“That I hurt my ankle and had to limp to the nearest inhabited place and stay there until it got better. Of course the others went on. They were coming back that way and stopped for me. I was all broken up at not being able to enjoy the shooting, but my ankle gave me so much trouble at first that I didn’t have a great deal of time to think about it; and then it began to dawn on me that she--the daughter I mean--was unusually pretty and refined and quite different from her parents seemingly, and--and--there was nothing else to do, sir, and I am afraid that I acted as most young men would act under similar circumstances.” “You mean,” said his father, with an uncompromising directness which Cahill thought rather brutal and unnecessary, “you mean that you made love to the girl?” The young man nodded. “She was very pretty, you know, and it was only for a short time, and she must have seen--have realized--that there was a difference, that there was nothing to it. It was only the most incipient flirtation--the same thing that goes on at Bar Harbor and the Pier and Newport among a different class of people.” Judge Cahill said nothing, rather to the young man’s discomfiture, so he ran on, hurriedly: “They were very poor, and I paid them liberally for what they did for me. I confess I rather lost my head about the girl for a week! She was strikingly pretty, but she had only the most elementary education and was absurdly unconventional. Of course it was nothing, sir, and I don’t flatter myself that she felt any worse when I left than I did--at least she never made any sign,” he added, meditatively. “I can see how, from your point of view, it appeared nothing, Dana,” said the elder man, gravely, at length. “But I hope this is the only episode of the kind in your life,” he continued, after a moment’s pause. The younger man stood up with a rather relieved look on his face. “Indeed it is, sir! and I think the fact that I have let it worry me so much is proof that I am a novice at it. The whole thing was so unimportant that I feel rather ridiculous for having spoken of it. There was never anything serious in the affair, and of course, sir, I did not dream--I knew it would be impossible to bring her here. You--my sister----” he stopped and looked around him rather helplessly. “Of course,” assented the elder man, readily. “I am glad you got yourself so cleanly out of such an entanglement. As you say, it was commonplace and unimportant. Have you ever heard anything of her since?” “O, no! I saw her for two weeks and then we parted with mutual regret, and that was all, sir! Your too complimentary remarks recalled the whole episode to my mind, and made me feel rather hypocritical, for I confess that I consider that sort of thing extremely caddish. There’s no excuse for it.”