"She HAS money of her own, hasn't she?" inquired Mr. Keith. "I have been told she was left an independent fortune by her father."
There was another interval of silence. The partners were quite aware of the general belief in Mary-'Gusta's independent fortune.
They had not discouraged that belief. It was no one's business but theirs and their respect and affection for Marcellus Hall had prevented the disclosure of the latter's poverty. That secret not even Mary-'Gusta knew; she, too, believed that the money which paid for her clothes and board and all the rest was her own. Her uncles had helped her to think so.
So when their visitor asked the pointed question Zoeth looked at Shadrach and the latter shook his head.
"Yup," he answered, brusquely, "it's true enough, I cal'late.
Marcellus left her all he had. But--but look here, Mr. Keith. Do I understand you to advise us to send Mary-'Gusta away--to school--for two years? Jumpin' fire! How--how could we? She--why, what would we do without her?"
"It would be harder for you here in the store, of course."
"The store! 'Tain't the store I'm thinkin' about; it's me and Zoeth. What'll WE do without her? Why, she--why, no daughter could mean more to us than that girl does, and if Zoeth and me was her own--er--mother and father we couldn't think more of her. We'd be adrift and out of sight of land if Mary-'Gusta went away. No, no, we couldn't think of such a thing."
"Not even for her sake? She's worth a pretty big sacrifice, a girl like that."
A long discussion followed, a discussion interrupted by the arrival of occasional customers but resumed as soon as each of these individuals departed. Zoeth asked a question.
"This--this Miss--er--What's-her-name's school you're talkin' about," he asked, "a reg'lar boardin' school, is it?"
"Yes, but there are day pupils. It was my idea, provided you two were willing to listen to my suggestion at all, to suggest that Mary attend as a day pupil. She might live near the school instead of at it. That would be much less expensive."
"Um-hm," mused Shadrach, "but--but she'd have to live somewheres, and I for one would want to be mighty particular what sort of a place she lived at."
"Naturally. Well, I have thought of that, too, and here is suggestion number three: I have a cousin--a cousin of my first wife's--who lives on Pinckney Street, which is not far from the Misses Cabot's school. This cousin--Mrs. Wyeth is her name--is a widow and she hasn't too much money. She doesn't keep a boarding house exactly, but she has been known to take a few of what she calls 'paying guests.' She's very Bostonian and very particular concerning the references and family connections of those guests, but I think I could manage that. If your niece were placed in her care she would have a real home and meet only the sort of people you would wish her to meet."
He might have added that Mrs. Wyeth, being under many obligations, pecuniary and otherwise, to her wealthy Chicago relative, would need only a hint from him to give Mary-'Gusta the care and attention of a parent, a very particular, Boston first-family parent. But, unlike his present wife, he was not in the habit of referring to his charities, so he kept this information to himself.
Zoeth sighed. "I declare," he said, "you're mighty kind in all this, Mr. Keith. I know that you're sartin this goin' away to school would do Mary-'Gusta a sight of good. But--but I swan I--I can't hardly bear to think of our lettin' her go away from us."
"I don't wonder at that. Just think it over and we'll have another talk later."
