" And I fancy the world must be very bad, for with all
my father's suspicion of every one with whom he has dealings, and
in spite of all his many precautions, he lost upwards of a thousand
pounds by roguery only last year.
I just stayed long enough to establish Miss Matty in her new mode
of life, and to pack up the library, which the rector had
purchased. He had written a very kind letter to Miss Matty, saying
"how glad he should be to take a library, so well selected as he
knew that the late Mr Jenkyns's must have been, at any valuation
put upon them." And when she agreed to this, with a touch of
sorrowful gladness that they would go back to the rectory and be
arranged on the accustomed walls once more, he sent word that he
feared that he had not room for them all, and perhaps Miss Matty
would kindly allow him to leave some volumes on her shelves. But
Miss Matty said that she had her Bible and "Johnson's Dictionary,"
and should not have much time for reading, she was afraid; still, I
retained a few books out of consideration for the rector's
kindness.
The money which he had paid, and that produced by the sale, was
partly expended in the stock of tea, and part of it was invested
against a rainy day--i.e. old age or illness. It was but a small
sum, it is true; and it occasioned a few evasions of truth and
white lies (all of which I think very wrong indeed--in theory--and
would rather not put them in practice), for we knew Miss Matty
would be perplexed as to her duty if she were aware of any little
reserve--fund being made for her while the debts of the bank
remained unpaid.
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