Spring Days

the twilight of a small office he brooded over the different means of making money that were open to him. The young ladies worked or played as it struck their fancy. Sally admitted tha

r with money to keep a husband. The doctor had ordered her iron; she had been sent to London for a change, but neither remedy was of much avail, and when she returned home pale and melancholy she had not

good picture, I paid a lot of money for it, I paid too much, mustn't do so again." Passing his daughters, sometimes without speaking, he then

fire, Willy slowly and with much care made pencil notes, whi

rce of deep anxiety," said Mr. Brookes, and he flicked t

nd he finished the tail of the y, passed the blottin

ridiculous. What she can see in that man I can't think; he is only a man of pleasure. I've told her so, but somehow sh

hop," thought Willy, as

hat? to keep an idle fellow in idleness. No, I'll not do it. She'll get over it-ah, it will

help it if she is. I've quite enough troubles of my own without thinking of

never would had it not been for that horrible Southdown Road. S

rlocks because I may meet people there I don't want to know. If you

o make them bad. Her views on hydrophobia are most astonishing. She says it is a mild and easy death, and sees no reason why the authorities should attempt to stamp it out. She quite frightened me with the story she told me of a mad dog that died in her arms. But that by the way. The point is not now whether she is right to feed mice in her bedroom instead of getting rid of them, but whether we should call on people we don't want to know because she asks us to do so. I say we should not. When she spoke

she say

now one from the other. I have had nothing but trouble since your poor mother died. Your sisters give me a great deal of trouble, and you have given me a great deal of trouble. We couldn't get on in business together on account of your infernal slowness. No man is more for keeping his accounts and letters straight than I, but your exactitude drives me mad; it drives me mad; there you are at it a

don't see how it interferes with you, or what difference it makes

case she'll miss her chance of marrying Berkins; that is what distresses me. The man stinks of money. I hear that he has been appointed manager of a colliery, that alone will bring him an

think; a purs

many. I wouldn't give a snap of my fingers for your broken-down landowners; Berkins has always made

been born a gentleman, but had had to shift for himself, even when a lad, and he had caught at all chances; he was more sophisticated, he was a gentleman in a state of retrograde, and was in all points inferior to him whom he crossed in his descent. Berkins had bought a small place, a villa with some hundred acres attached to it, on the other side of Preston Park. There he had erected glass h

man, and he liked to twit his father with it. But Mr. Brookes could not be brought to see the joke, and he fell bac

ing eight thousand a year; and she'll miss

inty; you don't know that Berkins wants to marr

of eight thousand a year; you don't expect him to come round here every evening to tea, and to play tennis, and

to you on the

mother-I mean no disparagement-but I must say she couldn't compare with her for determination; Sally reminds me of her, but Sally's determination is misdirected, deplorably misdirected; it is directed against me, entirely against me. She must be made submissive; when I spo

at Berkins had spoken t

of marrying; that he wanted a wife. Then the conversation turned on my daughters,

he money that B

is to say he will naturally look forward, he will consider what her prospects are

"And what di

Grace; he said he admired her. I shouldn't

ng to ask hi

. Brookes said: "He'll come in here to smoke. Of course yo

t keep some in the house to supply your own guests wi

it is so hard to remember. H

e in the cig

will look so bad if there is

can get; he took my

tter of great

, and with very bad grace he unlocked a draw

ast ten. By Jove! we must be thinking o

ve too much to

is diary, tied up the letters, diary, and notebook in brown paper, and, with a sigh, admitting that he did not feel up to much work to-day, he took up the envelopes that had contained his letters and began tearing off the stamps, and he did this very attentively as if he did not trust his dr

is glowed at the end of the path; and the greenery was blithe as a girl in clear muslin and ribbons. The blackbirds chattered and ran, and in turn flew to the pan of water placed for t

tion he put to himself gravely. "What a cad he is! No wonder the county people fight shy of us; a fellow like that is enough to close their doors against us for ever. My father pooh-poohs everything but riches; he positively flies in their faces, so wha

hing even more than his usual dignity. At first sight he suggested that anomalous creature-a footman with a beard; and the slow, deliberate enunciation marked him as one accustomed to speak in public. His manner of sitting at a table sugg

e had never seen any one except her whom he would care to make his wife. What had she said? She didn't know. She couldn't really remember. She had been taken so suddenly, she was so upset, that she hadn't known what to say. She thought she had said something about the honour-but she really had not had time to say m

