"I am his son. I am Digby-Southwode. I took my mother's name for certain business reasons." "And you are his son! How wonderful! That strange gentleman's son!--But I did not do so much for your father, Mr. Southwode. You have done _everything_ for me." "I wish I could do more," said he shortly. "I am ashamed to ask,--and yet, I was going to ask you to do something more--a last service--for me. It is too much to ask." "I am sure it is not that," he said with great gentleness. "Let me know what you wish." Mrs. Carpenter hesitated. "Rotha does not know,"--she said then. "She has no idea--" "Of what?" "She has no idea that I am going to leave her." "I am afraid that is true." "And it will be soon Mr. Digby." "Perhaps not; but what is it you wish of me?" "Tell her--" whispered Mrs. Carpenter. The young man might feel startled, or possibly an inevitable strong objection to the service demanded of him. He made no answer; and Mrs. Carpenter soon went on. "It is wrong to ask it, and yet whom shall I ask? I would not have her learn it from any of the people in the house; though they are kind, they are not discreet; and Rotha would in any case come straight to me; and I--cannot bear it. She is a passionate child; violent in her feelings and in the expression of them. I have been thinking about it day and night lately, and I _cannot_ get my courage up to face the first storm of her distress. My poor child! she is not very fitted to go through the world alone." "What are your plans for her?" "I am unable to form any." "But you must tell me what steps you wish me to take in her behalf--if there is no one whom you could better trust." "There is no one whom I can trust at all. Except only my Father in heaven. I trust him, or I should die before my time. I thought my heart _would_ break, a while ago; now I have got over that. Do you know He has said, 'Leave thy fatherless children to me'?" Yet now the mother's tears were falling like rain. "I will do the very best I can," said the young man at her side; "but I wish you would give me some hints, or directions, at least." "How can I? There lie but two things before me;--that Mrs. Cord should bring her up and make a sempstress of her; or that Mrs. Marble should teach her to be a mantua-maker; and I am so foolish, I cannot bear the thought of either thing; even if they would do it, which I do not know." "Make your mind easy. She shall be neither the one thing nor the other. Rotha has far too good abilities for that. I will not give her to Mrs. Cord's or Mrs. Marble's oversight. But what _would_ you wish?" "I do not know. I must leave you to judge. You can judge much better than I. I have no knowledge of the world, or of what is possible. Mrs. Marble tells me there are free schools here--"