's'
has not made its master grasping and greedy."

"I don't know that rapacity is confined to trade," admitted Annie. "You
ought to know, May, for you have a good deal of intercourse with royalty
in your reading; but I have a notion that it has been the distinguishing
characteristic of a good many kings and emperors."

Annie and Rose had grown more and more eager to take up their burdens
from the first day they were aware that there were burdens for them to
take up. They were becoming positively enamoured of pushing their
fortunes and encountering adventures--not in the least understanding, in
spite of their bright wits, what the burdens, fortunes, adventures might
mean. The two sisters' enthusiasm was just kept within bounds by two
drags on its quicksilver quality. These laggard spirits, Dora and May,
weighed upon their more enterprising companions. Neither could Annie and
Rose quite shut their eyes to the increase of wrinkles on their father's
face, and to their mother's red eyes when she came down of a morning.
If it had not been for these small drawbacks, it is to be feared that
Annie and Rose would have arrived at such a height of _tete exaltee_
that they would have begun to rejoice in their own and their neighbours'
misfortunes. There was something so fresh and exciting in looking about
for openings and careers, in calculating how they were to earn their
bread--which would taste so sweet to those who earned it--and at the
same time save money. They were not quite so insane as to propose to
amass fortunes and fling them into the gulf caused by the crumbling away
of the late bank in order to redeem their father's pledge as a
shareholder. But surely in the course of a year or two they might help
him, and generally assist in keeping the old folks at home in state and
bounty.

Annie and Rose looked on working for themselves in a very different
light from that in which they regarded Tom Robinson's sticking to his
father's and grandfather's shop. To be sure, they did not start with any
intention of keeping shops. Even if they had done so, the descent might
have been redeemed by a dash of sentiment and romance which did not
apply in the least to a man with only himself to look to, a man of
independent means to boot, who had forgotten what was expected from a
gentleman.

There was no danger of Dora or May's being infected with their sisters'
frame of mind. Dora and May were mortally ashamed of themselves. They
feared