England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Orphans -- Fiction; Uncles -- Fiction; Young women -- Fiction
"And that's where you're quite right," said Selina. "Don't expect
nothing, and you won't be disappointed. If I expected, I shouldn't be
taking you into my confidence, as it were, like I am doing. But if
you'll only do what I say and follow my advice, you can have it all.
There's that Lettice and that Pamela coming down with their darling
Uncle Matthew here and their darling Uncle Matthew there. But he sees
through it. Oh yes, he sees through all of them, the same as anybody
else might see through glass. He wants to leave his money to somebody
who'll look after it and not go and spend it. All you've got to do is to
scrimp and scrape and let him see as you're like himself. I suppose you
think he paid for those cakes you're eating? Not at all. They're paid
for out of my savings to show you I'm your friend. You help me and I'll
help you; and you can't say that's going against the Gospel, can you? Do
unto others as you would they should do unto you. So what you've got to
do is keep on admiring the way I save money, and I won't let any chance
go by of whispering in his ear that his money is safer with you than
with any of them. All I ask for myself is a few tit-bits when the poor
old gentleman's in the ground. He's got _no_ religion; he hates dogs, he
hates poor people, he hates hospitals, he hates public parks, he hates
everything. So there you are. I've been very plain spoken with you, and
you can't say the contrary; very plain spoken, I've been. I'm one of
the elect, and I can afford to be plain spoken. It doesn't matter what I
say or what I do, our loving heavenly Father's waiting for me at this
very moment, because He told me so last night. So far as I can see at
present, you're not one of the elect. I'm sorry for it, because I've
taken a rare fancy to you. But if we don't meet, in the heavenly courts,
we can be friends so long as we're on earth. Oh yes, it's all in the
Gospel."
The housekeeper's frankness was not displeasing to Jasmine, although she
was much amused at the idea of inheriting money from anybody. However,
for the first month of her stay with Uncle Matthew she was, without
realizing it, quite a success, because having no money to spend, she
gave him the impression that she was of a saving disposition. It never
entered his head that anybody could be actually without one halfpenny,
and he applauded her disinclination to visit shops and theatres, her
habit of walking to where she wanted to go rather than of riding on
omnibuses, her transformation of a spring hat into a summer hat, as
admirable economies.
"You're doing a treat," whispered Selina cunningly. "Last night I peeped
through his keyhole, and he was reading his will."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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