inor's wishes into consideration in the first
place, nor yours either, Philip. They think of me, and I suppose that is
really their duty. If I had anything of my own----"

"Do you mean to say," he said, bluntly, "that with a good income and
living in the country in a hole, in the most obscure way, you have
saved nothing all these years?"

"If I had," said Mrs. Dennistoun, roused by his persistent attack, "I
should be very sorry to fling it away."

"Oh, that is what you think?" he said. "Now we're at the bottom of it.
You think that to put it in my hands would be to throw it away! I
thought there must be something at the bottom of all this pretty
ignorance of business and so forth. Good gracious! that may be well
enough for a girl; but when a grandmother pretends not to know, not to
interfere, etc., that's too much. So this is what you meant all the
time! To put it into my hands would be throwing it away!"

"I did not mean to say so, Philip--I spoke hastily, but I must remind
you that I am not accustomed to this tone----"

"Oh, no, not at all accustomed to it, you all say that--that's Nell's
dodge--never was used to anything of the kind, never had a rough word
said to her, and so forth and so forth."

"Philip--I hope you don't say rough words to my Elinor."

"Oh!" he said, "I have got you there, have I. _Your_ Elinor--no more
yours than she is--Johnson's. She is my Nell, and what's more, she'll
cling to me, whatever rough words I may say, or however you may coax or
wheedle. Do you ever think when you refuse to make a sacrifice of one
scrap of your hoards for her, that if I were not a husband in a hundred
I might take it out of her and make her pay?"

"For what?" said Mrs. Dennistoun, standing up and confronting him, her
face pale, her head very erect--"for what would you make her pay?"

He stood staring at her for a moment and then he broke out into a laugh.
"We needn't face each other as if we were going to have a stand-up
fight," he said. "And it wouldn't be fair, mamma, we're not equally
matched, the knowing ones would all lay their money on you. So you won't
take my advice about investing your spare cash? Well, if you won't you
won't, and there's an end of it: only stand up fair and don't bother me
with nonsense about trustees."

"It is no nonsense," she said.

His eyes flashed, but he controlled himself and turned away, waving his
hand. "I'll not beat Nell for it when I come home to-night," he said.

O