“I am delighted to hear such good news of you, Ben. You certainly did well to leave your country home.”
Ben seized the first opportunity after reaching home to write to his mother. He did not go into details as to the fortune that had been left him, but said that he was very comfortably fixed.
Mrs. Winter wrote in reply almost immediately. Her letter was in part as follows:
“Mr. Winter has become more and more difficult to get along with. Some relation of his, Ezra Winter, induced him about a year since, to go into mining stocks as a speculative investment. He has been here several times from Boston, where he has an office, and every time I think he has induced Mr. Winter to invest more heavily. I have no doubt the investment was unwise, and has resulted in considerable losses. I had no confidence in this Ezra; he looks sly and unreliable, but he influenced Mr. Winter by promises of immense profits. For three months Mr. Winter has seemed very much troubled, and a week ago he went to Boston to get some information out of Ezra. He returned crosser and more querulous than ever. He has begun to pinch about household expenses, and insists upon my dispensing with a servant, which compels me to work beyond my strength. I realize more than ever how unwise I was to marry Jacob Winter, but I did so largely on your account. When you see him you will be surprised to find how he has aged. Ezra is at the bottom of it all. Mr. Winter is so fond of money that his losses have weighed upon him heavily.”
After reading this letter Ben decided that he must make an early visit to Wrayburn to see his mother.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
FRANK MORDAUNT.
Before leaving New York for his return to his old home, Ben took a brief trip over to Brooklyn to see his friend Frank Mordaunt. He found the family in a cheerful and happy mood.
Frank welcomed him heartily.
“It seems good to see you back, Ben,” he said.