young girls, that I had ceased to miss
them. I was sent to a rather good school, and had lessons in music and
painting, and I sometimes wondered how my mother had money even to give
me these. Then I met you, and we were married. It was just after our
little Harold was born that my mother died."

"Yes, you went down into Hertfordshire; you were away for six weeks."

"I took Harold with me; mother was so proud of him. Whenever she had an
easy moment, she used to like to have him placed on her knee. She told
me then that she had a little son older than I, who died, and that our
Harold reminded her of him. One night, I remember so well, I was sitting
up with her. She had been going through great pain, but towards the
morning she was easier. She was more inclined, however, to talk than to
sleep. She began again speaking about the likeness between our Harold
and my little brother who died.

"'I shall give you little Edgar's christening robe for Harold,' she
said. 'I never could bear to part with it before but I don't mind his
having it. Open my wardrobe, Charlotte, and you will find it folded away
in a blue paper, in the small wooden box.'

"I did so, and took out a costly thing, yellow, it is true, with age,
but half covered with most valuable lace.

"'Why, mother,' I exclaimed, 'how did you ever get such a valuable dress
as this? Why, this lace would be cheap at a guinea a yard!'

"'It cost a great deal more than that,' replied mother, stroking down
the soft lace and muslin with her thin fingers; 'but we were rich then,
Lottie.'

"'Rich!' I said, 'rich! I never, never thought that you and I had
anything to say to money, mother.'

"'You don't remember your father, child?'

"'No, mother,' I said; 'how could I? I was only two years old when he
died.'

"Mother was silent after that, and I think she went into a doze, but my
curiosity and wonder were excited, and I could not help seeking to know
more.

"'I never knew that we were rich,' I said again the next day. 'Why did
you never tell me before? The next best thing to enjoying riches would
be to hear about them.'

"'I did not want to make you discontented, Lottie. I thought what you
had never known or thought of you would never miss. I feared, my dear,
to make you discontented.'

"'But I have thought of money,' I owned, 'I have thought of it lately a
great deal. When I look at Angus I long to get him every luxury, and I
want my little Harold to grow up surround