Probable Sons

Probable Sons, by Amy LeFeuvre

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Title: Probable Sons
Author: Amy LeFeuvre
Release Date: January 22, 2004 [EBook #10777]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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"PROBABLE SONS"
BY
AMY LEFEUVRE

AUTHOR OF "CHERRY," "THE ODD ONE," ETC.
"A little child shall lead them."
1896
[Illustration: The Broken Statue.]
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
AN UNWELCOME LEGACY
CHAPTER II.
DAVID AND GOLIATH
CHAPTER III.
THE FIRST PUNISHMENT
CHAPTER IV.
MRS. MAXWELL'S SORROW
CHAPTER V.
A PRODIGAL
CHAPTER VI.
A PROMISE KEPT
CHAPTER VII.
CROSS-EXAMINATION

CHAPTER VIII.
"HE AROSE AND CAME TO HIS FATHER"
CHAPTER IX.
"A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM"

"PROBABLE SONS."
* * * * *
CHAPTER I.
AN UNWELCOME LEGACY.
"Children! They are a nuisance to everyone--my abomination, as you
know, Jack. Why on earth they can not be kept out of sight altogether
till they reach a sensible age is what puzzles me! And I suppose if
anything could make the matter worse, it is that this is a girl."
The tone of disgust with which the last word was uttered brought a
laugh from Sir Edward Wentworth's companion, who replied, as he
took his cigar from his mouth and gazed critically into the worried,
perplexed face of his host--
"My dear fellow, she is not of an age yet to trouble you much. Wait till
she gets a bit older. When her education is finished, and she takes
possession of you and your house, will be the time for you to look to us
for pity!"
"Look here, Sir Edward," said a bright looking youth from the other
side of the room, "I'll give you a bit of advice. Send the child straight
off to school. Is she coming to-day? Good. Then pack her off
to-morrow, and keep her there as long as is needful. Then I will go
down and inspect her, and if she grows up to be a moderately

decent-looking girl, I will do you a good turn by taking her off your
hands. She will have a nice little fortune, you informed us, and if you
will give her something in addition, out of gratitude to me for relieving
you of all responsibility concerning her, upon my word I think I should
not do badly!"
But Sir Edward was not in a mood to joke. He looked gloomily around
upon his friends as they gathered around the smoking-room fire after a
hard day's shooting, and remarked--
"I know what is before me. I have seen it in my sister's family, and
have heard something of all her toils and troubles. How thankful I was
when she and hers were translated to Australia, and the sea came
between us! It is first the nurses, who run off with one's butler, make
love to the keepers, and bring all kinds of followers about the house,
who sometimes make off with one's plate. Then it's the governesses,
who come and have a try at the guests, or most likely in my case they
would set their affections on me, and get the reins of government
entirely into their hands. If it is school, then there is a mass of
correspondence about the child's health and training; and, in addition, I
shall have all the ladies in the neighborhood coming to mother the child
and tell me how to train it. It is a bad look-out for me, I can tell you,
and not one of you would care to be in my shoes."
"What is the trouble, Ned?" asked a new-comer, opening the door and
glancing at the amused faces of those surrounding Sir Edward, all of
whom seemed to be keenly enjoying their host's perplexity.
"He has received a legacy to-day, that is all," was the response; "he has
had an orphan niece and nurse sent to him from some remote place in
the Highlands. Come, give us your case again, old fellow, for the
benefit of your cousin."
Sir Edward, a grave, abstracted-looking man, with an iron-grey
moustache and dark, piercing eyes, looked up with a desponding shake
of the head, and repeated slowly and emphatically--
"A widowed sister of mine died last year, and left her little girl in the

charge of an old school friend, who has now taken a husband to herself
and discarded the child, calmly sending me the following letter:--
'DEAR SIR: Doubtless you will