ocean beat against the sea wall and its awful had been music to them what did it matter thought the neighbors if the heir of the tower and the child of his foster mother found their chief pleasure in each other s society s step father george bore it is true a very indifferent character but even if he did teach the lad to a hare or kill a on its perch without the aid of a gun they were his father s and and would be his own one day there was no flaw to speak of in this reasoning only the good folks who took this philosophic view of the matter overlooked the lapse of time which brings about other changes than decay and death mr the elder whose business it was as they justly said to look after the lad did not much concern himself with matters but kept his thoughts fixed on higher things whereas mr george whose business it was to look after the girl saw nothing objectionable in the intimacy between the two young people and in fact had done his best especially of late to it s mother was a well meaning but weak woman rather afraid of her daughter who in addition to an independent fortune of two hundred pounds to come to her when of age had a very decided temper of her own and very much afraid of her husband whose arguments power ful in themselves it was whispered were sometimes hy the application of a handle or other handy weapon of persuasion the coarse of master richard s true love had therefore hitherto run smoothly enough as regarded the young lady s family but he had now received intimation of opposition on the part of his own and from an unexpected quarter it seemed to him a most as well as proceeding that sister dead as she professed to be to earthly should with any affair of the heart yet this she had done in his case and with considerable vigor on her return from the children s on that sunday afternoon she had had a long private interview witli her nephew in which she had exhibited quite for views of practical life and conduct he had done his best to block everything she said as he afterward expressed it for he knew that was out of the question but be was nevertheless out i have found out how you spent your money sir since you came to london were her first words dick s face was a picture for a moment he looked a little anxious like some gentleman of shady habits at a court who has not yet heard the particular charge upon which he has been apprehended but almost immediately he began to laugh outright you must be very clever aunt for upon my life i can t tell you how it has gone myself yon bought a gold with it for thereupon was at once the assertion that no boy in the fifth form can blush for into dick s olive ce came a very decided tinge of color i did buy her a but it was not with that money replied he with unwonted it was a very foolish reply and one which would have only occurred to a very young indeed had he been really the gentleman in trouble of whom we have spoken he would have previously been put upon his by the law itself and solemnly warned not to commit himself by any such impulsive statement poor dick thought he had found a flaw in the instead of laying himself open to a new and equally serious charge then where did you get the first money did your father you with any other sums than the head master s fee and which you it was my own money i raised it at the s on my watch and dick his guard with nothing at the end of it to his tion it was very lucky for him that sister through her relations with her poor was familiar with the system and was therefore not so shocked at this as other persons in her position would have been lady for example would have been by such a revelation of nevertheless her manner was very grave and almost stem as she replied oh you the watch that your grandmother gave you on your birthday suppose she was to ask to see it i should not tell a lie aunt here the accused made the first point in his own favor and i am afraid the court was with him that moment notwithstanding its less black than we be painted boy s so different from the and she was accustomed to meet with in the youth of another class and she did not perhaps take into account how generous treatment and a position of social superiority lead to truth except in the characters as naturally as and dependence to lying i suppose not richard yet the truth would distress her almost as much as a lie that watch must be at once i m awfully sorry aunt but i tore np the ticket tore up the ticket i what for well i ll tell you and then you ll see that it s not worth while to get the watch out i was running down stairs at my s and it somehow jumped out of my pocket and fell on the pavement of the hall it never went again except for a moment or two it was laid upon its back and so i � it for three pounds you may wonder how i got so much money on it but the fact is the man had had it once or twice before the accident � and not knowing it had now only a movement as i ve heard him call it he advanced the same sum as usual and you see i knew 