"uncle, could you lend me a ninepence? i'll return it as soon as iget my pocket-money," said rose, coming into the library in agreat hurry that evening.
"i think i could, and i won't charge any interest for it, so you neednot be in any hurry to repay me. come back here and help mesettle these books if you have nothing pleasanter to do," answereddr. alec, handing out the money with that readiness which is sodelightful when we ask small loans.
"i'll come in a minute; i've been longing to fix my books, but didn'tdare to touch them, because you always shake your head when iread.""i shall shake my head when you write, if you don't do it betterthan you did in making out this catalogue.""i know it's bad, but i was in a hurry when i did it, and i am in onenow." and away went rose, glad to escape a lecture.
but she got it when she came back, for uncle alec was stillknitting his brows over the list of books, and sternly demanded,pointing to a tipsy-looking title staggering down the page"is that meant for 'pulverized bones,' ma'am?""no, sir; it's 'paradise lost.' ""well, i'm glad to know it, for i began to think you were planningto study surgery or farming. and what is this, if you please?
'babies' aprons' is all i can make of it."rose looked hard at the scrawl, and presently announced, with anair of superior wisdom"oh, that's 'bacon's essays.' ""miss power did not teach anything so old-fashioned as writing, isee. now look at this memorandum aunt plenty gave me, and seewhat a handsome plain hand that is. she went to a dame-schooland learnt a few useful things well; that is better than a smatteringof half a dozen so-called higher branches, i take the liberty ofthinking.""well, i'm sure i was considered a bright girl at school, and learnedeverything i was taught. luly and me were the first in all ourclasses, and 'specially praised for our french and music and thosesort of things," said rose, rather offended at uncle alec'scriticism.
"i dare say; but if your french grammar was no better than yourenglish, i think the praise was not deserved, my dear.""why, uncle, we did study english grammar, and i could parsebeautifully. miss power used to have us up to show off whenpeople came. i don't see but i talk as right as most girls.""i dare say you do, but we are all too careless about our english.
now, think a minute, and tell me if these expressions are correct'luly and me,' 'those sort of things,' and 'as right as most girls.' "rose pulled her pet curl and put up her lip, but had to own that shewas wrong, and said meekly, after a pause which threatened to besulky"i suppose i should have said 'luly and i,' in that case, and 'that sortof things' and 'rightly,' though 'correctly' would have been a betterword, i guess.""thank you; and if you will kindly drop 'i guess,' i shall like mylittle yankee all the better. now, see here, rosy, i don't pretend toset myself up for a model in anything, and you may come down onmy grammar, manners or morals as often as you think i'm wrong,and i'll thank you. i've been knocking about the world for years,and have got careless, but i want my girl to be what i callwell-educated, even if she studies nothing but the three 'rs' for ayear to come. let us be thorough, no matter how slowly we go."he spoke so earnestly and looked so sorry to have ruffled her thatrose went and sat on the arm of his chair, saying, with a pretty airof penitence"i'm sorry i was cross, uncle, when i ought to thank you for takingso much interest in me. i guess no, i think you are right aboutbeing thorough, for i used to understand a great deal better whenpapa taught me a few lessons than when miss power hurried methrough so many. i declare my head used to be such a jumble offrench and german, history and arithmetic, grammar and music, iused to feel sometimes as if it would split. i'm sure i don't wonderit ached." and she held on to it as if the mere memory of the"jumble" made it swim.
"yet that is considered an excellent school, i find, and i dare say itwould be if the benighted lady did not think it necessary to cramher pupils like thanks-giving turkeys, instead of feeding them in anatural and wholesome way. it is the fault with most americanschools, and the poor little heads will go on aching till we learnbetter."this was one of dr. alec's hobbies, and rose was afraid he was offfor a gallop, but he reined himself in and gave her thoughts a newturn by saying suddenly, as he pulled out a fat pocket-book"uncle mac has put all your affairs into my hands now, and here isyour month's pocket money. you keep your own little accounts, isuppose?""thank you. yes, uncle mac gave me an account book when iwent to school, and i used to put down my expenses, but i couldn'tmake them go very well, for figures are the one thing i am not atall clever about," said rose, rummaging in her desk for adilapidated little book, which she was ashamed to show when shefound it.
"well, as figures are rather important things to most of us, and youmay have a good many accounts to keep some day, wouldn't it bewise to begin at once and learn to manage your pennies before thepounds come to perplex you?""i thought you would do all that fussy part and take care of thepounds, as you call them. need i worry about it? i do hate sums,so!""i shall take care of things till you are of age, but i mean that youshall know how your property is managed, and do as much of it asyou can by and by; then you won't be dependent on the honesty ofother people.""gracious me! as if i wouldn't trust you with millions of billions ifi had them," cried rose, scandalised at the mere suggestion.
"ah, but i might be tempted; guardians are sometimes; so you'dbetter keep your eye on me, and in order to do that you must learnall about these affairs," answered dr. alec, as he made an entry inhis own very neat account-book.
rose peeped over his shoulder at it, and then turned to thearithmetical puzzle in her hand with a sigh of despair.
"uncle, when you add up your expenses do you ever find you havegot more money than you had in the beginning?""no; i usually find that i have a good deal less than i had in thebeginning. are you troubled in the peculiar way you mention?""yes; it is very curious, but i never can make things come outsquare.""perhaps i can help you," began uncle alec, in the most respectfultone.
