peremptory form: “Rose is waiting for you. Hurry up!?
“All right. Good night, old fellows!” And Charlie was off, as if the
name had power to stop him in the very act of breaking the
promise made to himself.
“Come, Solon, take a social drop, and give us an epithalamium in
your best Greek. Here’s to you!” And Steve was lifting the wine to
his own lips when Mac knocked the glass out of his hand with a
flash of the eye that caused his brother to stare at him with his
mouth open in an imbecile sort of way, which seemed to excite
Mac still more, for, turning to his young host, he said, in a low
voice, and with a look that made the gentlemen on the chairs sit up
suddenly: “I beg pardon, Van, for making a mess, but I can’t stand
by and see my own brother tempt another man beyond his strength
or make a brute of himself. That’s plain English, but I can’t help
speaking out, for I know not one of you would willingly hurt
Charlie, and you will if you don’t let him alone.?
“What do you pitch into me for? I’ve done nothing. A fellow must
be civil in his own house, mustn’t he?” asked Van good-humoredly
as he faced about, corkscrew in hand.
“Yes, but it is not civil to urge or joke a guest into doing what you
know and he knows is bad for him. That’s only a glass of wine to
you, but it is perdition to Charlie, and if Steve knew what he was
about, he’d cut his right hand off before he’d offer it.?
“Do you mean to say I’m tipsy?” demanded Steve, ruffling up like a
little gamecock, for though he saw now what he had done and was
ashamed of it, he hated to have Mac air his peculiar notions before
other people.
“With excitement, not champagne, I hope, for I wouldn’t own you
if you were,” answered Mac, in whom indignation was
effervescing like the wine in the forgotten bottle, for the men were
all young, friends of Steve’s and admirers of Charlie’s. “Look here,
boys,” he went on more quietly, “I know I ought not to explode in
this violent sort of way, but upon my life I couldn’t help it when I
heard what you were saying and saw what Steve was doing. Since I
have begun, I may as well finish and tell you straight out that
Prince can’t stand this sort of thing. He is trying to flee temptation,
and whoever leads him into it does a cowardly and sinful act, for
the loss of one’s own self-respect is bad enough, without losing the
more precious things that make life worth having. Don’t tell him
I’ve said this, but lend a hand if you can, and never have to
reproach yourselves with the knowledge that you helped to ruin a
fellow creature, soul and body.?
It was well for the success of Mac’s first crusade that his hearers
were gentlemen and sober, so his outburst was not received with
jeers or laughter but listened to in silence, while the expression of
the faces changed from one of surprise to regret and respect, for
earnestness is always effective and championship of this sort
seldom fails to touch hearts as yet unspoiled. As he paused with an
eloquent little quiver in his eager voice, Van corked the bottle at a
blow, threw down the corkscrew, and offered Mac his hand, saying
heartily, in spite of his slang: “You are a first-class old brick! I’ll
lend a hand for one, and do my best to back up Charlie, for he’s the
finest fellow I know, and shan’t go to the devil like poor Randal if I
can help it.?
Murmurs of applause from the others seemed to express a general
assent to this vigorous statement, and, giving the hand a grateful
shake, Mac retreated to the door, anxious to be off now that he had
freed his mind with such unusual impetuosity.
“Count on me for anything I can do in return for this, Van. I’m
sorry to be such a marplot, but you can take it out in quizzing me