CHAPTER XXXVIII. GEORGE'S SCHOOL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2185, 10 July 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER XXXVIII. GEORGE'S SCHOOL.

'Is Amy up. mother P f Georsre asked, when he retched the. Vicarage, of Mis 1 Manner's who met. him as ho went in. 4 Yes, dear, she* all ready to see you.' answered Alr.s Manners. 'Shebeen asking when you were coming.' ' And where i* Milly ?' said George. 'She's in the garden somewhere, Georsje. Do you want her ?' 4 Ye*, we'll jro up together to see the invalid, for Amy is very fond of little Mill. 1 Milly cjmo running in at her mother's request, and gladly accompanied George to Amy's room, who smiled and held out her hand to them as they entered. ' Well, I hear ;i good account of you this m Dining,' said George, ' and you certainly do look better.' ' Yes, I feel better. But 'where have you been '! Mrs Manners told mo you weie out at daybreak,' ' I wanted to see the sun rise,' said GiO'g 1 , with rather an uneasy laugh, 4 and I saw it, nnd a glorious sight it W »fc. ' ' Bu 1 -, what made you wake so esirly ?' ' I don t. know ; I trot restless with the boat, I suppose. But, you ? What have you been doing with yourself this morning — reading, or what. Y ' Dreaming, I think.' ' A bad occupation, Amy — better havo •something eko to do; and I want you to do something for me, when I go away.' 'And what is that, George ?' and she looked up into his face. 'I have been planning it. as I catne along,' answered George, ' I want you to get up a little free school in the village yonder ; it will help to amuse you, for ono thing ; and I hope do some good as well.' 4 You are always thinking of something kind, Georsre, said Amy softly. •My means of doing it are but small then, I fe;ir; but I've been thinking of this in coming home. Hugh will assist us about the money, I am sure ; and it is really a shame to think how entirely noglected those poor children are and how utterly ignorant — and I want you to help roe.' • But how ?' • 1 will be an occupation for you, and give some interest to your life. What I thought of is, that we should take a room and have a proper teacher, of course, but that we should superintend it all, and teach too, sometimes — when you fell inclined. 'Oh George." | • Why uot, Amy ? I wish it. I wish you to do something for me, when lam not here.' ' Nay, if you put it in that way ' ' You will promise ? That's just what I want you to do,' said George, with a smile. 'We won't te too ambitious at first,' he continued ; 'we will make one of the cottages serve ua for the present, only it must be an airy one ; and Milly will help too, won't she, to teach the poor little boys and girls all about the beautiful world which lies beyond the sky ?' ' Yes, I should like to see it,' answered Milly, thoughtfully, 'and to come back.' ' You would be too happy, Milly, for that.' baid George, 'You wouldn't like to come back to be tired and weary as you sometimes are now, would you ? There is no pain t/tcn, you know, we are told.' • Then Bonny is quite happy now ?' asked the child, wistfully. 'So we believe,' said George, gently ; ' and Milly would like, lam sure, to teach some of the children down yonder, if they were to die, to be as happy as her little angel sister ?' ' Yes, Georgie..' ' You and Amy must help each other, the. You will, won't you, Amy '!' 'But, George,' said Amy, 'you speak as if you were going away for so long.' ' 'It will seom long to me, at any rate,' he answered. * But don't let us talk about it. Let us talk about our plans, and go into estimates, &c. How much do you really suppose it will cost ; There is the reut of the room, you know, to begin with ' Before Amy's early dinner was brought up, George and she had settled it all. He made her, as it were, give her mind to this new idea ; and went the same afternoon to the villaee about engaging a room, before he started for Lilboume on his father's errand. ' What's all this newfangled fash o' the young master s about ; said one woman to the olher, as soon as he had left, after he had made his enquiries and exerted his eloquence to persuade some of them to send their children to the projected school. ' A free skulo, indeed ; why the bairns did well enow, without laming .afore ; and I reckon they can do well enow without it still.' ' The schoolmaster is abroad, I hear,' said the Vieir. when George returned to a late dinner, hay ing procured the fishingflics fiom Sir Tho.nas Lilbournc for his father. ' What, have you heard about it already, sir ?' answered George, colouring slightly. 'With admiration and surprise, 1 s*id the Vicar ; 'do you intend to apply for a Government, certificate, Georg* ? \iv\ f Iwfc hours aru you going to iiaA*u? Y o1 *

