Iversity ./ California^ 
 IRV1NF
 
 RICH AND HUMBLE 
 
 OR 
 
 THE MISSION OF BERTHA GRANT 
 
 Storg for HJourifl people 
 
 BY 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE BOAT CLUB," "ALL ABOARD," "NOW OR 
 
 NEVER," "TRY AGAIN," "POOR AND PROUD," "LITTLE 
 
 BY LITTLE." " THE RIVERDALE STORY BOOKS, " ETC. 
 
 frVtJ feu* 
 
 NEW YORK 
 HURST & COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS
 
 PS 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC SERIES 
 
 UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME 
 By OLIVER OPTIC 
 
 ALL ABOARD ; or, Life on the Lake. 
 
 BOAT CLUB; or. The Bunkers of Hippleton. 
 
 BRAVE OLD SALT; or, Life on tbt Quarter Deck. 
 
 Do SOMETHINGS; a Stery for Little Folks. 
 
 FIGHTING JOE ; or, The Fortunes of a Staff Officer. 
 
 HASTE AND WASTE; or, Young Pilot of Lake Cham plain. 
 
 HOPE AND HAVE; or, Fanny Grant Among the Indians. 
 
 IN acHOOL AND OUT; or. The Conquest of Richard Grant. 
 
 LITTLE BY LITTLE ; or, The Cruise of the Flyaway. 
 
 LITTLE MERCHANT ; a Btory for Little Folks 
 
 Now OR NEVER; or, The Adventures of Bobby Bright 
 
 OUTWARD HOUND; or, Young America Afloat 
 
 POOR AND PROUD ; or, The Fortunes of Katie Redburn. 
 
 PROUD AND LAZY; a Story for little Folks. 
 
 RICH AND HUMBLE; or, The Mission of Bertha Grant. 
 
 BAILOR BOY ; or, Jack Somers in the Navy. 
 
 SOLDIER BOY; or, Tom Somers in the Army. 
 
 TRY AGAIN; or, The Trials and Triumphs of Harry West. 
 
 WATCH AND WAIT ; or, The Young Fugitives. 
 
 WORK AND WIN ; or. Noddy Newman on a Cruise. 
 
 THE YANKEE MIDDY; or, The Adventures of a Naval 
 
 Officer. 
 YOUNG LIEUTENANT; or, The Adventures of an Army 
 
 Officer. 
 
 Price, postpaid, $oc. each, or any three books 
 for $1.25 
 
 HURST & COMPANY 
 PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
 
 TO 
 
 Emma Xoufse B&ams 
 
 THIS BOOK 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 
 
 BY HER FATHER.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 AGREEABLY to the promise made in the preface 
 of " Little by Little," the author presents the fol- 
 lowing story to his young lady friends, though ho 
 confidently expects it will prove as acceptable to 
 the embryo " lords of creation " as to those for 
 whom it was more especially written. 
 
 The girls will find that Bertha Grant is not 
 only a very good girl, but that her life is animated 
 by a lofty purpose, which all may have, though 
 they fail to achieve the visible triumphs that re- 
 warded the exertions of the heroine of " Kich and 
 Humble." 
 
 The boys will find that Eichard Grant was not 
 always a good boy, because his life was not ani- 
 mated by a lofty purpose; but the author hopes, 
 in another volume, to present him in a higher 
 moral aspect, and more worthy the imitation of 
 thoe who, like him, have wandered from the true 
 path. 
 
 " Rich and Humble " is the first of the Wood- 
 ville Stories, and several of the characters intro- 
 duced in this book will appear again; but each 
 
 5
 
 -6 Preface. 
 
 story will be complete in itself, and independent 
 of the others. 
 
 With a renewed expression of thanks to my 
 young friends for the cordial welcome they ex- 
 tended to the several volumes of the " Library 
 for Young People," I offer them " Rich and Hum- 
 ble," with the hope that it will not only amuse 
 their leisure hours, but will inspire in them that 
 high aim which is the fountain of a pure and true 
 life. 
 
 WILLIAM T. ADAMS. 
 
 DORCHESTER, Sept. 8, 1863.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAK 
 
 I. In which Bertha Grant Becomes a Missionary 
 
 to the Heathen , . . . , 9 
 
 n. In which Bertha finds herself short of Funds. . 23 
 
 III. In which Bertha makes a Visit to the Glen. ... 35 
 
 IV. In which Bertha does Something towards Civ- 
 
 ilizing Noddy Newman 48 
 
 V. In which Bertha hears Good News and Bad 
 
 News 61 
 
 VI. In which Bertha reasons with her Brother, and 
 
 the Greyhound floats again 75 
 
 VII. In which Bertha reads the Newspaper, and 
 
 faints away 88 
 
 VIII. In which Bertha meets the new Owner of 
 
 Woodville 101 
 
 IX. In which Bertha leaves Woodville, and Richard 
 
 is as proud as ever 115 
 
 X. In which Bertha visits the Widow Lamb, and 
 
 makes Arrangements for the Future 129 
 
 XI. In which Bertha starts for New York, and 
 makes the Acquaintance of Master Charley 
 
 Byron 142 
 
 XTL In which Bertha becomes a Governess and 
 
 resides at Blue Hill 155 
 
 7
 
 8 Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER PAQK 
 
 XIII. In which Bertha loses her Situation, after 
 
 Master Charley has made a Sensation 169 
 
 XIV. In which Bertha visits her Father's Office, and 
 
 answers an Advertisement in the Herald. . . . 185 
 XV. In which Bertha finds a new Home, and is 
 
 mystified by Strange Things 19^ 
 
 XVI. In which Bertha listens to the Story of a Family 
 
 Quarrel 211 
 
 XVII. In which Bertha hears Good News, and is 
 
 sorely persecuted 221 
 
 XVIII. In which Bertha proves her Innocence, and 
 
 meets Richard in the Station House 232 
 
 XIX. In which Bertha finds Uncle Obed, and returns 
 
 to Woodville 241 
 
 XX. In which Bertha visits the Glen again, and the 
 
 Story ends 250
 
 RICH AND HUMBLE ; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE MISSION OF BERTHA GRANT. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA GRANT BECOMES A MISSIONARY 
 TO THE HEATHEN. 
 
 "PLEASE to give me ten dollars, father?" said 
 Bertha Grant. 
 
 " Ten dollars ! " exclaimed Mr. Grant, with a 
 smile which looked very encouraging to the appli- 
 cant. " What in the world do you want ten dol- 
 lars for?" 
 
 " O, I want to use it, father." 
 
 " Well, I suppose you do. I have not the slight- 
 est doubt on that point." 
 
 " You are in a hurry now, father, and I will tell 
 you all about it another time," replied Bertha, 
 casting an anxious glance at her brother, who ap- 
 peared to be an interested listener. 
 
 9
 
 io Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " Well, child, there is ten dollars," added Mr. 
 Grant, as he handed her two half eagles. 
 
 " Now, dad, do only half as much as that for 
 me, and I will be satisfied," said Richard Grant, 
 the only brother of Bertha. 
 
 " Not a dollar, Richard. Where did you study 
 politeness, my son? Dad! Do you think that 
 is a proper term to apply to your father ? " 
 
 " I meant papa," whined the boy, in affected 
 tones of humility. 
 
 " If you ever call me ' dad ' again, I will send 
 you off to a boarding school to mend your man- 
 ners. You ought to be ashamed of yourself." 
 
 " I am, papa, and I promise you I never will 
 call you so again ; though that is what all the fel- 
 lows call their governors." 
 
 " Enough of this. I do not wish to hear any 
 slang talk in my house. Don't call me ' dad ' or 
 t governor/ either, before my face or behind my 
 back." 
 
 " I will not, papa." 
 
 " Nor papa, either. You need not be a little 
 rowdy, nor a great calf." 
 
 " I will not, father. Now give me five dol- 
 lars," whined the youth, as he extended his hand 
 to receive the gift.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. n 
 
 " Not a dollar, Richard ! " replied Mr. Grant, 
 sternly. " Money does you no good." 
 
 " I don't think that is fair, father," protested 
 Kichard. " When Bertha asks you for ten dollars, 
 you give it to her. When I ask you for only five, 
 you will not give it to me. If she had asked for 
 twenty or fifty, you would have let her have it." 
 
 " Very likely I should," replied the father, so 
 coolly that it was clear the argument of his son 
 had not moved him. 
 
 " I think it is partial." 
 
 " You can think what you please, Richard." 
 
 " Why won't you give me money when I ask for 
 it, as well as Bertha? I am older than she is, and 
 I don't see why I should be treated like a baby." 
 
 " Because you act like one. When you behave 
 like a man, you shall be treated like one." 
 
 "What have I done, father?" 
 
 " You have not done anything that is noble, 
 generous, or manly. You want five dollars to 
 enable you to visit some bowling alley, billiard 
 saloon, or horse race." 
 
 " I don't want it for any such use." 
 
 " What do you want it for? " 
 
 " You did not ask Bertha what she wanted her 
 money for, at least you did not make her tell you."
 
 12 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I know very well she will apply it to a good 
 use." 
 
 " Humph ! " growled Richard. " She has gath- 
 ered a crowd of beggars and paupers in the Glen, 
 and she will waste the whole ten dollars upon 
 them. I don't think it is very proper for her to 
 associate with those dirty savages from the Hol- 
 low." 
 
 " It is more proper than to associate with the 
 better dressed savages from the other side of the 
 river." 
 
 " Won't you let me have the five dollars, 
 father?" pleaded Richard, who had a point to 
 gain, and therefore was not disposed to carry his 
 argument any farther. 
 
 " I will not, Richard. I gave you five dollars 
 the other day, and the next morning I heard that 
 you had been seen with most disgraceful com- 
 panions in a bowling saloon. Richard, if you 
 have any respect for yourself, or regard for me 
 and your sisters, do not associate with low and 
 vile company." 
 
 As Mr Grant uttered this earnest warning, he 
 put on his hat and left the room. When he had 
 gone, and the wayward son realized that his 
 father fully understood his position, he threw
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 13 
 
 himself upon the sofa with an exclamation of an- 
 ger and resentment. It was evident that the 
 warning he had received produced no effect upon 
 him, and that he was only smarting under the 
 pain of disappointment. 
 
 His father had so often given him money when 
 he asked for it, that he did not expect to be re- 
 fused in the present instance, especially when he 
 saw his sister so liberally supplied. He remained 
 for a few moments upon the sofa, venting his 
 anger and disappointment by kicking and crying, 
 as a very small child does when deprived of some 
 coveted plaything. 
 
 " That's too confounded bad ! " exclaimed he, at 
 last, rising from the sofa and walking towards 
 Bertha, who had been a sad and silent spectator 
 of the scene which had just transpired. " All my 
 fun for the day is spoiled. Berty, won't you help 
 me out of this scrape?" 
 
 "What scrape, Dick?" 
 
 " I want five dollars very badly. I must have it 
 too. I can't get along without it. I shall be a 
 by-word among all the fellows if I don't have it," 
 added Richard, with a great deal of earnestness. 
 " Lend me five dollars of the money father gave 
 you, and I will pay you in a few days, when the 
 governor is better natured."
 
 14 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " The governor ? " suggested Bertha, with a re- 
 proving smile. 
 
 " Father, I mean, of course. What is the use of 
 being so nice about little things. I never saw the 
 old man in such a ferment before in my life.'' 
 
 "The old man?" 
 
 " There it is again ! " 
 
 " I don't like to hear such names applied to 
 father. It really hurts my feelings, and I hope 
 you will not do so." 
 
 " Pooh ! All the fellows call their fathers by 
 these names. It sounds babyish to say ' my 
 father; ' and I don't like to be different from the 
 rest of the fellows." 
 
 " I hope you will not be like the young men on 
 the other side of the river with whom you as- 
 sociate." 
 
 " Nonsense ! They are real good fellows. They 
 don't go to the prayer meetings, it is true, but for 
 all that, they are better than hundreds that do 
 go." 
 
 " I think they are bad boys, and I hope you 
 won't go with them any more." 
 
 " Then it was you that told father I went with 
 them," said Richard, suddenly stopping in his 
 walk across the room, and looking his sister full in 
 the face.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 15 
 
 " I did tell him, Richard; but you know I did so 
 for your good." 
 
 " Pooh ! For my good ! Do you think I cannot 
 take care of myself?" 
 
 " I hope you can." 
 
 " I didn't think you were a little tell-tale,. 
 Berty," sneered Richard. 
 
 " I have spoken to you about going with those 
 bad boys, and begged you to keep away from them. 
 If you knew how bad I feel when I see my brother 
 in such company, you would not complain of me 
 for telling father." 
 
 " I won't complain, Berty," replied Eichard, 
 suddenly changing his tone. " You are a real 
 good girl and you intended to do me a heap of 
 good when you told father. You are the best sis- 
 ter in the world. Now lend me the five dollars^ 
 Berty, and I never will find fault with you for 
 any thing you may do." 
 
 " I cannot, Richard." 
 
 "You cannot? Yes, you can. Haven't you 
 got two half eagles in your hand?" 
 
 " I have, but I got them for a particular use." 
 
 " But I will pay you again." 
 
 " I suppose you will, if you can." 
 
 " If I can ! Do you think dad father, I
 
 16 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 mean will always be as savage as he was this 
 morning?" 
 
 " I am afraid you don't understand him, Rich- 
 ard. He thinks that giving you money does you 
 injury." 
 
 " Don't preach any more, Berty. Will you 
 lend me the five dollars?'' 
 
 " I cannot. It would not be right for me to 
 do so, even if I could spare the money." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Father refused to give it to you, because 
 he thought it would be an injury to you, and it 
 would certainly be wrong for me to thwart his 
 purpose." 
 
 " Then you won't leave me have it? " demanded 
 Richard, with a struggle to keep down his resent- 
 ment. 
 
 "What are you going to do with it?" 
 
 " What odds does it make what I want it for? " 
 
 " If you want it for any good purpose, I might 
 let you have it," answered Bertha, who was wav- 
 ering between a desire to oblige her brother and 
 the fear of doing wrong. 
 
 " I want it to put in the contribution box for 
 the Hottentots in the Sandwich Islands, of 
 course," replied Richard, with a sneer.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 17 
 
 * Tell me what you want it for, Dick." 
 
 " Well, I scorn to lie about it. I offered to 
 bet five dollars with Tom Mullen that our sail 
 boat would beat hie, and he has taken me up. 
 The race is to come off to-day, and if I don't 
 get the money I shall have to back down." 
 
 " I hope you will, Dick," said Bertha, sorrow- 
 fully. " What would father say if he knew you 
 were betting on boats ? " 
 
 " If he had any spunk at all he would hand 
 out the money, and tell me to go it" 
 
 " You know very well he would disapprove of 
 it. I think it is very wicked to gamble and bet." 
 
 " No preaching. Are you willing to have me 
 tabooed as a sneak; to have me a by-word and 
 the laughing-stock of the fellows?" 
 
 " I would rather have such fellows hate you 
 than like you," answered Bertha, sadly. " I did 
 not think you had gone so far as to gamble." 
 
 "Pshaw! There is no gambling about it. I 
 am not going to be branded as a sneak. If you 
 won't lend me the money, I must get it some- 
 where elee." 
 
 " I cannot lend it to you, Richard, for such, 
 a purpose. You will be a disgrace to your fam- 
 ily if you go on in this way."
 
 i8 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I should like to know what you are do- 
 ing! Don't you spend half your time with those 
 dirty savages from the Hollow? Do you think 
 it is right for the daughter of Franklin Grant 
 to associate with those dirty, filthy, half-civilized 
 ragamuffins?" 
 
 " It will not injure either them or me." 
 
 " I am ashamed of you. If it does not hurt 
 your feelings it does mine, to hear that you 
 spend your time with these dregs of society. The 
 fellows on the other side are all laughing at you." 
 
 " Let them laugh. While I do my duty, I need 
 not fear them." 
 
 " Come, Berty, we won't quarrel. Let me have 
 one of those half eagles, and I will let you go 
 with the savages as much as you please." 
 
 " No, Richard," replied Bertha, shaking her 
 head, with a smile which showed that there was 
 no anger or resentment in her heart." 
 
 " Do, Berty ! " 
 
 " I cannot ; my conscience will not let me do 
 so." 
 
 "Confound your conscience! "jexclaimed Rich- 
 ard, rushing out of the room, in a paroxysm of 
 anger. 
 
 Bertha was sorely tried by the conduct of her
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 19 
 
 brother. She had observed, with anxiety and 
 pain, the dissolute course of Kichard. She had 
 reasoned and pleaded with him to abandon his 
 wayward companions, but no good result had 
 attended her efforts to reform him. 
 
 Mr. Grant was a broker in the city of New 
 York. He had the reputation of being a very 
 wealthy man. He lived upon a magnificent estate 
 on the Hudson, about twenty-five miles from the 
 city. His wife had been dead several years, and 
 his three children were under the guidance of a 
 housekeeper, who, though an excellent woman, did 
 not possess a mother's influence, nor exercise a 
 mother's authority over hor young charge. 
 
 Woodville, the residence of the broker, was a 
 beautiful place. The mansion and its appoint- 
 ments were all that wealth and taste could make 
 them. Servants, without number, came and went 
 at the bidding of the children. Tutors and gov- 
 ernesses had been employed to superintend the 
 education of the young people. Boats on the 
 river, carriages on the land, were ever ready to 
 minister to their inclinations. There was no 
 end to the dogs, ponies, rabbits, monkeys, squir- 
 rels, deer, and other pets, which were supplied 
 to beguile their leisure hours.
 
 2O Rich and Humble, or 
 
 Mr. Grant believed himself to be a rich man, 
 and none of his friends or neighbors had any rea- 
 son to suspect he was not a rich man. He lived 
 like a nabob; but more than this, he was a gen- 
 erous and kind-hearted man, and those who knew 
 him best respected him most, while his wealth 
 purchased for him the worldly esteem of all with- 
 in the circle of his influence. 
 
 As my young readers have already discovered, 
 he was an indulgent parent. Since the death of 
 Mrs. Grant, his children had been his sole do- 
 mestic happiness. He was wholly devoted to 
 them; but his immense business transactions 
 obliged him to be absent from an early hour in 
 the morning till a late hour in the evening, and 
 they were thus left, for the greater portion of the 
 time, to the care of the housekeeper and their 
 instructors. 
 
