“Gambling—with Archie!” her brother burst into a loud laugh. “One might as well try to gamble with Ben Ros, or whatever that beast of a hill is called. I broke all my toes going up him to-day. No, my dear Rose; you will have to try again,” Eddy said.
She looked at him with eyes full of consternation and horror. It was incredible to Rosamond that Archie should have done anything to merit such condemnation: but it was not at all incredible to her that Eddy should have got him into mischief. She looked at her brother as if she could have burst through the envelope of his thoughts with her intent and searching eyes.
“Eddy, I know you have something to do with it,” she said.
“That proves nothing,” said Eddy; “you know what you think only.”
“I don’t know what I think! I think terrible things, but I can’t tell what they are. Oh, Eddy, this was such a quiet house when we came into it! They might not be very happy, but there was no harm. And Archie had begun to please his father. I know he tried. And they have been very kind to us—the ball last night was as much for us as for their own children.”
“It was to get themselves into favour in the county—it was neither for us nor for them.”
Rosamond was herself so much accustomed to measure everything in this way, and to have it so measured, that she had no protest to make.
“But we had all the benefit,” she said. “We were made the chief along with Marion and Archie. And Mr. Rowland has shown how much he thinks of you, Eddy—he has made you his deputy.”
“Yes, to save himself trouble,” said Eddy; “to amuse his guests—is that a great sign of kindness? It was kindness to himself. But if they had been as kind as—whatever you please, what would that matter? I cannot stand any more of it, and I am going away.”
“But you have no money,” she said.