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n, father; but I can assure you that there is no money wasted now." Then came a pause, which, after humming and hawing a little, Philip was the first to break. "Do you know that I saw your cousin George yesterday? He is back at last at Isleworth." "Yes, Pigott told me that he had come. He has been away a long while." "When did you last see him?" "When I was about thirteen, I believe; before he lost the election, and went away." "He has been down here several times since then. I wonder that you did not see him." "I always disliked him, and kept out of his way." "Gad, you can't dislike him more than I do; but I keep good friends with him for all that, and you must do the same. Now, look here, Angela, will you promise to keep a secret?" "Yes, father, if you wish it." "Well, then, I appear to be a poor man, don't I? And remember," he added, hastily, "that, with reference to household expenses, I am poor; but, as a matter of fact"--and here he sunk his voice, and glanced suspiciously round--"I am worth at this moment nearly one hundred and fifty thousand pounds in hard cash." "That is six thousand pounds a year at four per cent.," commented Angela, without a moment's hesitation. "Then I really think you might put a flue into the old greenhouse, and allow a shilling a week to Mrs. Jakes' mother." "Curse Mrs. Jakes' mother! Nobody but a woman would have interrupted with such nonsense. Listen. You must have heard how I was disinherited on account of my marriage with your mother, and the Isleworth estates left to your cousin George, and how, with a refined ingenuity, he was forbidden to bequeath them back to me or to my children. But mark this, he is not forbidden to sell them to me; no doubt the old man never dreamt that I should have the money to buy them; but, you see, I have almost enough." "How did you get so much money?" "Get it! First, I took the gold plate my grandfather bought, and sold it. I had no right to do it, but I could not afford to have so much capital lying idle. It fetched nearly five thousand pounds. With this I speculated successfully. In two years I had eighteen thousand. The eighteen thousand I invested in a fourth share in a coal-mine, when money was scarce and coals cheap. Coals rose enormously just then, and in five years' time I sold my share to the co-holders for eighty-two thousand, in addition to twenty-one thousand received by way of interest. Since then I have no
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