“Why the comparison, Ann?”
“Well, Cliff was always around out home, and here it is Maury.”
“I see. It is hard to compare the two boys. They are so different. Clifford is the more reliable, I suppose, but still, Maurice has his strong points. He has been pretty well spoiled in some ways, but seems to be waking up a little. After all, there is good blood in him.”
“Not being proud of our family at all, you will admit that!” joked Ann.
“I think that Maurice is more sincere than Suzanne, though I am fond of Suzanne.”
“Do you think that Maurice has been,—well, what people call ‘wild?’”
“He has been gay and has spent too much money. Your uncle was talking to me one day about Maurice. Maurice was defending himself, it seems, from charges his father made against him, and said to his father that he might be thankful it was not worse,—that anyhow he ‘wasn’t into anything to be a disgrace,’ like ‘Beano’ and some of them. That seemed to comfort your uncle. Your Uncle Tyson is a very sensible man, Ann. I can not believe that he is engaged in any plan to defraud your grandmother.”
“You never can tell, Mother,” wisely commented Ann. “I’ve heard that very good appearing men can carry through some dreadfully crooked things.”
Ann’s worldly wisdom seemed to amuse Mrs. Sterling very much. “That is very true, Ann,” said she, “but one must not be too suspicious.”
“What became of Grandmother’s bonds, then?” asked Ann.