"Inexperienced, truly, inefficient and insufficient," said the kind
old man to himself; and he made a note of that on the tablets of his
heart.
Soon Nellie came back, looking much relieved, and said, smiling:
"She seems much better this morning. How these little ones fill our
heart with anxiety! I was up with her all night!"
Down went another note on Uncle Hiram's tablets. Awake all night with
a sick baby, and up cooking breakfast in the morning! No wonder her
youth and beauty have been chased away, poor, weary, over-worked
mother!
"Who lives next door, Charley?" asked his uncle, after they had
withdrawn from the breakfast-room.
"Why, I have a surprise for you--Henry lives there."
"Henry! Henry who?"
"Why, Henry Mayfield, my brother."
"No! Why, the last time I heard from him he was in St. Louis."
"Well, he is here now, and has been for five months. His wife's
relatives are all here. And so he having been offered a position in
the same firm with me, accepted it. We agreed to keep it as a pleasant
little surprise for you."
"Well, I'm glad of it."
Just as Uncle Hiram said so the object of their conversation came in.
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