the boy, and spoke quietly, but his face was pale, and his heart
was wrung with torture for his firstborn. Ah, how careless of him he
had been! How little companionship the two had had! How very little
help the boy had received from the man! Now, believing that only four
more days lay before him to use to the glory of God, Robert Hardy felt
the sting of that bitterest, of all bitter feelings, useless
regret--the regret that does not carry with it any hope of redeeming a
selfish past.

After his father had spoken, George sullenly remained silent. Mr.
Hardy bowed his head and seemed thinking. The officer, who had been
waiting for another move on the part of the older man, said:

"Well, we must be moving on. It's warmer in the lockup than out here;
so come along, young fellow, and do your talking to-morrow morning with
the rest of the drunks and disorderlies."

"Stop!" cried Robert Hardy. "This is my son! Do you understand? What
are you going to do?"

"Well, governor, that's a pretty question at this time o' day. Do!
I'm going to jug him for assault with intent to commit highway robbery.
It's an affair for the 'pen,' I can tell you."

"But you heard him say it was all a joke."

"A pretty joke to try to hold a man up on the highway and demand his
money! Oh, no! That's carrying a joke too far. I'm bound to obey
orders. We've been after this gang of young chaps for a month now."

"But, officer, you don't understand; this is my son!"

"Well, what of that? Don't we jug sons every day for some deviltry or
other? Do you suppose you are the only father whose son is going to
the devil?"

"O God, no!" cried Mr. Hardy with sudden passion. "But this is my
older boy. It would kill his mother to have him arrested and put in
jail for trying to rob his own father. Yet he was once innocent--
What am I saying? He might be now if I had done my duty."

Mr. Hardy confronted the officer with a certain sorrowful dignity which
even that hardened defender of the law understood.

"Officer, let the boy go. I will answer for it if any blame falls on
you. He was not at fault in this matter. He was not the one who
assaulted me. He did not touch me. You could not get a particle of
testimony against him. And besides that, it is necessary that he
return with me. This is a case for the law of God; it belongs to a
higher than human court."

The officer hesitated; Mr. Hardy stepped nearer his son.

"George," he