The Priceless Pearl

								

by being made to conform to boarding-school standards; third, that
none of the successful men of the country had gone to boarding school;
fourth, that success was the last thing she desired for any son of
hers; fifth, that she did not wish to remove him from the benefits of
my daily influence; and sixth, that I was a person of no judgment and
absolutely wrong about its being wise for a boy to go to school."
"And is he at school?" Miss Exeter inquired politely.
"Oh, yes," answered Wood, without seeing anything amusing in her
question. "Although my sister does a good deal to counteract the
effect--by making fun of the teachers and the rules, and always
bringing him, when she goes to visit him, whatever is specially
forbidden, like candy and cigarettes and extra pocket money. You see,
that's where it's going to be hard for you. She not only doesn't want
to discipline them herself but she's against any person or institution
that tries to do it for her. As soon as you begin to accomplish
anything with the children--as I'm sure you will do--she'll be against
you; she'll want you to go."
"That makes it pretty hopeless, doesn't it?" said Miss Exeter.
He shook his head briskly.
"No," he said; "for I have made her promise that she won't send you
away, no matter what happens, until I get back. I know what was in her
mind when she gave the promise--that she could make it so unpleasant
for you that you'd go of your own accord. So, Miss Exeter, I want you
to promise me that you won't go, no matter how disagreeable she makes
it----"
"Oh, Mr. Wood, I couldn't do that," said Augusta.
"There's no use in going at all otherwise," he said. "Oh, come, be a
sport! I'll make it worth while. I'll give you a bonus of five hundred
dollars if you're still on the job when I get back--or I'll bring you
a turquoise--I'm going down to inspect the best mine in the world. You
see, I feel this means the whole future of those children--to be with a
woman like you. I know you could do with them just what I want done."
"You may be mistaken about that, Mr. Wood."
"I may be, but I'm not."
The blue eyes fixed themselves on her. She said to herself that it was
the five hundred dollars--so desirable for a trousseau--that turned the
scale, but the blue eyes and the compliment had something to do with
her decision.
"It seems a reckless thing to promise," she murmured with a weak laugh.
"No, not at all. I wouldn't let you do anything reckless." He spoke
as a kindly grandfather might speak. "And now we have ten minutes
left, and I want to talk to you about the little one--Antonia." His
face softened, and after a slight struggle he yielded to a smile. "The
truth is," he said, "that she's much my favorite. She's intelligent
and honest, and the justest person of any age or sex that I ever knew
in my life." He paused a second. "Perhaps it is because I'm fonder of
her than of the other two, but it seems to me my sister is particularly