“This new claimant will recover; since one who buys at a judicial sale, I find, buys under the doctrine of caveat emptor — that is to say, at his peril.  He takes his chance upon the title.  The court does not insure it.  If it is defective he loses both the money and the lands.  And so,” he added, “my ward will have no income to support her, and I decline to assume that burden.”

My father looked the hunchback in the face.  “Who is the man bringing this suit at law?”

“A Mr. Henderson, I believe,” replied Dillworth, “from Maryland.”

“Do you know him?” said my father.

“I never heard of him,” replied the hunchback.

The girl, huddled in the chair, interrupted.  “I have seen letters,” she said, “come in here with this man’s return address at Baltimore written on the envelope.”

The hunchback made an irrelevant gesture.  “The man wrote — to inquire if I would buy his title.  I declined.”  Then he turned to my father.  “Pendleton,” he said, “you know about this matter.  You know that every step I took was legal.  And with pains and care how I got an order out of chancery to make this purchase, and how careful I was to have this guardianship investment confirmed by the court.  No affair was ever done so exactly within the law.”

“Why were you so extremely careful?” said my father.

“Because I wanted the safeguard of the law about me at every step,” replied the man.

“But why?”

“You ask me that, Pendleton?"’ cried the man.  “Is not the wisdom of my precautions evident?  I took them to prevent this very thing; to protect myself when this thing should happen!”

“Then,” said my father, “you knew it was going to happen.”

The man’s eyes slipped about a moment in his head.  “I knew it was going to happen that I would be charged with all sorts of crimes and misdemeanors if there should be any hooks on which to hang them.  Because a man locks his door is it proof that he knows a robber is on the way?  Human foresight and the experience of men move prudent persons to a reasonable precaution in the conduct of affairs.”

“And what is it,” said my father, “that moves them to an excessive caution?”

The hunchback snapped his fingers with an exasperated gesture.  “I will not be annoyed by your big, dominating manner!” he cried.

My father was not concerned by this defiance.  “Dillworth,” he said, “you sent this child out to seek her father.  Well, she took the right road to find him.”

The hunchback stepped back quickly, his face changed.  He sat down in his chair and looked up at my father.  There was here suddenly uncovered something that he had not looked for.  And he talked to gain time.

“I have cast up the accounts in proper form,” he said while he studied my father, his hand moving the figured sheets.  “They are correct and settled before two commissioners in chancery.  Taking out my commission as guardian, the amounts allowed me for the maintenance and education of the ward, and no dollar of this personal estate remains.”