Therefore, as she did not live
much in the fashionable world, she rarely met any one above
herself. Her own fortune on her marriage had been small, but now
she was a rich woman. Her husband had been dead nearly half a
century and during the whole of that time she had been saving
money. To two charities she gave annually five pounds per annum
each. Duty demanded it, and the money was given. Beyond that she
had never been known to spend a penny in charity. Duty, she had
said more than once, required of her that she do something to
repair the ravages made on the Morton property by the preposterous
extravagance of the old squire in regard to the younger son, and
that son's--child. In her anger she had not hesitated on different
occasions to call the present Reginald a bastard, though the
expression was a wicked calumny for which there was no excuse.
Without any aid of hers the Morton property had repaired itself.
There had been a minority of thirteen or fourteen years, and since
that time the present owner had not spent his income. But John
Morton was not himself averse to money, and had always been careful
to maintain good relations with his grandmother. She had now been
asked down to Bragton in order that she might approve, if possible,
of the proposed wife. It was not likely that she should approve
absolutely of anything; but to have married without an appeal to
her would have been to have sent the money flying into the hands of
some of her poor paternal cousins.
Pages:
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86