ith it. Mrs. Ashburn would have felt almost inclined, had she known
the book was in the house, to order it to be put away from among them
like an evil thing, so strong was her prejudice; and her husband,
whatever he felt, expressed no interest or curiosity on the subject.

So at Mr. Lightowler's question, which was put more as a vent for his
own outraged feelings than any real desire for information, Mrs.
Ashburn's face assumed its grimmest and coldest expression as she
replied--'No, Solomon. Mark has chosen his own road--we neither have
nor expect to have any news of him. At this very moment he may be
bitterly repenting his folly and disobedience somewhere.'

Upon which Cuthbert observed that he considered that extremely
probable, and Mr. Ashburn found courage to ask a question. 'I--I
suppose he hasn't come or written to _you_ yet, Solomon?' he said.

'No, Matthew,' said his brother-in-law, 'he has not. I'd just like to
see him coming to me; he wouldn't come twice, I can tell him! No, I
tell you, as I told him, I've done with him. When a young man repays
all I've spent on him with base ingratitude like that, I wash my hands
of him--I say deliberately--I wash my 'ands. Why, he might have worked
on at his law, and I'd a' set him up and put him in the way of making
his living in a few years; made him a credit to all connected with
him, I would! But he's chosen to turn a low scribbler, and starve in a
garret, which he'll come to soon enough, and that's what I get for
trying to help a nephew. Well, it will be a lesson to me, I know
that. Young men have gone off since my young days; a lazy, selfish,
conceited lot they are, all of 'em.'

'Not _all_, Solomon,' said his sister. 'I'm sure there are young men
still who--Cuthbert, _how_ long was it you stayed at the office after
hours to make up your books? Of his own free will, too, Solomon! And
_he's_ never had anyone to encourage him, or help him on, poor boy!'

Mrs. Ashburn was not without hopes that her brother might be brought
to understand in time that the family did not end with Mark, but she
might have spared her pains just then.

'Oh,' he said, with a rather contemptuous toss of the head, 'I wasn't
hinting. I've nothing partickler against him--_he's_ steady enough, I
dessay. One of the other kind's enough in a small family, in all
conscience! Ah, Jane, if ever a man was regularly taken in by a boy, I
was by his brother Mark--a bright, smart, clever young chap he was