Some began to say "Ah!" again, but Aunt Martha snapped it into "Well, let's hope so!"--in the tone of one convinced that my mother couldn't be much worse off than she had been. From which, and from sundry other remarks among the aunts, I gathered that my mother was held to have hurt the dignity of her family by alliance with Grandfather Nat's. I have never wholly understood why; but I put the family pride down to the traditional wedding of an undoubted auctioneer with Aunt Martha's cousin. So Aunt Martha said "Let's hope so!" and, with another sudden frown and nod, shoved Uncle Martha toward the cake. "What a blessing the child was took too!" was the Fat Aunt's next observation. "Ah, that it is!" murmured the chorus. But I was puzzled and shocked to hear such a thing said of my little brother. "And it's a good job there's only one left." The chorus agreed again. I began to feel that I had seriously disobliged my mother's relations by not dying too. "And him a boy; boys can look after themselves." This was a thin aunt's opinion. "Ah, and that's a blessing," sighed the Fat Aunt; "a great blessing." "Of course," said Aunt Martha. "And it's not to be expected that his mother's relations can be burdened with him." "Why, no indeed!" said the Fat Aunt, very decisively. "I'm sure it wouldn't be poor Ellen's wish to cause more trouble to her family than she has!" And Aunt Martha, with a frown at the watercress, gave Uncle Martha another jolt. It seemed to me that he had really eaten all he wanted, and would rather leave off; and I wondered if she always fed him like that, or if it were only when they were visiting. "And besides, it 'ud be standing in the child's way," Aunt Martha resumed, "with so many openings as there is in the docks here, quite handy." Perhaps it was because I was rather dull in the head that day, from one cause and another; at any rate I could think of no other openings in the docks but those between the ships and the jetties, and at the lock-sides, which people sometimes fell into, in the dark; and I gathered a hazy notion that I was expected to make things comfortable by going out and drowning myself. "Yes, of course it would," said the Fat Aunt. "It stands to reason," said a thin one. "Anybody can see _that_," said the others. "And many a boy's gone out to work no older." "Ah, and been members o' Parliament afterwards, too."