'No, no, no--just
as you are,' she whispered.
Some mood of curiosity had come over him, and he turned an
interrogative look elsewhere.
Alda spoke. 'Of course, it would be horrid not to be a clergyman; but
it is a great shame.'
'No,' said Wilmet, 'it can't be a shame for this cousin Tom to have
earned a fortune fairly--if he has; but'--and she pressed her hands
tightly together as she looked at the thin worn faces of her parents-
--'one can't help wishing. Why do things always go hard and wrong?'
and the tears dimmed her bright eyes.
'Because--they _don't_,' said her father, with a half-serious
quaintness that vexed her, and forced her to turn away to let
the tear drop.
Clement said, in his calm voice, 'How can you be all so repining and
foolish!'
And Mr. Underwood, almost in lazy mischief, pursued his experiment.
'Eh, Felix, you are the party most concerned--what say you?'
'Most concerned?' Felix looked up surprised, then recollected
himself. 'I don't care,' he said, with an appearance of gruff
sullenness; but his father could not content himself without
continuing in a semi-teazing tone, 'Don't care--eh? 'Why this Centry
Underwood once belonged to our family--that's the reason Tom is after
it.
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