Jack,
under what, he acknowledged, might have been his stern sense of justice;
yet he, as a father, could not but remember that he was indirectly the
cause of Jack's loss. He felt this, but did not allow his feelings in
any way to bias his conduct. Tom and Becky were therefore directed to
make all necessary preparations to do honour to the guests present and
expected. Mrs Askew and Margery were also not idle in arranging the
provisions and the rooms for the guests. Tom was a man of a single
idea; that was, that it was his business to obey the captain in all
things without questioning. He had learned that lesson at sea and it
would have been impossible for any one to persuade him out of it.
Becky, however, not having been under similar discipline, did not
consider herself bound to obey in the same way as did Tom.

She therefore grumbled very much when she heard that Mr Ludlow was to
remain during the night.

"It's bad enough to have the young cub come prowling about the house,
but when the old wolf comes and sits down in the hall, it bodes ill luck
to the family," she muttered to herself, though loud enough for her
mistress to overhear her.

Mrs Askew made no remark, but of course knew to what she alluded.

"I'd be ashamed to show my face inside the doors, if I were he, after
sending the only son of the house away over the sea to die in foreign
lands, and then to come up laughing and talking as if he had never done
any harm to any one of us."

"We are taught to forgive our enemies not only seven times, but seventy
times seven, Becky," observed Mrs Askew, feeling that she ought at
length to check her attendant. "Even had Mr Ludlow wantonly or
intentionally inflicted an injury on us, it would be for us to receive
him as a guest. What he did was under a sense of duty, and we have no
right to complain."

"A sense of duty, indeed," muttered Becky, "what would he have said if
his precious son had been packed off to sea like poor dear Master Jack?
I should care little if the food I have to cook should choke him. I
only hope that he'll not get a wink of sleep in the bed I have to make
for him. Towards the boy I have no ill will; but I only hope when he
grows bigger that he'll not be thinking he's worthy of our Miss
Margery--that's what I have to say."

The last words were addressed to Tom, Mrs Askew having left the room.

"What need have you or I to trouble our heads about the matter, Mistress
Becky," he obse