FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139  
140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   >>   >|  
tly on his niece. He took a glance round the little parlor where they sat. He was an old Australian, accustomed to bush life, but even he noticed how threadbare was the carpet, how poor and meagre the window curtains. Charlotte herself, too, how thin and worn she was! Could those pale and hollow cheeks mean insufficient food? "How old are you, niece Charlotte?" he suddenly demanded. "I was twenty-five my last birthday." "Forgive me, my lass, you look very old for that; I should have taken you for thirty. The fact is you are poor, nothing ages like poverty. And the greater fact remains that it was full time for old Uncle Sandy to come home and prove himself of some use in the world." "We are poor," answered Charlotte; "we certainly are very poor. But poverty is not the greatest of troubles." "No, but it puzzles me why you should be poor. When I left my little sister, she had been married about three months to that rich old Mr. Harman. He seemed devoted to her. He had surrounded her with wealth; and he assured me when I came to bid her good-bye, and she put her dear arms round my neck, that my little darling should never want for anything. He was a good old man, ages too old of course for my bright little Daisy. But it seemed better than leaving her as a governess. It was my one comfort when parting with Daisy, to feel that she could never want for anything that money could get her." "My mother has told me that during my father's life she lived as a rich woman," answered Charlotte. "That means she did not afterwards. Did the old gentleman die bankrupt? I don't see how he could, for he had retired from business." "No, my father died a very wealthy man." "Then he did not leave her well off! You don't surely mean to tell me, Charlotte Home, that that old man dared to do anything but leave a large sum of money to your pretty young mother and to you? Why, be told me with his own lips that he would make most ample provision for her." At these words Charlotte's white face grew yet whiter, and a piteous look of terror came into her eyes, but all she said was,-- "Nevertheless, after my father's death we were poor." "Oh! the scoundrel! 'Tis well he's out of Sandy Wilson's power. To think of my Daisy not profiting by his wealth at least. How much did he leave to your mother, Charlotte? "Nothing." "Nothing!" Here Uncle Sandy sprang to his feet. "Mr. Harman left my Daisy nothing--nothing whatever! Then he
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139  
140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Charlotte
 

mother

 

father

 

poverty

 

answered

 
Nothing
 
wealth
 

Harman

 
glance
 

surely


pretty

 

wealthy

 
business
 

retired

 
parlor
 

gentleman

 
bankrupt
 
Wilson
 

scoundrel

 

profiting


sprang

 

provision

 

Nevertheless

 

whiter

 

piteous

 

terror

 

accustomed

 

greatest

 

troubles

 

suddenly


demanded

 
insufficient
 

puzzles

 

married

 

hollow

 
sister
 

cheeks

 
Forgive
 

greater

 
remains

birthday
 

twenty

 
months
 
leaving
 

bright

 

carpet

 
threadbare
 

noticed

 
governess
 

thirty