"But perhaps he forgot all about it,--didn't remember that it was there," persisted the youth, still clinging desperately to the lesser Tutt. "And, if he hadn't would have torn it up." "That might be equally true of the provisions of his will, might it not?" countered the lawyer. "But," squirmed Payson, struggling to recall Tutt's arguments, previously so convincing, "he knew how a will ought to be executed and as he deliberately neglected to execute the paper in a legal fashion, isn't it fair to presume that he did not intend it to have any legal force?" "Yes," replied Mr. Tutt with entire equanimity, "I agree with you that it is fair to assume that he did not intend it to have any legal effect." "Well, then!" exclaimed Payson exultantly. "But," continued the lawyer, "that does not prove that he did not intend it to have a moral effect,--and expect you to honor and respect his wishes, just as if he had whispered them to you with his dying breath." There was something in his demeanor which, while courteous, had a touch of severity, that made Payson feel abashed. He perceived that he could not afford to let Mr. Tutt think him a cad,--when he was really a C.J. Fox. And in his mental floundering his brain came into contact with the only logical straw in the entire controversy. "Ah!" he said with an assumption of candor. "In that case I should know positively that they were in fact my father's wishes." "Exactly!" replied Mr. Tutt. "And you'd carry them out without a moment's hesitation." "Of course!" yielded Payson. "Then the whole question is whether or not this paper does express a wish of his. That problem is a real problem, and it is for you alone to solve,--and, of course, you're under the disadvantage of having a financial interest in the result, which makes it doubly hard." "All the same," maintained the boy, "I want to be fair to myself." "--And to him," added Mr. Tutt solemnly. "The fact that this wish is not expressed in such a way as to be legally obligatory makes it all the more binding. In a way, I suppose, that is your hard luck. You might, perhaps, fight a provision in the will. You can't fight this--or disregard it, either." "I don't exactly see why this is any _more_ binding than a provision in the will itself!" protested Payson. Mr. Tutt threw his stogy into the fire and fumbled for another in the long box on the library table. "Maybe it isn't," he conceded, "but I've always liked that specious anecdote attributed to Sheridan who paid his gambling debts and let his tailor wait. You remember it, of course? When the tailor demanded the reason for this Sheridan told him that a gambling debt was a debt of honor and a tailor's bill was not, since his fortunate adversary at the card table had only his promise to pay, whereas the tailor possessed an action for an account which he could prosecute in the courts.