He added that he didn't believe your family could have known
who I was when they asked me here, and I am afraid that's true,
Bobbie."
"Why, of course they knew! Haven't I spoken of you over and over
again?" Bob protested indignantly.
Van shook his head.
"They knew I was your chum all right, Bob; but so far as details
were concerned your family did not know much more about me than mine
knew about you. Don't you recall how, when I arrived at Allenville,
your father asked if I was one of the _Sugar Blakes_--Asa
Blake's son?"
"Yes, I do remember that now, but--"
"That, you will recollect, was after I was landed at Allenville and
your guest. Your father didn't know until that moment who I was, and
when he found out he was too decent to say anything, or make it
evident he didn't want me in the house. What could he do?"
"But--but--"
Bob broke off from sheer inability to continue. He was much too
bewildered.
"Your father sensed the awkwardness of the situation at once. Here
you had gone to school and as ill luck would have it you had picked
from out the entire bunch of boys the son of his worst enemy for a
chum. Neither your father nor mine realized the truth until you
innocently carted me home with you for a holiday visit. When your
father found out the fact he was too polite to turn me out-of-doors;
he just acted the gentleman and made the best of a bad dilemma,"
explained Van with appalling convincingness. "He even had the
goodness to save my life the day we got lost on one of your New
Hampshire mountains.
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