Part 29 (1/2)
”His son Louis was a boy full of energy and fire The fanant at the confidence which Ralph Brandon put in this Potts--Louis most of all One day he met Potts Words passed between them, and Louis struck the scoundrel Potts complained Brandon had his son up on the spot; and after listening to his explanations gave hiise to Potts or to leave the house forever Louis indignantly denounced Potts to his father as a swindler Brandon ordered hiave him a week to decide
”The servants whispered till theabout it, and felt so strongly that they did an unparalleled thing They actually waited on hie him not to treat his son so harshly
All Brandon's pride was roused at this He said words to the deputation which cut hie
Mrs Brandon wrote to ed hier ti rather than eject hie his sentence Then I pointed out the character of Potts, and told his that I had heard At this he hinted that I wished to have the ement of his business, and was actuated byet all about the Brandons At the end of the week Louis refused to apologize, and left his father forever”
”Did you see Louis?”
”I saw hiize”
”Did you try to ize?” asked Mrs Thornton, coldly
”Yes But he looked atat such a thing He was as inflexible as his father”
”How else could he have been?”
”Well, each ht have yielded a little It does not do to be so inflexible if one would succeed in life”
”No,” said Mrs Thornton ”Success ained by flexibility The martyrs were all inflexible, and they were all unsuccessful”
Thornton looked at his wife hastily Despard's hand trerew paler still with afor the ruined son?”
”How could I, after that insult?”
”Could you not have got hiovernment office, or purchased a commission for him in the army?”
”He would not have taken it from me”
”You could have co-operated with his mother, and done it in her na insulted”
”You could have written From what I have heard of Brandon, he was just the man ould have blessed any one ould interpose to save his son”
”His son did not wish to be saved He has all his father's inflexibility, but an intellect as clear as that of the most practical man He has a will of iron, dauntless resolution, and an ienerosity and the tender heart of his father”
”Had his father a tender heart?”
”So tender and affectionate that this sacrifice of his son must have overwhelmed him with the deepest sorrow”
”Did you ever after make any advances to any of them?”
”No, never I never went near the house”
”Did you ever visit any of the county gentry to see if so could be done?”
”No It would have been useless Besides, the very mention of his na s of the whole public And no ht to do that”