‘Well, do that.’
‘You know my old godfather?’
‘The one who is ninety-six?’
‘Yes, that one; I have no other. At least, of course people have two godfathers, but the other is dead. And now this one is dead too. I hope he was not feeling his age, but I expect he felt as young as Clement. You know he had no children?’
‘Yes, I had heard it, or I think I had. Has he left you any money?’
‘Edgar, is it possible that your thoughts have run on sordid lines?’
‘I had not thought of it until this moment.’
‘I am glad of that. I should not like to feel that I had lost my brother. It would be quite different from losing a godfather.’
‘It would in the matter of money,’ said Edgar, with his short laugh. ‘Is it surprising that a childless man should leave money to his godson?’
‘Yes, very. People have not any money. And they always have a family. It is very rare to have the first and not the second. I can’t think of another case, only of the opposite one. We see that Matty has relations.’
‘I did not know that he had much money.’
‘I see you will feel the shock as well. I am not alone in my distress.’
‘Why is it distress? Why not the opposite feeling?’
‘Edgar, you must know that money is the cause of all evil. It is the root of it.’
‘How did he get so much?’
‘He speculated and made it. I knew he speculated, but I thought that people always lost every farthing. And it is wrong to speculate, and has left the fruits of his sin to me.’
‘The sins of the father are visited upon the children. And in default of them there is a godson.’
‘Unto the third and fourth generation. But I expect they have generally lost it all by then.’
‘Can you bring yourself to tell me how much it is?’
‘No. You have only just brought yourself to ask.’
‘Is it very much?’
‘Yes.’
‘How can I help you?’
‘I must leave it to you. You have never failed me yet.’
‘Shall we wait and look at The Times?’
‘No, that would imply a lack of confidence. There have never been secrets between us.’
‘Is it as much as a thousand a year?’
‘Yes.’
‘As much as fifteen hundred?’
‘Yes.’
‘As much as three thousand?’
‘No. How easy it is after all! It is about two. I am glad you have not failed me. Now our danger point is past, and we know that we can never fail each other.’
‘Those letters you have had in these last days? That one you went away to answer?’
‘I see there has been no secret between us.’
‘It will make a great deal of difference, Dudley.’
‘Yes, it will. I am not going to pretend that I don’t think much of it. I think too much, as is natural. And I am not going to refer to it as a nice little fortune. I think it is a large one, though I am rather ashamed of thinking it. I don’t know why people do such aggravating things. It must be because money brings out the worst in them. I shall never even say that I am a comparatively poor man. I have actually begun to push the thought from me.’
The door opened and Blanche appeared with a lamp, pale and different in the half light, her loose, grey hair and straight garments giving her the look of a woman from another age.
‘What are you talking about all this time? I had no idea that you had not come up. I went to get something from Edgar’s room and thought he must be asleep. I can never get to sleep myself while I know that other people are about. I am so afraid of fire. You know that.’
‘Indeed I did not, Blanche,’ said Dudley. ‘At least I thought that you slept in spite of your fear, like everyone else.’
‘I thought the same, assumed it,’ said Edgar.
‘I cannot sleep when I feel that people are doing their best to set the house in a blaze every moment. How could I?’
‘I don’t see how you could. I did not know that Edgar did that when he sat up. It seems sly somehow, when he never does it in the day. And it does show that he ought to be in bed. But I do my best with quite different things. You can sleep in peace when you know that I am about.’
‘You will accept our excuse when you hear it, Blanche. Dudley has been left a fortune — a sum of money by his godfather.’
‘He hasn’t,’ said Blanche in a petulant tone. ‘Not large enough to make all that talk and keep you up half the night. I know he was quite a poor man; I did not know why anyone had him for a godfather. Now come upstairs, both of you, and put out the lamps and push back the coals, as Dudley implies that he does it, and let us hear about it in the morning.’
The brothers occupied themselves with these measures.
‘How much is it?’ said Blanche, shading the lamp with her hand and speaking as if she might as well hear while she waited.
‘It is a large sum, my dear, really very large. You must be prepared.’
‘How much is it? It is very nice if it is large. I saw his death in the papers, and meant to speak about it and forgot. He was over a hundred, wasn’t he?’
‘He was ninety-six,’ said Dudley, ‘but that is old enough to make it excusable to forget his death.’
‘How much is it? Why do you not tell me? Is there some mystery?’
‘No, there is not; I wish there were; I hate having to manage without one. Edgar, you are tailing me at last.’
‘It is two thousand a year,’ said Edgar, ‘or probably about that sum.’
‘Two thousand pounds a year?’
‘Yes, yes. About that, about two thousand pounds.’
‘Two thousand pounds a year or two thousand pounds?’
‘Two thousand pounds a year.’
‘Why, how very nice!’ said Blanche, turning to lead the way from the room, with her hand still over her lamp. ‘When did you hear? Dear Dudley, I do congratulate you. It is just what you deserve. I never was so glad about anything. And you were wise not to talk about it before Matty. It sometimes upsets her to hear that people have much more than she has. We might be the same in her place. Well, no wonder you stayed up to talk about that. We must talk it over in the morning; I shall quite look forward to it. Well, I shall sleep very soundly after hearing this.’
Blanche, meaning what she said and about to act upon it, went upstairs, guarding her lamp, and the brothers followed, pausing to whisper outside their doors.
‘We have seen things out of their true proportion,’ said Dudley. ‘How is it that our outlook is so material? I was prepared to toss on my bed, and really we ought to sleep particularly well. I thought when I saw Miss Sloane, that she and I lived apart from tangible things. And really we have only been kept apart from them. Well, you can’t separate yourself from me on this occasion. All that I have is yours.’
A flash from Blanche’s door sent Edgar into his room and Dudley on tiptoe to her side.
‘Blanche, I am only waiting for the morrow, to come and pour it all into your lap. And I am sure the house is not in a blaze.’
‘Good night, dear Dudley,’ said Blanche, smiling and closing her door.
Chapter 4
‘Well, has your uncle told you his news?’ said Blanche at breakfast, as she moved her hands uncertainly amongst the cups. ‘I heard it last night and I found it quite a tonic. I was feeling so very tired and it quite pulled me up. I slept so well and I still feel quite stimulated. I have been looking forward to talking about it.’