I could hear that she was talking about her boy, who was a
great pet with Gran. I heard her say that he was growing too fast and
had been languid of late.
Mrs. Dawson came and sat by me. She sighed with quiet satisfaction as
she subsided into her chair.
"It all went off very well, dear," she said, "didn't it? Dawson was very
anxious that it should; and I couldn't eat a bit for thinking of what
would happen if it didn't go off well."
I answered her that it had gone off very well. It was impossible to
dislike her, poor soul; and it was easy to see that she had a wretched
life between her husband who was an intolerant tyrant to her and the
fine folk he liked to see about him now that his money was made, who
were rude and neglectful to her.
"I'm glad you think that, my dear," she said. "Indeed, I think Dawson
looked quite cheerful. And I was very glad to see that you and Rick were
making friends. He's a very good boy, my dear, although he's a bit
wild, having plenty of money and nothing to do but spend it. But he's a
very kind boy to his mother. I assure you, dear, there have been times
when I wouldn't have cared much to live if it hadn't been for my Rick."
It was a pitiful confession for the mistress of all this splendour; and
now that the anxiety and excitement were to some extent over she looked
pale and old and tired.
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