"His mother, of course, I mean. It"s the boy that keeps her from selling it."
"Why does he do that?"
"Oh, they"ve got a silly notion that no other place would seem like home to them, and, besides, they think I don"t offer them enough."
"How much do you offer them?"
"Eleven hundred dollars; that is, I have a mortgage on the place for seven hundred and fifty. I offer them three hundred and fifty dollars besides."
"Is that all the money they are worth?"
"Yes; they are very foolish to refuse, for they"ll have to come to it some time. In about a week the interest comes due, and I"m very sure they won"t be able to meet it."
"Suppose they don"t?"
"Then," said the squire, with a satisfied smile, "I shall take possession, and they"ll have to sell."
"Herbert says he hopes to be rich some time."
"I dare say," said the squire, laughing heartily. "Everybody does, so far as I know."
"Do you think there is any chance of it?"
"About one in a thousand."
"I shouldn"t want the lower cla.s.ses to get rich," said James, thoughtfully. "They"d think they were our equals."
"Yes, no doubt."
James was not aware that his grandfather had once been a poor mechanic, or rather he ignored it. He chose to consider that he had sprung from a long line of wealthy ancestors. His father heard with pleasure that Herbert was not likely to realize any money at present for his services. Already he felt that the little cottage was as good as his. It was only a week now to the time of paying interest, and he was very sure that Mrs. Carter would be unprepared to meet it.
"In that case," he decided, "I will certainly foreclose. There will be no sense in granting them any further indulgence. It will be for their interest to sell the cottage, and get rid of the burden which the interest imposes. Really, they ought to consider it a favor that I am willing to take it off their hands."
We are very apt to think it is for the interest of others to do what we greatly desire, and I don"t suppose the squire was singular in this. I think, however, that there are many who are less selfish and more considerate of others.
Herbert, too, was thinking, and thinking seriously, of the interest that was so soon coming due. In spite of his own and his mother"s economy, when the preceding day arrived, all they could raise toward the payment was thirteen dollars, and the sum required was twenty-two dollars and a half.
"Mother," said Herbert, at dinner the day before, "I see only one chance for us, and that is, to borrow the money. If anyone would lend us ten dollars we could pay the interest, and then we should be free from anxiety for six months."
"I am afraid you will find that difficult," said his mother. "The squire is the only rich man in the village, and of course we can"t apply to him."
"At any rate, I can but try. Instead of going to work this afternoon, I shall go about and try to borrow the money. If I can"t, then I suppose we must give up the house."
Certainly the prospect seemed far from cheerful.
CHAPTER XVI
AN UNEXPECTED OFFER
It was with very little confidence in his ultimate success that Herbert set out on his borrowing expedition. The number of those who could be called capitalists in a small village like Wrayburn was very small, and it happened very remarkably that all of them were short of funds. One man had just bought a yoke of oxen, and so spent all his available cash; another had been shingling his barn; and still another confessed to having money, but it was in the savings bank, and he didn"t like to disturb it.
So, at supper time, Herbert came in, depressed and dispirited.
"Well, mother, it"s no use," he said, as her anxious look met his.
"I didn"t much think you could borrow the money," she answered, trying to look cheerful.
"There"s only one thing remains to be done," said Herbert.
"What is that?"
"To try to induce the squire to give us more time."
"I don"t think he will do that."
"Nor I. In that case we must come to his terms; but it"s a pity to sacrifice the property, mother."
"Yes, Herbert; I shall be sorry to leave the old place," she sighed.
"You were born here, and your father was always very much attached to it. But poor folks can"t have everything they wish, and it might be worse."
"Yes, it might be worse, and if the squire was not so bent in getting the place into his hands, it might be better."
"I suppose we ought not to blame him for looking out for his own interest."
"Yes, we ought; when it seems that he is ready to injure his poorer neighbors."
Mrs. Carter did not reply. She did not wish further to incense her son against the squire, yet in her heart she could not help agreeing with him.
The next day Herbert did not go to work as usual. He did not feel like it, while matters were in such uncertainty. He knew the squire would be at the cottage a little before twelve o"clock, and he wanted to be with his mother at that time, for he felt that, if the place must be sold, he would be more likely to get good terms for it than his mother, who was of an easy and yielding disposition.
He took a little walk in the course of the forenoon, not with any particular object in view, but in order to pa.s.s the time. As he was pa.s.sing the hotel--for there was a small hotel in the village--he heard his name called. Turning round, he found that it was the landlord who had called him.
"Come here a minute, Herbert," he said.
Herbert obeyed the summons.
"What are you doing nowadays?" he asked.
"I have turned farmer," said our hero.
"Whom are you working for?"
"For myself."