"He wouldn't think it respectable enough, dear. He wants you to rise
higher in the world, and to make money. You must remember who he is."
"Bosh!" said Johnny. "Look at Uncle Ned . . . and Uncle Jerry . . . and
the governor himself. He didn't have to sit in a beastly old hole of an
office when he was my age."
"That was quite different," said Mary weakly. "And as for your Uncle
Jerry, Johnny--why, afterwards he was as glad as could be to get into
an office at all."
"Well, I'd sooner be hanged!" retorted young John. But the next minute
flinging away dull care, he inquired briskly: "Can you play tipcat, Aunt
Mary?" And vanquished by her air of kindly interest, he gave her his
supreme confidence. "I say, don't peach, will you, but I've got a white
rat. I keep it in a locker under my bed."
A NICE FRANK HANDSOME BOY, wrote Mary. DON'T BE TOO HARD ON HIM, JOHN.
HIS GREAT WISH IS TO TRAVEL AND SEE THE WORLD--OR AS HE PUTS IT, TO GO
TO SEA. MIGHTN'T IT BE A GOOD THING TO HUMOUR HIM IN THIS? A TASTE OF
THE HARDSHIPS OF LIFE WOULD SOON CURE HIM OF ANY SUCH FANCIES.
"Stuff and nonsense!" said John the father, and threw the letter from
him. "I didn't send Mary there to let the young devil get round her like
that." And thereupon he wrote to the Headmaster that the screw was to be
applied to Johnny as never before. This was his last chance. If it
failed, and his next report showed no improvement, he would be taken
away without further ado and planked down under his father's nose.
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