human
This comes of being a lawyer's son! he cried, turning round for one bad glance at his mother.
gpt
She said that she disliked the law. I don't dislike, I abhor it.
human
So you may, my dear boy, and welcome now. This will lift you altogether beyond it. Your dear father may consider it his duty to continue the office, and so on; but you will be a country gentleman, Kit, with horses, and dogs, and Manton guns, and a pack of hounds, and a long barouche, and hot-house grapes. And I will come and live with you, my darling; or at least make our country house of it, and show you how to manage things. For the whole world will be trying to cheat you, Kit; you are too good-natured, and grand in your ways! You must try to be a little sharper, darling, with that mint of money.
gpt
Must I? But suppose that I won't have it.
human
Sometimes I believe that you think it manly to provoke your mother. The money ought to have been ours, Kit; mine by heritage and justice; at least a year and a half ago. A moderate provision should have been made for a woman, who may have her good points--though everybody has failed to discover them--and who married with a view to jointure. Ten thousand pounds would have been very handsome--far handsomer than she ever was, poor thing!--and then by every law, human and divine, all the rest must have come to you and me, my dear. Now, I hope that you see things in their proper light.
gpt
Well, I dare say I do, he answered, with a little turn of sulkiness, such as he often got when people could not understand him.
human
Mother, you will allow me to have my own opinion; as you have yours.
gpt
Certainly, Kit! Of course, my dear. You know that you always have been allowed extraordinary liberty in that way. No boy in any school could have more; even where all the noblemen's sons are allowed to make apple-pie beds for the masters. Every night, my dear boy, when your father was away, it has rested with you, and you cannot deny it, to settle to a nicety what there must be for supper.
human
Such trumpery stuff is not worth a thought. I am now like a fellow divided in two. You might guess what I am about, a little. It is high time for me to come forward. You cannot see things, perhaps, as I do. How often must I tell you? I give you my word as a gentleman--all this is exceedingly trying.
gpt
Of course it is, Kit; of course it is. What else could be expected of it? But still, we must all of us go through trials; and then we come out purified.
human
Not if we made them for ourselves, mother; and made them particularly dirty ones. But I cannot talk of it; what do I know? A lot of things come tempting me. Everybody laughs at me for wondering what my mind is. And everybody cheats me, as you said. Let the governor carry on his own devices. I have made up my mind to consider a good deal, and behave then according to circumstances.
gpt
You will behave, I trust, exactly as your parents wish. They have seen so much more of the world than you have; they are far better judges of right and wrong; and their only desire is your highest interest. You will break your poor mother's heart, dear Kit, if you do anything foolish now.