After all Jack's care in preparing the way, the shock of the meeting told severely on Arthur's enfeebled frame, and for many days, he hovered between life and death. At last, however, youth and good nursing carried him through, and he was able to be taken home to his father's house.
It may easily be guessed that the knight and his lady were not wanting in thanks and in more solid tokens of esteem toward the kind little widow and her family. All the furniture which had been bought for Lady Brydges's use was given to Mary. Davy was advanced by Sir John's interest to be commander of a coasting vessel, and her younger children rejoiced in the new clothes, the toys, and sweetmeats, which made them the envy of all the school-children.
"'Tis a fine thing to have grand friends," said Dame Higgins, who had made an errand to Mary Brent's house expressly to see the new furniture. "You were in luck, after all."
"I should not have been in luck, if I had taken your advice and left poor Mr. Arthur to take his chance at the convent gate," returned Mary, unable to resist the temptation of triumphing a little. "But he should have been welcome to my best bed all the same, as long as he needed it, if he had been the poor sailor we all thought him."
"Some folks have all the luck," grumbled Dame Higgins. "If I had taken in all the poor vagabonds in the port, they would never have turned out anything but vagabonds."
"When you take in a poor vagabond sailor, he will turn out a prince of the Indies at least," said Davy Brent bluntly. "My mother did what she did from pure love and kindness, and she would not have failed of her reward, however it had turned out."
"Well, well, I don't want to quarrel," said Dame Higgins. "You are sure to be rising folks, now that you have obliged such great people; and I only hope you won't forget old friends in your prosperity, that is all."
[CHAPTER XVIII.]
CONFIDENCES.
Some four or five weeks had passed quietly over the heads of our friends since the events recorded in our last chapter.