There was silence again; until Mr. Wharncliffe and Matilda had come to Blessington avenue and were walking down its clean and spacious sideway.
"Mr. Wharncliffe," said Matilda suddenly, "why are some people so rich and other people so poor?"
"There are a great many reasons."
"What are some of them? can't I understand?"
"You can understand this; that people who are industrious, and careful, and who have a talent for business, get on in the world better than those who are idle or wasteful or self-indulgent or wanting in cleverness."
"Yes; I can understand that."
"The first class of people make money, and their children, who maybe are neither careful nor clever, inherit it; along with their business friends, and their advantages and opportunities; while the children of the idle and vicious inherit not merely the poverty but to some extent the other disadvantages of their parents. So one set are naturally growing richer and richer and the other naturally go on from poor to poorer."
"Yes, I understand that," said Matilda, with a perplexed look. "But some of these poor people are not bad nor idle?"
"Perhaps their parents have been. Or without business ability; and the one thing often leads to another."
"But"—said Matilda, and stopped.