in the revelation which had been made him by ralph raymond, paul morton found fruitful subject of meditation. to begin with, he had been disappointed to find a young life between himself and the estate which he coveted. but, on the other hand, that estate was twenty thousand dollars larger than he supposed; and, moreover, as the boy's guardian, he would have in his own hands the control of the whole for nearly seven years, and be paid in the meantime a handsome sum for his trouble. besides, many things might happen in seven years. the boy was young and healthy, so his father said, but life is uncertain in all cases. he might die, and in that event, the entire property without reserve, would fall to him—paul morton. the situation, therefore, was far from being as discouraging as it might have been.
the next morning paul morton was sitting at[pg 26] the breakfast table with his wife opposite him. as nothing has yet been said of mrs. morton, a few words of description may not be inappropriate.
mrs. morton, then, was ten years younger than her husband. she had belonged to a proud but poor family, and had married from no impulse of affection, but because she considered mr. morton a rich man who could give her a luxurious home. no sympathy need be wasted upon her, for she had very little heart, and lived only for ostentation. there had been very little domestic harmony between the two. she had shown herself lavishly extravagant, even beyond her husband's means, and any tendency on his part to curb her extravagance was met by biting sarcasm, and an exhibition of ill temper which soon compelled him to surrender at discretion.
such was the ill-assorted couple who sat at the breakfast table on the morning of which i am speaking.
mr. morton, of whose personal appearance i have not yet spoken, was in appearance fifty-four years of age, though he was really several years younger. he had lost nearly all his hair, retaining only a few locks on either side of his[pg 27] head. there was a furtive look about his eyes calculated to inspire distrust. he seemed reluctant to look one full in the face. on the whole the impression given by his features was unfavorable. they seemed to indicate a mean, ignoble disposition, so truly do the inner qualities mark their impress on the face.
"well, mr. morton," said his wife, leaning back in her chair, "have you brought me the money i asked for yesterday?"
"no," said mr. morton uneasily, for he knew that this reply would elicit a storm.
"and why not, i should like to know?" she exclaimed, with flashing eyes. "don't pretend to say you forgot it, for i won't believe any such nonsense."
"no, i didn't forget it, mrs. morton," said her husband, "but the fact is, it was not convenient for me to bring it."
"not convenient! what do you mean by that, mr. morton?" exclaimed the lady in an angry voice.
"it is just as i say. business is very dull and money is tight."
"that is what you always say," said mrs. morton, curling her lip.
[pg 28]
"whether i do or not, it is true enough now. i wish it wasn't."
"i only asked for a hundred dollars. surely that would make no difference in your business."
"that is where you are mistaken. if you will be kind enough to remember how often you call upon me for such trifles, and have a head for arithmetic, you can estimate what they will amount to in the course of a year."
"but i haven't a head for arithmetic, and don't want to have. i always despised it. all i know is, that i have picked out a lovely silk dress pattern at stewart's, and i want to go round and secure it this morning, or i may lose it altogether."
"if you do, i think you will manage to survive it."
"you'd better not try to be sarcastic, mr. morton. you haven't the brains for it, and it isn't in your line."
"you are complimentary."
"no, i only show a proper discrimination. heaven knows i have lived with you years enough, and weary ones at that, to understand you thoroughly. can't you send me up a check from your store? it will be in time if i receive it by eleven o'clock."
[pg 29]
"no, i cannot," said paul morton, with unusual firmness.
"so you refuse, do you?" exclaimed mrs. morton, in deep anger.
"i do; and for a good reason."
"give me your reason, then. i should like to judge of it myself."
"then i will tell you without reserve, what i had not intended to mention. in all my mercantile career i was never in such danger of ruin as at the present. the dull times at which you sneer have proved very disastrous to me. it is all i can do to keep my head above water. every day i fear that the crash will come, and that instead of being able to afford you this establishment, i shall be obliged to remove into some humble dwelling in brooklyn, and seek for a position as clerk or bookkeeper. how would you fancy this change, madam? yet it is at such a time you harass me with your unreasonable demands for money. if i am ruined, it will be some satisfaction that you, who have had so much to do with bringing it on, are compelled to suffer its inconveniences with me."
mrs. morton turned pale while he was speaking, for she had never known anything of her[pg 30] husband's business affairs, and supposed that such a thing as his failure was impossible. to be reduced to poverty, where a wife loves her husband and is beloved in return, is not so hard; but where there is no pretence of love, and the wife lives only for show, it is felt as a terrible misfortune.
"you are only saying this to frighten me," she said after a pause, with an attempt to rally.
"if you think that, you are utterly mistaken," said her husband. "i wish, indeed, that it were true, but unfortunately it is not. my position is to the full, as hazardous, and my ruin as imminent as i have told you. you can imagine whether i have a hundred dollars to spare for you to spend at stewart's."
mrs. morton was for a brief time silent. she hardly knew how to answer; at last she said, "there's your sick friend upstairs. isn't he a rich man?"
"yes."
"he won't live very long, probably. won't he leave you anything?"
"i expected that he would leave me his entire fortune, according to an old promise between us; but only yesterday i learned that he has a son living."
[pg 31]
"and you will receive nothing, then?" said his wife, disappointed.
"not so. i shall be left guardian of the boy, and for seven years i shall receive half the income of the property in return for my services."
"and how much is the property?"
"a hundred thousand dollars or more."
"what will be your share of the income?"
"probably not less than four thousand dollars."
"four thousand dollars!" said the lady with satisfaction. "then you won't have to get a situation as clerk, even if you do fail. we can go to a stylish boarding-house. it won't be so bad as i thought."
"but i shan't be able to give you two thousand dollars a year for dress, as i have been accustomed to do."
"perhaps you won't fail."
"perhaps not. i hope not."
"where is this boy?"
"he is at a boarding-school on the hudson. i expect him here this morning."
scarcely had he said this when a servant opened the door and said, "mr. morton, there is a boy just come who says he is mr. raymond's son."
"bring him in," said paul morton.
[pg 32]
a moment later, and a boy of fourteen entered the room, and looked inquiringly at the two who were sitting at the table.
"are you robert raymond?" inquired mr. morton.
"yes, sir," said the boy, in manly tones. "how is my father?"
"your father, my poor boy," said paul morton, in pretended sadness, "is, i regret to say, in a very precarious condition."
"don't you think he will live?" asked robert, anxiously.
"i fear not long. i am glad you have come. i will go up with you at once to your father's chamber. i hope you will look upon me as your sincere friend, for your father's sake. maria, my dear, this is young robert raymond. robert, this is mrs. morton."
mrs. morton gave her hand graciously to the boy. looking upon him as her probable savior from utter ruin, she was disposed to regard him with favor.
mr. morton rose from the table, and motioning robert to follow him, led the way to the sick man's chamber.
