The Second Macabre MEGAPACK®. Эдит Несбит

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      Eliza Barlow was the daughter of Samuel Barlow’s deceased brother, and was only taken into her uncle’s house through fear of what commercial men might think, should he leave the orphan to struggle alone with poverty and loneliness. After giving her an education in a boarding school, he took her home at sixteen; though without allowing her to shew any interest in the domestic arrangements, since an old house-keeper possessed an entire sway over the mansion, as did Nathaniel the counting room. She saw her uncle only at meals, and if absent throughout the day no questions were asked, but the equipage or servant was always ready to attend her, without any intimation to Mr. Barlow, who was never more displeased than when she went to him with a request. Until this moment the thought of Eliza’s marrying had not entered his mind, but now it flashed like a gleam of lightning.

      Although greatly surprised by the summons, for she had never ventured into her uncle’s counting room, Eliza hastened to obey it, first by pushing in her pocket a letter she had just been perusing. As Nathaniel opened the door, and she appeared before Mr. Barlow, he looked at her from head to foot, as if determining how far she fulfilled the requisites specified in his friend’s letter, till, as if satisfied with the investigation, he cheerfully invited her to take a seat, and at once opened the business.

      “Are you acquainted with the firm of Hoskins & Co. of Kingston, Jamaica? They deal in hardware and dry goods.”

      “It is the first time I ever heard the name, uncle,” replied Eliza, astonished at the enquiry.

      “It is a most respectable house, firm and solid in every respect.”

      “That is certainly advantageous for those who have anything to do with them,” observed Eliza, smilingly.

      “Yes! and for yourself who may also be concerned with them.”

      “Pray in what way could it be, uncle?”

      “Very easily! very easily!” he exclaimed—“Hoskins & Co. wish to marry you.”

      “Impossible!” cried the maiden. “As I said before, the name of Hoskins is quite unfamiliar; nay, I do not know whether the man is young or old.”

      “Neither can I exactly tell you his age, only I know he is not one of those whiskered fellows who cluster on Sundays under the church porch, molesting women by their stares; but probably a sedate person, since I have transacted business with him for the last thirty years.”

      “Mr. Hoskins may be a very respectable gentleman,” replied Eliza, “yet surely it is ridiculous in one of his years to think of marrying a girl whom he has never seen.”

      “No! he is a man of good sense,” replied the uncle, “whom we have supplied with many hundred boxes of dry goods and hardware, and who puts entire trust in Samuel Barlow & Co.”

      “Then probably the idea of my marrying him originated with you,” observed his niece, now fast rousing to a suspicion of the truth.

      “No! not exactly, child,” replied the merchant, handing her the business letter. “Here read for yourself that item number eight, and say whether you are willing to comply with the terms; for if not, an advertisement will be presently sent to the Reporter, which is issued at 4 o’clock, P. M.”

      On reading this epistle, Eliza at first hardly knew whether to be angry or amused by her uncle’s conduct; soon however the sad truth forced itself upon her, that the rich merchant felt towards her none of the pleasant ties of consanguinity; but that hitherto she had been fed and tended like a parrot in a cage, without being of use to any one, and only reserved for some moment when she might be bartered or disposed of like merchandise. Her first thought was to decline the match decidedly, her second to try and restrain the words in which she was about to express her angry feelings; and to reply to her uncle as though the whole was a mere business matter, since although he had never expressed towards her the slightest attachment, she could not forget he was her father’s brother and had bestowed on her a home and education.

      “I am sorry, uncle,” she said, “that I cannot enter upon this very respectable connexion; but in case of your consent, I may comply with another offer which I have just received.”

      “Indeed!” said Mr. Barlow, bowing. “Is it as advantageous as that of Hoskins & Co?”

      “Probably not as lucrative,” replied Eliza. “It is a seaman who has made me the offer.”

      “A seaman! And are you not aware that the life of such a man depends greatly upon wind and weather?”

      “And is not your merchandise, including myself, in case I should be sent, liable to the same risks?” remarked his niece somewhat bitterly.

      “My goods are always insured.”

      “And I will have my husband insured.”

      “In a towline? A good notion, girl, I did not give you credit for so much thoughtfulness. Where did you get acquainted with this seaman?”

      “I can hardly say I am acquainted; I only have cause to suspect that he is the handsome young man who has boarded opposite for several months, and whom I have often seen from my window; his name is Drummond, and here is his letter.”

      So saying, she drew the epistle from her pocket, and handed it to her uncle. It was brief, and written in a seafaring style. The writer commenced by saying that he had frequently seen Eliza at a distance, and believed that she had noticed him also. That his business had not allowed him to seek a nearer acquaintance, but that being about to sail, he could not deny himself the pleasure of offering her his hand, fearful as he was that she might be won by some one else before his return. He entreated an early answer, desiring her to send her letter to the firm of Gibbs & Sons, who would be acquainted with his direction, in case her uncle was ignorant of the same. He signed himself “J.W. Drummond.”

      “I know him!” said Mr. Barlow, nodding his head. “He is certainly an industrious man, and one who has already amassed something; still I think you would prefer Hoskins & Co., since they do a much safer business.”

      “To tell the truth, uncle! I am quite determined against the match. In the first place I cannot go to Jamaica, where I would die of the fever the first summer; in the second place I will not marry a man who, however respectable he may be, is old enough for my father, if not grandfather; and lastly, I should prefer one whom at least I have had the pleasure of seeing.”

      “In your first objection there is some sense,” observed Mr. Barlow, taking a pinch from his gold snuff box; “but the other two are hardly worth listening to, yet time presses; the Reporter comes out at 4 o’clock; and the “Fortune” sails tomorrow; as you are not willing to listen to Hoskins & Co., we must hurry over the business with Drummond. If you are willing to marry the man, I have, under certain conditions, no objections to your doing so: although I must tell you that his business, although lucrative, is more or less dangerous.”

      “Every girl who marries a seaman must prepare herself for that.”

      “At any rate, there must be some arrangements made to ensure your property, in event of his death; since I mean to allow you a certain income, which I have no notion your husband should lose in speculation. Promise me not to write to Jamaica, nor come to any understanding on the matter, until I have had a talk with him.”

      “Certainly! I will do as you desire, and thank you much for your kindness;” replied his niece СКАЧАТЬ