"I don't have so much as most of the boys," he told her with truth, "and, how, money slips away one hardly knows how. I hope if Uncle Jasper proves himself a generous old chap, you'll remind him that you've a brother at school who is generally hard up."
The two girls laughed, and Celia said, ingenuously:
"I do hope Uncle Jasper will like us. He used to be very good to mother when she was young, but he was always rather eccentric."
"What do you mean by eccentric?" Eric inquired.
"Not like other people," Celia replied, promptly. "Mother says he used to spend most of his time shut up in his library, reading and studying, and often he would fall into such deep trains of thought that he wouldn't notice what was going on around him."
"What a queer old fellow!" Eric exclaimed. "I shouldn't fancy he is inclined to be at all sociable."
"Poor old man!" sighed Joy, sympathetically. "Mother told me that he has had great troubles to bear. He lost his wife when she was quite young, and that was a dreadful trial for him because he loved her very dearly; and lately, you know, his son has died."
"How old was the son?" Eric asked.
"Oh, quite grown up," Celia responded; "as old as mother. He was a barrister, a very clever man, and Uncle Jasper was exceedingly proud of him. If his son had lived I don't suppose Uncle Jasper would have asked us to stay at the Moat House," she added, musingly.
"How sad and lonely he must be!" Joy cried, in pitying tones. "It's not much use having a lot of money if all your relations are dead, is it?"