“I hope I did not hurt you—I didn’t intend to hurt you,” he said: “but you must remember, mother, though you treat us as boys, that we’re a pair of not too amiable men—and could crush you with a touch, with a little finger,” he added, looking half fiercely, half with a jest, into her eyes.
“No,” she said very softly, “you could not crush me—not with all your power.”
“Give that paper here, Bob,” said his chief.
Robert scarcely moved, did not reveal himself in any way to the light, but with a faint stir of his large shadow produced a folded paper which had been within the breast of his coat. Lew took it and played with it somewhat nervously, the line of white like a wand of light in his hands.
“You are rolling in wealth,” he said.
She made as if she had said “No!” shaking her head, but took no other notice of the question.
“We have reason to suppose you are well off, at least. You have got your income, which can’t be touched, and you have got a lot of money well invested.”
She did not make any reply, but looked at him steadily, marking every gesture.
“It is this,” he said, “to which Bob has a natural right. I think we are very reasonable. We don’t want to rob you, notwithstanding our great need of money: you can see that we wish to use no violence, only to set before you what you ought to do.”
“I will not do it,” said Mrs Ogilvy.