He walked up and down the parlour chafing
like an irritated lion. In which state of his mind the one enemy he now
feared and hated walked quietly into the room, and begged for a little
serious conversation with him.
"It is like your effrontery," said Mr. Hardie: "I wonder you are not
ashamed to look your father in the face."
"Having wronged nobody I can look anybody in the face," replied Alfred,
looking him in the face point-blank.
At this swift rejoinder, Mr. Hardie felt like a too confident swordsman,
who, attacking in a passion suddenly receives a prick that shows him his
antagonist is not one to be trifled with. He was on his guard directly,
and said coldly, "You have been belying me to my very clerk."
"No, sir: you are mistaken; I have never mentioned your name to your
clerk."
Mr. Hardie reflected on what Skinner had told him, and found he had made
another false move. He tried again: "Nor to the Dodds?" with an
incredulous sneer.
"Nor to the Dodds," replied Alfred calmly.
"What, not to Miss Julia Dodd?"
"No, sir, I have seen her but once, since--I discovered about the
fourteen thousand pounds.
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