After supper Mrs. Oakley and her brother were left together. Ben had no particular fancy for the society of his uncle, and John had no desire to intrude upon Mrs. Oakley.

"Well, Ephraim," said Mrs. Oakley, plunging into business at once, "I have been considering what I could do for you."

"I knew you had a good heart, sister Jane," said Mr. Huxter, who was disposed to be very complimentary to his sister, now that his interest lay in flattering her. Mrs. Oakley well remembered the time when he treated her in quite a different manner; but though she saw through his change of manner, and thoroughly understood what prompted it, she was well pleased to have it so. It made her feel the power which her wealth had brought her; and there was no woman who enjoyed that better than Mrs. Oakley.

"You mustn't expect too much," she continued. "You must remember that there are others who have claims upon me."

"But your means are large," said Mr. Huxter, who was resolved to extort as much as possible.

"No doubt you think so; but I am the best judge of what I can afford," said Mrs. Oakley.

"If I were rich I wouldn't see you and Ben suffer," said Mr. Huxter.

"As to that, your health is good, and your family ought not to suffer if I gave you no assistance at all. I don't think much of a man who can't support his family."

"I've been a very unlucky man," said Mr. Huxter. "I'd ought to be independent now, but something or nuther was always happening. There was my best cow, that I could have got fifty dollars for easy, up and died one night."

"How long ago was that?"

"Three years," said Mr. Huxter, rather reluctantly.

"It seems to me you've had time to get over that loss," said his sister, not betraying much sympathy in her tone.

"It wouldn't be much to you, I know; but to a poor man like me it was a great loss," said Mr. Huxter.

"Well, we won't say anything about that. I told you that I would help you, and I will. You observed John Oakley at the table?"

"Yes; he looks like a smart fellow."

"He's no smarter than Ben that I know of," said Mrs. Oakley, jealously.

"Of course not; I didn't suppose he was," said Mr. Huxter, seeing that he had got on the wrong tack. "Ben is a boy that you may be proud of, sister Jane. He is very genteel in his manners."

"I mean to bring him up as a gentleman," said Mrs. Oakley. "I think I shall make a lawyer of him."

"I hope you will. There's never been a lawyer in our family. I should be proud to speak of my nephew, Benjamin Brayton, Esq., the famous lawyer."

"I hope that time will come, brother Ephraim. But I was going to speak of John Oakley. Ben and he don't agree very well."

"Don't they?" asked Mr. Huxter, not so much surprised as he might have been if he had not made Ben's acquaintance. "I suppose it is John's fault."

"Of course it is. He doesn't treat Ben or myself with proper respect, and of course Ben resents it."

"Of course."

"He doesn't seem to realize that Ben is older than himself, and therefore entitled to more privileges. He went so far one day as to strike Ben with a whip."

"What did Ben do?" asked Mr. Huxter, curiously.

"Oh, of course he struck John," said Mrs. Oakley, not thinking it necessary to mention that Ben's blow came first.

"Well," said Mr. Huxter, "it seems natural for boys to quarrel."

"I shan't allow my son to be struck by John Oakley," said Mrs. Oakley, quickly.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"That is what I am coming to. I think of sending John away somewhere, so that we may live in peace and quiet, and not be disturbed by his quarrelsome disposition."

"Where do you think of sending him?"

"To your house."

"To my house?" exclaimed Mr. Huxter, in surprise, for he had not foreseen what was coming.

"Yes."

"I don't know as he would like the way we live," said Mr. Huxter, thinking of the "picked-up" dinners to which he was accustomed. "He's a rich man's son, and has been used to good living."

"Don't trouble yourself about that," said Mrs. Oakley; "if he has always lived well, he can stand a little poor living now, by way of variety. It is his own fault that I send him away from home."

Mr. Huxter hardly knew what to think of this arrangement. He had hoped that his sister would settle an annual sum upon him, without any equivalent, or would give him, say a thousand dollars outright. Now she only proposed that he should take a boarder.

"I don't know what my wife will say," he remarked. "It will increase her work."

