Isobel's face flamed. "You're hateful, Graham Westley. I don't like
money a bit better than you do--_you'd_ be squealing if you couldn't get
that new motorcycle and go to camp and spend all the money you do. And I
think it's _silly_ to hunt him up after all this time. He's probably
invented a lot of things since and doesn't need any money, and if he
hasn't--well, inventors are always poor, anyway." Isobel tried to make
her logic sound as reasonable to the others as it did to her.
"Bonnie, dear----" That was the name Uncle Johnny had given to her in
nursery days; he had not used it for a long time. "There are two reasons
why we must carry out the wish Uncle Peter has expressed in this letter.
One is, because he _has_ asked it. He thought he would have time to give
the letter to us himself--perhaps tell us more about it; he did not
dream that it would lie for two years in that Bible. The other reason is
that it is the honorable thing to do--and it not only involves the honor
of Uncle Peter's name but your father's honor and mine--your mother's,
yours, Graham's--even little Tibby's. We would do it if it took our last
cent. But it won't----"
"Oh, Uncle Johnny, you're great----" Graham suddenly turned his face to
the fire to hide his feeling. "When I'm a man I want to be just like
you--and father."
Isobel would not let herself be persuaded to accept her family's point
of view. In her heart there still rankled the thought that Uncle Johnny
had taken Barbara Lee with him to Highacres and had made _her_ stay at
home. And it had been silly for them all to get so excited and make such
a fuss over Gyp and Jerry--they might have known that they'd turn up all
right. When she had seen Uncle Johnny pull Jerry down to a seat beside
him on the davenport she had hated her!
Mrs. Westley followed John Westley to the little room that was always
called "father's study."
"Won't it be exciting hunting up this Craig Winton?" Gyp asked the
others. "Isn't it an interesting name? Maybe he'll have a lot of
children. I hope there'll be some girls." Gyp hugged her knees in an
ecstasy of anticipation. "If they're dreadfully poor it'll be like their
finding a fairy godmother. Think of all they can have with that money!"
"All _I_ hope"--Isobel's voice rang cruelly clear--"is that Uncle Johnny
won't want to bring any more _charity_ girls here!" She rose, then, and
without looking at any of them, walked from the room.
Gyp opened her lips to speak, then closed them quickly. Whatever she
might say, she knew, instinctively, would only add to the hurt Isobel
had inflicted. She could not even throw her arms around Jerry's neck and
hug her the way she wanted to do, because the expression of Jerry's face
forbade it. It was a very terrible expression, Gyp thought, a little
frightened--Jerry's eyes glowed with such a fierce pride and yet were so
hurt!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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