Allen was never discourteous to his mother herself, but he would look
at her in piteous reproach, and affect to charge all failures on the
cook, or on "children being allowed to meddle," the most cutting
thing to Babie he could say. Then the two Johns always took up the
cudgels, and praised the food with all their might. Indeed the Friar
was often sensible of a strong desire to flog the dawdling melancholy
out of his cousin, and force him no longer to hang a dead weight on
his mother; and even Jock began to be annoyed at her unfailing
patience and pity, though he understood her compassion better than
did those who had never felt a wound.
She did in truth blame herself for having given him no profession,
and having acquiesced in the indolent dilettante habits which made
all harder to him now; and she was not certain how far it was only
his fancy that his health and nerves were perilously affected, though
Dr. Medlicott, whom she secretly consulted, assured her that the only
remedies needed were good sense and something to do.
At last, at Midsummer, the crisis came in a heavy discharge of bills,
the consequence of Allen's incredulity as to their poverty and
incapability of economising. He said "the rascals could wait," and
"his mother need not trouble herself.
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