"Not much. There will only be one extra seat at the table."

"But we shall have to put ourselves out a little for him."

"I don't want you to put yourself out at all," said Mrs. Oakley, emphatically.

"He's a rich man's son."

"But he'll be a poor man himself. He will have to earn his living by hard work."

"I don't see how that can be. Didn't his father leave plenty of money?"

"No," said Mrs. Oakley, determined not to be entrapped into any such acknowledgment; "and if he had, John is no better off for it. You seem to forget that all the money is left to me."

"That's a fact," said Mr. Huxter. "I didn't think of that. Shan't you leave any of it to John?"

"That depends upon his behavior," said Mrs. Oakley. "I make no promises. The property is all mine, and I shall leave it to no one who treats me with disrespect. You see, therefore, that you need feel on no ceremony with him."

Mr. Huxter did see it. He was a selfish man, who had a great respect for the possessors of wealth merely on the score of their wealth, and he began to look upon John Oakley with quite different eyes now that he had been informed of his true position.

"You're carrying things with rather a high hand, Jane," he said.

"I mean to be treated with respect."

"So John is saucy, is he?"

"He is proud-spirited, and thinks himself justified in looking down upon me, because I was once his father's house-keeper," said Mrs. Oakley, in a tone of bitterness; "but I have vowed to subdue his proud spirit, and you will see that I shall do it."

"I have no doubt you will, Jane. But there is one thing you haven't mentioned."

"What is that?"

"How much am I to receive for John Oakley's board?"

"I will give you six dollars a week, and you know that this is considerably more than any other boarder would pay you."

"Six dollars a week!" said Mr. Huxter, slowly. "Yes, I suppose that would pay for what he would eat and drink, but I expected you would do something more for me than just to find me a boarder."

"You will make a pretty good profit out of that, Ephraim."

"You might do a little more than that for me, Jane."

"I will tell you what I will do. Besides paying you regularly for his board, I will allow you his labor, and that will be worth considerable."

"What can he do?"

"He can do what other boys do. You can take him into your shop, and set him to pegging shoes. It won't hurt him a bit, though it may trouble his pride a little."

"But will he be willing to go into the shop? He was expecting to go to college."

"I don't think much of you if you can't compel him to do it."

Mr. Huxter reflected a moment. John's work would be worth at least five dollars a week, and this, added to the six he would receive from his sister, would certainly pay munificently for John's board.

"Well, that is a consideration. We'll call it a bargain," he admitted.

"Very well; I think you'll find your account in it," said Mrs. Oakley, in a tone of satisfaction.

"Couldn't you pay me a quarter's board in advance?"

To this Mrs. Oakley assented with some hesitation.

After matters had thus been satisfactorily arranged, Mr. Huxter said:—

"I think, Jane, I will just take a little walk outside, and smoke a pipe. I always do after supper. By the way, when would you like to have young Oakley go?"

"To-morrow."

"To-morrow!" repeated Mr. Huxter, in some disappointment, for he had confidently hoped to avail himself of his sister's hospitality for a week at least. "Seems to me, Jane, you're in something of a hurry."

"I am. There is a good reason for it, which I am not at liberty to mention," said Mrs. Oakley.

"Not even to me?"

"Not even to you."

"Well, I dare say it is all right, but I am tired after my journey, and it don't give me much time to rest," said Mr. Huxter, with disappointment.

"Let it be day after to-morrow, then. I don't want to be inhospitable," said Mrs. Oakley.

Mr. Huxter thought this concession better than nothing, and, going out on the door-step, smoked his pipe in rather a cheerful frame of mind.

"It'll be a pretty good speculation," he reflected; "but I mistrust I'll have some trouble with young Oakley. But I guess I can manage him. He'll find me pretty ugly if he goes to oppose me."

Mr. Huxter was partly right. He was capable of being "pretty ugly" when he thought it safe to be so,—that is, to those who were weaker than himself, and in his power. He fawned upon those who had money or power, and was in the habit of tyrannizing over those who had neither. On the whole, I hardly think John is to be congratulated upon his prospects.