第62章 CHAPTER XII HOME(3)

So did his father， for Godfrey heard him go to his study and lock the door， doubtless as a sign and a token.

Then Godfrey sought out Mrs. Parsons and told her everything. The old woman was much disturbed， and wept.

"I have been thinking of late， Master Godfrey，" she said， "that your father's heart is made of that kind of stone which Hell is paved with， only with the good intentions left out--it's that hard. Here you are come back as fine a young man as a body can wish to see， of whom his begetter might well be proud， though， for the matter of that， there is precious little of him in you--and he shuts the door in your face just because you won't be a parson and have come into fortune--that's what rankles. I say that your mother， if she was a fool when she married him， was a wise woman when she died. Parson or not， he will never go where she is. Well， it's sad， but you'll be well out of this cold house， where there's so much praying but not a spark of love."

"I think so，" said Godfrey with a sigh.

"I think so， too， for myself， I mean. But， look here， my boy， I only stopped on looking after this dratted pack of young gentlemen because you were coming home again. But， as you ain't， I'm out of it； yes， when the door shuts on you I give my month's notice， which perhaps will mean that I leave to-morrow， for he won't be able to abide the sight of me after that."

"But how will you live， Nurse， till I can help you？"

"Lord bless you， dear， that's all right. I've been a careful woman all my life， and have hard on ā500 put away in the Savings Bank， to say nothing of a bit of Stock. Also， my old brother， who was a builder， died last year and left me with a nice little house down in Hampstead， which he built to live in himself， but never did， poor man， bit by bit when he was short of business， very comfortable and in a good neighbourhood， with first-rate furniture and real silver plate， to say nothing of some more Stock， yes， for ā1，000 or more. I let it furnished by the month， but the tenant is going away， so I shall just move into it myself， and perhaps take in a lodger or two to keep me from being idle."

"That's capital！" said Godfrey， delighted.

"Yes， and I tell you what would be capitaller. Mayhap you will have to live in London for a bit， and， if so， you are just the kind of lodger I should like， and I don't think we should quarrel about terms. I'll write you down the address of that house， the Grove as it is called， though why， I don't know， seeing there isn't a tree within half a mile， which I don't mind， as there are too many about here， making so much damp. And you'll write and let me know what you are going to do， won't you？"

"Of course I will."

"And now， look here. Likely you will want a little money till you square up things with your trustee people that the master hates so much."

"Well， I had forgotten it， but， as a matter of fact， I have only ten shillings left， and that isn't much when one is going to London，"@@confessed Godfrey.

"I thought so； you never were one to think much of such things， and so it's probable that you'll get plenty of them， for it's what we care about we are starved in， just to make it hot for us poor humans. Take your father， for instance； he loves power， he does； he'd like to be a bishop of the old Roman sort what could torture people who didn't agree with them. And what is he？ The parson of a potty parish of a couple of hundred people， counting the babies and the softies， and half of them Dissenters or Salvation Army. Moreover， they can't be bullied， because if they were they'd just walk into the next chapel door. Of course， there's the young gentlemen， and he takes it out of them， but， Lord bless us！ that's like kicking a wool sack， of which any man of spirit soon gets tired. So， you see， he is sick-hearted， and will be more so now that you have stood up to him； and， in this way or that， it's the same with everyone， none of us gets what we want， while of what we don't want there's always plenty."

While the old lady held forth thus in her little room which， although she did not know it， had once been the penitential cell of the Abbey， wherein for hundreds of years many unhappy ones had reflected in a very similar vein， she was engaged in trying key after key upon a stout oak chest. It was part of the ancient furniture of the place， that indeed in former days had served as the receptacle for hair shirts， scourges and other physical inducements to repentance and piety.

Now it had a different purpose and held Mrs. Parsons' best dresses， also， in a bandbox， an ornament preserved from her wedding-cake， for once in the far past she was married to a sailor， a very great black-@@guard， who came to his end by tumbling from a gangway when he was drunk. Among these articles was a tin tea-canister which， when opened， proved to be full of money； gold， silver and even humble copper， to say nothing of several banknotes.

"Now， there you are， my dear， take what you like，" she said， "and pay it back if you wish， but if you don't， it might have been worse spent." And she pushed the receptacle， labelled "Imperial Pekoe，"@@towards him across the table， adding， "Drat those moths！ There's another on my best silk."

Godfrey burst out laughing and enjoyed that laugh， for it was his first happy moment since his return to England.

"Give me what you like，" he said.

So she extracted from the tea-tin a five-pound note， four sovereigns and a pound's worth of silver and copper.

"There，" she said， "that will do to begin with， for too much money in the pocket is a temptation in a wicked place like London， where there's always someone waiting to share it. If it's wanted there's more where that came from， and you've only to write and say so. And now you have got the address and you've got the cash， and if you want to catch that last train it's time you were off. If I took the same to-morrow night， why， it wouldn't surprise me， especially as I want to hear all you've been a-doing in those foreign parts， tumbling over precipices and the rest. So good-bye， my dear， and God bless you.

Lord！ it seems only the other day that I was giving you your bottle."