“Ah, I see, Master Amos,” said the old man, “you want me to be ‘mum.’ Now, you look here, sir—try now if you can get a word out of me.” So saying, Harry closed his lips tight together, stuck his hands in his trousers’ pockets, and walked about the pantry with his head in the air.
“I am quite satisfied,” said Amos, laughing.
“You may well be so, Master Amos,” said the other. “Me speak about such a thing to them maids in the kitchen, or the coachman, or stable-boy, or any one else in the universal world! Let the whole on ’em put together try it on, that’s all.”
“Thank you, Harry,” said Amos; “no one as yet knows about it but my aunt and yourself. But I shall have to take my brother and sister into my confidence, as I shall want their help in carrying out my plan.”
“All right, sir, all right; and, if any one mentions the poor lady before me, you may depend upon it I shall look like a deaf and dumb statty cut out of stone.”
Amos then sought his aunt, and, having given her briefly his own views, asked his brother and sister to join him in Miss Huntingdon’s room. He unfolded to them his purpose, and then proceeded as follows: “What I propose to do is this: I want to spare our dear father all pain and trouble in the matter, and, if I am permitted to carry out my plan with success, to give him a gentle and happy surprise at the end. But I must have the help of my dear brother and sister. The place where our dear mother now lives in retirement is a few miles inland from the sea-coast. At the sea-side nearest to her residence I intend taking a house for a time. When I have secured this, I shall invite you, dear Julia and Walter, to be my guests there for a season. I shall easily, I have no doubt, persuade my father to spare you, on the ground that the little change to the sea-air will do us all good, which will be perfectly true, and that this short holiday has been a pet scheme of my own, which will be equally true. My father will be much occupied about electioneering business the next two or three months, and as this will take him a good deal from home, he will not miss us so much as he might otherwise have done; and Aunt Kate, who knows of my plans and approves of them, will kindly spare us for a while, and will look after the children, who will follow us in a few days, and may be of use in carrying out my object.”
“Capital,” said Walter; “but you will want a mint of money to do all this.”
“Never mind that,” replied his brother; “I have considered it all, and you may safely leave the ways and means to me.”
“And I am sure, dear Amos,” said his sister, “we shall be only too thankful to be helpful in any way in bringing back our dear mother amongst us.”
In about three weeks’ time from this conversation, during which Amos had been making his arrangements, he told his father of his sea-side scheme, and received his hearty approval. “It is very good of you, my dear boy,” he said, “to provide such a nice change for your sister and Walter. Perhaps your aunt and I may run over and see you, if this election business will allow me any spare time.”