ed
something of maternal authority, often gaining her point by merely
seeming offended. To the two who had not yet reached the year of
emancipation she allowed, in essentials, no appeal from her decision.
Between her and Richard there had been many a sharp conflict in former
days, invariably ending with the lad's submission; the respect which his
mother exacted he in truth felt to be her due, and it was now long since
they had openly been at issue on any point. Mrs. Mutimer's views were
distinctly Conservative, and hitherto she had never taken Richard's
Radicalism seriously; on the whole she had regarded it as a fairly
harmless recreation for his leisure hours--decidedly preferable to a
haunting of public-houses and music-halls. The loss of his employment
caused her a good deal of uneasiness, but she had not ventured to do
more than throw out hints of her disapproval; and now, as it seemed, the
matter was of no moment. Henceforth she had far other apprehensions, but
this first conflict of their views made her reticent.

'Just let me tell you how things stand,' Richard pursued, when his
excitement had somewhat subsided; and he went on to explain the
relations between old Mr. Mutimer and the Eldons, which in outline had
been described to him by Mr. Yottle. And then--

'The will he had made left all the property to this young Eldon, who was
to be trustee for a little money to be doled out to me yearly, just to
save me from ruining myself, of course.' Richard's lips curled in scorn.
'I don't know whether the lawyer thought we ought to offer to give
everything up; he seemed precious anxious to make me understand that the
old man had never intended us to have it, and that he _did_ want these
other people to have it. Of course, we've nothing to do with that.
Luck's luck, and I think I know who'll make best use of it.'

'Why didn't you tell all this when Alice was here?' inquired his mother,
seeming herself again, though very grave.

'I'll tell you. I thought it over, and it seems to me it'll be better if
Alice and 'Arry wait a while before they know what'll come to them.
They can't take anything till they're twenty-one. Alice is a good girl,
but--'

He hesitated, having caught his mother's eye. He felt that this
prudential course justified in a measure her anxiety.

'She's a girl,' he pursued, 'and we know that a girl with a lot o' money
gets run after by men who care nothing about her and a good deal about
the money. T