“I suppose you know that young Landray has very little beside his pay?” said Benson.
“Is that so? Well, I can't see that it matters much. Marian's to stay with us anyhow; and she'd turn up her nose at a man that didn't wear a uniform—and young Landray's all right; he's got quite a knack for machinery, he's a good deal here,” said Tom Benson.
“You mean you can do something for him when the war's over?” inquired the lawyer, who seemed interested in this phase of the case.
“That's about what I'm figuring on doing. I guess Marian's mother'd look to me to see that the young folks didn't want for anything; and she might do lots worse, Jake. I've told him one thing though, I want him to get a couple of thousand dollars and invest them here with me, for him and Marian—in the gun, I mean—he says he can't get the money unless his aunt will borrow it for him.”
“I don't like that!” said Benson quickly. “I wish you'd done nothing of the kind; the demand can only embarrass her.”
“Oh, it ain't that I want the money, Jake. I'll give Marian what'll amount to a good deal more. I want to do my share at starting 'em in life, and this'll be a nice little nest-egg for him when he comes back; and ain't he entitled to something from the estate?”
“I suppose he is,” said Benson grudgingly.
“Well, then, he'd better take it and put it in here where it'll amount to something; he ought to have the handling of his own money.”
“The sum's small enough if a strict accounting was made,” said Benson hastily.
“Still there's something coming to him,” urged the mechanic.