 Our story opens in the month of July, and 
 it was vacation with the young people. The tutor 
 and the governess had two months' leave of ab- 
 sence. Eichard, Bertha, and Fanny were free 
 from the restraints of study. They had nothing 
 to do but enjoy themselves. How Richard, who 
 w r as fifteen years old, spent his time, has already 
 been shown.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 21 
 
 Bertha, while wandering alone, one May-day, 
 in the Glen, a secluded valley on the bank of the 
 river, half a mile from Woodville, had met a 
 party of poor children from Dunk's Hollow, 
 which is a little village a mile or more from the 
 mansion house. There were seven of them, and 
 they were children of the poorest people in the 
 neighborhood. They were dirty, ragged, barefoot, 
 and their condition excited the pity of the child 
 of plenty. 
 
 She gave them the cake and confectionery she 
 had brought to grace her lonely May-day fes- 
 tival in the Glen, told them stories, and made 
 herself as agreeable as though she had been an 
 angel sent to mitigate the woes of poverty and 
 want. The event opened a new vision to Bertha, 
 and she at once began to devise means to instruct 
 these children of want and improve their worldly 
 condition. Without going to a far-off land, she 
 became a missionary to the heathen, the friend 
 and companion of the needy and neglected. De- 
 spising the taunts of her brother and her sister, 
 she spent most of her leisure hours with her 
 ragged disciples in the Glen.
 
 22 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA FINDS HERSELF SHORT OF 
 FUNDS. 
 
 WOODVILLE was situated on the right bank of 
 the Hudson. About one mile above it was the 
 village of Dunk's Hollow, as it was called. It 
 was only a small collection of houses, occupied 
 by boatmen, fishermen, and laborers American, 
 Irish, and Dutch, all blended together in the most 
 inharmonious manner. 
 
 Dunk's Hollow had a very bad name in the 
 neighborhood, and man, woman, or child who 
 came from there was deemed a reproach to the 
 race. There was only one shop at the Hollow, 
 and that was the principal source of all its mis- 
 ery, for its chief trade was in liquor, pipes, and 
 tobacco. The oldest inhabitant could not remem- 
 ber the week in which there had not been at least 
 one fight there, and the number was often half a 
 dozen. The men did small jobs, and spent most 
 of their earnings at the tap-room of Von Brunt,
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 23 
 
 while the women maintained an almost ineffectual 
 struggle to obtain food enough to keep themselves 
 and their children alive. This was Dunk's Hol- 
 low, to whose poor and neglected little ones Ber- 
 tha Grant had become a ministering angel. 
 
 o o 
 
 On the opposite side of the river was the thriv- 
 ing village of Whitestone, in surprising contrast 
 with the place just described. It contained four 
 or five thousand inhabitants, with all the ap- 
 pointments of modern civilization, including a 
 race-course, half a dozen billiard saloons, where 
 betting and liquor drinking were the principal 
 recreations, and as many bowling alleys and fash- 
 ionable oyster shops. All these traps to catch 
 young men were frequented by the elite of the vil- 
 lage, as well as by the sons of rich men, whose 
 estates adorned the hills and valleys of the sur- 
 rounding country. Here Richard Grant had 
 taken his first lesson in dissipation. 
 
 About half way between Woodville and the 
 Hollow was the Glen. It was a beautifully- 
 shaded valley, on the bank of the river, through 
 which a crystal brook from the hills above bub- 
 bled its way over the shining rocks to the great 
 river. It was a fit abode for the fairy queens, and 
 Bertha was a constant visitor at the spot, even
 
 24 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 before she made the acquaintances of the savages 
 from Dunk's Hollow, as Richard persisted in call- 
 ing them. 
 
 The Glen was situated in a curve of the river, 
 which swept in from Woodville to the Hollow. 
 Off the Cove, as it had been named, was a small 
 island, containing not more than a quarter of 
 an acre of land, called Van Alstine's. It was cov- 
 ered with rocks and trees, and was a frequent 
 resort of boating parties, especially those from 
 Woodville. This island, as well as the Glen, was 
 owned by Mr. Grant, and he had taken some pains 
 to clean up the underbrush, and furnish it with 
 seats and arbors. 
 
 Merry voices were heard in the Glen, even 
 while the tones of anger and reproach were ring- 
 ing in the lofty rooms of the mansion at Wood- 
 ville. The savages from the Hollow were already 
 gathered there, and the repeated glances which 
 they cast down the river indicated the earnestness 
 with which they expected the coming of their 
 apostle of mercy. But Bertha was not ready to 
 join them yet. The attitude of her brother was 
 far from promising, and with a sad heart she real- 
 ized that the heathen had invaded her own house. 
 
 After Richard rushed out of the house, angry
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 25 
 
 and disappointed, her eyes filled with tears, and 
 she tried to think of some method by which she 
 could save him from the error of his ways. She 
 knew that Tom Mullen, and the other young men 
 with whom her brother had lately begun to asso- 
 ciate were the vilest of the vile. Tom had been 
 seen intoxicated in the streets of the village, and 
 it was well known that he and his companions 
 were gamblers, if not thieves. 
 
 What could she do to save him. Alas! there 
 was nothing that a child like her could do; but 
 she resolved never to cease pleading with him to 
 reform. She wept and she prayed for him. She 
 had faith to believe that He who lets not a spar- 
 row fall unseen, could save her brother from ruin 
 and death, and with Him she pleaded that Rich- 
 ard might be redeemed. 
 
 Bertha's heart was full of love and gentleness ; 
 and while she wept over her brother, she rejoiced 
 in the little flock to whom she had been the mes- 
 senger of so many blessings. She had taught 
 them to read, and imparted to them that wisdom 
 which is higher and purer than any which flows 
 from earthly fountains. As she thought of them, 
 she glanced at the two gold pieces in her hand, 
 and a smile lighted up her sweet face, when she
 
 26 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 imagined the pleasure they would purchase for 
 the lambs of her fold. 
 
 Taking her hat and shawl, she left the house 
 and walked down to the boat house. It was lo- 
 cated on the bank of the river, by the side of a 
 small wharf extending out into the deep water. 
 
 " Waiting for you, Miss Bertha," said the old 
 boatman, who had been told to row her over the 
 river. 
 
 " I am all ready, Ben," replied Bertha, as she 
 took her seat in the boat. 
 
 "What ails Mr. Richard this morning?" con- 
 tinued Ben, as he glanced at the sail boat, which 
 was moored in the river a short distance from the 
 shore, and in which Richard was seated, looking 
 very gloomy and dejected. " He is uncommon 
 cross this morning." 
 
 " Something happened at the house which did 
 not please him." 
 
 " I thought so. He wanted to borrow five dol- 
 lars of me; but I could not lend it to him, for I 
 did not happen to have it about me. I am sorry 
 Mr. Richard feels so bad." 
 
 " I hope he will feel better," replied Bertha. 
 
 " He tried to borrow the money of the cook, 
 and of the hostler, but none of them had so much
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 27 
 
 about them. Wouldn't his father let him have the 
 money." 
 
 " He would not. But I am all ready, Ben," 
 said Bertha, who was very willing to change the 
 subject. 
 
 " Where are you going, Bertha ? " called Rich- 
 ard from the boat. 
 
 "Over to Whitestone." 
 
 " Wait a moment, and I will go with you," re- 
 plied Richard, as he pulled ashore in his skiff. 
 " What are you going to do over at Whitestone? " 
 he asked, as he stepped into the boat. 
 
 " I am going over to buy some things." 
 
 " For the savages, I suppose," sneered Richard. 
 
 " They are," answered Bertha, unmoved by the 
 sneer. " If you knew how much pleasure my 
 work affords me, you would want to join 
 me." 
 
 " I think not ; I would not disgrace my family 
 by mixing with the slime and filth of the Hollow. 
 Your ragged disciples stole half the strawberries 
 in the garden last night." 
 
 " Not my children, I know." 
 
 " I will bet five dollars they were the same ones 
 to whom you taught the Ten Commandments, and 
 * Now I lay me/ " laughed Richard.
 
 28 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I am sure it was none of mine. We are 
 ready, Ben. You can push off. I feel like row- 
 Ing a little this morning, and I will take one oar, 
 if you please." 
 
 Bertha placed her reticule and shawl on the 
 Beat in the stern, and seated herself at one of the 
 oars. Ben pulled a gentle stroke to accommodate 
 that of Bertha, and the boat moved forward to- 
 wards Whitestone. Richard kept bantering his 
 sister all the way about the savages of the Hollow, 
 and seemed to have entirely recovered from his 
 disappointment and anger. In about half an hour 
 they reached Whitestone. Bertha put on her 
 shawl, and taking her reticule in her hand, walked 
 up to the principal street of the village, while 
 Richard departed in another direction. 
 
 Bertha stopped at a dry goods store, where she 
 bought two pieces of cheap calico, some jean, and 
 a number of other articles, amounting to ten dol- 
 lars and fifty cents. 
 
 " Dear me ! " exclaimed she, as she put her hand 
 into her reticule ; " I have lost all my money ! " 
 
 "Lost your money?" said the salesman. 
 
 " I had two half eagles in my reticule, and both 
 of them are gone," added she, looking upon the 
 floor, and searching the bag again. " I have not
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 29 
 
 opened the reticule since I started from home, and 
 I am sure they could not have fallen out." 
 
 " Didn't you put them in your pocket? " 
 
 " No ; I am sure I put them in my bag. But 
 it cannot be helped. Of course I cannot take 
 these things now." 
 
 " Oh, yes, you can. You are Mr. Grant's daugh- 
 ter, and I shall be glad to give you credit for any 
 amount you may desire." 
 
 " Thank you, sir. Then I will take the things, 
 and pay you for them the next time I come to 
 Whitestone." 
 
 " Any time, Miss Grant. I will send them down 
 to your boat." 
 
 But Ben had followed her up from the wharf, 
 and carried the goods down for her. On their 
 way to the river, she told him that she had lost 
 ker money. 
 
 "Did you lose it in the boat?" 
 
 " I don't know where I lost it. I am sure I put 
 it into my bag, which has not been opened since 
 I left the house." 
 
 " I saw you put the reticule on the seat in the 
 stern. Mr. Richard sat there all the way coming 
 over." 
 
 Bertha blushed at these words, and looked ear-
 
 3o Rich and Humble, or 
 
 nestly at the boatman to discover what he meant 
 by them ; but Ben looked perfectly blank. 
 
 " Perhaps I dropped them out before I fastened 
 the reticule," added Bertha. 
 
 " Perhaps you did, Miss Bertha ; but " 
 
 Ben stopped after the " but," and looked upon 
 the ground, as though he had made a mistake. 
 Bertha's face was crimsoned with shame, as she 
 thought what that terrible " but " might mean. 
 Richard had sat upon the bag, containing the 
 money, during the passage across the river. Ben 
 had taken pains to state this fact in so many 
 words. What could he mean by it? 
 
 When they reached the wharf, they found Rich- 
 ard in the boat, ready to return with them. 
 
 " Come, Berty ; I have been waiting this half 
 hour for you," said he ; "I am in a hurry." 
 
 " Going to have the race to-day, Mr. Richard? '' 
 asked Ben, as he placed the bundle of goods in 
 the bow of the boat. 
 
 " Yes, certainly. I told you yesterday it would 
 come off to-day at eleven o'clock," answered Rich- 
 ard. 
 
 "You told me there was some little difficulty 
 about the matter this morning," added Ben, with 
 a smile, which was intended to remove any ap-
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 31 
 
 pearance of impudence which the words might 
 otherwise convey. 
 
 " I have got over that difficulty, and am all 
 ready for the race. We will have a good wind 
 to-day, and I am just as certain that I shall win 
 the race, as I am that I sit here. Bear a hand, 
 Ben ; I am in a hurry." 
 
 "Then you raised the money, Mr. Richard?" 
 said Ben, carelessly, as he adjusted his oars. 
 
 " To be sure I did. I told you there were a 
 dozen persons who would be glad to lend it to 
 me. Bob Bleeker lent me ten dollars, though I 
 did not ask him for but five." 
 
 " There ! " exclaimed Ben, suddenly rising up, 
 and slapping his hands upon his trousers pockets; 
 " I have forgotten my tobacco, and I shall die a 
 thousand deaths without it. Will you excuse me 
 for five minutes, Miss Bertha?" 
 
 " Certainly, Ben." 
 
 " Hurry up," added Richard. 
 
 " I will be back in less than five minutes; 
 and Ben ran up the wharf as if the house of his 
 nearest friend had been on fire. 
 
 He rushed up one street, and then turned into 
 another, which brought him to the Empire Saloon, 
 of which Mr. Bob Bleeker was the owner and pro-
 
 32 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 prietor. Taking a two-dollar bill from his wallet, 
 he bolted into the saloon, and thrust it into the 
 face of the keeper of the establishment. 
 
 " What is the matter, Ben ? You are all out of 
 wind," said Bob, as he glanced at the two-dollar 
 bill. 
 
 " Mr. Richard wants you to give him a better 
 bill for this one," replied Ben, puffing like a por- 
 poise, from the effects of his hard run. 
 
 " A better bill ? What does he mean by that? " 
 
 " You know all about it. Didn't you just give 
 him this bill?" 
 
 " No, sir! I did not," replied Bob, quick to 
 resent any trick, or any imputation of unfairness. 
 " I did not give him that bill, or any other." 
 
 "Did you lend him ten dollars just now?" 
 
 " No, sir! I did not ! " answered Bob, with 
 emphasis. 
 
 " Then I have made a bad blunder, and I beg 
 your pardon." 
 
 " All right, Ben." 
 
 " Give me half a pound of that best Cavendish, 
 and I will call it square." 
 
 Ben having obtained his tobacco, which he had 
 really forgotten, hastened back to the boat. Tak- 
 ing his place at the oars, he pulled his steady,
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 33 
 
 even stroke, which in a short time brought them 
 within hail of the Woodville wharf, where the 
 boatman, without any apparent reason, suddenly 
 suspended his labor, and the boat soon came to a 
 dead halt. 
 
 " What are you stopping for, Ben? " demanded 
 Richard. " You may put me on board of the 
 Greyhound, if you please." 
 
 " Not yet, Mr. Richard. When I get into a 
 fog, I always stand by, and wait till I can see my 
 way out of it." 
 
 "What do you mean by that, Ben?" 
 
 " Hold on a minute, Mr. Richard, and I will 
 make the daylight shine through what I have said 
 in a very short time." 
 
 " Bear a hand, then, Ben, for you know I am in 
 a hurry." 
 
 " So am I, Ben," added Bertha. 
 
 " Miss Bertha lost ten dollars in this boat, 
 which goes right against my conscience." 
 
 " Perhaps I lost it in the house," suggested 
 Bertha. 
 
 " Perhaps you did, but " And Ben made 
 
 a long pause before he added, " I don't believe 
 you did." 
 
 " Well, what has all this to do with me, Ben ? "
 
 34 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 asked Richard, his face as red as Bertha's had 
 been. 
 
 " Not much, perhaps ; but I don't want Misa 
 Bertha to think now, or at any future time, that / 
 took the money." 
 
 " Of course I don't think any such thing, Ben," 
 added Bertha, reproachfully. 
 
 " But you may think so at some future time, 
 if the matter isn't cleared up now." 
 
 " I certainly shall not, Ben," interposed Bertha. 
 " Please don't keep me here, when all my children 
 are waiting for me in the Glen." 
 
 " Only a minute, Miss Bertha. I did not take 
 your money; but " 
 
 " Another ' but/ Ben," said Richard. "If you 
 have got anything to say, why don't you say it? " 
 
 " I will say it," replied Ben, as he proceeded, 
 in the most mysterious manner, to turn all his 
 pockets inside out, to open his wallet, and shake 
 out his handkerchief. " The half eagles are not in 
 my pockets, you see." 
 
 " Ben, you are a fool ! " exclaimed Richard. 
 
 The boatman seated himself again, and gazed in 
 silence upon the bottom of the boat.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 35 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA MAKES A VISIT TO THE GLEN. 
 
 " You don't understand me, Mr. Richard/' said 
 Ben, after he had mused for a time. 
 
 " I'm sure I do not. You act as though you 
 had lost your senses," replied Richard. 
 
 " But I have not lost my conscience, Mr. Rich- 
 ard. Perhaps you would not object to exhibiting 
 the contents of your pockets." 
 
 " Do you mean to insult me, Ben ? '' exclaimed 
 Richard, reddening with indignation. 
 
 " No, sir, certainly not ; but you will do me a 
 great favor by turning your pockets out just to 
 oblige an old servant of the family." 
 
 " Enough of this, Ben. Use your oars again." 
 
 " Excuse me, Mr. Richard, but I am in earnest. 
 That money was lost in this boat. I am a poor 
 man, and it must be found before any suspicion 
 rests upon me." 
 
 " Ben, do you mean to say I took the money 
 from my sister ? "
 
 36 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 "That is precisely what I mean, Mr. Richard, 
 only I couldn't say it out in so many words, be- 
 cause you are the only son of Mr. Franklin Grant, 
 :he rich broker of New York. I thank you for 
 helping me out with the idea." 
 
 " O, no, Ben ! You must be mistaken. Richard 
 would not do so mean a thing." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Miss Bertha, but your 
 brother did do this mean thing; and if he is mean 
 enough to steal ten dollars, which was to be given 
 in charity, he is mean enough to lay it to the old 
 boatman; and I will not risk myself on shore till 
 the matter is cleared up." 
 
 "Ben, do you know who and what you are?" 
 said Richard, sternly. 
 
 " I know all about it, Mr. Richard. I am your 
 father's servant your servant, if you please ; but 
 if I lose my place, and am sent to jail for what I 
 do, I will have this matter set right before I go 
 ashore." 
 
 " It is all right now, Ben. Put me on board of 
 the Greyhound, and I will say nothing more about 
 it." 
 
 " I will not. You stole the money from your 
 sister, and you shall return it to her before you 
 get out of this boat."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 37 
 
 " Let him go, Ben," remonstrated Bertha, who 
 began to be alarmed by the stern manner of the 
 old boatman. 
 
 " I would do any thing in the world for you, 
 Miss Bertha, but I must have justice done in this 
 matter." 
 
 " Nonsense, Ben. I haven't got the money," 
 said Richard, who was also a little alarmed at the 
 determined manner of the boatman. 
 
