Behind Ned's windy bragging Mahony
thought he discerned tokens of a fond, brotherly pride. If this were so,
the affair had its pathetic side; for, from what the boy said, it was
evident that the successful man of business held his relatives at arm's
length. And as Ned talked on, Mahony conceived John to himself as a kind
of electro-magnet, which, once it had drawn these lesser creatures after
it, switched off the current and left them to their own devices. Ned,
young as he was, had tried his hand at many trades. At present he was
working as a hired digger; but this, only till he could strike a softer
job. Digging was not for him, thank you; what you earned at it hardly
repaid you for the sweat you dripped. His every second word, indeed, was
of how he could amass most money with the minimum of bodily exertion.
This calculating, unyouthful outlook was repugnant to Mahony, and for
all his goodwill, the longer he listened to Ned, the cooler he felt
himself grow. Another disagreeable impression was left by the grudging,
if-nothing-better-turns-up fashion, in which Ned accepted an impulsive
offer on his part to take him into the store. It was made on the spur of
the moment, and Mahony had qualms about it while his words were still
warm on the air, realizing that the overture was aimed, not at Ned in
person, but at Ned as Polly's brother. But his intuition did not
reconcile him to Ned's luke-warmness; he would have preferred a straight
refusal.
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