l made no reply. His father, divining that this was no time for
further speech, took his departure. McGuire Ellis went out with black
despair at his heart, a soldier betrayed by his captain. And the
proprietor of the "Clarion," his feet now set in the path of success and
profit, turned back to his work in sodden disenchantment, sighing as
youth alone sighs, and as youth sighs only when it foregoes the dream of
ideals which is its immortal birthright.

CHAPTER XXVIII

"WHOSE BREAD I EAT"

Having yielded, Hal proposed to take profit by his surrender. With a
cynicism born of his bitter disappointment and self-contempt, he took a
certain savage and painful satisfaction in stating the new policy
editorially.

"As the 'Clarion' is going to be a journalistic prostitute," said he to
his father, across the luncheon table, where they were consulting on
details of the new policy, "I'm going to go after the business on that
basis."

Dr. Surtaine was pained. Every effort of his own convenient logic he put
forth to prove that, in this instance, the path of duty and of glory
(financial) was one and the same. Hal refused the proffered gloss. "At
least you and I can call things by their right names now," said he.

But however Hal might talk, what he wrote met his elder's unqualified
approval, as it appeared in the proof sent him by his son. It was a
cunningly worded leading editorial, headed "Standards," and it dealt
appreciatively, not to say reverently, with the commercial greatness of
Worthington. Business, the editor stated, might have to adjust itself to
new conditions and opinions in Worthington as elsewhere, but nobody who
understood the character of the city's leading men could doubt their
good purpose or ability to effect the change with the least damage to
material prosperity. Meantime the fitting attitude for the public was
one not of criticism but of forbearance and assistance. This was equally
true of journalism. The "Clarion" admitted seeing a new light.
Constructive rather than destructive effort was called for. And so
forth, and so on. No intelligent reader could have failed, reading it,
to understand that the "Clarion" had hauled down its flag.

Yet the capitulation must not, for business reasons, be too obvious. Hal
spent some toilful hours over the proof, inserting plausible phrases,
covering his tracks with qualifying clauses, putting the best front on
the shameful matter, with a sick but determined h