Kendal tells me are the least Mr. Goldsmith ought to give you. Do
you dislike going into particulars with me? You know I am used to
think for Gilbert, and I am a sort of cousin.'
'You are kindness itself,' said Ulick; 'and there! I suppose I must
go to the bottom of it, and it is no news that pence are not plenty
among the O'Mores, though it is no fault of my uncle. See there what
my poor dear mother says.'
He drew a letter from his pocket, and gave a page to her.
'I miss you sorely, my boy,' it said; 'I know the more what a support
and friend you have been to me now that you are so far away; but all
is made up to me in knowing you to be among my own people, and the
instrument of reconciliation with my brother, as you well know how
great has been the pain of the estrangement caused by my own pride
and wilfulness. I cannot tell you how glad I am that he approves of
you, and that you are beginning to get used to the work that was my
own poor father's for so long. Bred up as you have been, my mountain
lad, I scarcely dared to hope that you would be able to sit down
quietly to it, with all our hopes of making you a scholar so suddenly
frustrated; but I might have put faith in your loving heart and sense
of duty to carry you through anything. I feel as if a load were off
my mind since you and Bryan are so happily launched. The boy has not
once applied for money since he joined; and if you write to him, pray
beg him to be careful, for it would well-nigh drive your father mad
to be pressed any more--the poor mare has been sold at a dead loss
and the Carrick-humbug quarry company pays no dividends, so how we
are to meet the Christmas bills I cannot guess.
Pages:
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434