam, safety that depends on an apron-
string is very unsafe!"
"My son is not to be trusted, sir."
"Samuel!" Dr. Lavendar protested with indignation, "how can he become
worthy of trust without being trusted? You have no more right to shut
up a grown man in Old Chester for fear of temptation, than you would
have to keep a growing boy in his first pair of trousers! Why, Sam,
there isn't any virtue where there has never been any temptation.
Virtue is just temptation, overcome. Hasn't that ever struck you?
However, that's not the point. The point is, that your father has
expressed a willingness to meet you."
Mr. Wright made no answer.
"He will talk over with you this matter of Sam's falling in love.
Whether you agree with him that the boy should go away, is not
important. What is important is his desire to see you."
"I said," Samuel Wright broke out, with a violence that made Dr.
Lavendar start--"I said I would never speak to him again! I took my
oath. I cannot break my oath. 'He that sweareth to his own hurt, and
changeth not--'"
"Yes," said Dr. Lavendar; "'to his own hurt,' but not to somebody
else's hurt. You swore to your father's, to your children's, to the
community's hurt. Change as quickly as you can. Come up the hill with
me to-night."
"I can't," Samuel Wright said hoarsely, and into his hard eyes came
the same look of childish terror that the old minister had seen in
Benjamin Wright's face when he sat in the hot sunshine watching the
canaries.