 " You have got it, Mr. Richard, and you must 
 give it up." 
 
 " I say I have not got it. Doesn't that satisfy 
 you?" 
 
 " It does not. If you haven't got it, you wi?* 
 not object to turning out your pockets." 
 
 " T have got ten dollars, of course. I told you 
 I had." 
 
 "Where did you get it?" 
 
 " Didn't I tell you that I borrowed it of Bob 
 Bleeker?" 
 
 "You didn't borrow a dollar of Bob Bleeker," 
 answered Ben, placing himself by the side of the 
 youth. 
 
 "Dare you tell me that I lie?" 
 
 " I dare tell you anything that is true. Will 
 you show me the contents of your pockets, or 
 not?"
 
 38 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I will not," replied Richard, stoutly. 
 
 The boatman made no reply, but taking Richard 
 by the collar, he jerked him into the middle of the 
 boat, and, in spite of his kicks and struggles, 
 thrust his hand into the boy's coat pocket, and 
 took therefrom his porte-monnaie. He then re- 
 leased him, and opened the wallet. 
 
 It contained two half eagles! 
 
 " Here is the money you lost, Miss Bertha." 
 
 " Why, Richard Grant ! " exclaimed Bertha, 
 " how could you do such a thing? " 
 
 " That is not your money, Berty. I borrowed 
 it of Bob Bleeker," stammered Richard, whose 
 face was now as pale as a sheet. 
 
 " Mr. Richard, would you be willing to go over 
 with me and ask Bob Bleeker if he lent you ten 
 dollars?" 
 
 " Of course I would, if I had the time." 
 
 " Sit down, Mr. Richard, and I will tell you a 
 story ; " and Ben proceeded to relate what had oc- 
 curred in the saloon of Bob Bleeker. " Are you 
 satisfied, Miss Bertha ? " 
 
 " I am. O Richard, how could you do such a 
 thing!" 
 
 " I didn't do it." 
 
 " Let me see the half eagles, Ben. I remember
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 39 
 
 the date of one of them, and 1 looked at them so 
 much that I think I should know them again." 
 
 Ben handed her the gold pieces, and she was 
 forced to acknowledge that they were the coins 
 she had lost. The one whose date she remembered 
 had a spot upon it, which enabled her to identify 
 it 
 
 " O Richard ! " said she, bursting into tears. " I 
 did not think you had sunk so low! What will 
 become of you?" 
 
 " I suppose I must run away and go to sea, or 
 do something of that kind. My reputation is 
 spoiled here." 
 
 " Oh, no, Richard ! Promise to be a better boy, 
 and Ben and I will not say a word about this." 
 
 " Ben has insulted and outraged me." 
 
 " Sorry for it, Mr. Richard, but I couldn't help 
 it. The matter is cleared up now, and I haven't 
 any thing more to say." 
 
 "You will not mention this, Ben will you?" 
 pleaded Bertha. " Dick is sorry for it, and he 
 will always be a good boy." 
 
 " I never talk about family matters, Miss Ber- 
 tha. Whatever happens, I shall never say a word 
 about this affair," replied Ben, as, with a few vig- 
 orous strokes of his oars, he placed the boat along- 
 side the Greyhound.
 
 4O Rich and Humble, or 
 
 Kichard, stupefied at the suddenness with which 
 his guilt had found him out, stepped mechanic- 
 ally from one boat into the other, hardly knowing 
 what he was doing. Not only had he been con- 
 victed of the base act of stealing from his sister, 
 but he was deprived of the means of attending 
 the race. He felt as if some terrible disaster was 
 impending, and threw himself into the stern 
 sheets of his boat, and covered his face with his 
 hands. 
 
 " Now, Miss Bertha, I will row you up to the 
 Glen in double-quick time." 
 
 " I don't like to leave Richard, now. He must 
 feel dreadfully." 
 
 " I hope he does. It will do him good to spend 
 a few hours upon the stool of repentance. Leave 
 him to himself for a while, Miss Bertha." 
 
 " But perhaps he will do some desperate thing, 
 Ben. He may run away, as he threatened." 
 
 " No, he won't He hasn't the courage to run 
 away. He knows what going to sea means, and a 
 young gentleman like him won't do any such 
 thing," said Ben, as he bent upon his oars, and 
 the boat glided away in the direction of the Glen. 
 
 In a few moments, Ben landed his fair young 
 charge in the midst of her anxious disciples.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 41 
 
 " Now, if you like, Miss Bertha, I will pull 
 back, and keep an eye on Mr. Richard." 
 
 " Do, Ben." 
 
 "Shall he stay about home to-day?" asked 
 Ben, with a quiet smile on his bronzed features. 
 
 " You cannot keep him at home if he chooses 
 to go away." 
 
 " Oh, yes, I can, Miss Bertha," answered the 
 boatman, confidently. " If you only say the word, 
 Miss Bertha, he shall stay at home; and he will 
 mind me just like a whipped kitten." 
 
 " Don't be too hard with him, Ben." 
 
 " O, bless you, no ! I will handle him as gently 
 as I would a basket of eggs; but he shall mind 
 me, if you say the word. It is none of my busi- 
 ness, but I don't like to see a fine boy, like Mas- 
 ter Richard, going to ruin and destruction for the 
 want of a steady hand at the helm." 
 
 " Do as you think best, Ben, but don't let any 
 harm come to him." 
 
 " I won't, Miss Bertha," replied the boatman, as 
 he shoved off, and pulled towards Woodville. 
 
 Ben had once been a boatswain in the navy, 
 and was accustomed to rigid discipline. He un- 
 derstood Richard's case exactly, and he had often 
 regretted that he was not authorized to train him
 
 42 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 up in the way he should go. The father was igno- 
 rant of his dissolute life, and the boatman enter- 
 tained some doubts whether Mr. Grant had the 
 nerve to discipline him as the case demanded. 
 Bertha was a power and an influence at Wood- 
 ville, and Ben knew that whatever she counselled 
 would be ratified at head-quarters. 
 
 Richard was still lying on the cushions of the 
 Greyhound when Ben returned from the Glen. 
 Without seeming to notice the young reprobate, 
 the boatman kept one eye upon him, while his 
 hands were busied in carving a snake's head upon 
 the end of a new tiller for the four-oar boat. 
 There we will leave them, the watcher and the 
 watched, and return to the Glen. 
 
 " We thought you never would come," said one 
 of the little savages, as Bertha walked up to the 
 Retreat with them. 
 
 The Retreat was an arbor, which was com- 
 pletely covered with vines, and in which seats had 
 been built by the ingenuity of Ben, the boatman, 
 who was almost as much interested in Bertha's 
 mission as she was herself. 
 
 " Now, take your seats, children. I hope you 
 have all got your lessons well, for we have a great 
 deal to do to-day."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 43 
 
 In a moment, each of the little savages took 
 a seat, and produced the book which Bertha had 
 furnished. They read, spelled, and recited arith- 
 metic to the entire satisfaction of the teacher. 
 New lessons were assignee 1 for the next day, and 
 then Bertha proceeded to open the bundles of dry 
 goods. 
 
 " Here is a calico dress for each of the girls, 
 and here is some jean to make jackets and trou- 
 sers for the boys. We must be as busy as bees 
 and have them all made up this week." 
 
 The eyes of the little boys and girls sparkled 
 with delight at this display of treasures. A 
 Broadway belle or a Chestnut Street dandy could 
 not have been more enraptured at the latest im- 
 portation from Paris, than the poor children of 
 Dunk's Hollow were at the sight of the homely 
 material of which their new clothes were to be 
 made. 
 
 But the more serious part of the work was yet 
 to be done, and consisted in the cutting and fitting 
 of the garments. Ever since the brilliant idea of 
 supplying her flock with new clothes had entered 
 the fertile brain of Bertha, she had studied and 
 practised the dressmaker's art, under the tuition 
 of Mrs. Green, the housekeeper, who had kindly
 
 44 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 afforded her all the instruction she needed. She 
 had also procured patterns for the jackets and 
 trousers, and patiently examined some of her 
 brother's old clothes; for she was determined that 
 the outfit of the savages should be fashioned en- 
 tirely by her own hands. 
 
 With a confidence worthy the pioneer mind of a 
 Columbus, she tore off the breadths for the dresses, 
 and set the girls at work in running them to- 
 gether. Then, with the same zeal and self-pos- 
 session, she proceeded to fit the waist of Gretchy 
 Von Brunt, who was about as thick as she was 
 long, and not exactly a model of female elegance 
 in form. It was a trying experiment for a begin- 
 ner, but for what the chief operator lacked in skill 
 and experience, she made up in zeal and hope. 
 
 At twelve o'clock Ben came up with a basket 
 of provisions for the busy troop of workers. He 
 reported that Richard was as tame as a lamb, and 
 had gone in to dinner when the bell rang. He 
 did not think there was any danger of his doing a 
 desperate deed. But Bertha insisted that he 
 should return, and not lose sight of him till his 
 father came home from the city. As he had been 
 instructed in the morning, Ben brought up Ber- 
 tha's boat, in which she intended to row back her- 
 self, when the labors of the day were finished.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 45 
 
 While the girls were busily engaged upon their 
 dresses, and the boys were bringing stones to make 
 a walk from the landing place to the Retreat, a 
 slight rustling was heard in the bushes, near the 
 spot where the dinner things had been left. 
 
 " Hoo ! Hoo ! Hoo ! " were the cries which im- 
 mediately issued from the bushes. 
 
 It sounded like the scream of some wild bird; 
 but neither Bertha nor her flock were frightened 
 by the noise, though all of them left their work, 
 and hastened to the spot from which it pro- 
 ceeded. 
 
 " It's Noddy Newman," said Griffy Von Grunt, 
 the largest of the three boys composing the mis- 
 sion school a stout, fat little Dutchman, of ten 
 years of age. 
 
 " He has stolen what was left of the dinner," 
 added Bridget McGee. 
 
 " And he will steal Miss Bertha's boat," said 
 Billy Ball, as he and Griffy hastened down to the 
 landing place, intending by a flank movement to 
 protect the property of the mistress. 
 
 " He may have the dinner, if he will not carry 
 off the basket and the plates," added Bertha, 
 ' Noddy! Noddy! Come here a moment; I want 
 to see you," called she, as loud as she could.
 
 4-0 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " No, you don't," replied the wild boy who had 
 caused this sudden commotion. " None of your 
 spelling books for me. I like your dinner, but I 
 don't want any of your learning." 
 
 Noddy Newman was now in view of the party. 
 He was even more ragged and dirty than the rag- 
 gedest and dirtiest of the Dunk's Hollowites. He 
 wore nothing but a shirt and trousers with one 
 auspender, and a straw hat, of which less than one 
 fourth of the original brim remained. Though he 
 was said to be thirteen years old, he was smaller 
 in stature than Griffy Von Grunt; but he was as 
 agile and quick as a monkey. 
 
 Noddy had no parents. They had lived at the 
 Hollow till filth and dissipation ended their days. 
 Since their death, Noddy had taken care of him- 
 self; sleeping in barns and outbuildings at night, 
 and begging or stealing food enough to keep him 
 alive. 
 
 " Come to me, Noddy," repeated Bertha. " I 
 won't hurt you." 
 
 " I know you won't. You can't ! " roared the 
 wild boy, as he bounded off, with the speed of an 
 antelope, towards the river, ending his flight by 
 running up a large tree which overhung the water.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 47
 
 48 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA DOES SOMETHING TOWARDS 
 CIVILIZING NODDY NEWMAN. 
 
 BENEATH the tree in which Noddy Newman had 
 taken refuge lay moored a nondescript craft, in 
 which the wild boy made his aquatic excursions. 
 It had once been a sugar-box, and by what art or 
 skill the little savage had made it water-tight, it 
 would have puzzled the calkers and gravers of 
 the region to determine. It certainly floated, and 
 Noddy navigated it about the river with as much 
 pride and satisfaction as if it had been the fairy 
 barge of Cleopatra. It was fastened by a string to 
 one of the overhanging branches of the tree in 
 which its adventurous skipper was now lodged. 
 
 It was pretty evident, from the position of his 
 boat, that he had not landed in the ordinary way, 
 but had drawn himself up into the tree, and come 
 ashore in that manner. To Bertha and her young 
 companions it was a daring undertaking to em- 
 bark in the sugar-box by the way of the tree, 
 and she begged him not to attempt it.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 49 
 
 *' Come down, Noddy, and I will put you into 
 your boat." 
 
 " I ain't one of your children. I don't have any 
 thing to do with your reading and spelling, and 
 you needn't borrow any trouble about me." 
 
 " But some of the branches are rotten, and if 
 you should fall upon the rocks below, it would 
 kill you/' 
 
 " I ain't going to fall. I know better than that 
 without any book larninV 
 
 " Do come down, Noddy. I will give you some- 
 thing if you will," pleaded Bertha, who, besides 
 being alarmed for his safety, wished to converse 
 with him, and induce him to join the school in 
 the Glen. 
 
 Noddy had thus far resisted all overtures in this 
 direction, and had never allowed himself to come 
 near enough to Bertha to enable her to exercise 
 any influence upon him. He was fond of his free- 
 dom, and evidently enjoyed the vagabond life he 
 led. The authorities of Whitestone had once made 
 an effort to commit him to the almshouse; but 
 when an attempt was made to catch him, he dis- 
 appeared for some weeks. 
 
 Bertha had sent him several presents, with mes- 
 sages urging him to join her little flock; but he
 
 50 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 never came to the Glen when she was there, un- 
 less it was to rob the basket of the provisions 
 brought for the scholars. Yet she did not abandon 
 all hope of winning him over from the savage life 
 he led. 
 
 " Have you had dinner enough, Noddy? " 
 
 " Yes, I have. I ate all there was in the bas- 
 ket," replied Noddy, chuckling with delight at the 
 thought of his own cleverness. 
 
 " Won't you come down and talk with me? I 
 will give you something." 
 
 " I don't want any thing." 
 
 " Come down and talk with me, then." 
 
 " I haven't got any thing to say," laughed 
 Noddy. 
 
 " But I want to see you." 
 
 " I don't want to see you. You are the proud 
 girl from Woodville, and I don't want any thing 
 of you." 
 
 " I am not proud, Noddy." 
 
 " Well, you are rich." 
 
 " Come down to me, and I will give you a silver 
 ten cent piece." 
 
 "Don't want it; if I should go to buy any 
 thing with it, they would catch me and put me 
 in the workhouse."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 51 
 
 "Don't you want a knife? I will give you 
 mine, if you will go up to the arbor with me." 
 
 " I have got a better knife now than you have. 
 I took it from Bob Bleeker's boat." 
 
 " But it was wrong to take it without leave." 
 
 " I don't know but it was. If it was I can't 
 help it." 
 
 As he spoke these words, Noddy began to move 
 down to the branch from which he could drop 
 into his boat. As he did so, a rotten limb which 
 he had grasped with his hands suddenly snapped, 
 his feet slipped from the branch, and he fell, strik- 
 ing with such force upon the sugar-box craft, that 
 one of its sides was split off. The unfortunate 
 boy rolled from the boat, and went into the deep 
 water. A sharp cry issued from his mouth, as he 
 struck the board, and then disappeared beneath 
 the surface of the river. 
 
 " Mercy ! " screamed Bertha, paralyzed with 
 horror, as she witnessed the sad mishap. 
 
 " Never fear, Miss Bertha ; he can swim like a 
 fish," said Griffy Von Grunt. 
 
 " But the fall may have killed him," gasped 
 Bertha, as she summoned strength enough to run 
 to her boat, which was moored a short distance 
 from the spot.
 
 52 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 At the same time, Griffy leaped into the river, 
 and swam to the sugar-box. In a moment Noddy 
 rose to the surface; but he did not attempt to 
 swim, and it was evident that the fall had de- 
 prived him of the use of his powers. As he rose, 
 Griffy seized him by the arm, and held him above 
 the water till Bertha came up with the boat. 
 With no little difficulty they lifted him in ; but the 
 little savage appeared to be dead. On his temple 
 there was a deep cut, which had probably been 
 caused by the nails driven into the side of the 
 box, to answer for thole pins. 
 
 "What shall we do?" stammered Bertha, ter- 
 ribly frightened by the pale face and motionless 
 form of the poor boy. " I will take him down to 
 the house. Griffy, you may go with me, and the 
 rest of you may go home." 
 
 The children were appalled by the fearful acci- 
 dent, and could not say a word. Only Griffy 
 seemed to have his thoughts about him, and while 
 Bertha attempted to bind up the bleeding head of 
 Noddy, he rowed with all his might towards the 
 pier at Woodville. Ben was in the boat house 
 when they arrived, and taking the insensible boy 
 in his arms, carried him up to the house, and laid 
 him upon the bed, in Bertha's chamber.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 53 
 
 " Now, Ben, go over to Whitestone as fast as 
 you can, and bring the doctor." 
 
 " Yes, Miss Bertha ; but I don't think the boy 
 is very badly hurt. That knock on the head has 
 taken away his senses; but he will be all right in 
 a few hours. You can't kill a boy like that so 
 easily." 
 
 " Go quick, Ben. I am afraid he is dead now." 
 
 " O, bless you ! no, he isn't. Don't be frightened, 
 Miss Bertha. Here comes Mrs. Green." 
 
 The housekeeper's opinion coincided with that 
 of the boatman, that Noddy was not dangerously 
 injured. She was an experienced nurse, and pro- 
 ceeded to take such measures for the relief of the 
 sufferer as the case required. Before the doctor 
 arri v'ed, the patient began to exhibit some signs of 
 consciousness. He opened his eyes, and gazed 
 around the room with a bewildered stare. The 
 costly furniture was in strong contrast with any 
 thing he had ever before seen, and it was no 
 wonder that he was bewildered. 
 
 As if conscious that he was not in his proper 
 element, he suddenly attempted to rise, but sank 
 back upon the bed with a deep groan, and closed 
 his eyes again. The arrival of the doctor was 
 gladly welcomed by Bertha. After a patient ex-
 
 54 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 animation, he declared that the boy was badly 
 hurt; that three of his ribs were fractured, and 
 that he was probably injured internally. 
 
 Before evening Noddy was in full possession of 
 his senses, but was suffering intense pain. Bertha 
 remained by his side, ministering to all his wants 
 with as much zeal and interest as though the 
 patient had been her own brother. 
 
