The Press., 1888-01-26
UNCLE OR NEPHEW.

y Middleton, nephew, was as like in person to
 Godfrey Middleton, uncle, as he was in name and nature
 The two were the last representatives of
 their race, Middletons of Middleton Castle.
 and strangers who saw them together were
 sure to fancy them father and son until i'm
 formed to the contrary. They were both
 tall, thin and muscular-justifying in their degree the arrogant Lancashire proyerb
 which afir1hs that ''the south grows trees, the north grows men," Their features were rugged and boldly defined, speaking. without words, of force of character and vitality of will. None could look either uncle or nephew in the face as they looked their neighbors- and read weakness there. But the nephew, as became stalwart en-and-twenty, had | pretensions to be described as handsome | (upon the family pattern), which his kins- man lacked. As has been hinted, the physical resem-
 blance was supplemented by analogy of tenn per. Each was stiff, reticent locked in the l prison house of natural hauteur, and capa-
 ble of smoldering, dangerous resentment. And ill the case of old Godfrey these at tributes had of late come every one into | play. In his own fashion he was showing his extreme disapproval of the sayings and
 doings of his heir, now on a visit to Elgin
 house, Sefton Park.
 The prosperous Liverpool shipbroker saw
 the maxims of his life, those rules of caution ] and exactness by which he had built up
 house the envy of thousand rivals, appar- ently set at naught by Q harum-scarum l young surgeon He had wanted young
 Godfrey to come into the office, and, mis- 1 liking the outlook of perpetual quill driving and equally systematic supervision, Godfrey refused. This was first offehse, and it had l l.
 cate the refractory one for the profession he selected; and later, to purchase for him a share in practice where he might still be under his uncle's eye. Fairly launched thus, young Godfrey had incontinently exchanged | with a dissatisfied brother of the scalpel 1 located at York. The score against him on
 his uncle's tablets of memory was herewith | doubled.
 And after many days he had come back in anything but the prodigals role of hu- mility and contrition, though the main pur- pose of his cross country journey seemed | to be to invite extrication from financial | difficulty,
 "It's an awful nuisance, of course. I'm dis gusted with myself at having to come to you on such an errand, sir. But never dreamed that it would turn out more than what Ar
 buthnot called it-'a mere form,'" he said. 'NAnd after all suppose it's I that will bs the loser in the long run" Whether young Geofrey's native talents
 were few or many, that of diplomacy was not among them. If it had been, he would | instinctively have avoided at this juncture | the remotest reference to his uncle'S well un- derstood intentions concerning the ultimate disposition of his wealth. It was inevitable that such an allusion must, under the circurn- 1 stances, grate upon the listeners ear. In reality it stimulated old Geoffrey'a anger to perilous pitch. The shipbroker's
 brow was furrowed like warped plank oa one of his own vessels, the cold gray eyes scintillated with scorn, the lines deepened and grew rigid at the corners of the inf1exible mouth. Yet the bridle was upon his tongue. | He was never the man to bandy futile re- breaches or reveal the depth of his indigna- tion in scathing, impetuous speech. The pas | sion of his wrath found it's familiar outlet sarcasm.
 "Most genially and pleasantly said," he ! answered "Yes, it is you who will be the
 sufferer. There cannot be doubt of that l And quito acquit you of intending to sub
 init mo to this trihing annoyance-the figures | you mentioned were e1 500, thinkg' | Young Godfrey writhed upon his chair
 and felt uncommonly hot, although he was
 sitting at an open window with the June
 breeze fannIng him. Foolish he might be, a
 sad blundcrer he was; but he had plenty of
 wit to see his error after committing it-nO | great thing, perhaps, to say in his favor, and | certainly no unusual phenomenon. And he
 recognized both the storm signals on his
 unclo's countenance and the irony of the old
 mans tono and words. Yet such was the
 turn of his own mental and moral idiosyn- | crasies that he made no pretense of apology,
 but frightened his lips and replied to the sl- | perf1uous query in accents equally higid and | calm.
 dred and eighty"
 "And you expect me to find you this sum9' ''To whom else shall apply, sir? have
 no other resource If my father were living
 it would be different. But you've stood in | the place of both parents to me for many a
 year. And this is how repay youl"
 It was sudden climax, and not the less 6
 stroke of happy augWy. If the young sur
 geon had paused there, there might be nc story to tell. His spasm of emotion, his re pentance, genuine if destined to be short l lived, had favorabty affected old Godfrey, 1 who loved his adopted boy with every fault 1 ppon his head
 1 But surely some mischievous sprite must
 have stood at young Geoffrey's elbow and 1 have dictated new words of strife.
 l l as much more away to the office boy, if you 1 like. rather wish you would, " he fatuously added, as the Hull grew harassing.
 He had whistled for the wind, and the l tempest was his reward, if such an epithet may properly be applied to the measured and 1 restrained condemnation to which he was compelled to attend
 1 'You are still harping on the same cheer 1 full string" said old Godfrey, with a bland
 yet bitter smile upon his face-it was as
 though patience should smile at the futility
 of her own forbearance-'tI leave you to de
 ternine whether there is not after all the
 chance-mind, I only venture to say the
 chance-of another flaw in your calculations
 You appear to have made one in relying
 upon your friend MT. Arbuthnot's honor, ! and backing the bill which he cleverly leaves 1 you to pay. Very possibly he, too, is aware i of your great expectations. Or it may even 1 be plannad business between you" "Sir!-uncle" The victim of this dubious
 money transaction sprang to his feet. "Sit down." said the other dryly; tits not 1 the Middleton way to go pop like ginger l beer Ecttle, hi cause shaken by mere per- | haps"
 Young Godfrey resumed his seat and bit ] his lip iI2 silence . ''l didn't say thnt it was so; don't know that I thought it. But, putting the best con I struction on your conduct, it's anything but satisfactory. My money has been made, sir, by hard work, begging at it, and taking care ! of every guinea. Your cleverness seems to be exhibited in precisely an opposite direc- tion. Your pockets, sir, are sieves. And to any man with an atom of real business about him, the backing of a stiff bill on next to no inquiry would be impossible. He could no ! do hall