Miss Carlaw nodded her head a great many times. “Oh, I dare say. Well, I’m not going to coerce you, or to control your actions in any way, but I wish you to have nothing to do with that man, or with his son. It may be prejudice, and I dare say it’s very wrong; but I don’t like him, and I never shall, and they won’t do you any good. What’s the boy doing?”
“I believe he’s in London,” said Comethup. “I know he came to London to make his fortune.”
“Make his fiddlesticks! That boy’ll never make his fortune unless he makes it out of somebody else. I don’t want to be uncharitable, Comethup, but he’s like his father, and his father shuffles. If you take my advice you’ll have nothing to do with either of them. I dare say people would accuse me of injustice, and would say that I ought to have put that boy in the place you occupy. But, in the first place, he’s had a father to look after him, and you hadn’t; and, in the second place, I’m devilish glad I wasn’t such a fool. No, Comethup, I’m quite satisfied with my bargain, and you and I will make the best of life together and have a good time. I look upon you as a man now, although you’re young, and shall expect you to behave as a man. Now, I suppose you’ve spent all your money—there, I don’t want to hear details—and want some more? You’ve left your school days behind now, and I suppose we must treat you differently. Come with me, and we’ll see if we can find a cheque for you.”
He conducted his aunt to a little room where she wrote her letters and transacted her business generally. He had often seen her write, and had been astonished at the ease and accuracy with which she did it—writing on a curious board, with slips of metal, having notches in them, stretched across it; with the aid of this she carried on quite a large correspondence in a clear, neat hand. So used had she become to it that she quite easily fitted in a cheque, seeming to take rapid measurements on it with her fingers, filled it up, signed it, and handed it to him.
“There,” she said, “that’s for fifty pounds. As I’ve told you, I don’t want you to be reckless, but you can have more when you want it. You know where the bank is, and you can drive there whenever you like and cash it. There’s only one thing I want you clearly to understand: I want you to be a man and to learn your way about; and I want you to keep a clear and open face to the world and to me. Do that always, and we sha’n’t quarrel.”
He commenced a halting form of thanks, but she checked him and waved him away, explaining that she had business to attend to, and smilingly adding that she couldn’t be bothered with him. But the business proved to be of short duration. The proud old woman soon came bustling up to the boy’s sitting room in search of him, and suggested a drive. The carriage was ordered, and they selected as their route, at Miss Carlaw’s command, the most public and fashionable ways.
“We shall be away from London for a long time,” said Miss Carlaw soon after they had started, “and London won’t have a chance of seeing my boy. So we’ll give ’em a chance now; we’ll let ’em see that the Prince Charming they knew has grown a man indeed. Do they look at you? Do they stare? Lord! it’s at this time I want my eyes most; I never felt the want of ’em until you came. But I mustn’t grumble; I shall have a judgment on me if I grumble after all my blessings.”
Jealousy and envy racked her foolish old heart as much as they had ever done. Amid all her joy at his return, she fell very often into a despondent mood; strove, in a strange, pitiful fashion that was almost grotesque, to make herself pleasing to the boy; was anxious to be seen about with him, and yet fearful lest she should weary him, or he should long for some other companion. The joy that his presence meant to her was sometimes more than swallowed up by her jealous fears concerning him. Had she but known, no such fear need ever have troubled her life, for Comethup had a genuine and deep affection for her, born of his gratitude for her many generosities, and, in greater measure, of his respect for her strength and force of character. But it was, of course, impossible for him adequately to express that, and so her fears never really left her.
With that promptitude which marked all her actions when her mind was once firmly made up, Miss Carlaw arranged to close her house and to depart for the Continent in less than a week. It was a busy week, for clothing had to be bought, and arrangements made as to their route, and many other things settled to which only Miss Carlaw could attend. Comethup went about with his aunt a great deal, but was often left to his own devices; and on one of those occasions he made up his mind that he would go down to the bank and cash the cheque which his aunt had given him. The matter had completely slipped his memory before, for there was little need for him to spend money, and he still had some in his pockets. He had been with his aunt to the bank once or twice in earlier years, and remembered well where it was situated. At the sudden recollection of the large amount of money he was soon to have in actual cash in his pocket, he hailed a hansom, immediately after leaving his aunt’s house, and prepared to drive down in state. It seemed much better fun to the boy’s mind to be able to take a cab, and pay for it, than to order the carriage, as he could have done at any time.
His foot was on the step of the vehicle when a hand was clapped on his shoulder, and he heard a familiar voice ejaculating his name. He turned quickly, and saw the smiling face of Brian Carlaw. He could not help noticing, even in that first brief glance, that Brian had changed in some indefinable fashion, although it was comparatively but a few days since they had met outside the school. London seemed to have put its stamp upon the handsome, reckless face, and in the bold eyes, and not to their improvement. Brian’s dress had always been careless, but now there was a sheer untidiness about it that seemed to belong to the change of face.