Waverley Library (Octavo Edition) (no. 81) (1885 12 08)
The text was read from the page scans by machine (OCR), so it has mistakes and its columns may run together. See the pages · About this title · At the Internet Archive
Page 1
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 2
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 3
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 4
4 A POINT OF HONOR. the State; but you throw away all xyour | man. Did you ever hear any ono speak of him cvances, and prefer being a cowboy or a miner in some outlandish place! Ob, you are a satis- factory heir for a man to have! I wish to Heaven there was no such thing as sons!” ‘‘ Your admonitions are not very logical or consistent!” sneered Gerald. ‘One instant you tell me Iam aruined beggar, and advise me to emigrate; the next moment you abuse me for agreeing to your proposition. May I ask if there is any other course you can suggest to me?” “Yes, sir; there is another course open to you by which you can retrieve your errors and follies—a pleasant and honorable course, Such a chance has been given to you as you don’t deserve. You have neither brains, energy, nor steadiness ever to earn a dime honestly for yourself. All you are good for is to dress yourself up and idle about, You look weil, it is true, in your dress-suit, for the Tracys were | always a handsome stock, though I say it that shouldn’t, Now, what you have to do is to make the best of the good looks you still have left after your dissipated life; make up to some womun who has money enough to set you on your feet, and marry her at once.” “Tll be shot if I do anything of the kind! I am not quite such a fool as to run my head in- to such a noose as that; and if you con- sider that an ‘honorable’ course, I can tell you sir, your ideas on that point are very different from mine; for I consider it one of the mean- est and most dishonorable actions a man could be guilty of to marry a woman simply tomake a convenience of her to pay off debts. I con- sider that I should forfeit all claim to be called a gentleman if I descended to that.” “Are you really such an idiot as you are pretending to be, or are you entangled with some factory or ballet-girl, and so prevented from making a respectable match?” “T am entangled inno way, nor have I ever frequented the society of the class you men- tion; but I shall preserve my independence and self-respect even if I have to lose a!l else!” * Self-respect, indeed! I wish you would add a little common-sense to your other quali- ties, You talk like a love-sick school-girl! I should like to know who ever thought it dis- honorable or ungentlemanly to marry a wife with means? It isa fair exchange, and done every day. Look at Maurice Blake! His prop- erty was mortgaged up to the very hall door when he came in for it. Did he moon about ranting of ‘self-respect’ or such-like rubbish? Not he. Like the sensible fellow he was, he looked out for a woman to help him out of bis difficulties. He married forty thousand dol- lars, cleared his property, and has a neat in- come besides, and can enjoy himself like a as ‘mean or ungentlemanly’ for doing so?” “Pd rather cut my throat than bave such a sour-faced old tabby sitting opposite me every day! No wonder Maurice spends half his timo away from home!” It was surely some mischievous imp that pul those words into Gerald’s mouth at that mo- ment, for Mrs, Maurice Blake was standing just bebind a row of evergreens, She bad come over to pay a morning visit; but, hear- ing the lively altercation between Loftus and his son, she bad drawn near, under cover of the hedge, and listened with great amusement and satisfaction until she received the just punishment of listeners in Gerald’s speech, She turned livid with rage and spite, and swore to be revenged on the young man; and she was | not a woman whose hate ended with idle threats, ‘‘ All women are pretty much alike after a few years,” sagely remarked Mr, Tracy; * but the solid advantages of money always remain,” “Were those your sentiments when you married my mother?’ asked Gerald, scorn- fully. ‘That has nothing whatever to do with the present case, sir. I never led the life you have done. I was not head and ears in debt. If I haa been such a fool, of course | could not Lave afforded to please myself with a wife, You | have got yourself into a regular fix. I can’t ‘and won’t help you; and only for *his chance you would really have to emigrate. But I don’t think you can be such a fool as to sacri- fice all your prospects in life when you have it in your power to redeem yourself,” Gerald Tracy was very fond of his home and ' all its surroundings. He had always been made much of and spoil-d, and led a pleasant, easy life, He was not in any way suited for a hard or rough life, and he knew it, It would bave been a great grief to him to be obliged to quit the circle in which he had always moved, and begin an untried mode of life, ‘¢ What is the chance you spoke of?” he asked, moodily. His father brightened up. He saw signs of yielding in the question. “ Well, you know, your aunt Henderson left the money you thought to get to a distant cousin of hers and mine, Nora Standish, I had a letter from Mary Standish, the mother, a few days ago, alluding very kindly to the dis- appointment you had had, and asking me to send you there on a visit. Of course, that is only one way of proposing a match between you and Nora. There is no possible objection you can raise to it. The girl is young and handsome, and has the money you want to pull
Page 5
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 6
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 7
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 8
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 9
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 10
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 11
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 12
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 13
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 14
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 15
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 16
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 17
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 18
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 19
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 20
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 21
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 22
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 23
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 24
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 25
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 26
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 27
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 28
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 29
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 30
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 31
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.
Page 32
This page's text is still being fetched. See the page, or reload in a moment.