another, which will appear very shortly. But whatever
the secondary motives were, it was a large and generous act.

When Mrs. Carnaby saw her brother, she was sure that he was come to
turn her out, and went through a series of states of mind natural to
an adoring mother with a frail imagination of an appetite--as she
poetically described it. She was not very swift of apprehension,
although so promptly alive to anything tender, refined, and succulent.
Having too strong a sense of duty to be guilty of any generosity, she
could not believe, either then or thereafter, that her brother had cast
away anything at all, except a mere shred of a lawsuit. And without any
heed of chronology--because (as she justly inquired), what two clocks
are alike?--she was certain that if he did anything at all to drive off
those horrible lawyers from the house, there was no credit due to any
one but Pet. It was the noble way Pet looked at him!

Pet, being introduced to his uncle, after dinner, when he came home from
fishing, certainly did look nobly at him, if a long stare is noble.
Then he went up to him, with a large and liberal sniff, and an affable
inquiry, as a little dog goes up to a big one. Sir Duncan was amused,
having heard already some little particulars about this youth, whose
nature he was able to enter into as none but a Yordas could rightly do.
However, he was bound to make the best of him, and did so; discovering
not only room for improvement, but some hope of that room being
occupied.

"The boy has been shockingly spoiled," he said to his sister Philippa
that evening; "also he is dreadfully ignorant. None of us are very great
at scholarship, and never have much occasion for it. But things are
becoming very different now. Everybody is beginning to be expected to
know everything. Very likely, as soon as I am no more wanted, I shall be
voted a blockhead. Luckily the wars keep people from being too choice,
when their pick goes every minute. And this may stop the fuss, that
comes from Scotland mainly, about universal distribution--or some big
words--of education. 'Pet,' as you call him, is a very clever fellow,
with much more shape of words about him than ever I was blessed with. In
spelling I saw that he was my master; and so I tried him with geography,
and all he knew of India was that it takes its name from India rubber!"

"Now I call that clever of him," said Miss Yordas; "for I really might
have forgotten even that. But th