II
тАЬWell, Mother, I donтАЩt seem to be exactly the young heir!тАЭ
тАЬOh! well, dear, you mustnтАЩt worry. Things arrange themselves, you know. You must have a good talk with your Uncle Sydney.тАЭ
Silly! What good could a talk with his Uncle Sydney do him?
Fortunately the matter was not referred to again. The extraordinary surprise was that Joe had been allowed to have her way. She was actually in LondonтБатАФsomewhat dragoned and chaperoned, it is trueтБатАФbut still she had got her way.
His mother seemed always to be whispering mysteriously to friends. Vernon caught her at it one day.
тАЬYesтБатАКтБатАж quite inseparable, they wereтБатАКтБатАж so I thought it wiserтБатАКтБатАж it would be such a pityтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ And what Vernon called the тАЬother tabbyтАЭ said something about тАЬFirst cousinsтБатАКтБатАж most unwiseтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ And his mother with a suddenly heightened colour and raised voice had said: тАЬOh! I donтАЩt think in every case.тАЭ
тАЬWho were first cousins?тАЭ asked Vernon later. тАЬWhat was all the mystery about?тАЭ
тАЬMystery, darling? I donтАЩt know what you mean.тАЭ
тАЬWell, you shut up when I came in. I wondered what it was all about?тАЭ
тАЬOh! nothing interesting. Some people you donтАЩt know.тАЭ
She looked rather red and confused.
Vernon wasnтАЩt curious. He asked no more.
He missed Joe most frightfully. Carey Lodge was pretty deadly without her. For one thing, he saw more of Enid than he had ever done before. She was always coming in to see Myra, and Vernon would find himself let in for taking her to roller skate at the new rink, or for some deadly party or other.
Myra told Vernon that it would be nice if he asked Enid up to Cambridge for May week. She was so persistent about it that Vernon gave in. After all, it didnтАЩt matter. Sebastian would have Joe and he himself didnтАЩt much care. Dancing was rather rot. Everything was rot that interfered with musicтБатАКтБатАж
The evening before his departure Uncle Sydney came to Carey Lodge and Myra pushed Vernon into the study with him and said: тАЬYour Uncle SydneyтАЩs come to have a little talk with you, Vernon.тАЭ
Mr.┬аBent hemmed and hawed for a minute or two and then, rather surprisingly, came straight to the point. Vernon had never liked his uncle as much. His facetious manner had been entirely laid aside.
тАЬIтАЩm coming straight out with what I want to say, my boyтБатАФbut I donтАЩt want you interrupting till IтАЩve finished. See?тАЭ
тАЬYes, Uncle Sydney.тАЭ
тАЬThe long and short of it is just this. I want you to come into BentтАЩs. Now remember what I saidтБатАФno interruptions! I know youтАЩve never thought of such a thing, and I dare say the idea isnтАЩt very congenial to you now. IтАЩm a plain man, and I can face facts as well as anyone. If youтАЩd got a good income and could live at Abbots Puissants like a gentleman, there wouldnтАЩt be any question of the thing. Well, I accept that. YouтАЩre like your fatherтАЩs people. But for all that, youтАЩve got good Bent blood in your veins, my boy, and bloodтАЩs bound to tell.
тАЬIтАЩve got no son of my own. IтАЩm willingтБатАФif youтАЩre willingтБатАФto look upon you as a son. The girls are provided for, and handsomely provided for at that. And mind you, it wonтАЩt be a case of toiling for life. IтАЩm not unreasonableтБатАФand I realize just as much as you do what that place of yours stands for. YouтАЩre a young fellow. You go into the business when you come down from CambridgeтБатАФmind you, you go into it from the bottom. YouтАЩll start at a moderate salary and work up. If you want to retire before youтАЩre forty, well, you can do so. Please yourself. YouтАЩll be a rich man by then, and youтАЩll be able to run Abbots Puissants as it should be run.
тАЬYouтАЩll marry young, I hope. Excellent thing, young marriages. Your eldest boy succeeds to the place, the younger sons find a first-class business to step into where they can show what theyтАЩre made of. IтАЩm proud of BentтАЩsтБатАФas proud of BentтАЩs as you are of Abbots PuissantsтБатАФthatтАЩs why I understand your feeling about the old place. I donтАЩt want you to have to sell it. Let it go out of the family after all these yearsтБатАФthat would be a shame. Well, thereтАЩs the offer.тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs most awfully good of you, Uncle SydneyтБатАФтАЭ began Vernon.
His uncle threw up a large square hand and stopped him.
тАЬWeтАЩll leave it at that, if you please. I donтАЩt want an answer now. In fact I wonтАЩt have one. When you come down from CambridgeтБатАФthatтАЩs time enough.тАЭ
He rose.
тАЬKind of you to ask Enid up for May Week. Very excited about it, she is. If you knew what that girl thought of you, Vernon, youтАЩd be quite conceited. Ah! well, girls will be girls.тАЭ
Laughing boisterously, he slammed the front door.
Vernon remained in the hall frowning. It was really jolly decent of Uncle SydneyтБатАФjolly decent.
Not that he was going to accept. All the money in the world wouldnтАЩt tear him from music.
And, somehow, he would have Abbots Puissants as well.