Neither knew anything about business of
this kind, but Harold readily understood what made Eustace so
confused, that he was quite helpless without Harold's explanations,
and rather rough directions what he was to do. How like themselves
their writing was! Eustace's neat and clerkly, but weak and
illegible; and Harold's as distinct, and almost as large, as a
schoolboy's copy, but with square-turned joints and strength of limb
unlike any boy's writing.
The dressing-bell broke up the council, and Harold snatched up his
hat to rush out and stretch his legs, but I could not help detaining
him to say:
"Oh, Harry, I am so sorry!"
"Why?" he said.
"What does it leave you, Harry?"
"Half the capital stock farm, twelve thousand sheep, and a tidy sum
in the Sydney bank," said Harold readily.
"Then I am afraid we shall lose you."
"That depends. I shall set Eustace in the way of doing what our
fathers meant; and there's Prometesky--I shall not go till I have
done his business."
I hardly knew what this meant, and could not keep Harold, whose long
legs were eager for a rush in the fresh air; and the next person I
met was Eustace.
"Aunt Lucy," he said, "that old fellow says you are going away. You
can't be?"
I answered, truly enough, that I had not thought what to do, and he
persisted that I had promised to stay.
"But that was with Harry," I said.
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