 When Mr. Grant came home, he found his 
 daughter bending over the sick bed of the friend- 
 less outcast, and then, more than ever before, he 
 realized what a treasure he possessed in this dar- 
 ling child. Richard was proud and haughty, but 
 Bertha was a friend to the poor; humble even in 
 possession of all the luxury and splendor which 
 the world can afford. 
 
 Mr. Grant listened with pleasure to Bertha's 
 narrative of the events of the day. Of the con- 
 duct of her brother in the morning she said 
 nothing, for she had decided to wait till necessity 
 compelled her to do so. She hoped Richard would 
 reform his life, and as he had given up the race, 
 she was encouraged to believe that he was taking 
 the first steps towards amendment. 
 
 The next day Noddy was feverish, and for a 
 week he suffered a great deal. Bertha took care
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 55 
 
 of him most of the time during the day, while 
 Ben and the housekeeper attended him at night. 
 Every day the boatman brought the children of 
 the school from the Glen to the house, where, with 
 the assistance of Mrs. Green and the chamber- 
 maids, the garments of the boys and girls were 
 completed, and as soon as Noddy began to im- 
 prove, Bertha gave them a picnic on Van Alstine's 
 Island. 
 
 But the sick boy was not willing that his 
 little nurse should leave him. His severe sickness 
 seemed to have produced a wonderful effect upon 
 him. It softened his heart, and made him more 
 human than he had ever been before. He had 
 became strongly attached to Bertha, and listened 
 attentively to the gentle lessons of wisdom with 
 which she improved the hours of his convales- 
 cence. 
 
 It was a fortnight before he was able to sit up, 
 and a month before he could go out of the house; 
 but much of the spirit of his life and character 
 had returned to him, and he longed for the health 
 and strength which would enable him to roam the 
 fields and forests, and sail upon the river, as he 
 had done before his fall. 
 
 " I shall be so glad to be well again ! " ex-
 
 56 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 claimed he, as he walked on the lawn one day 
 with Bertha. 
 
 " What will you do then? " 
 
 " I shall run, and climb, and sail, as I used to 
 do; but I will go to your school, Miss Bertha." 
 
 " Don't you want to do something better than 
 spend your time in idleness?" 
 
 "What can I do?" 
 
 " You can learn to be a useful and respectable 
 man." 
 
 " I don't think I skall ever be of any use to 
 any one but myself. It was queer that I fell that 
 day, after I had told you I knew enough not 
 to fall." 
 
 " It was all for tke best, Noddy." 
 
 " I don't believe that. How could it be best 
 for me to stave in my ribs, and lie here, like a 
 fool, for a month ? " 
 
 " Perhaps it will prove to be the best thing that 
 ever happened to you." 
 
 " You don't mean *o, Miss Bertha," said the 
 pale boy, with a smile. 
 
 " I do, Noddy. Our misfortunes are blessings to 
 us; and we ought to be as thankful for them as 
 for the prosperity we enjoy. If you had continued 
 your wild life much longer, you would probably 
 have been taken up and sent to prison."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 57 
 
 Noddy made no reply, but kept thinking of 
 what Bertha had said. He could not fully compre- 
 hend such wisdom, though he could not help be- 
 lieving that his coming to Woodville was a great 
 event in his life. His fair instructress improved 
 the advantage ahe had obtained, and the little 
 savage was already more than half civilized. 
 
 During the month that Noddy had been confined 
 to the house, Richard did not once visit White- 
 stone, or meet any of his former dissolute compan- 
 ions; but whether this was from mortification at 
 his failure to sail the Greyhound with Tom Mul- 
 len, or because he had really commenced upon a 
 new life, was a matter of painful doubt to Bertha. 
 His father steadily refused to supply him with 
 money, and he spent most of the time at home. 
 He would not permit any allusion to the half 
 eagles, either by his sister or the boatman. 
 
 He was gloomy and taciturn. When he used 
 the Greyhound, he did not go near the other 
 side of the river, and carefully avoided meeting 
 any other boats, especially those belonging to 
 Whitestone. One day, as he was sailing near the 
 island, he observed a great commotion on board of 
 a passing steamer, and soon ascertained that a 
 man had fallen overboard. Trimming his sails, he
 
 58 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 bore down upon the spot, and succeeded in saving 
 the stranger from a watery grave. 
 
 In the gratitude of his heart, the gentleman pre- 
 sented him with fifty dollars in gold, as he landed 
 him on the pier at Whitestone, where the steamer 
 had made a landing. 
 
 " Your name, young man," said the gentleman. 
 
 " John Green," replied Richard, after some hesi- 
 tation. 
 
 " God bless you, John Green ! I shall remem- 
 ber your name as long as I live," added the 
 stranger, as he shook him warmly by the hand, 
 and hastened on board of the steamer. 
 
 " John Green ! " muttered Richard to himself, 
 as he turned the bow of his boat towards Wood- 
 ville. " I'm rich now, and that boat race shall 
 come off yet." 
 
 If any one had asked Richard why he had given 
 a false name to the gentleman whose life he had 
 saved, his pride would not have permitted him to 
 acknowledge the meanness of the motive which 
 prompted the falsehood. It was that he might 
 conceal the fact of possessing so large a sum of 
 money from the family at Woodville. 
 
 The next day, the Greyhound made another visit 
 to Whitestone, and the terms of the contest be-
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 59 
 
 tween the two boats were arranged. Kichard ex- 
 cused his long absence upon the plea that he had 
 been sick, and his graceless companions were too 
 glad to see him again to find much fault. The 
 race was to take place in three days, and the 
 stakes were placed in the hands of Bob Bleeker, 
 who was to act as umpire upon the great occasion. 
 
 On the day before the race, Richard had the 
 bottom of the Greyhound cleaned, her sails and 
 ropes carefully adjusted, and every thing done that 
 would add a particle to his chance of winning the 
 regatta. This time he kept his own counsel, and 
 did not even tell Ben of the coming race. 
 
 The fifty dollars in his pocket had brought a 
 great change in the manner of Richard. He was 
 no longer dull and gloomy, but full of life and 
 energy. None of the family or the servants knew 
 it was he who had saved the stranger from drown- 
 ing, and with all the neighborhood, had wondered 
 who John Green was. No one had ever heard of 
 him before, and the more they wondered, the more 
 Richard chuckled over his own cunning and de- 
 ception. 
 
 When Richard had completed his preparations 
 for the race, he sat in the stern-sheets of the 
 Greyhound, thinking of the triumph he was so 
 confident of winning.
 
 60 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 "Richard! Richard!" called Bertha from the 
 pier. 
 
 " What do you want, Berty ? " 
 
 " Father hasn't come home." 
 
 '' Well, what of it?" 
 
 " The train has arrived, and he did not come in 
 it. Where do you suppose he is?" continued 
 Bertha, as she stepped into her boat, and rowed 
 to the Greyhound. 
 
 " I don't know. Perhaps he was talking politics, 
 and forgot to get out at the station," replied Rich- 
 ard, indifferently. 
 
 "No; Mr. Barton said he was not in the cars." 
 
 " He is safe enough." 
 
 " He has looked very sad and troubled for 
 several days. I am afraid something has hap- 
 pened," added Bertha, as she pulled back to the 
 wharf.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 61 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTKA HEARS GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS. 
 
 THE return of her father from the city was 
 a happy event to Bertha, and she was always the 
 first to greet him on his arrival. It was an every- 
 day occurrence, but it lost none of its interest 
 on this account. He was the only parent she had, 
 and his smile, as she welcomed him home, was 
 worth all the watching and waiting which it cost. 
 
 When, therefore, on that eventful evening, the 
 man who had gone to drive him up from the rail- 
 road station returned without him, gloomy fore- 
 bodings filled her mind. Her father was very regu- 
 lar and methodical in his habits, and had never 
 missed a train, or remained away over night with- 
 out announcing his intention to do so beforehand. 
 This fact, added to the sad and anxious look which 
 Mr. Grant had worn for several days, was enough 
 to awaken painful thoughts, even in a mind less 
 sensitive than that of Bertha. 
 
 The long, gloomy night wore away without any
 
 62 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 tidings from the absent father. Richard slept, and 
 Fanny slept, but Bertha scarcely closed her eyes, 
 so deeply was she impressed with the dread of 
 some coming calamity. Long before sunrise, she 
 left her chamber, and wandered up and down the 
 walks upon the lawn, trying to make herself be- 
 lieve that nothing had happened to her father. 
 
 " Why, Miss Bertha, how pale you are this 
 morning!" exclaimed Noddy, as he met her on 
 the lawn, after the first bell had rung. " Are you 
 sick?" 
 
 " No, Noddy, I am not sick." 
 
 " What ails you, then ? Is it because your 
 father did not come home last night?" 
 
 " Not because he did not ' come home, but be- 
 cause I fear something has happened to him." 
 
 " Well, I am glad I haven't got any father to 
 bother me like that! I never had any trouble 
 about my relations," laughed Noddy. 
 
 " You must not talk so, Noddy ; it does not 
 sound well. If you had a good and kind father, 
 as I have, he would be a great joy to you." 
 
 " But your father don't seem to be a great joy to 
 you just now," added Noddy, whose philosophy 
 had been developed at the expense of his affections. 
 
 " Yes, he is ; and even if I knew that he were
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 63 
 
 dead " and Bertha shuddered as she uttered the 
 words " the remembrance of his love and kind- 
 ness would still be a great joy to me." 
 
 " Well, I don't understand those things, and I 
 suppose I ought not to say any thing about them," 
 said Noddy, as he observed the great tear that 
 slid down the pale cheek of Bertha. " There's 
 going to be a race to-day." 
 
 "What kind of a race?" 
 
 " Mr. Richard is going to race with Tom Mul- 
 len. Each one put up five dollars, and Bob 
 Bleeker has got the money." 
 
 Bertha was shocked at this piece of news, for 
 it assured her that her brother had never made a 
 resolution to abandon his evil associates, or that 
 he had broken it. 
 
 " Are you sure of what you say, Noddy ? " 
 
 " Yes ; I am certain of it. Tom Mullen told 
 me all about it yesterday." 
 
 " Where did you see him? " 
 
 " I saw him on the river. You know you lent 
 me your boat to go up to the island, and I met 
 him on my way back. The reason why he told 
 me was, that he wanted to know what Mr. Rich- 
 ard had been doing to his boat, to make her sail 
 faster."
 
 64 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 The conversation was interrupted by the ringing 
 of the breakfast bell. Bertha noticed that Rich- 
 ard was more than usually excited. He hurried 
 through the morning meal, and hastened down to 
 the wharf, whither Bertha followed him, and 
 joined him on board the Greyhound. 
 
 " I wish you would take the morning train to 
 the city, Richard, and ascertain what has become 
 of father," said Bertha, as she stepped into the 
 sail boat. " I feel almost sure something has hap- 
 pened to him." 
 
 " I can't go to-day," replied Richard, impa- 
 tiently. 
 
 "Why not, Dick?" 
 
 " Because I can't. I think that is reason 
 enough." 
 
 " How rude you are ! If yon felt as badly as I 
 do, you would be glad to go." 
 
 "Badly? Why should you feel badly? Don't 
 you think father is old enough, and knows enough, 
 to take care of himself?" 
 
 " You know he has the heart complaint, 
 and " 
 
 Bertha could not complete her sentence, for 
 there was in her mind a vivid picture of her father 
 lying dead in his office, where he might have
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 65 
 
 fallen when there was no one near to help him, or 
 even to witness his expiring agony. She burst 
 into tears and wept in silence, with the awful 
 picture still before her mental vision. Richard, 
 disturbed by none of his sister's doubts or fears, 
 coolly cast loose the sails of the Greyhound, and 
 made his preparations for the exciting event of 
 the day. Bertha continued to weep, without his 
 sympathy or even his notice, for a time. 
 
 " My poor father I " sobbed Bertha. 
 
 "What are you crying about, Berty?" 
 
 " I am almost certain that something has hap- 
 pened to father. He never stayed away over night 
 before without letting us know where he was." 
 
 " O, nonsense ! He is full of business, and some- 
 thing has detained him. If he were sick, or any 
 thing worse had happened to him, we should 
 have heard of it before this time. I tell you it is 
 all right." 
 
 " Even if it is all right, it will do no harm to 
 ascertain the fact. You can go to the city this 
 morning, and return by the noon train," said Ber- 
 tha, whose anxiety for her father had over- 
 shadowed every thing else, and even made her for- 
 get the race of which Noddy had told her. 
 
 " I told you I couldn't go this morning," an-
 
 66 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 swered he, petulantly. " Why don't you go your- 
 self?" 
 
 " I cannot leave to-day. Fanny is to have her 
 party this afternoon." 
 
 " Well, I can't go, and it is of no use to talk 
 about it. I have an engagement that I must keep." 
 
 " I hope you are not going with that wicked 
 Tom Mullen again," added she, as Noddy's un- 
 pleasant intelligence recurred to her mind. 
 
 " I don't want any preaching." 
 
 " You are going with those boys again ! O 
 Richard! I beg of you, do not." 
 
 " What's the matter now? " sneered Richard. 
 
 " Stay at home to-day with me, Richard. You 
 don't know how lonely and sad I feel." 
 
 " The more fool you ! " 
 
 " How unkind you are, Dick ! " 
 
 "Come, Berty, don't whine any more; that's a 
 good girl," said he, changing his tone as policy, 
 rather than feeling, seemed to dictate. " If father 
 doesn't come home before three o'clock, and you 
 don't hear from him, I will agree to go to the 
 city by the afternoon train, and find out where he 
 is. Positively, Berty, that is the best I can do. 
 Now, be a good girl, Berty, and go ashore, or 
 you won't be ready for Fanny's party."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 67 
 
 " I feel almost as bad for you as I do for 
 father," sobbed Bertha. 
 
 " Why, what under the canopy of Jupiter has 
 got into you now?" exclaimed Richard, suspend- 
 ing his work, and looking in her face with aston- 
 ishment. 
 
 " I know you are going to do something wrong 
 to-day, Dick." 
 
 " Do you, indeed ? Then you are a long way 
 ahead of my time. What do you mean? " 
 
 " You are going to sail your boat against Tom 
 Mullen's." 
 
 "Who told you that?" 
 
 "Isn't it so, Dick?" 
 
 "Well, suppose it is; what then? There is no 
 great harm in racing boats, I hope." 
 
 " And you have put up five dollars, as a bet, on 
 the race." 
 
 "Who told you this?" 
 
 "Is it true, Dick?" 
 
 "Perhaps it is, and perhaps it isn't; what 
 then ? " 
 
 " You don't answer me, Dick ! " 
 
 " Did you ever hear of such a thing as a race 
 for nothing?" answered he, sullenly. "I would 
 give another five dollars to know who told you 
 this."
 
 68 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " Money seems to be very plenty with you, 
 though father hasn't given you any for six or seven 
 .weeks." 
 
 " Now, you have said enough, Berty, and you 
 may go ashore. Do you think I am going to 
 listen to your preaching, and have you domineer 
 over me, like that? If you don't leave the boat 
 I will help you ashore," said Richard, who was 
 now so angry that he had lost control of himself. 
 
 " Don't be angry, Richard. You are my brother 
 and you know I would not willingly offend you." 
 
 " That's just what you are doing." 
 
 " But you are going with those bad boys again. 
 You are taking your first steps in gambling. If 
 you knew how bad these things make me feel, 
 you wouldn't be cross to me. I don' want to 
 have my brother like Tom Mullen." 
 
 " Now, shut up ! Don't whine any more over 
 me. I am able to take care of myself, and I 
 don't want a sermon from you every time you hap- 
 pen to have the blues." 
 
 "Where did you get the money, Dick, to bet 
 on the race?" 
 
 " That's none of your business," replied Richard 
 rndely. " Do you mean to hint that I stole it? " 
 
 * I hope not, Dick."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 69 
 
 " If you haven't any better opinion of me than 
 that, you had better hold your tongue." 
 
 " You remember the other time, when you were 
 going to have this race with Tom Mullen? You 
 know what you were tempted to do that time? " 
 
 " That was father's money, and just as much 
 mine as it was yours. You wouldn't lend me the 
 money, and you see what you made me do." 
 
 " I only wanted to keep you away from those 
 boys. If father were at home, you know he 
 wouldn't let you go." 
 
 " He couldn't help himself," growled Richard ; 
 " and you can't ; so you may as well go into the 
 house, and hold your tongue." 
 
 " Won't you give up this race for my sake, 
 Richard?" pleaded the poor girl, whose solicitude 
 was now divided between her father and her 
 brother. 
 
 " No, I won't ! All the teasing, scolding, preach- 
 ing, fretting, and threatening in the world won't 
 make me back out this time." 
 
 " At least tell me where you got the money 
 that you put up." 
 
 " I won't do that, either," said Richard, stoutly. 
 " I came honestly by it, and that's enough for you 
 to know. You need not scold or threaten any 
 more, but go home."
 
 70 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I haven't threatened you," sighed Bertha : 
 " you know I didn't tell father about the ten dol- 
 lars." 
 
 " I know you didn't ; but you told him I went 
 with Tom Mullen and the rest of the fellows, and 
 that was just as bad." 
 
 " I did it for your good." 
 
 " If you won't go ashore, I will ! " said Richard, 
 angrily, as he jumped into his skiff and paddled 
 to the wharf as fast as he could. 
 
 Poor Bertha, trembling for her father and her 
 brother, was sorely tried by the unfeeling conduct 
 of the latter. She could do nothing to restore the 
 one or redeem the other. Richard would go, 
 though she had done all she could to prevent him 
 from doing so. As she sat weeping in the boat, 
 she tried to think of some plan to keep Richard 
 at home. She knew that Ben could do it; that 
 ie would even lock him up in the boat house, if 
 she wished him to do so; but she was unwilling 
 to resort to extreme measures. 
 
 Whatever else might be, it was certain that cry- 
 ing would do no good; and summoning all her 
 resolution, she dried her tears, and determined to 
 make the best of her trying situation. Stepping 
 into the boat, she rowed to the shore. Her reso-
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 71 
 
 lution was already imparting new courage to her 
 soul, and she felt that she could endure all that 
 might be in store for her. But she did not aban- 
 don her purpose to save her brother. He had 
 left her in anger, and she hoped, when he became 
 himslf again, that he would hear her. 
 
