I
got him a secretaryship to our Board of--what d'ye call it? I'll do
Maurice the justice to say that he was considerably cool about it; but
the end of it was that there was an unaccountable deficit, and my lady
said it served me right. I was a fool, as I always am, and gave way to
the poor woman about not bringing it home to him. And she insisted on
making it up to me by degrees--out of her literary work, I fancy--for I
don't think Maurice knew the extent of the peculation. Ever since I've
been getting begging letters from the fellow at intervals. If he had
the impertinence to molest you, Lily, simply refer him to me.'
'And if he writes to the child?'
'Return him the letter. Say she can have no such thing without her
father's consent.'
'Is this a case in point?' said Lady Merrifield, producing the letter.
'No,' said he, holding it up in the waning light. 'I know the fellow's
fist too well! This is a gentleman's hand.'
'What a relief!' said Lady Merrifield.
'Nay, don't be in a hurry,' said Miss Mohun. 'Don't give it to her
unopened. Your only safety is in maintaining your right to see all the
child's letters, except what her father specified.'
'Don't you wish it was you, Brownie?' asked her cousin.
'I hate it!' said Lady Merrifield; 'but I suppose I ought! However,
there's no harm in this, that's a comfort; it is simply that the
gentleman that the house is let to has found this note to her somewhere
about, and thinks she would wish to have it.
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