"Oh, no, Cousin Godfrey!" cried Letty; "he is not starving. He
had a fresh-laid egg for breakfast this morning, and some
arrowroot for dinner, and some bread and milk for tea--"
"London milk!" said Godfrey.
"Well, it is not like the milk in the dairy at Thornwick,"
admitted Letty. "If he had milk like that, he would soon be
well!"
But Godfrey dared not say, "Bring him to Thornwick": he knew his
mother too well for that!
"When were you anywhere in the country?" he asked. In a negative
kind of way he was still nursing the baby.
"Not since we were married," she answered, sadly. "You see, poor
Tom can't afford it."
Now Godfrey happened to have heard, "from the best authority,"
that Tom's mother was far from illiberal to him.
"Mrs. Helmer allows him so much a year--does she not?" he said.
"I know he gets money from her, but it can't be much," she
answered.
Godfrey's suspicions against Tom increased every moment. He must
learn the truth. He would have it, if by an even cruel
experiment! He sat a moment silent--then said, with assumed
cheerfulness:
"Well, Letty, I suppose, for the sake of old times, you will give
me some dinner?"
Then, indeed, her courage gave way. She turned from him, laid her
head on the end of the sofa, and sobbed so that the room seemed
to shake with the convulsions of her grief. "Letty," said
Godfrey, laying his hand on her head, "it is no use any more
trying to hide the truth.
Pages:
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429