"i think you had better, for if i have got to keep accounts i may aswell begin in the right way. but please don't laugh! i know i'm verystupid, and my book is a disgrace, but i never could get it straight."and with great trepidation, rose gave up her funny little accounts.
it really was good in dr. alec not to laugh, and rose felt deeplygrateful when he said in a mildly suggestive tone"the dollars and cents seem to be rather mixed, perhaps if i juststraightened them out a bit we should find things all right.""please do, and then show me on a fresh leaf how to make minelook nice and ship-shape as yours do."as rose stood by him watching the ease with which he quicklybrought order out of chaos, she privately resolved to hunt up herold arithmetic and perfect herself in the four first rules, with agood tug at fractions, before she read any more fairy tales.
"am i a rich girl, uncle?" she asked suddenly, as he was copying acolumn of figures.
"rather a poor one, i should say, since you had to borrow aninepence.""that was your fault, because you forgot my pocket-money. but,really, shall i be rich by and by?""i am afraid you will.""why afraid, uncle?""too much money is a bad thing.""but i can give it away, you know; that is always the pleasantestpart of having it i think.""i'm glad you feel so, for you can do much good with your fortuneif you know how to use it well.""you shall teach me, and when i am a woman we will set up aschool where nothing but the three r's shall be taught, and all thechildren live on oatmeal, and the girls have waists a yard round,"said rose, with a sudden saucy smile dimpling her cheeks.
"you are an impertinent little baggage, to turn on me in that wayright in the midst of my first attempt at teaching. never mind, i'llhave an extra bitter dose for you next time, miss.""i knew you wanted to laugh, so i gave you a chance. now, i willbe good, master, and do my lesson nicely."so dr. alec had his laugh, and then rose sat down and took alesson in accounts which she never forgot.
"now come and read aloud to me; my eyes are tired, and it ispleasant to sit here by the fire while the rain pours outside andaunt jane lectures upstairs," said uncle alec, when last month'saccounts had been put in good order and a fresh page neatly begun.
rose liked to read aloud, and gladly gave him the chapter in"nicholas nickleby" where the miss kenwigses take their frenchlesson. she did her very best, feeling that she was being criticised,and hoping that she might not be found wanting in this as in otherthings.
"shall i go on, sir?" she asked very meekly, when the chapterended.
"if you are not tired, dear. it is a pleasure to hear you, for you readremarkably well," was the answer that filled her heart with prideand pleasure.
"do you really think so, uncle? i'm so glad! papa taught me, and iread for hours to him, but i thought perhaps, he liked it because hewas fond of me.""so am i; but you really do read unusually well, and i'm very gladof it, for it is a rare accomplishment, and one i value highly. comehere in this cosy, low chair; the light is better, and i can pull thesecurls if you go too fast. i see you are going to be a great comfort aswell as a great credit to your old uncle, rosy." and dr. alec drewher close beside him with such a fatherly look and tone that shefelt it would be very easy to love and obey him, since he knew howto mix praise and blame so pleasantly together.
another chapter was just finished, when the sound of a carriagewarned them that aunt jane was about to depart. before theycould go to meet her, however, she appeared in the doorwaylooking like an unusually tall mummy in her waterproof, with herglasses shining like cat's eyes from the depths of the hood.
"just as i thought! petting that child to death and letting her sit uplate reading trash. i do hope you feel the weight of theresponsibility you have taken upon yourself, alec," she said, with acertain grim sort of satisfaction at seeing things go wrong.
"i think i have a very realising sense of it, sister jane," answereddr. alec, with a comical shrug of the shoulders and a glance atrose's bright face.
"it is sad to see a great girl wasting these precious hours so. now,my boys have studied all day, and mac is still at his books, i've nodoubt, while you have not had a lesson since you came, i suspect.""i've had five to-day, ma'am," was rose's very unexpected answer.
"i'm glad to hear it; and what were they, pray?" rose looked verydemure as she replied"navigation, geography, grammar, arithmetic, and keeping mytemper.""queer lessons, i fancy; and what have you learned from thisremarkable mixture, i should like to know?"a naughty sparkle came into rose's eyes as she answered, with adroll look at her uncle"i can't tell you all, ma'am, but i have collected some usefulinformation about china, which you may like, especially the teas.
the best are lapsing souchong, assam pekoe, rare ankoe,flowery pekoe, howqua's mixture, scented caper, padral tea,black congou, and green twankey. shanghai is on the woosungriver. hong kong means 'island of sweet waters.' singapore is'lion's town.' 'chops' are the boats they live in; and they drink teaout of little saucers. principal productions are porcelain, tea,cinnamon, shawls, tin, tamarinds and opium. they have beautifultemples and queer gods; and in canton is the dwelling of the holypigs, fourteen of them, very big, and all blind."the effect of this remarkable burst was immense, especially thefact last mentioned. it entirely took the wind out of aunt jane'ssails; it was so sudden, so varied and unexpected, that she had nota word to say. the glasses remained fixed full upon rose for amoment, and then, with a hasty "oh, indeed!" the excellent ladybundled into her carriage and drove away, somewhat bewilderedand very much disturbed.
she would have been more so if she had seen her reprehensiblebrother-in-law dancing a triumphal polka down the hall with rosein honour of having silenced the enemy's battery for once.
