The Argosy — page 37: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

24 The House of Halliwell. ‘Oh, no, thank goodness—nothing of that sort.” ‘And there is positively nothing left but that two thousand pounds Settled on the girls ?” ‘Nothing else, except the furniture of this house, which is very old-fashioned. ‘There may be a balance of a hundred pounds or so at the banker’s, after the funeral expenses shall have been paid.” “Tt is a very gloomy prospect,” observed Mr. Halliwell. ‘“ Mrs. Halliwell cannot exist and keep the children upon the interest of two thousand pounds.” ‘Of course she can’t, any more than I could steer our ship without a compass. Mark me, girls,’ added Aunt Copp, turning to her nieces, “you must make up your minds to years of struggle—if not to a life of it. I told your poor papa that when a man wilfully and recklessly risked his money, punishment was sure to follow. ‘The Major hada comfortable income, but he grew dissatisfied, and thought he would speculate. ‘There were two prospects before him: the one of undue wealth, gained quickly—more wealth than he could want ; the other, the loss of all he had, and ruin to his family. His eyes were fixed upon the wealth, and he forgot the risk—and so the loss has come. Now, my dear children, such recklessness must be worked out; it is the natural—ay, and the divine—order of things, that wrong and reckless doing must bring its consequences after it. Your poor, ill-judging papa has gone, and upon you, through life, will these consequences fall.” In a little time, however, things looked brighter. Not that there was any prospect of the recovery of the money; that was irrevocably gone. Many years before, Major Halliwell had rendered a most essential service to the East India Company. He had not served under them, but it had fallen into his power to give them certain in- formation of a valuable nature, and when they would have rewarded him he refused it. They communicated now with Mrs. Halliwell, and delicately informed her that a pension of two hundred a-year would be paid her as long as she should live. Whether this was the pri- vate act of some two or three individuals, or whether it emanated from the Company, Mrs. Halliwell never knew. She thought the former, espe- cially as her husband had been, up to the time of his death, upon terms of intimate friendship with two of its members. The news was a great relief to all; but upon none did it act as it did on Aunt Copp. Her spirits went up like mercury, and she began to contrive and plan; saying she would see them all straight and settled before she left. ‘Let me see,” said she: “you will have about two hundred and seventy pounds a-year. Well, you may live beautifully on that.” “Compared with what we feared we might have to exist upon,” said Mrs. Halliwell. ‘‘We may think now of Mr. Halliwell’s generous offer to Alfred.” “What was that?” quickly asked Aunt Copp. Eomichooks.co m