"How dreadful!" Joyce exclaimed. "Does father know?"
"He knows about the money part, of course; about the debts and difficulties."
"Yes," Joyce exclaimed, with a sigh, "and it has troubled him greatly."
"What I wanted to say to you was, that I think if Melville went abroad, as he wishes, it might be a good thing, provided a safe companion could be found for him."
"No, it is impossible; I could not leave my mother: I am all she has in the world. We are going to live in Bristol, where I am to be articled to a good firm of lawyers, and perhaps I may study afterwards for the bar."
"I thought you were of high family," Joyce said innocently.
"Would that prevent my taking to law?" Gilbert asked, with a smile.
"No; I don't know exactly why it should do so," she said. "Melville talks so much about things which are right for a gentleman to do, and things which a gentleman cannot do; and then he dresses so fashionably, and people remark upon it."
"I don't wonder," Gilbert said, laughing; "but that part of his proceedings is only laughable. Many men are fops in their youth who tone down wonderfully when they get old. Let us hope it will be so with him."
"You know," Joyce said, "that Melville ought to spare father expenses instead of adding to them. There have been two bad harvests and hard winters, and Mr. Watson, the steward, is getting rather past his work. Melville ought to take that place now, and save father, for there is Ralph to be educated, and he ought to have the _best_, for he is so studious; and then there are the three other boys, and poor Piers is lame, and they all want something."
"You don't seem to want anything yourself," Mr. Arundel said.
"No: I have a happy home and everything is beautiful about me. What _can_ I want?"
"Not to go to London, or Bath, or to see the world?" he asked.
"I think," said Joyce, simply, "if it came in my way--I mean if there was plenty of money--I should like to travel a little. Can you believe that I have only been to Bath once and to Bristol twice in my life? and I am nearly eighteen. My Cousin Charlotte, who lives at Wells with my aunt, has been to school in Bath, but father never wished me to go to school, so I have no accomplishments. But I need not talk any more about myself, it cannot be interesting."