“You have been wondering how I got into this part of the
world ?” he began, as he gazed musingly into the fire. There was
a note of interrogation in his voice, but I allowed him to tell his
story as he would.
“I suppose you have already guessed I wasn’t born around
here. There’s a fine old place down in Virginia I once called home.
That was twenty long years ago, and I have never spoken of it
to anyone before. But somehow you have seemed so different
from the others I meet here that I feel I can trust you with my
secret. _
“As I was saying, my father was the owner of a large estate in
Virginia. I was the only child, and as such had about everything
I wanted. That’s a bad thing for any young fellow, and it was
especially disastrous in my case. Of course I entered the uni
versity. It had always been the dearest dream of my father’s life
that I should go through and get my degree, as he had done and
his father before him. There was a tradition in our family of
long-standing that a Paget was not fit to enter life as a gentleman
until he had pursued his full course in college. My first two years
were spent as many another young fellow has spent them. I was
there for a good time, and I fear I was rather reckless. My
father, however, had not forgotten when he himself was in the
university, so he paid the bills.
‘All went finally well until the summer of my Sophomore year.
It was that summer that I first met Margery Delmar. There were
lots of other fellows who had felt her charms, but they had all
gotten over it. But it was very different with me. After that
eventful evening my destiny was sealed, and every thought of a
college career faded from my mind. Of course my father was
furious when he found what I intended doing. He felt that I had
wronged him by making an end to all the fond hopes and ambi
tions he had been cherishing for me. In the heat of his displeasure'
he could see nothing but base ingratitude on my part. But I
didn t see it just that way, and when he threatened to disinherit me
entirely I left the old home.