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The letter was from a poor widow, a sister-in-law of his own, who had disgraced herself for ever at least in Mr Auberly's eyes by having married a waterman. Mr Auberly shut his eyes obstinately to the fact that the said waterman had, by the sheer force of intelligence, good conduct, courage, and perseverance, raised himself to the command of an East Indiaman.
Chuckling he arose on the following morning, and, chuckling still, went at noon to Beverly Square, where he discovered Mr Auberly standing, gaunt and forlorn, in the midst of the ruins of his once elegant mansion. "Well, boy, what do you want? Have you anything to say to me?" Mr Auberly turned sharp round on Willie, whose gaze had gone beyond the length of simple curiosity.
"Well," retorted Fred Auberly, "I know that is a point of uncertainty, and I'm not very sanguine, because there is great lack of room. Nevertheless, I mean to send it. And you know, John, `faint heart never won fair lady, so " At this point the conversation was interrupted by a shrill whistle at the top of the house, which, as it drew nearer, became identified with the air of "Rule Britannia!"
Willie also chimed in now and then, and volunteered his opinions in a way that would have called forth a sharp rebuke from his patron half an hour before; but he was permitted to speak, even encouraged, now, for Mr Auberly was being tickled pleasantly; he was having his feelings and affections roused in a way that he had never thought of or tried before; he was gathering golden experiences that he had never stooped to touch before, although the mine had been under his feet all his life, and his path had been strewn with neglected nuggets from the cradle fortunately not, as yet, to the grave!
Mr Auberly sat for some time, dividing his attentions pretty equally between the paper, the fire, and the coffee, until he recollected having received a letter that day which he had forgotten to answer, whereupon he rose and sat down before his writing-table to reply.
"Hear! hear!" interrupted Willie; "but the copy-book says `Comparisons are odiows! don't it? Mother, here's a fathom and two inches or so of humanity as wants me to go with him to Mr Auberly. I s'pose Frank can get along without me for a little while eh?" "Certainly, my son; why does he want you?" "Don't know. P'raps he's goin' to offer to make me his secretary.
"You must not say `La! my girl," interrupted Mr Auberly with a frown, "nor use exclamations of any kind in my presence; what are the `some things' referred to?" "Sure I don't know, sir," said the abashed Matty.
"Then you'll have to take another message from me, Willie. Tell Miss Tippet when you go to-morrow that I will give myself the pleasure of looking in on her in the course of the evening," said Fred. "Mr Auberly is not to be there, is he?" "No, not as I knows of." "Well, good-night, Willie."
If you're hard up for wittles in the meantime, just grin and bear it; you'll not die, you know, you'll only get thinner. I have heard that a bit o' boiled shoe-leather ain't a bad thing to keep one easy till relief comes." "Dear me!" exclaimed Mr Auberly in the distance, and bustling back as lie spoke; "I quite forgot; how stupid of me! I was directed by my daughter to give you this."
On occasions of unusual celerity he even managed to drown the last shot in the bang of the door, and went off with a sensation of triumph. On the present occasion, however, Ned Hooper deemed it politic to be so busy, that he could not attend to the warnings of the timepiece. He even sat on his stool a full quarter of an hour beyond the time of departure. At length, Mr Auberly issued forth.
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