 As she passed up the path towards the house, 
 where Richard had gone, she saw Ben hastening 
 towards her with all the speed his rheumatic 
 joints would permit. As he approached he held up 
 a letter, which caused Bertha's heart to beat with 
 hope and fear. 
 
 " Here is a letter, Miss Bertha. The hand- 
 writing is your father's ; so I suppose nothing has 
 happened to him," said Ben, as he gave her the 
 letter. 
 
 "I hope not. Where did you get it?" asked 
 Bertha, as she tore open the envelope. 
 
 " The conductor on the morning train brought 
 it up." 
 
 Bertha's face lighted up with pleasure as she 
 read the first line ; but as she proceeded with the 
 letter, her expression changed, and the shade of 
 sadness deepened into a look of grief and alarm. 
 The letter was as follows :
 
 72 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " NEW YORK CITY, August 12. 
 
 " Mr DEAR CHILDREN : An unexpected event de- 
 tained me in the city last night, and prevented 
 me from sending you any word that I could not 
 go home as usual; but I am alive and well, and 
 I hope my unexplained absence did not cause you 
 any anxiety or alarm. 
 
 " But, my dear children, the event to which I 
 allude promises the most serious consequences to 
 me in my business relations, and before many days 
 you may be called upon to share with me the tri- 
 als and misfortunes from which only a few men in 
 active business life can be exempted. You may 
 be compelled to give up the comforts and lux- 
 uries of our elegant home ; but while your father 
 retains his honor and integrity, can you not bear 
 with him the loss of every thing else? I do not 
 yet know the extent of my misfortune, and I have 
 only mentioned it that you might the sooner learn 
 to endure with patience the change to which we 
 must submit. 
 
 " I shall not be able to go home to-night or to- 
 morrow night perhaps not for several days. I 
 am much distressed by the aspect of my business 
 affairs ; but it would be a great relief to me, when 
 I do go home, to find that my children have the
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 73 
 
 courage to endure the heavy blow that has come 
 upon us. Be patient and hopeful, and all will yet 
 be well with us. 
 
 Your affectionate father, 
 
 FRANKLIN GRANT." 
 
 Bertha was astonished and bewildered by the 
 contents of this letter. She told the boatman that 
 her father was alive and well ; but she deemed it 
 prudent to conceal the rest of the letter from him 
 for the present. The bad news it contained would 
 travel fast enough, without any assistance from 
 her. 
 
 While reading the letter, she had seen Richard 
 come out of the house and walk off in another 
 direction. She asked Ben to find him, and send 
 him to the house, where she went herself, rejoiced 
 to find her worst fears were not realized, but al- 
 most stunned by the shock which the letter had 
 given her. It was terrible to think of leaving 
 Woodville; to step down from the pinnacle of 
 wealth to the low level of poverty; but, as she 
 had been rich and humble, the fall would be a 
 gentle one to her; yet how terrible to Richard 
 and Fanny! 
 
 Richard read the letter, turned pale, and won-
 
 74 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 dered what it all meant. Bertha said it was plain 
 that her father had failed in business. She was 
 calm and resigned, he was morose and sullen. 
 
 " You will not go to the race now, Dick? " she 
 asked. 
 
 " I will ! " and he rushed out of the house, down 
 the hill, to the wharf; but when he got there, noth- 
 ing but the topmast of the Greyhound could be 
 seen. 
 
 She had sunk in fifteen feet of water !
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 75 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 IN WHICH BEETHA REASONS WITH HER BROTHER AND 
 THE GREYHOUND FLOATS AGAIN. 
 
 THE rage of Richard knew no bounds when he 
 discovered the topmast of the Greyhound, with the 
 little tri-colored flag still flaunting upon it, rising 
 but a few feet above the waves of the Hudson. 
 There she had floated, as gayly and as buoyantly 
 as a swan, only an hour before. But there was 
 no one near to hear his exclamations of wrath 
 and disappointment, as he beheld the ruin of all 
 his hopes for that day. I am sorry to add that 
 he swore roundly; but a boy who could associate 
 with rowdies and blacklegs would not be too nice 
 to use profane language. 
 
 While he was still venting his impotent frenzy, 
 Ben arrived at the wharf. The boatman had not 
 discovered the calamity which had befallen the 
 Greyhound till he reached the wharf, for the 
 gloomy expression of Bertha still haunted his 
 mind, and he was wondering what had happened 
 to cover with shadows the face which was wont
 
 76 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 to be all sunshine. When he raised his eyes from 
 the ground, and looked off upon the water, as an 
 old sailor always does when he first comes near the 
 sea, or on deck from below, he saw the flaunting 
 flag of the Greyhound, fifteen feet lower down 
 than when he had last looked upon it, and he 
 appeared to be quite as much surprised as Rich- 
 ard. 
 
 "Ben, who did that?" roared Richard, as the 
 boatman moved out to the end of the wharf. 
 
 He was almost bursting with anger and vexa- 
 tion ; and no doubt his mind was filled with sus- 
 picions and conjectures in regard to the author of 
 this mischief, for he had already come to the con- 
 clusion that it had an author, as the Greyhound 
 would never have done so mean a thing as to 
 sink without assistance. 
 
 Ben was an elderly man, and he had always 
 been treated with consideration and respect by 
 Mr. Grant and all his household; therefore he 
 felt that the tone with which " Mr. Richard " ad- 
 dressed him was not proper, or even tolerable. 
 
 " I don't know, Mr. Richard," replied the boat- 
 man, in a gruff, man-of-war tone, and without even 
 condescending to express any regret or surprise 
 at the singular event.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 77 
 
 " If I knew who did it, I would kill him ! " 
 foamed Richard. 
 
 " Then it is lucky for him that you don't know," 
 added Ben, rather coolly. 
 
 " She didn't sink herself." 
 
 " I didn't say she did, Mr. Richard." 
 
 "Then who did it?" 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 " Yes, you do know ; and if you don't tell me, 
 I'll hold you responsible for it," said Richard with 
 an emphasis which ought to have produced a 
 startling effect upon the old boatman. 
 
 But it did not appear to produce any effect ; for 
 Ben hitched up his long blue trousers, turned upon 
 his heel, and slowly walked off. 
 
 " Why don't you answer me, Ben ? " 
 
 " I haven't any thing to say, Mr. Richard," re- 
 plied the old man, continuing his walk up the 
 wharf. 
 
 " How daro you turn your back upon me in 
 that manner? Come back here, and answer my 
 questions." 
 
 As Ben would not come back, Richard went to 
 him, and, with clinched fists, placed himself in 
 front of the old boatman, as though he meant 
 to thrash him on the spot for his impudence. If
 
 78 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 Richard had been himself, as his humpbacked 
 namesake declared he was on a certain occasion, 
 he would not have ventured into this belligerent 
 attitude. He was beside himself with passion, and 
 there was neither wisdom nor discretion left in 
 him. 
 
 " Mr. Richard," said the boatman, after he had 
 deliberately surveyed the youngster from head to 
 foot for a moment, "you are my employer's son, 
 and I don't want to harm you; but I don't allow 
 any one to insult me. I am a poor man, but 
 there isn't any body in the world that is rich 
 enough to insult me. Now, get out of my way." 
 
 " Tell me who sunk that boat ! " 
 
 The great, broad hand of the old boatman sud- 
 denly dropped upon the shoulder of the youngster, 
 a vigorous shaking followed, and he was laid upon 
 the ground as gently as a mother would deposit 
 her babe in the cradle. That strong arm was too 
 much for Richard, and when he roee, he placed a 
 respectful distance between himself and the owner 
 of it. 
 
 " You did it ! I know you did ! " growled Rich- 
 ard. " I will pay you for it before you are many 
 days older." 
 
 Ben deigned no reply to this rude speech, but 
 walked up the lawn towards the house. On his
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 79 
 
 way he was met by Bertha, who from her window 
 had discovered the mishap which had befallen the 
 Greyhound, as well as witnessed the scene we have 
 just described ; and she was coming down to make 
 peace between the parties. 
 
 In a few words Ben told her what had hap- 
 pened, assuring her that he was entirely ignorant 
 of the cause of the sinking of the boat. 
 
 " Mr. Kichard is very angry just now, and I 
 think you had better keep away from him for a 
 time. When he comes to himself, he and I have 
 an account to be squared," said Ben. 
 
 " Don't be angry with him. He will be sorry 
 for what he has done." 
 
 " Bless you, Miss Bertha, I'm not angry. I 
 couldn't get angry with a youngster like him if 
 I tried," added the boatman, with a benignant 
 smile. 
 
 " I hope not." 
 
 " Mr. Richard is a good-hearted boy, and before 
 he began to run with those beggarly rowdies on 
 the other side, he was an honest and well-meaning 
 boy. If I had him on board ship, a thousand 
 miles from the nearest land, I could make a man 
 of him in three days." 
 
 With this encouraging remark Ben hitched up
 
 8o Rich and Humble, or 
 
 his trousers again, and continued his walk towards 
 the house. Acting upon the suggestion of the 
 boatman, Bertha decided to let her brother cool 
 off for a while, before she went near him. The 
 sinking of the boat seemed like a providential 
 event to her, since it must prevent the race she so 
 much dreaded. Yet if Richard had the will to 
 associate with dissolute persons, even this acci- 
 dent could not restrain him. 
 
 She could not help asking herself, as she sat 
 waiting for Richard's wrath to subside, what effect 
 the change of fortune would have upon him. If 
 it saved him from the error of his ways, it would 
 be a blessing instead of a misfortune. Her brother 
 was proud, and gloried in the wealth and social 
 position of his father. The rowdies of White- 
 stone had discovered hia weak point, and as long 1 
 as he paid for the oysters, cigars, and liquors, 
 for aught we know, thej were willing to flatter 
 him, and to yield the homage he so much coveted. 
 
 Misfortune had swept away the wealth of his 
 father, and he was placed on a level with those 
 who had before looked up to him. If Mr. Grant 
 had the will, he had no longer the ability to fur- 
 nish his children with money, as he had done be- 
 fore. But Richard still had a large portion of the
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 81 
 
 fifty dollars left, and he was not disposed to con- 
 sider any of these questions. They did not even 
 occur to him. His mind was all absorbed by the 
 race. 
 
 When she thought a sufficient time had elapsed 
 for Richard to recover his self-possession, Bertha 
 joined him on the wharf, where he still sat, brood- 
 ing over the ruin of his- hopes. He noticed Bertha 
 as she approached, but his interview with Ben 
 had evaporated the violence of his temper, and he 
 permitted her to be seated by his side without 
 utering a word. 
 
 " Richard, I am sorry you were so rude to Ben. 
 He is an old man, and he has always been very 
 kind to you," said Bertha in the gentlest tones of 
 peace and affection. 
 
 " He had no business to sink my boat then," 
 muttered Richard. 
 
 " He did not do it." 
 
 " How do yo know he didm't? " 
 
 " He went down to the railroad station while we 
 were at breakfast, and did not return till after you 
 came on shore. He handed roe the letter as I was 
 going up to the house, and then went for his 
 breakfast. He did not come down here again un- 
 til after you did, and then he found you here. It 
 is impossible that he should have done it."
 
 82 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " Then you must have done it yourself." 
 
 " No, Richard ; I did not. You have had your 
 eyes upon me ever since we landed from the 
 boat." 
 
 (} ' You knew about the race, and wanted to pre- 
 vent me from going to it." 
 
 " But I did not sink your boat ; neither do I 
 know by whom it was done." 
 
 Richard knew that Bertha always spoke the 
 truth, and he would as soon have doubted his own 
 existence as doubted her word. In spite of his 
 theory that she had done it, or caused it to be 
 done, to defeat his plans, he was compelled to be> 
 lieve what she said. 
 
 " I don't understand it then," said he, greatly 
 perplexed. " You were the last person on board 
 of her." 
 
 " It is as much a mystery to me as it is to you ; 
 but I hope you will give up this race." 
 
 " I can't do any thing else now. I put the 
 money up, and I suppose I have lost it." 
 
 " That is of little consequence." 
 
 " So you say ; but the fellows will think I did 
 it to avoid the race." 
 
 "Let them think so; it won't injure you." 
 
 " But I would give a good deal to know how 
 it was done."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 83 
 
 " Perhaps some boat ran into her while she lay 
 at her moorings. How do you know that Tom 
 Mullen didn't do it?" 
 
 " He wouldn't do such a thing." 
 
 " He isn't any too good to do a mean action." 
 
 " If I thought he did do it ! " said Richard, as 
 he jumped from the seat, apparently convinced 
 that he did do it. " Where is Ben ? I wonder if 
 we can't raise her, and have the race yet?" 
 
 "Do you think Ben would help you now?" 
 asked Bertha, reproachfully. 
 
 " I am sorry for what I said to him ; but I was 
 fully convinced that he had done the mischief by 
 your order. I will beg his pardon ; " and Richard 
 ran up to the house, and made his peace with 
 Ben, which was not a difficult matter, for the old 
 boatman was almost a grandfather to all three of 
 the children. 
 
 " Certainly, Mr. Richard, I forgive you with all 
 my heart, and I am glad of the chance to do so, 
 for this thing made me feel worse than it did you. 
 Now we will go down and find out what made 
 the Greyhound go to the bottom," said Ben, as he 
 led the way to the wharf. 
 
 Bertha had returned to the house, to attend to 
 the preparations for Fanny's party, or possibly she
 
 84 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 might have objected to any investigations in the 
 direction indicated. Richard did not have the 
 courage to ask Ben to help raise the boat; but 
 when they reached the wharf, the old man went 
 to the boat house, and brought out sundry coils of 
 rigging, blocks, and other gear. Then, with the 
 end of a line in his hand, he stepped into Bertha's 
 boat with Richard, and sculled off to the place 
 where the Greyhound had sunk. 
 
 Fastening the line to the painter of the sunken 
 boat, he sculled back again. On their return to 
 the wharf, they found Noddy there, an anxious 
 observer of their proceedings. 
 
 "Noddy, do you know who sunk this boat?" 
 said Richard, who happened to think just then 
 that the little savage had been sitting on the pier 
 during the angry interview between himself and 
 Bertha. 
 
 " I expect she sunk herself," replied he, with 
 one of his wild leers. 
 
 " If you know any thing about it, tell me at 
 once," added Richard, sternly. 
 
 " I don't know any thing about it." 
 
 " Yes, you do, you little villain ! " continued 
 Richard, beginning to get excited. 
 
 " Keep cool, Mr. Richard," interposed the boat-
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 85 
 
 man. " We have no time to spare in that manner. 
 Of course the boy don't know any thing about it. 
 Here, you young sculpin, run up and tell John to 
 bring the two plough horses down here as quick 
 as he can." 
 
 Noddy, whose health was now almost restored, 
 ran off towards the stables, chuckling as he went, 
 as if he was glad to escape any further questions. 
 
 Ben now sent Richard up into a large tree 
 which grew on the very verge of the water, where, 
 under the old man's directions, he fastened a 
 block, and passed the long line from the boat 
 through it. Another block was attached near the 
 ground, and the line run through it. By this time 
 the horses had come, and were hitched to the end 
 of the rope. 
 
 Richard was deeply interested in the operation, 
 and what he could not understand, the boatman 
 explained to him. The rope was run through the 
 block in the tree so as to pull the boat upwards 
 from the bottom of the river. 
 
 " Now start up the horses, John, very slowly, 
 and stop quick, when I give the order," said Ben, 
 as he stepped into the skiff, and paddled out to 
 the mast of the Greyhound. "Now, go ahead, 
 John," shouted he.
 
 86 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 The horses pulled, and in a few moments the 
 sail boat was safely landed on the grass by the 
 side of the water. On examination, it was found 
 that the plug in the bottom had been taken out, 
 and greater than ever was the mystery in regard to 
 the author of the mischief ; but Richard, elated at 
 the success of the boatman's labors, had ceased to 
 care who had sunk the boat, so intent was he upon 
 the prospects of the race. 
 
 The boat was baled out, and washed out, and 
 half an hour of sunshine restored her to her 
 former condition. 
 
 " Ben, I am ever so much obliged to you for 
 what you have done, and all the more sorry for 
 what happened this morning," said Richard, as 
 the boatman was leaving the Greyhound. " You 
 have saved me fom disgrace and defeat." 
 
 "Why so?" 
 
 " I am going to run the race with Tom Mullen 
 this morning." 
 
 " Are you? If I had known it, I wouldn't have 
 raised your boat to save her from destruction," 
 replied Ben, with a sad look. 
 
 " Miss Bertha don't want him to go," added 
 Noddy, who was seated in the bow of Ben's boat. 
 " I heard her teasing him to give it up, and he 
 wouldn't."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 87 
 
 " Shut up, you young monkey ! " said Ben. 
 " Boys should be seen, and not heard." 
 
 The old boatman used all the powers of his rude 
 eloquence to dissuade Richard from going; but 
 the latter prated about his faith and his honor, 
 and declared that he must go ; and he did go. 
 
 " Poor boy ! " sighed Ben. " He is a smart, 
 likely, good-hearted fellow, and it is a pity that he 
 should go to ruin." 
 
 " Miss Bertha cried as though her heart would 
 break, trying to make him give up the race. Some- 
 thing awful has happened to Mr. Grant, too," 
 added Noddy. " I heard Miss Bertha say he had 
 failed, if you know what that means I don't." 
 
 " Failed ! " gasped old Ben. 
 
 " Yes, sir : but Richard would go, and that's 
 the reason why I pulled the plug out, and sunk 
 the boat," continued Noddy, innocently.
 
 88 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA READS THE NEWSPAPER, AND 
 FAINTS AWAY. 
 
 NODDY NEWMAN'S confession promised to get 
 him into trouble with Richard, if he should dis- 
 cover that he was the cause of the mischief. Ben, 
 the old boatman, fully sympathized with the young 
 savage in what he had done; for when the latter 
 related the conversation between Bertha and her 
 brother, to which he had listened, and told how 
 badly he felt when Mr. Richard scolded at her, 
 and declared that he would go to the race, his 
 indignation was as deeply roused as that of the 
 listener had been, and he decided that it would 
 be better for all parties if the truth were con- 
 cealed. 
 
