Part 13 (1/2)
”I was, mother, to stop with old 'going, going, gone' so long. Never mind; I'm going to have land of my own, and a house in the woods, where I can go and shoot bears and wolves.”
”There, Mr Gordon, my dear, that's how he has been going on ever since he came home.”
”Hold your plate for some more gravy,” said Esau to me. ”That's the worst part of it. I shan't have mother to make hot steak pies and lovely crusts.”
”It isn't half so good as I should like to make it, Esau,” said the poor little woman sadly; ”but do be a good boy, and leave off all that dreadful talk. Mr Gordon don't go on like that.”
”No, but he thinks all the more, mother.”
”He don't, I'm sure. Now do you, Mr Gordon?”
”I'm afraid I've quite made up my mind to go, Mrs Dean,” I said sadly.
”Oh, my dear, don't,” she cried. ”It's too dreadful. Right on the other side of the world, where there's bears and wolves, and for all we know perhaps savage Red Indians.”
”Oh, there are, mother, lots of 'em; and they scallop people and roast 'em.”
”Esau!” half shrieked the poor little woman wildly.
”Don't eat 'em afterwards, do they, Mr Gordon?”
”Don't listen to him, Mrs Dean,” I cried. ”He is saying all this to tease you.”
”I thought so,” she cried triumphantly. ”Then he doesn't mean to go?”
I was silent, and Mrs Dean's knife and fork dropped on the table.
”Tell me--the truth,” she cried, rising and laying her hand on my shoulder.
”The truth is, Mrs Dean, that we have both lost our situations, and that I'm afraid Mr Dempster will be so malicious that he will keep us from getting others.”
”Yes, I'm afraid of that,” she said sadly.
”So as we have heard that any one who likes to try can get on out there, we did think of going.”
”And we do think of going, mother dear,” said Esau gently. ”Come, try and look at it sensibly. I know you will not like me to go, and when it comes to the time, I shan't like to leave you; but I'm such a sleepy-headed chap, I shall never get on here, and if I go over there it will wake me up.”
”But I couldn't part with you, my boy,” cried Mrs Dean. ”I should be all alone. What would become of me?”
”Why you'd go on just as you are, and I should send you home some money sometimes; and when I've made my fortune I shall come back and make a lady of you.”
”No, no, no,” she said, with the tears running down her cheeks; ”I'd rather stop as we are, Esau.”
”Yes, but we can't.”
”Yes, we can, dear. I've saved a few pounds now, and it only means working a little harder. I can keep you, and I'm sure--”
”Stop!” roared Esau huskily. ”I'm ashamed of you, mother. Do you think I'm going to be such a sop of a fellow as to sit down here and let you keep me? I suppose you'll want to keep Mr Gordon next.”
”Then you've got nothing to be ashamed of, I'm sure, sir,” said the little woman tartly. ”What's enough for two's enough for three, and I was going to say, when you went on like that, that if Mr Gordon wouldn't mind, and not be too proud at things not being quite so plentiful, which everything should be clean as clean, it's very, very welcome you'd be, my dear, for you never could have been nicer if you had been my own boy.”