nd before their father died they had
already wasted a lot of money, and given him a great deal of trouble,
especially Bernard, the second one. So old Lord Elvedon left all he
_could_ to his daughter, Lady Myrtle; of course the estates and a good
deal had to go with the title, but still the new Lord Elvedon was much
less rich than he should have been, you see, and our grandfather--that
was the son called Bernard--was really poor, and his children, our
father and his sisters, have always been poor. Father says a good deal
will go back to the title when Lady Myrtle dies, and she is quite
friends with the present Lord Elvedon, her nephew. But she couldn't bear
her brother Bernard--I believe he behaved very badly to her and to all
his people--and she has never taken the least notice of father, though
father is really a sort of an angel;' and Margaret's eyes glistened.
'You know it is like that sometimes,' she went on; 'a bad father--and I
am afraid our grandfather was a bad man, though I don't quite like
saying it--sometimes has very good children.'

'But Lady Myrtle _can't_ know about you all--about your father
especially,' said Frances. 'I think he should write to her, or do
something. Very likely she's got quite wrong ideas about him.'

'No,' said Margaret, 'she must know he is a very good man. He was in the
army, you know, like your father, and he was very brave and did lots of
things, but he had to leave because of a wound, when he was only a
captain. When he and mother married he hoped to stay on till he became a
general, and at first they weren't so badly off, for mother had some
money. But a good deal of it was lost somehow.'

'I do think Lady Myrtle should be told--I really do,' said Frances,
stopping short and speaking with great energy.

But Margaret only shook her head.

'She does know a good deal,' she said. 'We are sure she does, for some
years ago my aunt--that's father's only sister--the other died quite
young--wrote to her about us. Aunt Flora isn't badly off in a way, for
she has no children, and her husband is a judge in India. But she can't
do much for us, and--you see it's her husband's money; it isn't as if it
was a relation of _ours_.'

Frances had never thought of things in this way; she was years and years
younger in mind, or rather in experience and knowledge of life, than
Margaret Harper, her junior by nearly twelve months. For Margaret with
her older brothers and sisters had early had to fac