"
"I mean to do so. Probably it will be enough to say that your accuser is
my son, Halbert."
"I supposed so. I had a difficulty with Halbert yesterday, but I
consider he was in fault."
"He says you insulted and struck him."
"I did not insult him. The insult came from him."
"Did you strike him?"
"Yes, but not until he had struck me first."
"He didn't mention this, but even if he had you should not have struck
him back."
"Why not?" asked Robert.
"You should have reported the affair to me."
"And allowed him to keep on striking me?"
"You must have said something to provoke him," continued the
superintendent, finding it a little difficult to answer this question,
"or he would not have done it."
"If you will allow me," said Robert, "I will give you an account of the
whole affair."
"Go on," said the superintendent, rather unwillingly, for he strongly
suspected that our hero would be able to justify himself, and so render
dismissal more difficult.
"Halbert took offense because I accompanied Hester Paine home from the
writing school, evening before last, though I did with the young lady's
permission, as he knew. He met me yesterday at twelve o'clock, as I was
going home to dinner, and undertook to lecture me on my presumption in
offering my escort to one so much above me. He also taunted me with
being a factory boy.
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