"
"Certainly not to me."
"I'm not here to beg pardon for any special fault, as I do not quite
know of what I am accused."
"Of nothing. There is accusation at all."
"Nor what the punishment is to be. I have learned that you have left to
Mountjoy all the furniture in the house."
"Yes, poor boy!--when I found that you had turned him out."
"I never turned him out,--not till your house was open to receive him."
"You would not have wished him to go into the poor-house?"
"I did the very best for him. I kept him going when there was no one
else to give him a shilling."
"He must have had a bitter time," said the father. "I hope it may have
done him good."
"I think I behaved to him just as an elder brother should have done. He
was not particularly grateful, but that was not my fault."
"Still, I thought it best to leave him the old sticks about the place.
As he was to have the property, it was better that he should have the
sticks." As he said this he managed to turn himself round and look his
son full in the face. Such a look as it was! There was the gleam of
victory, and the glory of triumph, and the venom of malice. "You
wouldn't have them separated, would you?"
"I have heard of some farther trick of this kind.
Pages:
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773