will still carry on your business in Oldcistle, I presume— unless you think tho love of lucre ungodly ? •What bosh you talk, father.' • Is that the manner you intend to instruct your young friends to address their parents? Well, the age is beyond me I admit. I expect next to hear your cousin Hugh is standing in the centre of your classes, bestowing goods books among the. scholars, and perhaps giving a little moral advico qratti, at the same time.' ' Well it would be a very good occupation for him, father, wouldn't it ?' answered George, with a laugh. • Hugh's rule in life and mine, George, has been diflerent,' replied the Vicar, with a severely clerical aspect. ; ' therefore I should never pretend to say what would be a good occupation for him. ' Well, the good person to give the good books, and to help us on a bit, I think, would be our worthy Vicar,' said George, good-naturedly. 'You know, father,' he added, 'that I am going away V •To Russia, for a week or so, isn't it ? Your mother did I believe admit that such were your intentions, but I am not consulted in the family at all.' •My dear father,' answered George, 'there are reasons for this secrecy so painful that I ask your forbearance.' ' Just as you like, my dear fellow ; as I said before, I am by no means curious. ' But my mother has misled you, though not intentionally, I am sure, in one thing. lam indeed going to Russia for a week or so ; but the weeks will last over many a long year, I fear. I am go ing to live at St Petersburg.' 'To live !' said the Vicar, thoroughly surprised. 'Do you mean for pood V ' For good or evil,' answered George, with a siyli. 4 Yes, father, lam going away ; and I want to hear sonietimcß that what I may be able to spare out of my income is spent about the old place, and no plan seems so good as trying to educate these miserable children.' ' It will cost a great deal of money,' said Mr Manners, casting his eyes on the ground ; ' and, George, there is one thing, in taking of this— you should remember, I think, tne two thousand pound still standing between us ; you should think of that first, before you begin to throw money away on newfangled schemes.' 'I have done s«,' replied George ; 'and before I leave Fngland another five hundred pounds will be paid to your account at the bank ; and in another year, or eighteen mouths at the latest, father, I hope to be able to pay the whole of your generous loan.' • You must be getting rich, George ?' • I make a very good income now, and spend very little ; and probably will spend le&s when I go abroad.' It's an expensive capital, St. Petersburg,' said the Vicar. ' But I don't care for going into expensive amusements you see, sir,' answered his son ; ' and I can afford to give fifty pounds a year very well to the new school, as well as the other fifty we agreed about,' and George blushed, adding presently — ' I am going to ask Hugh for another fifty for the school, and we'll do very well on that, if you and Miss Williams will occasionally look iv and see how the whole thing works.' 'I don't like to promise,' said the Vicar, cautiously, ' till 1 see more about things.' Miss Williams, I hope, will be able really to manage it tor me by-and-by, when she gets stronger,' said Georger. 'It will be something to employ her mind.' 4 You are vastly considerate, I'm sure. Is this philanthropic scheme begun for the general benefit ?' ' For both, I hope,' said Georce, briefly, and again colouring slightly. But there goes Hugh past the window, father,' he continued, the next minute ; ' he tells me you and he have uot pulled very well together lately, but to-night — ' ' Let there be peace !' said the Vicar. *My dear boy it is impossible to resist your good example 'I fancied, to tell you the truth, that you were for cutting Hugh's throat not very long since.' ' Thau's all forgiven and forgotten now,' said George rising with a laugh, and going to the door to meet his cousin. ' That's the best way to end quarrels between near relations, isn't it, sir ? — and I hope we'll all be good friends tonight.' When the two young men oarae into the room together the Vicar held o-ut his hand to Sir Hugh. ' I've been hearing such a sermon on consideration for others' feelings and charity in general, Hugh, that I am a changed man — or ought to be,' ho said. ' I hope, therefore, our little coolness is over, aud that I ccc you in excellent health ?' ' But uncle,' answered Sir Hugh, fixing his cold grey eyes on the Vicar's face. ' That's right. Do you know we are soon to lose your cousin George !