Episode 20

'His father, you know, died when he was very young,' said Frank.

'Yes; I know he had a stroke of luck that doesn't fall to everyone; but--'

Young Frank's face grew dark now instead of red. When his cousin submitted to him the necessity of having more than two horses for his own use he could listen to him; but when the same monitor talked of the chance of a father's death as a stroke of luck, Frank was too much disgusted to be able pass it over with indifference. What! was he thus to think of his father, whose face was always lighted up with pleasure when his boy came near to him, and so rarely bright at any other time? Frank had watched his father closely enough to be aware of this; he knew how his father delighted in him; he had had cause to guess that his father had many troubles, and that he strove hard to banish the memory of them when his son was with him. He loved his father truly, purely, and thoroughly, liked to be with him, and would be proud to be his confidant. Could he listen quietly while his cousin spoke of the chance of his father's death as a stroke of luck?

'I shouldn't think it a stroke of luck, John. I should think it the greatest misfortune in the world.'

It is so difficult for a young man to enumerate sententiously a principle of morality, or even an expression of ordinary good feeling, without giving himself something of a ridiculous air, without assuming something of a mock grandeur!

'Oh, of course, my dear fellow,' said the Honourable John, laughing;

'that's a matter of course. We all understand that without saying it.

Porlock, of course, would feel exactly the same about the governor; but if the governor were to walk, I think Porlock would console himself with the thirty thousand a year.'

'I don't know what Porlock would do; he's always quarrelling with my uncle, I know. I only spoke of myself; I never quarrelled with my father, and I hope I never shall.'

'All right, my lad of wax, all right. I dare say you won't be tried; but it you are, you'll find before six months are over, that it's a very nice thing to master of Greshamsbury.'

'I'm sure I shouldn't find anything of the kind.'

'Very well, so be it. You wouldn't do as young Hatherly did, at Hatherly Court, in Gloucestershire, when his father kicked the bucket.

You know Hatherly, don't you?'

'No; I never saw him.'

'He's Sir Frederick now, and has, or had, one of the finest fortunes in England, for a commoner; the most of it is gone now. Well, when he heard of his governor's death, he was in Paris, but he went off to Hatherly as fast as special train and post-horses would carry him, and got there just in time for the funeral. As he came back to Hatherly Court from the church, they were putting up the hatchment over the door, and Master Fred saw that the undertakers had put at the bottom "Resurgam". You know what that means?'

'Oh, yes,' said Frank.

'"I'll come back again."' said the Honourable John, construing the Latin for the benefit of his cousin. '"NO," said Fred Hatherly, looking up at the hatchment; "I'm blessed if you do, old gentleman.

That would be too much of a joke; I'll take care of that." So he got up at night, and he got some fellows with him, and they climbed up and painted out "Resurgam", and they painted into its place, "Requiescat in pace"; which means, you know, "you'd a great deal better stay where you are". Now I call that good. Fred Hatherly did that as sure as--as sure as--as sure as anything.'

Frank could not help laughing at the story, especially at his cousin's mode of translating the undertaker's mottoes; and then they sauntered back from the stables into the house to dress for dinner.

Dr Thorne had come to the house somewhat before dinner-time, at Mr Gresham's request, and was now sitting with the squire in his own book-room--so called--while Mary was talking to some of the girls upstairs.

'I must have ten or twelve thousand pounds; ten at the very least,' said the squire, who was sitting in his usual arm-chair, close to his littered table, with his head supported on his hand, looking very unlike the father of an heir of a noble property, who had that day come of age.

It was the first of July, and of course there was no fire in the grate; but, nevertheless, the doctor was standing with his back to the fireplace, with his coat-tails over his arms, as though he were engaged, now in summer as he so often was in winter, in talking, and roasting his hinder person at the same time.

'Twelve thousand pounds! It's a very large sum of money.'

'I said ten,' said the squire.

'Ten thousand pounds is a very large sum of money. There is no doubt he'll let you have it. Scatcherd will let you have it; but I know he'll expect to have the title deeds.'

'What! for ten thousand pounds?' said the squire. 'There is not a registered debt against the property but his own and Armstrong's.'

'But his own is very large already.'

'Armstrong's is nothing; about four-and-twenty thousand pounds.'

'Yes; but he comes first, Mr Gresham.'

'Well, what of that? To hear you talk, one would think that there was nothing left of Greshamsbury. What's four-and-twenty thousand pounds? Does Scatcherd know what rent-roll is?'

'Oh, yes, he knows it well enough: I wish he did not.'

'What he means is, that he must have ample security to cover what he has already advanced before he goes on. I wish to goodness you had no further need to borrow. I did think that things were settled last year.'

'Oh if there's any difficulty, Umbleby will get it for me.'

'Yes; and what will you have to pay for it?'

'I'd sooner pay double that be talked to in this way,' said the squire, angrily, and, as he spoke, he got up hurriedly from his chair, thrust his hands into his trousers-pockets, walked quickly to the window, and immediately walking back again, threw himself once more into his chair.