All was done in love, anxiety, timidity, stupidity, and impatience. They
were stupid in little things; and he that is stupid in little will be
stupid also in much.
Presently old Mr Pontifex died, and then came the revelation of the
little alteration he had made in his will simultaneously with his bequest
to Ernest. It was rather hard to bear, especially as there was no way of
conveying a bit of their minds to the testator now that he could no
longer hurt them. As regards the boy himself anyone must see that the
bequest would be an unmitigated misfortune to him. To leave him a small
independence was perhaps the greatest injury which one could inflict upon
a young man. It would cripple his energies, and deaden his desire for
active employment. Many a youth was led into evil courses by the
knowledge that on arriving at majority he would come into a few
thousands. They might surely have been trusted to have their boy's
interests at heart, and must be better judges of those interests than he,
at twenty-one, could be expected to be: besides if Jonadab, the son of
Rechab's father--or perhaps it might be simpler under the circumstances
to say Rechab at once--if Rechab, then, had left handsome legacies to his
grandchildren--why Jonadab might not have found those children so easy to
deal with, etc.
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