CHAPTER IV.
The Eldon brothers lived in adjoining houses, large, handsome, and withmore extensive grounds than are usually connected with a city residence;a low hedge separated those of the one from the other, and a gate inthat gave to each household free access to both, which, by the way, wasa convenience more esteemed by the brothers and their children than bythe wives and mothers, who had few interests in common--Mrs. George Eldonoccupying herself almost exclusively with home cares and economies andoutside charities, while her sister-in-law was a butterfly of fashion,considering herself a martyr to social duties and leaving the care ofhouse, children, and her husband's comfort to those who could be hiredto attend to them. As a natural consequence each secretly despised andavoided the other.
When the brothers parted at the wharf that day, the elder one wentimmediately to his place of business, where he found his wife waiting tospeak with him in his private counting room.
"Ah," she said as he entered, "I am glad you have come at last; for Ihave been waiting here for at least a full hour. Where on earth have youbeen?"
"Out seeing to some very important business; a matter demandingimmediate attention," he replied somewhat coldly.
"Something which your wife is not to know about, I presume?"
"I have not said so, nor have I the least intention to keep it secretfrom you. Let me read you this"--unfolding a letter as he spoke.
It was the one he had just received from England, telling of the deceaseof Captain and Mrs. Eldon, and the sending of their children to America.She listened in almost breathless surprise.
"You have hardly mentioned that brother for years, and I had almostforgotten his existence," she remarked as he refolded the letter andlaid it aside.
"Too true," he responded with a heavy sigh, "and my heart reproaches mefor my neglect. Poor Harry! if he had left that climate sooner he mightperhaps have lived to be an old man; lived to support and bring up hischildren himself; but now all that I can do is to help in that work."
"As if you hadn't family enough of your own!" she exclaimed indignantly.
"I have two, my brother Albert six; and I have quite as large an incomeas he."
"And a wife that doesn't spend the half that his does," she addeddrawing herself up with dignity.
"Quite true, and, therefore, I should take certainly not less than halfthe burden of providing for Harry's helpless little ones."
"No doubt you will do your full share," she said coldly, "and your wifewill be expected to do more than hers in the way of seeing that thechildren are trained and taught, fed and clothed; things that such abutterfly of fashion as Mrs. Albert does not trouble her head about forher own offspring, and certainly would not for others."
"Well, my dear, fortunately for us we will not be called upon to give anaccount for her sins of omission or commission; but I have heard yousay, certainly more than once or twice, that you consider it a duty tocare for the poor with purse, time, and effort; and surely relationshipto your husband should not be looked upon as a bar to such ministrationson the part of his wife. My brother, I am happy to say, is more thanwilling to do his full share, and I certainly do not want him to domore."
He was magnanimous enough not to mention her orphan niece whom he wassupporting and educating, and she had the grace to feel somewhat ashamedof her display of unwillingness to do a little for his fatherless andmotherless nephew and nieces. But she did not condescend to say so muchin words.
"Well, how soon are we to expect them?" she asked.
"They are already here," he replied, "and the errand from which I havejust returned was to the vessel that brought them. Albert proposes tokeep the whole four for a few days, till they have had time to becomesomewhat acquainted with us, and parted with the good woman--the wife ofa soldier in Canada--who had charge of them on the voyage."
"And after that?"
"We propose to make a division--each taking two; our wives, of course,having a vote as to which two each of them may prefer to take."
"And they have been already sent up to your brother's, I suppose? Iwonder how Augusta likes it."
"Surely she can hardly be without some feeling of compassion for thesorely bereaved little ones," he returned with emotion.
"They are to be pitied," she said, her voice softening somewhat. "Well,I came for a little money to spend in doing good--helping some of theunfortunates in our midst. Can you spare it?"
"Certainly," he replied, opening his his purse and handing her a smallroll of banknotes.
"Thank you," she said; "I'll see to it that your bounty is not wasted."
"I'm sure of it, Sarah; I never knew you to be wasteful."
She smiled at that, understanding it as a well deserved compliment; thentook a hasty leave, as she perceived that someone was at the doorseeking an interview with Mr. Eldon.
"Well, it's a bad business," she sighed to herself as she hurried alongthe street; "as if it was not enough to be plagued with my own brother'schild, I must have his too. And really there's no necessity for it; itwould be a charity to pay somebody to take charge of the four, savingthem the trial of being separated and helping the caretaker to make aliving; decidedly I think it is a brilliant idea and that I shall haveno difficulty in persuading Augusta to join me in insisting upon havingit carried out."
Mrs. Augusta was in her dressing room, just completing her dinnertoilet, when to her intense surprise a tap at her door was followed bythe entrance of her sister-in-law.
"Ah, you had no idea it was I coming upon you so unceremoniously,"remarked the caller with a grim smile, and seating herself withoutwaiting to be invited; "but I came to have a bit of chat with you aboutthis invasion of our homes by uninvited young guests. I for one see noreason why we should be expected to take charge of them, our husbandsbeing amply able to pay someone else to do so, someone who may be gladto add in that way to a meagre income."
"Why, Sarah, that's a brilliant idea! If only such a person--one whomGeorge and Albert would be willing to trust--can be found," exclaimedMrs. Augusta, her eyes sparkling with pleasure. "Have you anyone inmind?"
"Yes, I have thought of that poor Irish curate, Coote, who is socontinually applying for help. Wasteful creatures he and his wife mustbe to need it so often, with never a chick or child of their own tosupport."
"I should think so; and I can't bear him--red-headed, pompous,dictatorial, domineering creature that he is! He should never havecharge of a child of mine."
"Well, don't, I beg of you, be silly enough to say that to your husbandor mine."
"Of course not; if they can't see for themselves, why should you or Ienlighten them? Still I do feel a little sorry at the thought of givinghim a chance to domineer over those poor little orphans."
"Let them behave themselves and they will do fairly well, I have nodoubt," returned Mrs. Sarah with a frown. "They must be taught to expectto support themselves from the time they can be made capable of doingso, and lessons in self-control and the endurance of some hardship willbe a decided benefit to them."
"So we will endeavor to believe, at all events," laughed Mrs. Augusta.
Then they consulted together as to the best plan for approaching theirhusbands on the subject; and decided that their wisest course would beto say nothing at present, but wait till some trouble between thenewcomers and their own children should so annoy the gentlemen that theywould be ready to purchase peace at almost any price.