," whispered Sally, who had fo

ry," replied Maggie, moving the decant

he settled on her he must settle on them when they married. As Berkins's wife Grace would have servants, je

dominated the dining-table; he was decidedly more than usually impressed by his own worth, and the worth of the money of which he was the representative. Willy chewed his chee

y you would like a cigar, Berkins-w

ed, remained at table. The girls watched each other, and as soon as

" said Mr. Brookes, offerin

rtreuse, I think. My wine merchant knows a man whose cousin is one of the monks. Now the monks set aside the very cream of the liqueur, if I may so speak, for themselves. This liqueur cannot be bought in the open ma

for the amiable offer, and

play bil

Do

N

rookes said: "I hear you have been staying with my sist

ugh to ask me. Very nice

have gone in for

a hundred br

e both men wondered what they had better say to lead

t entirely yourself? Iforget. I ought to know;

dea, and not a bad idea, I flatter myself. I spent a good deal of mone

e a sin

to remain always single, and-and now, Mr. Brookes, as we are on the subj

sure I am very pleased to hear it, Mr. Berkins

tle overcome. I did not exactly catch what she said, and I didn't like to press her for an immediate answer. But suppose we assume for the m

at least those in society, were innocent and virtuous; he understood that when they married they made faithful and dutiful wives; and he had chosen her not because he had fallen in love, nor yet because he had noticed she was likely to make a better wife than her sisters, but because she was the eldest. Even so he would be twenty years his wife's senior, and he had chosen to marry one of the Brookes girls because he knew them and saw them constantly; because he knew that at their father's death his fortune would

a man who can afford to do the thing properly; you will not misunderstand me-you remember you to

as. A lot of indigent fortune-hunters, they know my girls will have large for

ne doesn't make money to keep idle yo

s what

es to rise come in the way of a clerk at two pounds a week; he must be pretty sharp, and if he doesn't seize the little chance when it comes, he will remain a little clerk all his life. It is the first steps that are difficult, the rest are nothing. You don't know what the first steps are; I do. Once y

not make it. It is like corn; give a man a handful, and he must be a fool if he can't fill his barn. The b

dozen glass houses. Suddenly you find the rabbits are breeding in the hedgerows, and you go out yonder ferretting, but the coachman does not know how to manage the ferrets, and you start a keeper. The keeper says one morning, 'It wouldn't require much to get up a stock of pheasants in that little wood.' You say, 'Very well;' and there you are before you know it, with glass houses, rabbit-shooting, and a pheasant preserve. You have friends to stay with you for th

people very standoffis

ituated as I am, a young-well, I will say, a marriageable-man, known to

be proud of, half of them are broken-their land is worthless. Give me good sound investmen

blankly; they felt they had talked a good deal, but without

ng that Miss Brookes is not averse from my suit, to discuss the business side, for the

was altogether premature, but he yielded before Berkins's authoritative manner, and he rep

more money invested than I; I am making possibly a larger income-you will forgive me if I am mis

money is invested, but it would have gone hard with many a man w

societies affect you; they must have h

elieve in the falling off in the quantit

t th

fortune-hunters from the villas-my daughters are very young, and since their poor mother died they have had no one to look after them. Willy, too, is a great trial to me. Poor boy, he is most a

as in the disti

ng it up. Besides after you have conducted a business so many years you don't want a partner; you have your own way of doing things, and do

ere talking of settlements. I think I said we stood as man to man. In round numbers your fortune equals mine, mine equals you

fireplace, he walked up the room indignantly. "I was wrong to consent to discuss the matter; to say the least, it is pr

thdraw them. I must ask you to remember you are talking to one at leas

making that to-day, to-morrow you mayn't be

amp; Mr. Brookes remained with his back-his straight fat back bound in a new frock coat that defined the senile fatness of the haunches-turned to his guest. He stooped as

deration, I think I had better wi

ng seven thousand a year had suddenly cooled. "My daughter will have-my children, I should say-will

, what do you propos

ssed. Berkins's domineering tone irritated him;

ge sums of money my daughters will come into at my de

hat case I shall

h arrangement. The man my daughter marries m

you settl

ctations," replied Mr. Brooke

her expectations are;

ntend to ma

usiness is business, and I should be a fool i

le as upon a huge balance sheet. The word business had carried the men back to their offices in London, a

hundred and fifty, t

s, I will not tak