*' ' He told me so this morning.' ' It's incomprehensible to me of course, quite incomprehensible, ' went on the Vicar. ' George is doing well here — has his home to come to — everything, in fact, that a man could wish ; yet ho is going into a hemi-barbarous country, with a detestable climate —where your toes and fingers are ever in danger of being frozen off. AudJ for what 'i Deuce fc knows. I don't. ' I want to get rich, father,' said George. Hum — is that your idea ? Then I suppose we'll be having a wedding in the family by-and-bye. Well, my boy, I wish you every success. ' 1 George is a good fellow, uncle,' said Sir Hugh, with some feeling in his voice, ' a very good fellow.' ' I'm not finding fault, Hugh ; but, if you'll excuse me, I'll retire. You young men,iu fact, are too good company for mo.' 'What fun the old boy V said Sir Hugh, after the Yiear bad closed the door behind him. ' He's by way of doing the witty and nurohtio, but he hasn't it in him,' though he tries it on very hard ; but ho's good fun.' 'Ho vexes me sometimes,' answered George, 'but how well my mother manages him. She knows just how fur to go.' 'An accomplishment which .should be the study of all wives.' • Yes ; but. I think men ought to show more consideration also. Not one woman in a hundred could live iv peace with my father.' •What marvellous creatures we are, to be sure,' went on Sir Hugh. ♦We vex each other— vex those we love most. I think, yet we scarce know how wo do it. There's a little girl ' • Well, Hugh '-' ' A little girl I believe loves me well. Yet I'm forever putting her into a passion, She finds fault with things, and thinks I moan to offend her, when I am never dreaming of it. How do you account for that ?' 4 She oarcs for you too much.' 'By Jove, it isn't, always convenient or pleasant, then ! Now give mo a nice, cool woman ' ' The very thing you rate » gainst in general.' ' You're right there, I believe,' said Sir Hugh, laughing. 'We are all m?d, my dear follow. Notbiuir pleases us long, that's -ibout the truth. Tho child who cried tor 'he inoou was the true typo of all humanity, and had ha got it ho would h ive. weariucl of it ity no time. 1

That's but one clans of character, Hugh, and there are many.' ' Of course one always jaws about one's own sort. But d'ye know, George, I wish I could bo in earnest about everything.' • I want you to be a more earnest landlord. Hugh, do you know the poverty, ignorance, and often utter want whioh lies not a stone's throw from our own doors? You haven't been much in the village, I suppose ?' ♦ Not I ; the perfume of fish in a decayed state there is a little too strong for my sensibilities.' ' But you would help them, would'nt yon ?' • Willingly, as far as money goes ; but don't ask me — faugh ! — to go within a quarter of a mile of that hole. Yet it's astonishing what pretty girls come out of the stench.' • It's your money I want,' said George ; and then be unfolded his scheme about the school to Sir Hugh, who without hositat.ion promised to double the subscription which George asked him to jrive.' * Keep your fifty pounds in your pocket, my boy, or lay it out judiciously in tallow,' he said. ' Let me pay ; it will go to no good if you don't take it, so you may a.s well havo it as come sharper.' * But I should like to help also,' answered George, * and a hundred a year will be ample to cover all expenses, I should think.' ♦ Have it your own way ; but I'll pond you the cheque in the morning. There'll be forms and books to buy, won't there 'i So pretty little Mrs — hum — I forgot — is better !"' ' I hope so,' replied George, with sudden gravity. ' But. come into the garden, Hugh — I like this time of night.' ' D'ye get sentimental ?' s*id Sir Hugh; and then the oousins w>nt out together, and walked in and down, the trim, oldfashioned walks, edircd with their deep box-borders, and talked of their old boyish days in tho gathering twilight. 'There's no Mich fun to be h"ad for v* now,' said Hugh M Miners, half bitterly ; ' like the old French king, I think I have censed to be arnusable.' ' But not useful, I hope, Hutrh. Let me live to see you grow a different and wiser man.' 4 Blot out. my life then, George ; give me the waters uf forgetfulness ; take me to .see the stage again, a fresh, unsated boy, ;md you givo mo a chance. You for««>t I have bjen behind the scenes too long.' ' You expect too much. Because a man or women falls short of perfection, are we neoes^arilv to believe them stained with every vice ?' ' There are lots of virtuous people in the world, I believe,' answered Sir Hugh, contempt U'lusl}'— 'lots of virtuous matrons and good men, who have their hard hits at us sinnprs; but d'ye know wherein X think it lies ? Absence of temptation, George— absence of temptation. There's the grand secret, for I've rarely teen it resisted.' ' But if you have ?' ' Thfn I pull oft" my hat. and make a low bow mentally. ' I have done that once or twice to you, old fellow, but my mind doe«» not go through many geuuino reflections.' ' Don't make one to mo, then,' said CJoorge. ' I iw) to think I whs — well, a better fellow than I am, Hugh; but the heat t only kuovveth its own bitterness — ay, and weakness, too.'