‘It’s not the first winter only,’ began Mr. Lindsay.
‘But I can support myself after that,’ interrupted Alec; ‘I can get a bursary; I can get teaching——’
‘You’ll have to give up idling away your time over Blackwood then,’ said the old man, with a grim smile.
Alec’s face flushed, and he made no reply.
Then, having proved that Alec’s wish was wholly unreasonable and impracticable, Mr. Lindsay gave his consent to the proposal, and, to cut short further discussion, told Margaret to bid the servants come to ‘worship.’
I was rather surprised that Margaret had said nothing on her brother’s behalf, and a little disappointed that she had not declared that her own interests ought not to stand in the way of her brother’s education; but I found that I had misjudged her.
‘Well, I owe this to Margaret,’ said Alec to me, as soon as we found ourselves alone together.
‘To your sister?’ I said, with some surprise.
‘Yes; my father thinks more of her opinion than he does of anybody else’s, and I know she has been urging him to let me go. As for that about injuring her, it is all stuff. Do you think I would take the money, if I didn’t know my father could afford it perfectly well?’
I hardly knew what reply to make to this, and Alec went on: