as Andrew was sweeping out. Accidentally, his clothes were covered with dust.”
“It suits you to consider it an accident,” said the lawyer, rudely. “I view it in quite a different light. Your janitor is well known to be a rude, ill-mannered boy – ”
“Stop there, Mr. Ross!” said Dr. Euclid, in a dignified tone. “I don’t know where you got your information on this subject, but you are entirely mistaken. Andrew is neither rough nor ill-mannered. I considered him very gentlemanly, and, what I consider of quite as much importance, a thoroughly manly boy.”
“Then, sir, I understand that you uphold him in his assault upon my son,” said the lawyer, fiercely.
“I consider,” said the doctor, in a dignified tone, “that he was entirely justified in what he did.”
“Then, sir, allow me to say that I am utterly astounded to hear such sentiments from a man in your position. I do not propose to allow my son to be ill-treated by a boy so much his inferior.”
“If you mean inferior in scholarship,” said the doctor, “you are under a misapprehension. Andrew is in your son’s class in Latin and Greek, but he is quite superior to him in both of these languages.”
This was far from agreeable information for the proud lawyer, though he could not help being aware that his son was not a good scholar.
“I referred to social position,” he said, stiffly.
“Social position doesn’t count for much in America,” said Dr. Euclid, smiling. “Of course, Mr. Ross, you recall Pope’s well-known lines:
“ ‘Honor and shame from no condition rise.
Act well your part – there all the honor lies.’ ”
“I don’t agree with Pope, then. His lines are foolish. But I won’t waste my time in arguing. I have come here this evening, Dr. Euclid, as one of the trustees of the Hamilton Academy, to insist upon Andrew Gordon’s discharge from the position of janitor.”
“I must decline to comply with your request, Mr. Ross. Andrew is a capable and efficient janitor, and I prefer to retain him.”
“Dr. Euclid, you don’t seem to remember that I am a trustee of the academy!” said the lawyer, pompously.
“Oh, yes, I do! But the trustees have nothing to do with the appointment of a janitor.”
“You will admit, sir, that they have something to do with the appointment of a principal,” said Brandon Ross, significantly.
“Oh, yes!” answered the doctor, smiling.
“And that it is wise for the principal to consult the wishes of those trustees.”
“I presume I understand you, Mr. Ross,” said Dr. Euclid, in a dignified tone, “and I have to reply that you are only one out of six trustees, and, furthermore, that as long as I retain the position which I have held for fifteen years, I shall preserve my independence as a man.”
“Very well, sir! very well, sir!” exclaimed the lawyer, intensely mortified at the ignominious failure of his trump card, as he had regarded it. “I shall be under the necessity of withdrawing my son from the academy, since he cannot otherwise be secure from such outrages as that of this morning.”
“If your son will respect the rights of others, he will stand in no danger of having his own violated. As to withdrawing him from school, you must do as you please. Such a step will injure him much more than any one else.”
“I am the best judge of that!” said the lawyer, stiffly. “Good-evening, sir!”
“Good-evening!”
The troublesome visitor went out, and with a sigh of relief, Dr. Euclid returned to his book.
CHAPTER IV.
TROUBLE PREPARING FOR ANDY
When Lawyer Ross returned to his showy dwelling, he found Herbert eagerly waiting to hear an account of his mission.
Herbert was firmly of the opinion that his father and himself were the two most important persons in Hamilton, and he confidently anticipated that Dr. Euclid would be overawed by his father’s visit, and meekly accede to his demand. He thought, with a pleasant sense of triumph, how it would be in his power to “crow over” the janitor, who had so audaciously ventured to lay a finger upon his sacred person.
He looked up eagerly when his father entered the room.
“Well, father, did you see Dr. Euclid?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied the lawyer, in a tone by no means pleasant.
“Did he agree to discharge Andy Gordon?”
“No, he didn’t.”
Herbert looked perplexed.
“Did you ask him to?”
“Yes.”
“Then I don’t understand.”
“There are a good many things you don’t understand,” said his father, giving a kick to the unoffending cat which lay on the rug before the fire, and forcing the astonished animal to vacate her comfortable quarters.
“I should think,” Herbert ventured to say, “that Dr. Euclid wouldn’t dare to disobey you, as you are a trustee.”
“Dr. Euclid is an obstinate fool!” exploded the lawyer.
“It would serve him right if you kicked him out and appointed a new principal,” insinuated Herbert.
Mr. Ross felt in the mood to do as his son advised, but he felt very doubtful of his ability to accomplish the displacement of so popular and highly esteemed a teacher. He was pretty sure that he could not talk over the other trustees to agree to so decided a step, but he was unwilling to confess it, even to his son. Therefore he spoke diplomatically.
“I cannot tell what I may do,” he said. “It will depend upon circumstances. All I can say is that Dr. Euclid will sooner or later be sorry for upholding Andrew Gordon in his lawless acts.”
“Does he uphold him?”
“Yes. He says that Andrew was perfectly justified in what he did.”
“He ought to be ashamed of himself!” said Herbert, provoked.
“He says,” continued Mr. Ross, who took a perverse pleasure in mortifying his son, as he had himself been mortified, “that Andrew is your superior.”
“My superior!” exclaimed Herbert, more than ever exasperated. “That young beggar my superior!”
“He says Andrew is a better scholar than you!”
“Then I don’t want to go to his confounded school any more. He doesn’t seem to know how to treat a gentleman.”
“You needn’t go, Herbert, if you don’t care to,” said his father, more mildly.
“May I leave the academy?” asked Herbert, eagerly.