 Richard had gone to the race, and there was 
 nothing more that could be done to save him 
 from the consequences of his own folly and way- 
 wardness. Noddy was well satisfied with what he 
 had done, especially after the approval of Ben. 
 All he lived for was to please Miss Bertha, and
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 89 
 
 if he could do any thing to carry out her views, 
 he was not very particular to avoid displeasing 
 any body else. If she wished to prevent Richard 
 from going to the race, he was ready to sink the 
 boat, or even to burn and destroy it. What the 
 owner of her liked or disliked was a matter of no 
 consequence to him. 
 
 Noddy's ideas of right and wrong, of truth and 
 justice, were not very clearly defined. He had no 
 particular devotion to the truth as such, and no 
 particular love of justice for its own sake. He 
 did not remain at Woodville because he liked the 
 place, after he had strength enough to return to 
 his former vagabond life, but because Bertha was 
 there. He was willing to do right, so far as he 
 understood it, because she desired him to do so. 
 It must be confessed that principle had not yet 
 been developed in his character. His only law 
 was to do what his fair and loving mistress wished 
 him to do, and he had no higher idea of duty 
 than this. He cared for no one, was afraid of no 
 one. Her friends were his friends, and if she had 
 had any foes, they would have been his foes. 
 
 Ben sat on the wharf, watching the Greyhound 
 as she swept forward on her course. He was sad 
 and dull; for the information which Noddy had
 
 9o Rich and Humble, or 
 
 given him was full of grief to the old servant of 
 the family. As he reflected upon the import of the 
 fearful words which expressed the misfortune of 
 Mr. Grant, the tears gathered on his brown cheek. 
 
 " What ails you, Ben ? " asked Noddy, who was 
 lying upon the wharf, gazing into the face of the 
 boatman. 
 
 "What ails me? You young sculpin, are you 
 here? I thought you had gone," replied Ben, 
 roughly, as he wiped away the tears. 
 
 " You are crying ! " 
 
 "Crying? Nonsense! Did you ever see an old 
 Bailor cry?" 
 
 " I never did before." 
 
 " I am not crying, you little lubber ! I am get- 
 ting old, and my eyes are weak. The sun makes 
 them water a litle." 
 
 " Tell me what it is about, Ben, and perhaps I 
 will cry too," added Noddy, suddenly dropping his 
 chin, and looking as gloomy as though he had lost 
 his best friend. 
 
 " Run away, boy up to the house. Miss Ber- 
 tha wants you to help her about the party. You 
 must turn somersets, stand on your head, and cut 
 all the capers you can this afternoon, to please the 
 children who will come to the party, for I think it
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 91 
 
 will be the last party the young folks will ever 
 have at Woodville. Go and limber up your back, 
 boy." 
 
 li I will do any thing Miss Bertha wants me to 
 do, if it is to swallow my own head, or turn in- 
 side out," replied Noddy, as he walked away, with 
 the feeling that there was a chance for him to do 
 something to please his young mistress. 
 
 On the way up to the house, he stopped in the 
 grove to practise a few gymnastic feats, for he was 
 not certain whether his ribs were yet in condition 
 to enable him to entertain a party of young ladies. 
 But his bones were all right, and his gyrations 
 would have been creditable to a travelling circus 
 company. When he had satisfied himself that he 
 was in condition to perform, he walked leisurely 
 up to the house to report to Bertha. 
 
 She did not give him much encouragement that 
 his entertainment would be an acceptable one to 
 the delicate young ladies who were to come from 
 the homes of wealth and taste in the vicinity ; but 
 she was pleased with his devotion with his efforts 
 to do something for the amusement of the party. 
 During the rest of the forenoon she kept him busy 
 in preparing the rooms for the reception of the 
 company; and Noddy was never so well satisfied
 
 92 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 as when he felt that he was doing something to 
 assist or amuse Bertha. 
 
 At two o'clock in the afternoon, every thing was 
 ready for the party. Miss Fanny was dressed like 
 a fairy queen; Bertha, more plainly robed, was 
 not less fascinating; and even Noddy Newman 
 was so disguised by his new clothes, that he looked 
 very much like a little gentleman. Two o'clock 
 came, and half past two, and three; but not a 
 single young lady who had been invited to the 
 party, made her appearance. 
 
 Fanny fretted, pouted, and stormed at this want 
 of punctuality, and even Bertha did not know 
 what to make of it. But when four o'clock came, 
 and still not a single guest appeared, Fanny gave 
 up to despair, and Bertha was as puzzled as 
 though she had been solving problems in Euclid. 
 Five o'clock, and six o'clock, came, and still the 
 great parlor of Woodville, with all its flowers and 
 draperies, was " like some banquet hall deserted." 
 Not a single guest came to the purty of Miss 
 Fanny, and the rich feast that decked the table in 
 the great dining room was " wasting its sweet- 
 ness on the desert air." 
 
 Great were the astonishment and mortification 
 of all in the house. Fanny had gone to her
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 93 
 
 chamber, thrown off her fine clothes, and was 
 weeping great tears of grief and vexation. The 
 steward and the housekeeper were vainly trying 
 to explain the strange circumstance. It was very 
 remarkable. 
 
 " It is very singular," said Mrs. Green, " and 
 such a slight was never put upon this family be- 
 fore." 
 
 " I can't understand it," added the steward. 
 
 " Neither can I." 
 
 " I can," said Noddy, thrusting his hands down 
 to the bottom of the pockets in his new pants. 
 
 "You! what do you know about it?" said the 
 steward. 
 
 " I think there must have been some mistake in 
 the invitations," continued the housekeeper. 
 
 " I tell you, I know all about it," said Noddy. 
 
 "What do you know?" 
 
 " Mr. Grant has failed, and the people round 
 here don't want to have any thing more to do with 
 him." 
 
 Neither the steward nor the housekeeper had 
 heard any thing of this kind before, and they were 
 incredulous ; but Bertha, to whom Mrs. Green car- 
 ried this piece of information, confirmed it. 
 
 " That is no reason why people should keep
 
 94 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 their children from coming to Fanny's party. Two 
 or three of our neighbors have failed, and people 
 sympathized with them, instead of insulting them, 
 in their misfortune," said Bertha. 
 
 The failure of Mr. Grant certainly was not 
 enough to explain the singular unanimity with 
 which the guests of the party stayed away. The 
 steward and the housekeeper were more indignant 
 than before, and declared that they lived in the 
 midst of the heathen. The cakes and the creams, 
 the fruits and the candies, for the feast, were put 
 away, the parlor was restored to its wonted con- 
 dition; but grief, chagrin, and indignation per- 
 vaded every hall and apartment at Woodville, for 
 the slight that had been put upon the family. 
 
 The hour for the return of Mr. Grant had ar- 
 rived, and a man had been sent down to the rail- 
 road station to drive him up, as usual ; for Bertha 
 had a hope that he might come that night, in 
 spite of what he had said in his note. But the 
 man returned alone, bringing the mail and the 
 city newspapers. 
 
 As there was no letter from her father, Bertha 
 took up one of the papers. The excitement of the 
 party had passed away, and the all-engrossing 
 theme of her father's misfortune once more began
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 95 
 
 to prey upon her mind. Richard had not yet 
 returned from the race, and she had a sad thought 
 for him. Fanny and the housekeeper were discuss- 
 ing the party still, and Bertha tried to read the 
 newspaper. She ran her eyes up and down the 
 columns, in search of any item or article that 
 might interest her. 
 
 Suddenly her gaze was fixed upon a paragraph, 
 which accidentally caught her eye. It chained her 
 attention, while her cheeks paled, her eyes dilated, 
 and her lips quivered. She read it through, as 
 though some terrible fascination attracted her to 
 the words; then the paper dropped from her 
 hands, a slight groan escaped her pallid lips, and 
 she dropped senseless from her chair upon the 
 floor. 
 
 Mrs. Green, alarmed at her fall, hastened to her 
 assistance, and with a strong arm placed her upon 
 a sofa. She saw that Bertha had only fainted, 
 and immediately applied herself with all zeal to 
 her restoration. 
 
 "What ails her?" asked Fanny, who was 
 greatly terrified by the death-like appearance of 
 her sister. 
 
 "She has only fainted; she will get over it in 
 a few minutes," replied Mrs. Green, as she dashed 
 a tumbler of ice water in the patient's face.
 
 96 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " What made her faint? " 
 
 " Poor child ! She is all worn out. She didn't 
 sleep any last night, worrying because your father 
 didn't come home; and I suppose this affair of 
 the party has vexed and tormented her, as it has 
 all the rest of us." 
 
 " It is enough to make any one faint. I wonder 
 I don't faint," added Miss Fanny, who, no doubt, 
 thought she had more sorrows, just then, than all 
 the rest of the world put together. 
 
 Mrs. Green labored diligently and skilfully for 
 the restoration of Bertha; and in a very short 
 time the poor girl opened her eyes, nnd gazed 
 languidly around the room. 
 
 " My poor father ! " sighed she ; and she shud- 
 dered so that her whole frame shook with the 
 paroxysm, as she uttered the words. 
 
 " Come, dear, don't take it so sorely to heart ; 
 your father will come back again." 
 
 " O Mrs. Green ! " sobbed Bertha, as she looked 
 at the housekeeper, and her eyes filled with tears. 
 " What will become of me? n 
 
 " Don't take on so, Bertha. You have no reason 
 to feel so badly, even if yotir father has failed." 
 
 " Failed ! " exclaimed Miss Fanny, to whom this 
 Intelligence now came for the first time.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 97 
 
 To the proud little miss this was the most terri- 
 ble thing that could happen, and Mrs. Green be- 
 gan to fear that she should have another patient 
 on her hands ; for Fanny began to cry and rave as 
 though she was to be the only sufferer by her 
 father's misfortune. 
 
 " Come, children, you will make yourselves sick, 
 if you take on in this way. It may not be half 
 as bad as you think it is." 
 
 " My poor father ! " sighed Bertha. 
 
 " No more parties, no more fine dresses ; the 
 horses and carriages must be sold, and all the 
 servants discharged ! " added Fanny, who though 
 only eleven years of age, knew what a failure 
 meant, and had read some novels from which 
 she had obtained the romantic idea of bankruptcy. 
 
 "What will become of him? " said Bertha. 
 
 "What shall I do?" added Fanny. "No one 
 thinks any thing of poor people." 
 
 " Come, Bertha, you had better go up to your 
 chamber and lie down. You are all beat out with 
 this party, and last night," suggested Mrs. Green. 
 
 "Has Bichard come home?" 
 
 " He has not." 
 
 " I wish he would come, Mrs. Green. I must go 
 to the city by the first train to-morrow morn- 
 ing."
 
 98 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 "By the first train? Why! what for?" 
 
 " I must see father," sighed she. 
 
 " You must be calm, Bertha. This violent tak- 
 ing on don't seem like you." 
 
 " You don't understand it, Mrs. Green," added 
 Bertha, looking sadly at the housekeeper. 
 
 " O, yes, I do ; I have known a hundred people 
 to fail, and some of them did not sell a single 
 horse, or discharge a single servant, but lived on 
 just the same as they did before they failed. It 
 isn't such a terrible thing, after all." 
 
 " You don't understand it," groaned Bertha, her 
 eyes filling with tears again. 
 
 " Why, yes, I do. Some folks fail on purpose, 
 and make ever so much money by it. Don't cry 
 about it." 
 
 " It is nothing of that kind that makes me 
 feel so." 
 
 " What in the world is it, then ? " asked the 
 housekeeper, astonished and alarmed by the reply. 
 
 " I cannot tell you. Do not ask me. You will 
 know too soon. But I will try to be calm, and 
 not disturb you and others by my conduct." 
 
 " Bless you, child ! You don't disturb me, but 
 I feel as bad as you do. I hope nothing bad has 
 happened."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 99 
 
 " I cannot answer you," replied Bertha, as she 
 shuddered at the thought of the terrible thing she 
 had read in the newspaper. " There, I will not 
 cry any more." 
 
 She rose from the sofa, and summoned all her 
 strength to her aid; she tried to recover her 
 wonted self-possession, but the blow she had re- 
 ceived was too heavy and too awful to be easily 
 resisted. She picked up the newspaper from the 
 floor, and put it in her pocket, that none of the 
 family might read the terrible paragraph which 
 had taken away her reason for the time. 
 
 In her own bosom she locked up the fearful 
 truth. She had no one to whom she dared to im- 
 part it. The reason why none of the children had 
 come to the party was painfully apparent to her. 
 The neighbors had read the morning papers, had 
 read that stunning paragraph, and Woodville was 
 no place for their children to visit after such a 
 revelation. 
 
 Poor Bertha tried to eat her supper, but she 
 could not. The terrible secret was burning at her 
 heart. She dared not utter it, lest the house- 
 keeper and the steward, and even old Ben, should 
 desert the family, as the neighbors had done. But 
 Kichard was her brother, and she must tell him.
 
 ioo Rich and Humble, or 
 
 He was older than she was, and such a shock as 
 this would electrify him. 
 
 The secret seemed to gnaw at her soul, and she 
 felt the need of a friend and comforter, and Rich- 
 ard was the only one to whom she could muster 
 courage to reveal it. After rising from the supper 
 table, where she had vainly tried to eat, she has- 
 tened down to the wharf to meet her brother on 
 his return. As she approached the pier, she saw 
 the Greyhound coming around the island. In a 
 few moments it was within hail of the wharf; 
 when Bertha discovered, with intense alarm, that 
 Richard was not at the helm. 
 
 The boat was steered by Tom Mullen; but on 
 its nearer approach, the poor girl perceived the 
 form of her brother lying in the bottom. She ut- 
 tered a scream of terror, for he appeared to be 
 dead. 
 
 " Don't be frightened, miss," said Tom Mullen, 
 as he brought the boat alongside the wharf. 
 
 " Is he dead ? " gasped Bertha. 
 
 " O, no, Miss Grant. Nothing of the kind. He 
 took one glass more than he could carry, and it 
 threw him," laughed Tom. 
 
 Richard was intoxicated! It was scarcely bet- 
 ter than dead.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 101 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA MEETS THE NEW OWNER OF 
 WOODVILLE. 
 
 BERTHA was shocked and almost paralyzed when 
 she realized the condition of her brother. It was 
 dreadful to see a mere boy, only fifteen years of 
 age, in a state of beastly intoxication, and that 
 boy her only brother, he to whom she had looked 
 for counsel and encouragement in this hour of bit- 
 ter trial. All her hopes seemed to be dissipated 
 by this greatest calamity, and despair to be her 
 only resort. 
 
 Tom Mullen's coarseness for he alluded to the 
 condition of Richard as though it were a matter 
 of no consequence grated harshly upon her feel- 
 ings, and in a low tone she begged Ben, who had 
 now come to her assistance, to send him off. The 
 boatman and Tom bore Richard to the seat upon 
 the pier, and then the former thanked the rowdy 
 for what he had done for Mr. Richard, and pro- 
 posed to take him back to Whitestone in one of 
 the row boats. Tom assented to the arrangement,
 
 IO2 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 and much to the relief of Bertha, he bade her 
 good night, and stepped into the boat, leaving her 
 alone with the helpless boy. 
 
 " Too bad," sighed Ben. " Too bad for a fine 
 boy, like Mr. Richard, to come home in such a 
 situation as that." 
 
 " That's a fact, Ben. I told him he had got 
 enough, and advised him not to take the last glass. 
 I did all I could to keep him straight; so it is 
 not my fault that he comes home drunk." 
 
 " If he had never seen you and the rest of the 
 boys on the other side of the river, he might have 
 been a decent boy." 
 
 " That is talking pretty close to the point," re- 
 plied Tom Mullen, sourly. 
 
 " Perhaps it is. Mr. Richard is a smart boy 
 and worth a dozen of the rowdies he goes with." 
 
 " May be he is ; but if he don't want my com- 
 pany, I am sure I don't want his. I can get 
 along as well without him as he can without me. 
 He wanted to race boats with me, and he did, and 
 lost the race. I am five dollars better off for the 
 affair than before, it is true; but I paid for all 
 the liquor he drank." 
 
 " Don't say any more, Tom Mullen, or you will 
 tempt me to throw you into the river."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 103 
 
 "But don't you see I am not to blame?'' 
 
 " Silence ! You have led this poor boy into all 
 sorts of iniquity, and if I thought you knew any 
 better, I would take it out of your bones." 
 
 Tom Mullen was a boy of seventeen. His feel- 
 ings were deeply injured by the plain speech of 
 the old boatman, if a person of his stamp had feel- 
 ings, and he was disposed to resent his home 
 thrusts; but he knew old Ben well enough not to 
 atempt any thing of the kind at present, and laid 
 up his revenge for a more convenient season. 
 
 Ben landed his dissolute passenger on the pier 
 at Whitestone, and hastened back to comfort Ber- 
 tha, and attend to the besotted youth. On his 
 return he found the poor girl weeping over her 
 brother. 
 
 " This is terrible, Ben ! " sobbed she. " To think 
 that Kichard should ever come to this!" 
 
 " It's awful to see a man drunk, and I think 
 the angels must weep to see a boy in such a 
 state." 
 
 "What shall we do? I don't want to expose 
 fcim to all the servants in the house." 
 
 " Leave him to me, Miss Bertha. I will take 
 good care of him, and not a soul shall see him till 
 he is all right again. Go up to the house; go to 
 bed, and sleep as though nothing had happened."
 
 IO4 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 . 
 
 " Thank you, Ben : you are very kind to save 
 my feelings, and Richard's, too, for he will hide 
 his head with shame when he realizes what he has 
 done." 
 
 " I hope he will ; and bad as this thing is, it 
 may be all for the best. It may be the very thing 
 he needs to open his eyes and reform his life." 
 
 Bertha tried to hope that what the old man said 
 might prove true ; but just then there seemed to be 
 no stability in any thing human, and she could 
 not help feeling that Richard was ruined forever 
 that his life would be that of the miserable sot, 
 and end in the drunkard's grave. So many ter- 
 rible events had suddenly been hurled upon her, 
 that she had begun to give way to the sense of 
 gloom and despondency which the dark clouds of 
 human ill often induce. 
 
