Magnum Bonum; Or, Mother Carey's Brood Part 95

Perhaps Armine suspected the motive to be his own good, for he took a dislike to the idea at once.

"Percy Stagg!" he began, as soon as Mr. Ogilvie was gone. "What a detestable conjunction, just showing what the fellow must be. And to have him on my hands."

"I thought you liked teaching?" said his mother.

"As if this would be like a Woodside boy!"

"Yes," said Babie; "I don't suppose he will carry onions and lollipops in his pockets, nor put c.o.c.kchafers down on one's book."

"Babie, that was only Ted Stokes!"

"And I should _think_ he might have rather cleaner hands, and not leave their traces on every book."

"He'll do worse!" said Armine. "He will be vulgarly stuck up, and excruciate me with every French word he attempts to p.r.o.nounce."

"But you'll do it, Armie?" said his mother.

"Oh, yes, I will try if it be possible to make anything of him, when I am up to it."

Armine was not "up to it" the next day, nor the next. The third was very fine, and with great resignation, he sauntered down to Mrs. Stagg's.

Percy turned out to be a quiet, gentle, pale lad of fourteen, without c.o.c.kney vivacity, and so shy that Armine grew shyer, did little but mark the errors in his French exercise, hear a bit of reading, and retreat, bemoaning the hopeless stupidity of his pupil.

A few days later Mr. Ogilvie asked the lame boy how he was getting on.

"Oh, sir," brightening, "the lady is so kind. She does make it so plain in me."

"The lady? Not the young gentleman?"

"The young gentleman has been here once, sir."

"And his sister comes when he is not well?"

"No, sir, it is his mother, I think. A lady with white hair--the nicest lady I ever saw."

"And she teaches you?"

"Oh yes, sir! I am preparing a fable in the Latin Delectus for her, and she gave me this French book. She does tell me such interesting facts about words, and about what she has seen abroad, sir! And she brought me this cushion for my knee."

"Percy thinks there never was such a lady," chimed in his aunt. "She is very good to him, and he is ever so much better in his spirits and his appet.i.te since she has been coming to him. The young gentleman was haughty like, and couldn't make nothing of him; but the lady--she's so affable! She is one of a thousand!"

"I did not mean to impose a task on you," said Mr. Ogilvie, next time he could speak to Mrs. Brownlow.

"Oh! I am only acting stop-gap till Armine rallies and takes to it," she said. "The boy is delightful. It is very amusing to teach French to a mind of that age so thoroughly drilled in grammar."

"A capital thing for Percy, but I thought at least you would have deputed the Infanta."

"The Infanta was a little overdone with the style of thing at Woodside.

She and Sydney Evelyn had a romance about good works, of which Miss Parsons completely disenchanted her--rather too much so, I fear."

"Let her alone; she will recover," said Mr. Ogilvie, "if only by seeing you do what I never intended."

"I like it, teacher as I am by trade."

So each day Armine imagined himself bound to the infliction of Percy Stagg, and compelled by headache, cough, or weather, to let his mother be his subst.i.tute.

"She is keeping him going on days when I am not equal to it," he said to Mr. Ogilvie.

"Having thus given you one of my tasks," said that gentleman, "let me ask whether I can help you in any of your studies?"

"I have been reading with Bobus, thank you."

"And now?"

"I have not begun again, though, if my mother desires it, I shall."

"So I should suppose; but I am sorry you do not take more interest in the matter."

"Even if I live," said Armine, "the hopes with which I once studied are over."

"What hopes?"

The boy was drawn on by his sympathy to explain his plans for the perfection of church and charities at Woodside, where he would have worked as curate, and lavished all that wealth could supply in all inst.i.tutions for its good and that of Kenminster. It was the vanished castle over which he and Miss Parsons had spent so many moans, and yet at the end of it all, Armine saw a sort of incredulous smile on his friend's face.

"I don't think it was impossible or unreasonable," he said. "I could have been ordained as curate there, and my mother would have gladly given land, and means, and all."

"I was not thinking of that, my boy. What struck me was how people put their trust in riches without knowing it."

"Indeed I should have given up all wealth and luxury. I am not regretting that!" exclaimed Armine, in unconscious blindness.

"I did not say you were."

"I beg your pardon," said Armine, thinking he had not caught the words.

"I said people did not know how they put their trust in riches."

"I never thought I did."

"Only that you think nothing can be done without them."

"I don't see how it can."

"Don't you? Well, the longer I live the more cause I see to dread and distrust what is done easily by force of wealth. Of course when the money is there, and is given along with one's self (as I know you intended), it is providential, but I verily believe it intensifies difficulties and temptations. Poverty is almost as beneficial a sieve of motives and stimulus to energy as persecution itself."

"There are so many things one can't do."

"Perhaps the fit time is not come for their being done. Or you want more training for doing them. Remember that to bring one's good desires to good effect, there is a _how_ to be taken into account. I know of a place where the mere knowledge that there are unlimited means to bestow seems to produce ingrat.i.tude and captiousness for whatever is done. On the other hand, I have seen a far smaller gift, that has cost an effort, most warmly and touchingly received. Again, the power of at once acting leads to over-haste, want of consideration, domineering, expectation of adulation, impatience of counsel or criticism."