ness,--I am almost
tempted to grieve that it should be so."

"If a large fortune were really a bad thing," said Gerald, "a man
could I suppose get rid of it."

"No;--it is a thing of which a man cannot get rid,--unless by
shameful means. It is a burden which he must carry to the end."

"Does anybody wish to get rid of it, as Sindbad did of the Old
Man?" asked Gerald pertinaciously. "At any rate I have enjoyed the
kidneys."

"You assured us just now that the bread and cheese at Ely were just
as good." The Duke as he said this looked as though he knew that he
had taken all the wind out of his adversary's sails. "Though you add
carriage to carriage, you will not be carried more comfortably."

"A second horse out hunting is a comfort," said Silverbridge.

"Then at any rate don't desire a third for show. But such comforts
will cease to be joys when they become matters of course. That a boy
who does not see a pudding once a year should enjoy a pudding when it
comes I can understand; but the daily pudding, or the pudding twice
a day, is soon no more than simple daily bread,--which will or will
not be sweet as it shall or shall not have been earned." Then he
went slowly to the door, but, as he stood with the handle of it in
his hand, he turned round and spoke another word. "When, hereafter,
Gerald, you may chance to think of that bread and cheese at Ely,
always remember that you had skated from Cambridge."

The two brothers then took themselves to some remote part of the
house where arrangements had been made for smoking, and there they
finished the conversation. "I was very glad to hear what he said
about you, old boy." This of course came from Silverbridge.

"I didn't quite understand him."

"He meant you to understand that you wouldn't be like other younger
brothers."

"Then what I have will be taken from you."

"There is lots for three or four of us. I do agree that if a fellow
has as much as he can spend he ought not to want anything more.
Morton was telling me the other day something about the settled
estates. I sat in that office with him all one morning. I could not
understand it all, but I observed that he said nothing about the
Scotch property. You'll be a laird, and I wish you joy with all my
heart. The governor will tell you all about it before long. He's
going to have two eldest sons."

"What an unnatural piece of cruelty to me;--and so unnecessary!"

"Why?"

"He says that a property is no better