before
marriage, and the woman after, but I don't hold with it. You may
give way to them too much. There was Betsy Chivers was that mild
and humoring to her husband that at last he made her do everything,
even clean his teeth for him. The hundred pounds is for you, whether
you wish to have it or not. It is of no use your sayin' another
word."

"Do you mind, if it were given instead to the baby? May it be left
to him instead of me? Then there would not be the same difficulty?"

"Certainly, if you like it; but you don't want me to leave him the
use of it in his present condition. Why, he'd put it into his mouth
for certain. There must be some one to look after it for him till
he come of age, and take it upon himself, as the baptism service
says."

"There must, of course," said Mehetabel, meditatively.

"Money, edged tools, and fire--these are the three things children
mustn't meddle with. But it isn't children only as must be kept
off money. Men are just as bad. They have a way of getting rid of
it is just astonishin' to us females. They be just like jackdaws.
I know them creeturs--I mean jackdaws, not men, come in at the
winder and pull all the pins out of the cushion, and carry 'em off
to line their nest with 'em. And men--they are terrible secretive
with money. They can't leave a lump sum alone, but must be pickin
at it, for all the world like Polly and currant cake, or raisin
puddin'. As for men, they've exactly the same itchin after money.
If I leave the hundred pounds to your little mite, and I'm willin'
to do it, I must make some one trustee, and I don't fancy putting
that upon Bideabout."

"Of course Jonas would look to his own child's interests, yet--"

"I know. There's a complaint some folks have, they're always eatin'
and you can never see as their food has profited them. It's so
with Bideabout--he is ever picking up money, but it don't seem to
do him a scrap of good. What has he done with his money that he
has saved?"

"I do not know."

"And I don't suppose he does himself. No, if you wish me to leave
the hundred pounds to the child instead of to yourself then I will
do so, heartily, and look about for some one in whom I can place
confidence to undertake to be trustee. Simon is too old and he is
getting foolish. My word, if, after I'm dead and gone, Simon
should take it into his stupid head to marry Polly--I'd rise out
of my grave to forbid the banns."

"You need have no fear of that, mother."