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George Esmond, when this little matter was referred to him, and his |
mother vehemently insisted that he should declare himself, was of the |
opinion of Mr. Washington and Mr. Draper, the London lawyer. The boy said |
he could not help himself. He did not want the money; he would be very |
glad to give the money to his mother if he had the power. But Madame |
Esmond would not hear of these reasons. Here was a chance of making |
Harry's fortune--dear Harry, who was left with such a slender younger |
brother's pittance--and the wretches in London would not help him; his |
own brother, who inherited all his papa's estate, would not help him. To |
think of a child of hers being so mean at _fourteen years of age_! |
Into this state of mind the incident plunged Madame Warrington, and no |
amount of reasoning could bring her out of it. On account of the |
occurrence she at once set to work saving for her younger son, for whom |
she was eager to make a fortune. The fine buildings were stopped as well |
as the fine fittings which had been ordered for the interior of the new |
home. No more books were bought; the agent had orders to discontinue |
sending wine. Madame Esmond deeply regretted the expense of a fine |
carriage which she had from England, and only rode in it to church, |
crying out to the sons sitting opposite to her, "Harry, Harry! I wish I |
had put by the money for thee, my poor portionless child; three hundred |
and eighty guineas of ready money to Messieurs Hatchett!" |
"You will give me plenty while you live, and George will give me plenty |
when you die," says Harry gaily. |
"Not until he changes in _spirit_, my dear," says the lady grimly, |
glancing at her elder boy. "Not unless Heaven softens his heart and |
teaches him _charity_, for which I pray day and night; as Mountain knows; |
do you not, Mountain?" |
Mrs. Mountain, Ensign Mountain's widow, who had been a friend of Rachel |
Esmond in her school days, and since her widowhood had been Madame |
Esmond's companion in Castlewood house, serving to enliven many dull |
hours for that lady and enjoying thoroughly the home which Castlewood |
afforded her and her child. Mrs. Mountain, I say, who was occupying the |
fourth seat in the family coach, said, "Humph! humph! I know you are |
always disturbing yourself about this legacy, and I don't see that there |
is any need." |
"Oh, no! no need!" cries the widow, rustling in her silks; "of course I |
have no need to be disturbed, because my eldest born is _a disobedient |
son and an unkind brother;_ because he has an estate, and my poor Harry, |
bless him, but a _mess of pottage_." |
George looked despairingly at his mother until he could see her no more |
for eyes welled up with tears. "I wish you would bless me, too, O my |
mother!" he said, and burst into a passionate fit of weeping. Harry's |
arms were in a moment round his brother's neck, and he kissed George a |
score of times. |
"Never mind, George. I know whether you are a good brother or not. Don't |
mind what she says. She don't mean it." |
"I do mean it, child," cries the mother. "Would to Heaven--" |
"_Hold your tongue, I say_!" roars out Harry. "It's a shame to speak so |
to him, ma'am." |
"And so it is, Harry," says Mrs. Mountain, shaking his hand. "You never |
said a truer word in your life." |
"Mrs. Mountain, do you dare to set my children against me?" cries the |
widow. "From this very day, madam--" |
"Turn me and my child into the street? Do," says Mrs. Mountain. "That |
will be a fine revenge because the English lawyer won't give you the |
boy's money. Find another companion who will tell you black is white, and |
flatter you; it is not my way, madam. When shall I go? I shan't be long |
a-packing. I did not bring much into Castlewood house, and I shall not |
take much out." |
"Hush! the bells are ringing for church, Mountain. Let us try, if you |
please, and compose ourselves," said the widow, and she looked with eyes |
of extreme affection, certainly at one, perhaps at both, of her children. |
George kept his head down, and Harry, who was near, got quite close to |
him during the sermon, and sat with his arm round his brother's neck. |
From these incidents it may be clearly seen that Madame Esmond besides |
being a brisk little woman at business and ruling like a little queen in |
Castlewood was also a victim of many freaks and oddities, among them one |
of the most prominent being a great desire for flattery. There was no |
amount of compliment which she could not graciously receive and take as |
her due, and it was her greatest delight to receive attention from |
suitors of every degree. Her elder boy saw this peculiarity of his |
mother's disposition and chafed privately under it. From a very early |
day he revolted when compliments were paid to the little lady, and |
strove to expose them with his youthful satire; so that his mother would |
say gravely, "the Esmonds were always of a jealous disposition, and my |
poor boy takes after my father and mother in this." |
One winter after their first tutor had been dismissed Madame Esmond took |
them to Williamsburg for such education as the schools and colleges there |
afforded, and there they listened to the preaching and became acquainted |
with the famous Mr. Whitfield, who, at Madame Esmond's request, procured |
a tutor for the boys, by name Mr. Ward. For weeks Madame Esmond was never |
tired of hearing Mr. Ward's utterances of a religious character, and |
according to her wont she insisted that her neighbours should come and |
listen to him and ordered them to be converted to the faith which he |
represented. Her young favourite, Mr. George Washington, she was |
especially anxious to influence; and again and again pressed him to come |
and stay at Castlewood and benefit by the spiritual advantages there to |
be obtained. But that young gentleman found he had particular business |
which called him home or away from home, and always ordered his horse of |
evenings when the time was coming for Mr. Ward's exercises. And--what |
boys are just towards their pedagogue?--the twins grew speedily tired and |
even rebellious under their new teacher. |
They found him a bad scholar, a dull fellow, and ill-bred to boot. George |
knew much more Latin and Greek than his master; Harry, who could take |
much greater liberties than were allowed to his elder brother, mimicked |
Ward's manner of eating and talking, so that Mrs. Mountain and even |
Madame Esmond were forced to laugh, and little Fanny Mountain would crow |
with delight. Madame Esmond would have found the fellow out for a vulgar |
quack but for her son's opposition, which she, on her part, opposed with |
her own indomitable will. |
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