little
misjudged in the manner, perhaps; but if you had seen the state Arthur
was in--'

'I should have forgiven Percy?' said John, with a slightly ironical
smile, that made his father laugh.

'Not that I am blaming him,' he said; 'but it shall be paid him at
once if it comes to selling Wyelands. You know one cannot be under
an obligation of this sort to a lad whom one has seen grow up in the
village.'

'Perhaps he wishes it to be considered as all in the family.'

'So it is. That is the worst of it. It is so much out of what he would
have had with Theodora, and little enough there is for her. A dead loss!
Could not Arthur have had more sense, at his age, and with all those
children! What's all this?' reading on in dismay. 'Seven thousand more
at least! I'll have nothing to do with it!'

An hour after, John came out into the verandah, where Percy was reading,
and asked if he knew where Arthur was.

'He got into a ferment of anxiety, and Violet persuaded him to walk it
off. He is gone out with Johnnie and Helen. Well, how has he fared?'

'Not as well as I could wish. My father will not do more towards the
debts than paying you.'

'Ho! I hope he does not think I acted very impertinently towards him?'
John laughed, and Percy continued,

'Seriously, I believe it is the impertinence hardest to forgive, and I
shall be glad when the subject is done with. That will be so much off
Arthur's mind.'

'I wish more was; but I had no idea that there was so little available
money amongst us. All I can gain in his favour is, that the estate is
to be charged with five hundred pounds a year for Violet in case of his
death; and there's his five thousand pounds for the children; but, for
the present debts, my father will only say that, perhaps he may help, if
he sees that Arthur is exerting himself to economize and pay them off.'

'Quite as much as could reasonably be expected. The discipline will be
very good for him.'

'If it does not kill him,' said John, sighing. 'My father does not
realize the shock to his health. He is in the state now that I was in
when we went abroad, and--'

'And I firmly believe that if you had had anything to do but nurse your
cough, you would have been in much better health.'

'But it is not only for Arthur that I am troubled. What can be worse
than economizing in London, in their position? What is to become of
Violet, without carriage, without--'

Percy laughed. 'Without court-dresses and p