To this demand, the nephew replied, with no abatement of his originally offensive manner—­

“If he chooses to consider my words as an insult, let him do so.  I shall in no case take them back.”

“What did you say?”

There was an imperative force in the Judge’s manner.

Dewey was silent.

“What did he say,”—­Judge Bigelow turned to Wallingford, “that you should answer it with a blow?”

“If he is satisfied with the answer,” replied the latter, “the case can rest where it is.  If not, I am ready to meet him on any appeal.  I He will find me no trifler.”

The Judge turned again to his nephew.

“Ralph!  I insist upon having this matter explained.  I know Henry too well to believe that he would strike you, unless there had been strong provocation.”

“Perhaps he regarded it as such; I did not,” said Dewey.

“If he is satisfied with his chastisement, there is no occasion to press him farther, Judge.”  Wallingford was provoked to this by the young man’s cool impertinence.

Dewey made a movement as if about to rush upon Wallingford, but the Judge interposed his body to keep them apart.  The appearance of a fourth party at this juncture, in the person of Squire Floyd, the prospective father-in-law of one of the belligerents, changed materially the aspect of affairs.

“Good-morning, Squire,” said Wallingford, with a quickly assumed cheerfulness of manner, smiling in his usual grave way.

Both the Judge and his nephew saw reason to imitate the example of Wallingford, and thus throw up a blind before the eyes of Squire Floyd, who thought he perceived something wrong as he came in, but was afterwards inclined to doubt the evidence of his senses.

Wallingford retired in a few moments.  When he came back to the office an hour afterwards, he found a note of apology on his table, accompanied by a request that so unpleasant an incident as the one which had just occurred, might be suffered to pass into oblivion.  No acknowledgment of this communication was made by the young lawyer.  He felt the strongest kind of repugnance towards Dewey, and could not gain his own consent to have any intercourse with him.  His position, as an associate with Judge Bigelow, occasionally brought him in contact with his nephew, who recognized him always in a respectful manner.  But Wallingford held him ever coldly at a distance.

CHAPTER XI.

The marriage of Delia Floyd was an event in our quiet town.  It was celebrated at the house of her father, in the presence of a large company, who were invited to witness the ceremony, and take part in the attendant festivities.  The match was regarded generally as a most desirable one for the young lady; and there was more than one mother present who envied the good fortune which had given such a son-in-law to Mrs. Floyd.  I heard many snatches of conversation, half aside, in which marvelous things were related, or suggested, touching the bridegroom’s fortune and the splendid home he had prepared for his bride.  He was looked upon as a prospective millionaire, and imagination pictured Delia as the jeweled mistress of a palace home.  Few seemed to think of any thing beyond the promised worldly advantage.