Nelly waited accordingly. She had her tatting in her pocket (where she now usually carried it), and, taking it out, she worked away busily till Mr. Grayson should be at liberty to attend to her. She presently became so much engaged in disentangling an obstinate knot that she forgot all about every thing else, till Mr. Grayson spoke to her.
"Well done, Nelly! I like to see the minutes taken care of. Take care of the minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves."
Nelly started and blushed.
"I have got into the habit of working at it every minute, so that I don't know how to do without it," said she, in rather a tone of apology.
"So much the better, Nelly. I only wish all the young folks I know had the same habit. But now put it away, and give me all your attention; for I am going to talk to you very seriously,—as though you were a grownup woman."
Nelly put away her work and prepared to listen.
"You see, Nelly, there are several things to be considered," said Mr. Grayson. "It is not merely that your grandmother does not pay her interest punctually,—though that is always annoying to a business man,—but it is the state in which she keeps the place. It is an injury to all the rest of my property to have such an untidy, tumble-down concern in the midst of it. Nobody likes to buy a place next to such slovenly neighbours; and it has really lost me the sale of two or three lots."
"I see," said Nelly, as Mr. Grayson paused. "I should not like it myself."
"Well, then, you can see that there was some excuse for my being displeased. I have waited upon your grandmother, time after time and year after year, more than I ever did upon any one else; because she was poor and a widow, and I felt sorry for her. People say I am hard-hearted and grasping, and all that, you know; and I don't know but they are right, sometimes. But I have not been hard upon her."
"No, sir," said Nelly; "I don't think you have."