‘Berryton—oh! that’s just four miles out on the other side of Elbury, where Susan Congleton went to live that was housemaid at the Grange. She says it’s such a nice place, and such beautiful organ and singing at church! And what did you say you were to be, Paul?’
‘I’m to help the school-master.’
‘Gracious me!’ cried Ellen. ‘Why, such a scholar as you are, you’ll be quite a gentleman yet, Paul. Why, they school-masters get fifty or sixty pounds salaries sometimes. I protest it’s the best thing I’ve heard this long time! Was it Mr. Cope’s doing, or my Lady’s?’
‘Mr. Cope’s,’ said Paul, beginning to think he had been rather less grateful than he ought.
‘Ah! it is like him,’ said Ellen, ‘after all the pains he has taken with you. And you’ll not be so far off, Paul: you’ll come to see us in the holidays, you know.’
‘To be sure he will,’ said Harold; ‘or if he don’t, I shall go and fetch him.’
‘Of course he will,’ said Ellen, with her hand on Paul’s chair, and speaking low and affectionately to console him, as she saw him so downcast; ‘don’t you know how poor Alfy says he’s come to be instead of a son to Mother, and a brother to us? I must go up and tell Alf and mother. They’ll be so pleased.’
Paul felt very differently about the plan now. All the house congratulated him upon it, and Matilda evidently thought more of him now that she found he was to have something to do. But such things as these were out of sight beside that which was going on in the room above.
Alfred slept better that night, and woke so much revived, that they thought him better: and Harold, greatly comforted about him, stood tolerably quietly by his side, listening to one or two things that Alfred had longed for months past to say to him.
‘Promise me, Harold dear, that you’ll be a good son to Mother: you’ll be the only one now.’