"I am ashamed of you, sir. When you first told me of your intention, I warned you what would happen if you persisted, and I repeat it now. Since you have deliberately chosen, in spite of all that I have said, to go your own way, and to become a Papist, I will have no more to do with you. From this moment you cease to be my son. You shall not, while I live, darken my doors again, or sleep under my roof. I say nothing of what you have had from me in the past--your education and all the rest. And, since I do not wish to be unduly hard upon you, you can keep the remainder of your allowance up to July and the furniture of your rooms. But, after that, not one penny shall you have from me. You can go to your priests and get them to support you. "I am only thankful that your poor mother has been spared this blow. "T." Jack made a small murmurous sound as he finished. Frank chuckled aloud. "Pitches it in all right, doesn't he?" he observed dispassionately. "If it had been my governor--" began Jack slowly. "My dear man, it isn't your governor; it's mine. And I'm dashed if there's another man in the world who'd write such a letter as that nowadays. It's--it's too early-Victorian. They'd hardly stand it at the Adelphi! I could have put it so much better myself.... Poor old governor!" "Have you answered it?" "I ... I forget. I know I meant to.... No, I haven't. I remember now. And I shan't till I'm just off." "Well, I shall," remarked Jack. Frank turned a swift face upon him. "If you do," he said, with sudden fierce gravity, "I'll never speak to you again. I mean it. It's my affair, and I shall run it my own way." "But--" "I mean it. Now! give me your word of honor--" "I--" "Your word of honor, this instant, or get out of my room!" There was a pause. Then: "All right," said Jack. Then there fell a silence once more. (II) The news began to be rumored about, soon after the auction that Frank held of his effects a couple of days later. He carried out the scene admirably, entirely unassisted, even by Jack. First, there appeared suddenly all over Cambridge, the evening before the sale, just as the crowds of undergraduates and female relations began to circulate about after tea and iced strawberries, a quantity of sandwich-men, bearing the following announcement, back and front: TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. THE HON. FRANK GUISELEY has pleasure in announcing that on JUNE 7TH (Saturday) at half-past ten a.m. precisely in Rooms 1, Letter J, Great Court, Trinity College, he will positively offer for SALE BY AUCTION _The household effects, furniture, books, etc., of the Hon. Frank Guiseley, including_--