The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-05-29
CHAPTER III.
ABOUT MISFORTUNE

1t was dark as father and son drove home,
and Percival was greatly startled when,
almost as soon as the horses began to move,
the rector threw himself upon him, and, sob
bling like child, called out:
q am ruined man, Percy-a ruined man.
The explanation which followed this an
nouncement was in all its main features new
to Percival, who had never known any par
ticulars of his fathers affairs. The facts,
which may be briefly told, were these: Brent
senior was the son of a father who had mar
ried twice, and the rector had now a half
brother nearly twenty years older than him
self. This brother, under his mothers mar
riage settlement, had inherited all her prop
erty, which was very large. The father had
life interest in it, but at his death the whole
passed absolutely to her only child Rector
Brent's father had ever been careless and
imprudent man, who, having married for
tunately, lived on his wife's money. After
her death he married again, as has been said,
and his second wife died in the same month
as himself; but his reckless and improvident
character was plainly seen by the state in
which his affairs were left He might easily
have saved, and saved handsomely, for the
tuutitlpn anu VI LIZ ocIoiu oohi
our rector, but as matter of fact he died So
deeply in debt that even his furniture had to
be sold to satisfy his creditors. Young Brent
was then at Oxford preparing for the church,
but it seemed as if his whole future must be
altered AT this time his brother came for
ward, and although he had never been kindly
used by the second Mrs Brent, he now, with
great generosity, resolved to help his brother
and he made him an ample allowance for his
university expenses. Under these circum
stances q very cordial friendship sprang W
between the two, and this friendship had
hitherto been unbroken The elder brother
did not marry, being studious and if not
"a woman hater, certainly not a woman
hunter As time went on, and the younger
brothers position and requirements grew
the elder increased the allowance BIZ
made him, and now for several years he
had been giving the rector fifteen hundred
per annum This, he promised, should b.
continued to his death, when an ample pro
vision would be made for himself and his son.
This arrangement had gone on for many
years undisturbed, but q short time before
to Rector Brent's great establishment, hi:
brother, then over seventy, told him hs
meditated marriage The facts were soor
cut. A strong minded Irish widow, of good
family, with file of tall, hungry, pennies
sons, had marked him for her own. There
followed, in the usual artful sequel, fattery
and amiable persecution. The old man was
cajoled, managed, and, in the last stages Of
the affair, bullied, until without his brothers
knowledge, he was actually married to ths
triumphant widow, who wrote to the rector
explaining the haste and secrecy of the tran
saction by the state of "our dear Henry
nervous system" The elder brother assured
his junior that the marriage would make nc
difference in his allowance or his subsequent
prospects; and for twelve months this prom
ise was kept But the old man was growing
feeble, and his wife impatient. Her son.
were expensive, and she wished to secure
everything for them. By what means could
not be ascertained, but she spirited her hus
band away to the south of France. Under
the plea of bronchial disease and nervous
prostration, she shut him up from society
and when, a few months before, the rector
growing uneasy, had gone to Cannes to see
his brother, be was not admitted to the house
being comforted by the assurance that every
thing was being done to restore, or at least to
compose, dear Henry's nervous system Tc
tell the reat in few words, on the morning Of
Sibyls marriage the poor rector received q
letter, written by his brother himself, in
which, after some vague sentences about .losl
Of money" failure Of investments and lin.
creasing expenses he plainly said that he
inclosed the last check which he would evez
be able TO send. The letter closed with q
postscript, in which the rector YVES reminded