 With a repeated charge to Ben to see that Rich- 
 ard was well cared for, she bade him good night, 
 and slowly walked up towards the house. She 
 went to her chamber, and her prayers that night 
 were longer and more earnest than usual; but 
 they gave her hope and strength, for "earth has 
 no sorrow which Heaven cannot heal." Exhausted 
 by her physical exertions, as well as by her 
 mental struggles, she soon wept herself to sleep.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 105 
 
 As soon as Bertha left the wharf, the boatman 
 at once applied himself to the redeeming of his 
 promise. Lifting the inebriated boy in his arms, 
 he carried him to a shallow place by the bank of 
 the river, and having removed his clothing, he 
 commenced a vigorous course of hydropathic 
 treatment, which partially brought the patient to 
 his senses. Richard thought it was rather rough, 
 when he had so far recovered from his stupor as to 
 be able to comprehend his situation, and he begged 
 the doctor to desist; but Ben persevered till he 
 was satisfied he had done his work thoroughly. 
 He then carefully rubbed him dry, and led him 
 back to the boat house, where he made a bed for 
 him of sails and boat cushions. The patient was 
 still too stupid to offer any objection, and dropped 
 asleep almost as soon as he touched his bed. Ben 
 slept by his side, faithful to the charge given him 
 by his young mistress. 
 
 The next morning, Richard had entirely re- 
 covered from his debauch, with the exception of a 
 severe headache. The vigorous treatment of the 
 old boatman had, no doubt, been highly beneficial. 
 At all events, he was sufficiently recovered to be 
 heartily ashamed of himself; for he realized that 
 he had been intoxicated, and had a faint recol-
 
 io6 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 lection of the energetic operations of Ben. But 
 I am sorry to add that his pride was more deeply 
 wounded than his principle. He began to think 
 of what people would say, rather than of the 
 wrong he had done. The feeling that he had dis- 
 graced himself and his family, rather than sinned 
 against God and himself, took possession of his 
 mind. 
 
 He was soon called to a realizing sense of his 
 conduct by the vigorous scolding which Ben gave 
 him. The old man was as faithful in his admoni- 
 tion as though the boy had been his own son; 
 and Richard's shame and mortification did not 
 permit him to utter a word in his own defence. 
 While he was undergoing this severe lecture, Ber- 
 tha came down to inquire for his health. The 
 boatman brought his address to an abrupt conclu- 
 sion, and told Bertha what he had done, and that 
 the patient was in as good condition as could be 
 expected after such a time. 
 
 " Come up to the house with me, Richard," said 
 Bertha ; " I want to talk with you." 
 
 " I have had talk enough, and I don't think 
 any more would do me any good," replied Rich- 
 ard ; but the remonstrance was very tame for him. 
 
 " I will not reproach you for what you have
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 107 
 
 done, Dick. I will leave that to your own con- 
 science. I have something else to say to you." 
 
 " I don't want to go up to the house, and be 
 laughed at by all the servants. I feel more like 
 clearing out somewhere, and never seeing any 
 body that knows me again." 
 
 " No one at the house knows any thing about 
 your conduct." 
 
 Richard thought it was very considerate on the 
 part of Ben and his sister to conceal his infirmity 
 from others, and he felt grateful to them for spar- 
 ing his pride. He walked up to the house with 
 Bertha, and after he had changed his clothes and 
 eaten his breakfast, they met again in the library. 
 
 Just before breakfast, Mrs. Green had told him 
 about the failure of Fanny's party, and the faint- 
 ing of Bertha. He was indignant at the slight 
 upon the family, and pitied poor Bertha, who had 
 taken it so sorely to heart. He reproached him- 
 self more than ever for his own conduct, and de- 
 termined to make what reparation he could for it. 
 
 " I did not think our neighbors were so heart- 
 less before," said Richard, as he entered the 
 library where Bertha was waiting for him. " It 
 makes my blood boil to think of it." 
 
 " I am not at all surprised at their conduct.
 
 io8 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 Perhaps they kept their children at home from the 
 best of motives, for they probably knew more of 
 our affairs than we did ourselves," replied Bertha, 
 as she wiped away the tears from her eyes, which 
 would come in spite of all her efforts to repress 
 them. 
 
 " What do you mean by that, Bertha ? " 
 
 " Father is utterly ruined." 
 
 " Well, he has failed, I suppose ; but I " 
 
 " O, worse than that ; as much worse than that 
 as can be ! " exclaimed Bertha. 
 
 " Why, what has happened ? You had a letter 
 from him yesterday, saying that he was alive and 
 well." 
 
 " I did; but he did not tell us the whole truth." 
 
 " Why, what do you mean, Bertha ? What can 
 have happened to him ? " 
 
 " He is not only ruined, but he is in prison." 
 
 " In prison ! " exclaimed Richard, shocked at 
 these words. 
 
 " In the Tombs," replied she, covering her face 
 with her hands. " I read it in the newspaper last 
 night." 
 
 " What has he done ? " demanded Richard, with 
 quivering lip. 
 
 " He was arrested on the charge of fraud the
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 109 
 
 paper says stupendous frauds in his business. I 
 do not understand it, but I am sure, very sure, 
 that father has not done any thing wrong. I 
 know he would not do it." 
 
 " Certainly not," added Richard, biting his lip 
 till the blood ran. 
 
 " The newspaper says that he was arrested in 
 an attempt to leave the country, which rendered 
 his guilt all the more apparent; but I do not be- 
 lieve it." 
 
 " Nor I," added Richard. 
 
 " Here is the paper ; you can read the para- 
 graph, and perhaps you will understand it better 
 than I do," said Bertha, as she took the paper 
 from her pocket. 
 
 Richard read the article, and then read it again ; 
 but the complicated transactions which it de- 
 scribed were as much beyond his comprehension as 
 they had been beyond his sister's. The failure of 
 an extensive English banking house had been the 
 beginning of Mr. Grant's misfortunes, and the 
 alleged frauds were committed in attempting to 
 sustain himself against the pressure caused by 
 being deprived of his foreign resources. But my 
 young readers would be as much in the dark as 
 Richard and Bertha, if I should attempt to explain
 
 no Rich and Humble, or 
 
 the situation of Mr. Grant's affairs. It is enough 
 to say that all the apparent wealth of the broker, 
 immense as it had appeared to himself and to his 
 neighbors, had suddenly been swept away, and 
 that he was thrown into prison on the charge of 
 fraud. 
 
 Since the preceding evening, Bertha had borne 
 this heavy load upon her heart, made ten times 
 heavier by the misconduct of her brother. The 
 consciousness that she could do nothing to aid her 
 father, or even to comfort him, was not the least 
 of her troubles. Mr. Grant had concealed from 
 his children the fact of his arrest and imprison- 
 ment, and she had given up her purpose to visit 
 him in his prison, for it could only add to his 
 grief, since he now supposed her to be ignorant of 
 his real condition. 
 
 Among other items in the paragraph, the news- 
 paper said that Mr. Grant had secured his princi- 
 pal and most pressing creditor by making over to 
 him his splendid estate on the Hudson, with all 
 its furniture, appointments, boats, library ; indeed, 
 every thing there was at Woodville. This state- 
 ment was even more startling to Richard than the 
 fact of his father's arrest. All the worldly pos- 
 sessions of his father had passed away, almost in
 
 - The Mission of Bertha Grant, in 
 
 the twinkling of an eye. When he heard of the 
 failure, he recalled the case of one of the neigh- 
 bors, who, though a bankrupt, had retained his 
 house and lands, and he had expected that his 
 father would do the same. But now Woodville 
 was gone: even the furniture in the house, the 
 boats and the horses, all were to be given up, and 
 the proud youth looked with disgust and contempt 
 upon the poor cottage, or other humble abode, 
 which his fancy pictured as the future residence 
 of the family. 
 
 He was selfish, grossly selfish, in his pride and 
 vanity, and he almost forgot the situation of his 
 father in his mourning over the loss of the lux- 
 uries to which he had always been accustomed. 
 Henceforth he was to be no better than the young 
 men of Whitestone, who had regarded him with 
 envy and admiration. 
 
 While he and Bertha were considering, from 
 widely different points of view, the sad misfor- 
 tune which had overtaken them, the man to whom 
 Mr. Grant had transferred Woodville arrived to 
 take possession of his property. As he was a 
 money lender, and had no other God but his 
 wealth, he was a hard man, rude and rough. 
 Woodville would not pay him for the money he
 
 H2 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 had lent its late owner, and obtaining possession 
 of the place did not appease the anger which the 
 failure of Mr. Grant had occasioned. 
 
 He was duly armed with all the necessary 
 papers to make his work legal; and he had no 
 regard for the feelings of the children or the serv- 
 ants. He walked all over the house and grounds, 
 with his followers, and gave orders to the servants 
 for the disposal of the boats and the horses. 
 
 "Can we remain here?" asked Bertha, in 
 timid and trembling tones, as the new owner, for 
 the third time, rudely entered the library, where 
 Bertha and Richard were Btill seated, followed by 
 all his train. 
 
 " How long do yon want to stay ? " demanded 
 Mr. Grayle, the new proprietor, with an unfeel- 
 ing stare at her and her brother. 
 
 " I don't know ; till father comes home, I sup- 
 pose," answered Bertha, alarmed and indignant 
 at the coarse manner of the man. 
 
 " That will be a long time, I rather think," said 
 Mr. Grayle. " Haven't you got any uncles or 
 aunts, or other friend*, yon conld visit for a few 
 weeks?" 
 
 "We have no relative but uncle Obed, and he 
 is in South America; but we will not stay here 
 if you do not wish us to do so."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 113 
 
 "Well, I don't want to be hard with you. I 
 have a purchaser in view who will take the estate 
 as it stands. He will be here to-morrow ; but you 
 can stay till I sell the place," said Grayle. 
 
 "Do you think he will buy it?" asked Rich- 
 ard. 
 
 " I am reasonably sure that he will." 
 
 " Then we must indeed leave Woodville," 
 groaned Richard. 
 
 " I shouldn't think you would want to stay 
 here, after what has happened," sneered Grayle. 
 " But if you want to stay, of course I shall not 
 drive you out. As to your father's coming home, 
 don't delude yourself on that point, young man. 
 In my opinion, you won't see him for some 
 years, unless you go where he happens to be." 
 
 " What do you mean by that? " demanded Rich- 
 ard, his face crimson with sJiame. 
 
 " I suppose you know where Singsing is. If 
 you call at the penitentiary there, in the course of 
 a month or two, you will probably find him." 
 
 " You are an unfeeling brute," gasped Richard, 
 filled with rage at the words and the sneers of the 
 money-lender. 
 
 " You are a little too bad," whispered one of 
 the attendants of Grayle.
 
 ii4 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I speak the truth. This young cub has been 
 living at my expense for some time. He is prouder 
 than his father, and it is time for him to open 
 his eyes. But I won't be hard with them. I shall 
 lock up the parlors, the library, and the dining 
 room. They may have the use of the kitchen and 
 their own chambers. We will send the servants 
 off to-day. They may have their rooms and wel- 
 come, though I suppose they won't thank me for 
 them," growled Grayle, as he left the library. 
 
 Richard and Bertha were almost stunned by 
 these words; but they hastened from the library to 
 their own chambers, to avoid further insult.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 115 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA LEAVES WOODVILLE, AND RICHARD 
 IS AS PROUD AS EVER. 
 
 THERE was no longer any room, if there was 
 any desire, to conceal the misfortunes which had 
 overtaken the owner of Woodville. The servants 
 were all talking about the matter, and the as- 
 tounding intelligence that Mr. Grant had been 
 sent to the Tombs for fraud was spreading in 
 every direction. Before night the steward and 
 the housekeeper, the boatman and the grooms, 
 indeed all who had held any position at Wood- 
 ville, were discharged. Not even Mrs. Green was 
 allowed to remain; for Grayle feared that the 
 affection of the late owner's employees might lead 
 them to appropriate some of the property of their 
 master. Perhaps his principal object was to drive 
 the children from the place. Whether it was or 
 not, it had this affect, for they could not remain 
 any longer in the deserted home. 
 
 " What shall we do ? We can't remain here 
 any longer," said Richard, as the three lonely
 
 n6 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 children met together in the chamber of Bertha. 
 " There is not a servant left in the house. For 
 one, I cannot remain here any longer." 
 
 " I feel that we are intruders ; but where shall 
 we go ? " added Bertha. 
 
 " An j where ; I care not where." 
 
 " But we have no place to go. Our rich and 
 proud neighbors will not receive us now." 
 
 " If I knew they would, I wouldn't darken their 
 doors," replied Richard, proudly. 
 
 " Nor I, after what they did yesterday," added 
 Fanny. 
 
 " I cannot stay here to be watched and dogged 
 by that man whom Grayle has left in charge of 
 the place. If I move, he follows me, as though 
 he were afraid I would steal something," con- 
 tinued Eichard, chafing under the new order of 
 things. " I will not remain under this roof a 
 single hour longer." 
 
 " Where shall we go ? " 
 
 " We will go to the hotel over at Whitestone." 
 
 " To the hotel ? How can we go to the hotel. 
 We have not money enough to pay for a single 
 day's board." 
 
 " Yes, we have. I have over thirty dollars in 
 my pocket."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 117 
 
 " Thirty dollars? " repeated Bertha, with an in- 
 quiring glance. 
 
 " Yes ; thirty-five, I think." 
 
 " O, Richard ! " sighed Bertha. 
 
 " Come, Berty, don't reprove me any more ; 
 and as I have no longer any reason for keeping it 
 secret, I will tell you that I had fifty dollars. I 
 saved the man on the steamer from drowning, and 
 gave him the name of John Green." 
 
 Bertha was not disposed to criticise his conduct 
 at this time, but she was rejoiced to know that 
 he had so much money, and that he came honestly 
 by it. She readily assented to the plan of going 
 to the hotel in Whitestone, and hastily packed up 
 her own and Fanny's clothing in a trunk which 
 belonged to her, as Richard had already done with 
 his own wardrobe. 
 
 The trunks were carried down stairs by Richard 
 and Bertha, and placed upon the piazza. They 
 were heavy, and their weight reminded the proud 
 youth of the condition to which he had fallen. 
 He had never done such a thing as to carry his 
 own trunk down stairs before. There were a 
 dozen willing servants ready to do such work ; but 
 they had all been driven, like unclean beasts, from 
 the premises.
 
 n8 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 But some of them had not gone far. Old Ben, 
 like a guardian angel, hovered around the house, 
 in spite of the orders of the keeper to leave; and 
 no sooner were the trunks visible on the piazza 
 than the boatman made his appearance. He had 
 been up to Bertha's room several times during the 
 day, and had done what he could to comfort her ; 
 but he was old and poor, and he had nothing to 
 offer but words of hope and consolation. 
 
 " Are you going, Miss Bertha ? " he asked, as 
 the children came out of the house. 
 
 " Yes, Ben ; we cannot stay here, where we are 
 not wanted, any longer. We are going over to 
 the hotel at Whitestone." 
 
 " Then I will go with you ; and I am glad that 
 you are going where I may have a chance to 
 speak to you. These lubberly landsharks have 
 been trying to drive me away from Woodville ; but 
 I shall not lose sight of the place while any of you 
 remain. Dear me! this is the saddest day I ever 
 knew in my life ; but after a storm there's always 
 a calm. Keep a cheery heart, and it will all come 
 out right in the end," said Ben, as with much dif- 
 ficulty he shouldered the big trunk, and walked 
 towards the wharf. 
 
 " Stop, there ! " said a voice, in the direction of 
 the stable.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 119 
 
 At this moment Noddy Newman came bounding 
 over the lawn, closely pursued by the keeper of 
 
 the estate. The little savage had been driven off
 
 I2O Rich and Humble, or 
 
 the premises a dozen times during the day ; but he 
 had as many times returned, determined not to 
 desert Bertha in this hour of her extremity. 
 
 " Stop ! " shouted the keeper. " Put down that 
 trunk ; " and the man placed himself in front of 
 Ben, who, followed by Bertha and Richard with 
 the smaller trunk, was leading the little proces- 
 sion down to the pier. 
 
 "What do you want?" said Ben, gruffly, as he 
 deposited the trunk upon the ground. 
 
 " I ordered you to leave these premises." 
 
 " And I am going to leave them now, once and 
 for all," replied Ben. " The children are going 
 with me." 
 
 " You cannot carry off those trunks." 
 
 " I think we can if our strength holds out. 
 Here, Noddy, take hold of that trunk with Mr. 
 Richard." 
 
 " Stop, I say ! You shall not carry those trunks 
 off the place." 
 
 " They contain nothing but our clothes," inter- 
 posed Bertha. 
 
 " I don't know that," said the keeper, who was 
 evidently a close imitator of his employer. 
 
 " 7 know it ; go ahead, Ben," added Richard. 
 
 " I say you cannot carry off those trunks," per- 
 sisted the man.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 121 
 
 "Can't we have our own clothes?" asked Ber- 
 tha. " There is nothing else in them." 
 
 "Open them, and let me see," added the man, 
 roughly. 
 
 " I will not do it ! " answered Richard, stoutly. 
 " I give my word that they contain nothing but 
 our clothing." 
 
 " What is your word good for, young man ? 
 You may open them, or carry them back to the 
 house." 
 
 " I will do neither. Move on, Ben." 
 
 Ben attempted to take up the trunk again, but 
 the man put his hands upon it in such a manner 
 as to prevent him from doing so. 
 
 " You miserable landshark," said Ben, letting 
 go the trunk. " You have all the law on your side, 
 perhaps, but I have all the common sense and hu- 
 manity on mine. Aren't you ashamed of your- 
 self to persecute these poor children in this man- 
 ner?" 
 
 " I only do my duty," whined the keeper. 
 
 " I am going to take these things down to the 
 pier, whether you are willing or not. I am ready 
 to shake hands or fight with you, but I am going 
 to do what I say ; " and Ben proceeded once more 
 to shoulder the trunk.
 
 122 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 The keeper did not deem it prudent to interfere 
 with him again ; and perhaps he thought he was 
 doing more than his duty required of him. The 
 party reached the pier, and were on the point of 
 putting the trunks into the four-oar barge, when 
 the keeper again interposed to prevent them from 
 using the boat. This was plainly a part of 
 Grayle's property, and there could be no question 
 in regard to the man's right to interfere. He 
 was inflexible though Ben and Bertha both begged 
 the use of the boat for a single hour. 
 
 Noddy stood by watching with intense interest 
 the proceedings, and so indignant that he could no 
 longer contain himself. He began to abuse the 
 keeper in round terms; and finding this did him no 
 damage, he picked up a large stone, and would 
 have thrown it, if Bertha had not commanded 
 him to drop it and be silent. 
 
