He would have taken the hat off his
head, had it been his practice to wear a hat in his sitting-room. Mr.
Merton had gone farther. Of course he did not mean, he said, to set up
his opinion against Sir William's; but if Mr. Scarborough would live
strictly by rule, Mr. Merton did not see why either three months or six
should be the end of it. Mr. Scarborough had replied that he could not
undertake to live precisely by rule, and Mr. Merton had shaken his head.
But from that time forth Mr. Scarborough did endeavor to obey the
injunctions given to him. He had something worth doing in the six months
now offered to him.
He had heard lately very much of the story of Harry Annesley, and had
expressed great anger at the ill-usage to which that young man had been
subjected. It had come to his ears that it was intended that Harry
should lose the property he had expected, and that he had already lost
his immediate income. This had come to him through Mr. Merton, between
whom and Augustus Scarborough there was no close friendship. And the
squire understood that Florence Mountjoy had been the cause of Harry's
misfortune. He himself recognized it as a fact that his son Mountjoy was
unfit to marry any young lady. Starvation would assuredly stare such
young lady in the face.
Pages:
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525