The Pillars of the House, vol 1 | Page 4

a man's
undertaking what he could not perform.
One of her reductions had been the economising the third curate, while
making the second be always a neophyte, who received his title for
Orders, and remained his two years upon a small stipend.
The change last Easter, which had substituted a deacon for a priest, had
fallen heavily on Mr. Underwood, and would have been heavier still,
but that the new comer, Charles Audley, had attached himself warmly
to him. The young man was the son of a family of rank and connection,
and Lady Price's vanity was flattered by obtaining his assistance; but
her vexation was proportionably excited by his preference for the
Underwood household, where, in truth--with all its poverty--he found
the only atmosphere thoroughly congenial to him in all the parish of St.
Oswald's.
Speedily comprehending the state of things, he put his vigorous young
shoulder to the wheel, and, full of affectionate love and admiration for
Mr. Underwood, spared himself nothing in the hope of saving him
fatigue or exertion, quietly gave up his own holidays, was always at his
post, and had hitherto so far lightened Mr. Underwood's toil, that he
was undoubtedly getting through this summer better than the last, for
his bodily frame had long been affected by the increased amount of toil
in an ungenial atmosphere, and every access of cold weather had told
on him in throat and chest attacks, which, with characteristic buoyancy,
he would not believe serious. He never deemed himself aught but
'better,' and the invalid habits that crept on him by stealth, always
seemed to his brave spirit consequent on a day's extra fatigue, or the
last attention to a departing cough. Alas! when every day's fatigue was
extra, the cough always depart_ing_, never departed.

Yet, though it had become a standing order in the house, that for an
hour after papa came in from his rounds, no one of the children should
be in the drawing-room, except poor little lame Geraldine, who was
permanently established there; and that afterwards, even on strong
compulsion, they should only come in one by one, as quietly as
possible, he never ceased to apologise to them for their banishment
when he felt it needful, and when he was at ease, would renew the
merriment that sometimes cost him dear.
The children had, for the most part, inherited that precious heirloom of
contentment and elasticity, and were as happy in nooks and corners in
bedroom, nursery, staircase or kitchen, as they could have been in
extensive play-rooms and gardens.
See them in full council upon the expenditure of the annual gift that an
old admiral at Vale Leston, who was godfather to Felix, was wont to
send the boy on his birthday--that third of July, which had seemed so
bright, when birthdays had begun in the family, that no name save Felix
could adequately express his parent's feelings.
Mr. and Mrs. Underwood had fancies as to nomenclature; and that
staircaseful of children rejoiced in eccentric appellations. To begin at
the bottom--here sat on a hassock, her back against the wall, her sharp
old fairy's face uplifted, little Geraldine, otherwise Cherry, a title that
had suited her round rosiness well, till after the first winter at Bexley,
when the miseries of a diseased ancle-joint had set in, and paled her
into the tender aliases of White-heart, or Sweet- heart. She was, as
might be plainly seen in her grey eyes, a clever child; and teaching her
was a great delight to her father, and often interested him when he was
unequal to anything else. Her dark eyebrows frowned with anxiety as
she lifted up her little pointed chin to watch sturdy frank-faced Felix,
who with elaborate slowness dealt with the envelope, tasting slowly of
the excitement it created, and edging away from the baluster, on which,
causing it to contribute frightful creaks to the general Babel, were
perched numbers 4, 6, 7, and 8, to wit, Edgar, Clement, Fulbert, and
Lancelot, all three handsome, blue-eyed, fair-faced lads. Indeed Edgar
was remarkable, even among this decidedly fine-looking family. He
had a peculiarly delicate contour of feature and complexion, though
perfectly healthy; and there was something of the same expression, half
keen, half dreamy, as in Geraldine, his junior by one year; while the

grace of all the attitudes of his slender lissome figure showed to
advantage beside Felix's more sturdy form, and deliberate or downright
movements; while Clement was paler, slighter, and with rather
infantine features, and shining wavy brown hair, that nothing ever
seemed to ruffle, looked so much as if he ought to have been a girl, that
Tina, short for Clementina, was his school name. Fulbert, stout, square,
fat-cheeked, and permanently rough and dusty, looked as if he hardly
belonged to the rest.