 " Why don't you take the boat? " said he. 
 
 " Because it is not right to take it." 
 
 " Right ! Humph ! " pouted Noddy. " I would 
 take it quick enough. But hold on a minute, Miss 
 Bertha, and I will get you a boat ; " and away he 
 ran down the bank of the river, before she could 
 stop him. 
 
 In half an hour he returned in a boat with Bob
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 123 
 
 Bleeker, whom he had hailed from the point below. 
 Bob was what would be called a " rough " in the 
 city of New York, but he was a man of generous 
 heart, and had many good qualities. As his boat 
 rounded up by the side of the wharf, he stepped 
 ashore, and offered his services to convey the party 
 over to Whitestone; for Noddy had already told 
 him, with a good deal of coloring, about the con- 
 duct of the keeper. 
 
 He helped Ben put the trunks in the boat, and 
 then handed Bertha and Fanny to their seats. 
 The keeper stood by, watching the movements of 
 the party ; and when they were seated in the boat, 
 and Bob was about to shove off, he uttered some 
 insolent remarks. 
 
 " Stand by the boat-hook a moment, Ben," said 
 Bob, as he jumped on the wharf again. 
 
 " What do you want now ? " said the keeper. 
 " Be off quick as you can." 
 
 " I can't go till I have paid my respects to you," 
 replied Bob Bleeker. " You are the meanest Hot- 
 tentot that ever landed on this side of North River. 
 Couldn't you let these children have a boat to 
 get out of your sight in ? " 
 
 "Begone! None of your insolence here! I 
 have got rid of them now," growled the keeper.
 
 124 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " But you haven't got rid of me just yet. I 
 want to leave you my card. There it is ! " he 
 added, striking the brutal wretch in the face with 
 such force that the blow knocked him down. " I 
 know how you've treated these children ; I have 
 heard all about it ; and I couldn't leave you with- 
 out something to remember me by. My name is 
 Bob Bleeker, of Whitestone; and if you want to 
 meet me in a court of justice, I shall be willing 
 to pay ten dollars, or so, for the sake of showing 
 up such a villain as you are." 
 
 The keeper picked himself up, and retreated 
 from the spot, muttering vengeance upon the head 
 of the chivalrous " rough." 
 
 Bob Bleeker did wrong to strike the keeper, 
 however much the fellow deserved a whipping 
 for his brutality. Noddy stood by, and witnesed 
 the castigation with a satisfaction that he ex- 
 pressed in the most extravagant manner. Bertha 
 alone condemned the conduct of Bob ; but she gave 
 him credit for his good will. 
 
 The boat was pushed off, and in a few moments 
 the fresh breeze carried them over to Whitestone. 
 Bob and Ben conveyed tne trunks up to the hotel, 
 where they obtained two rooms. They were not 
 such as the children had occupied at Woodville,
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 125 
 
 but they were cheerful and comfortable. At an 
 early hour Fanny, worn out by the exciting events 
 of the day, retired to rest, leaving Richard and 
 Bertha to consider some plan for the future. 
 
 Strange as it may seem, Bertha experienced a 
 feeling of relief when she found herself domiciled 
 at the hotel. She had left Woodville had been 
 almost driven from it; had been insulted and 
 outraged in her feelings; but the tie which bound 
 her to the home of her childhood had been snapped. 
 There had been none of the sighs and tears with 
 which she had expected to bid farewell to Wood- 
 ville ; she, and her brother and sister, had been too 
 glad to get away from it. She felt stronger and 
 more hopeful than she had since the first note of 
 disaster had sounded in her ears. 
 
 However dark and forbidding the future might 
 look, she was ready to meet it, for it seemed as 
 though all of grief and misfortune that the world 
 could have in store had already been hurled upon 
 her afflicted family. 
 
 "What are we to do, Richard?" said she, as 
 she joined him in his room. 
 
 " I don't know," replied he, blankly ; " I have 
 not thought of that yet." 
 
 It is time to think of it."
 
 126 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 "What can we do?" 
 
 " There are a hundred things that we can do. 
 You are strong and healthy, and have been well 
 educated. Perhaps you can find a place." 
 
 "A place? A place for what?" said Richard, 
 looking curiously into the face of his sister. 
 
 "A place to work, of course," answered she, 
 with no attempt to soften the words. 
 
 " A place to work ! " repeated he, slowly, as if 
 to obtain the full force of the idea. " What do 
 you suppose I can do? " 
 
 " You can get a place to learn a trade ; or you 
 can go into a store." 
 
 " Get a place to learn a trade ! " exclaimed Rich- 
 ard, rising suddenly from his chair, and walking 
 up and down the room. " Don't you think the 
 only son of Franklin Grant would look very pretty 
 learning a trade? Don't mention such a thing as 
 that to me again." 
 
 " Why, Richard, I am surprised to find that ex- 
 perience has taught you nothing," replied Bertha. 
 " You surely do not expect to be a gentleman, 
 now that there is not a dollar of all your father's 
 wealth left?" 
 
 " I intend to be a gentleman as long as I live." 
 
 " But you must work."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 127 
 
 * I have money." 
 
 " Thirty-five dollars ! How long do you suppose 
 it will last? It will not pay our board for more 
 than two or three weeks." 
 
 " Perhaps I can do something that is light and 
 genteel. At any rate, I will see what can be 
 done to-morrow; but I shall not learn any trade, 
 I'll warrant you." 
 
 " You must conquer your pride, Richard, and 
 remember that we are beggars now." 
 
 " Perhaps we are. I wonder when uncle Obed 
 is coming home from Valparaiso. He is im- 
 mensely rich. 
 
 " I don't know ; we might starve before we 
 heard from him." 
 
 "Starve? Pooh! What is the use of talking 
 about such things." 
 
 " We had better look things right in the face. 
 I don't think you have considered our situation. 
 We have neither money nor friends. We must 
 work for a living, unless you are willing to go to 
 the almshouse, and live on charity. I am not, and 
 I intend to go to work." 
 
 " What are you going to do, Berty? " asked he, 
 with an incredulous smile. 
 
 * I don't know yet; I am going to work."
 
 128 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " Don't disgrace yourself and your family, 
 Berty." 
 
 " What nonsense you talk, Richard ! We are 
 beggars and outcasts, and it is all folly to talk 
 about disgracing myself or the family. I shall 
 find something to do in a few days. I wish I could 
 see father. He would tell me what to do." 
 
 Richard's pride could not yet be conquered, and 
 Bertha retired, feeling that the rude hand of neces- 
 sity would soon make hard terms with him. But 
 with such views as he held, it was not safe to re* 
 main at a hotel, and she resolved to find a cheapeE 
 residence the next daj.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 129 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA VISITS THE WIDOW LAMB, AND 
 MAKES ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FUTURE. 
 
 ON the following morning, Bertha, who, in spite 
 of her cares and trials, had slept well, rose early, 
 and applied herself with zeal and energy to the 
 great work before her a work so difficult and 
 delicate that it would have challenged the whole 
 ability of a mature and experienced mind. Her 
 pathway was full of trials and perplexities, for 
 she had but little knowledge of the world, and was 
 without the aid of influential friends. 
 
 There were two very difficult problems, which re- 
 quired an immediate solution. The first was, what 
 to do with Fanny ; and the second, whether Rich- 
 ard would be a help or a hindrance to her. If 
 there had been no one but herself to provide for, 
 the task would have been an easy one. Fanny 
 was too young to do any thing for herself, and 
 Richard's pride was a stumbling-block in his path. 
 The thirty-five dollars in her brother's possession 
 was but a small sum to pay the expenses of a
 
 130 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 family ; but she was not sure that even this would 
 be devoted to the purpose. 
 
 Her father was languishing in prison. He was 
 Buffering for himself, and suffering for them ; for 
 she knew that his greatest grief would be the 
 thought of his children, now cast penniless and 
 unprotected upon the cold world. She wanted to 
 do something for him, and she would gladly have 
 gone to his prison, and shared its gloom and its 
 horrors with him, if she could take the weight of 
 one straw from the heavy burden he was compelled 
 to bear. But the nearer and more pressing duties 
 of the hour would not permit her to yield even 
 this filial offering till she had done something to 
 prepare for the cold and forbidding future. 
 
 These were some of the perplexities; but the 
 perils and difficulties that surrounded her seemed 
 to give her new strength and new courage. The 
 words of the Scripture, " As thy day, so shall thy 
 strength be," as embodied in a beautiful and com- 
 forting poem by Mrs. Sigourney, lingered encour- 
 agingly in her mind, to sweeten the cup of adver- 
 sity and nerve her soul for the conflict of the day. 
 On this morning, therefore, she was calm and reso- 
 lute, and looked hopefully forward to what the 
 day might bring forth.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 131 
 
 Her first care was for Fanny; and she had 
 already decided what disposition to make of her. 
 She intended, with the assistance of Ben, to find a 
 place in some poor but respectable family, where 
 she could be boarded for a small sum. Bertha 
 hoped that before many weeks the family might be 
 united again under one roof, however humble; 
 and this arrangement was to be only a temporary 
 one. 
 
 While Eichard and Fanny were still sleeping, 
 she looked out of her window and saw the old boat- 
 man walking up and down in front of the house. 
 He had lodged with Bob Bleeker; but very much 
 as a faithful watch dog keeps guard over the prop- 
 erty of his master, he kept his eyes upon the 
 children, without being forward, or intruding up- 
 on them at unseemly hours. Bertha passed 
 through the silent halls of the hotel, and joined 
 the boatman upon the piazza, where she informed 
 him of her plan in regard to Fanny. 
 
 " Now, Ben, can you help me find a good place, 
 where she can be boarded for a small sum? for 
 you know we cannot afford to pay much." 
 
 " I know a poor widow woman, where I used 
 to board myself, years ago; but the place would 
 not suit Miss Fanny. It wouldn't be stylish 
 enough."
 
 132 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " No matter for that, Ben. It will come hard 
 to her, but she must learn to live as poor folks 
 live. Is she a good woman ? " 
 
 " There isn't a better on the face of the earth. 
 She took care of me when I was laid up with the 
 rheumatism. Mrs. Lamb is a Christian woman, if 
 there is one in this world," said Ben with empha- 
 sis; "and if I had a daughter, I don't know 
 another person with whom I would more willingly 
 trust her." 
 
 " Do you think Mrs. Lamb would be willing to 
 take Fanny?" 
 
 " I think she would ; only I am afraid Miss 
 Fanny would give her a great deal of trouble. 
 You know she has very fine notions, and Mrs. 
 Lamb's house isn't a bit like Woodville." 
 
 " Of course not ; but Fanny may as well begin 
 first as last to learn her lesson. I am sorry for 
 her, poor child; I pity her, for I know it is a 
 terrible blow to her to be deprived of the nice 
 things she had at home." 
 
 " It is no worse for her than it is for you, Miss 
 Bertha," added Ben, with a smile. 
 
 " I never cared so much for fine things as Rich- 
 ard and Fanny. It is no credit to me, for I sup- 
 pose I was born so."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 133 
 
 " Yes, Miss Bertha ; one who has been rich and 
 humble, can be humble enough in poverty; but 
 pride and want don't go well together." 
 
 " Where does Mrs. Lamb live ? >' 
 
 " About half a mile from here, just outside of 
 the village. She has got a very pretty cottage 
 which her husband left her when he died; but 
 that is all she has got, and she has to work pretty 
 hard for a living. She does washing and ironing 
 for the rich people of the place, and she has as 
 many friends as a member of Congress. We will 
 walk over to the widow's house, if you please, 
 Miss Bertha. If you will walk along, I will fol- 
 low you." 
 
 " Come with me, Ben," said Bertha, with a 
 smile, as she took hold of his arm, and led him 
 along for a few paces. 
 
 " I didn't know as you would like to walk with 
 a rough-looking man like me," added Ben, as he 
 dashed away a truant tear, which his pride and 
 his affection had jointly contributed to form. 
 
 <l I am not proud, Ben." 
 
 "You never were, Miss Bertha." 
 
 " What are you going to do, Ben ? I have 
 been so selfish that I have hardly thought of 
 you."
 
 134 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " O, I shall do very well, Miss Bertha/' answered 
 Ben, with a smile of pleasure at this manifestation 
 of interest on the part of his master's daughter. 
 
 " I had hoped you would always remain in our 
 family; and it hurts my feelings to see you now, 
 an old man, and rather infirm, thrown upon the 
 world to take care of yourself." 
 
 *' Don't think of me. I have my plans all 
 formed." 
 
 " My father never gave you large wages, for I 
 know he meant to take care of you as long as you 
 lived. I suppose you haven't saved much." 
 
 " Hardly any thing, Miss Bertha. I sent all 
 the money I could spare to my daughter, out west, 
 after her husband died. I don't know how she 
 will get along now. But I can manage to make 
 some money. I have a matter of a hundred dol- 
 lars or so, salted down in the Savings Bank in 
 Whitestone, for a rainy day." 
 
 " That will not support you." 
 
 " No ; I bargained for a boat, last night, with 
 Bob Bleeker, and was to have given him this 
 hundred dollars in part pay; but I " 
 
 The old man suspended his speech at this point, 
 and walked along with his eyes fixed on the 
 ground, while the long breaths he drew indicated 
 the emotion that agitated his bosom.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 135 
 
 "What, Ben?" gently asked Bertha. 
 
 " I didn't dare to pay away this money." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Since you were driven out of Woodville, I 
 have thought this hundred dollars might be of 
 some help to you." 
 
 "To me!" exclaimed Bertha. "I could not 
 think of touching your money. Besides, we shall 
 not need it. Richard has some money, and we 
 shall get along very well. Keep it, Ben, for you 
 will need it yourself." 
 
 " It is all at your service, Miss Bertha. It is 
 little I can offer, but you are welcome to it." 
 
 " We shall not need it, Ben ; really, we shall 
 not" 
 
 "Then perhaps I had better buy the boat. I 
 am going boating. There are plenty of people and 
 parties in Whitestone who like to sail on the river ; 
 and since Bob Bleeker gave up the business, there 
 has been no regular boatman. I think I can do 
 very well." 
 
 " I hope so, I am sure, Ben," replied Bertha, 
 heartily. " I am rejoiced to find you have some- 
 thing to do that will suit your taste." 
 
 " I shall do very well, Miss Bertha. No one 
 need worry about old Ben, as long as he has the
 
 136 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 use of his limbs. There is one thing more, Miss 
 Bertha, which I suppose you have not thought 
 about. What is to become of Noddy Newman ? " 
 
 " Poor little fellow ! " sighed Bertha. " I sup- 
 pose I can do nothing more for him. Where is 
 he now?" 
 
 " He slept with me at Bob Bleeker's last night. 
 I suppose he will take to the woods, and become 
 a vagabond again, if he can't stay with you. He 
 don't seem to care for any body on earth, Miss 
 Bertha, but you, though he will mind me for your 
 sake. I believe the little fellow would die for you 
 in a moment." 
 
 " Poor Noddy ! " said Bertha. " I wish I could 
 take care of him. He is a smart boy. I have 
 taught him to read, and I had great hopes that I 
 should make something of him." 
 
 " I have been thinking, Miss Bertha," added 
 Ben, taking off his hat, and scratching his bald 
 head, as though a magnificent idea had taken pos- 
 session of his mind, " if you could induce the boy 
 to stay with me, I will do as well by him as I 
 can. I can read, and write, and cipher, and I will 
 help him along with these things. He is smart 
 and active, and having him with me in the boat 
 would ease my old bones a great deal."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 137 
 
 Bertha was delighted with this plan, and readily 
 promised to do all she could to make Noddy stay 
 with Ben. At this point in the conversation, they 
 arrived at the house of the widow Lamb. The 
 cottage, as the boatman had represented, was very 
 neat, and even pretty, and Bertha thought her 
 sister ought to be happy in such a place. 
 
 Mrs. Lamb was willing to take Fanny to beard, 
 for she was very fond of children; but Bertha 
 frankly told her that the little miss might cause 
 her a great deal of trouble, for she had been used 
 to having a great many servants around her. The 
 widow thought she could manage her; at any rate, 
 she would try it, and she hoped she should be 
 able to make her happy and contented. Bertha 
 thought her price two dollars a week was very 
 reasonable for one who was likely to be so difficult 
 to please; and she took her leave of the laundress, 
 agreeing to bring Fanny to her new home in the 
 course of the day. 
 
 On their return to the hotel, Ben hastened back 
 to Bob Bleecker's to close the bargain for the boat, 
 while Bertha went up stairs to announce the new 
 arrangement to Fanny and Richard. The former 
 had not yet risen, and as Bertha assisted in dress- 
 ing her, she told her what had been done.
 
 138 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " Then I am to live with a washerwoman ! " said 
 Miss Fanny, with a toss of her head. 
 
 " It is a very pretty cottage, and Mrs. Lamb is 
 a very nice woman. You will be quite happy and 
 contented there, if you are willing to be so any 
 where that our small means will permit you to 
 live." 
 
 " But only to think of it ! Live with a washer- 
 woman ! " 
 
 " Fanny, we are all beggars now. We are 
 poorer than Mrs. Lamb, with whom you will 
 board. Beggars cannot be choosers, you know." 
 
 " Father will find me a better place than that." 
 
 " Father can do nothing for us now, if he ever 
 can," replied Bertha, the tears filling her eyes. 
 " He is in prison, and you ought to be thankful 
 that you have a home at all." 
 
 The tears in the eyes of her sister touched the 
 heart of Fanny. Her pride was the greatest defect 
 of her character. She had never known much of 
 a mother's care; if she had, she might have been 
 a different person. 
 
 " What are you going to do, Bertha ? " asked 
 Fanny. 
 
 " I am going to work. I shall find a place 
 where I can earn money enough to pay your board. 
 I hope Richard will help me."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 139 
 
 " Of course he will." 
 
 " Now, if you will go to your new place, and 
 never complain of any thing, nor cause Mrs. Lamb 
 any trouble, you will do all I can expect of you." 
 
 " I will do the best I can." 
 
 " That is all I ask." 
 
 Bertha spent an hour in talking to her sister 
 about her conduct in her new home; and Fanny, 
 who seemed to be in a better frame of mind than 
 ever before, listened atentively to all she said, and 
 promised faithfully to conquer her pride, and give 
 Mrs. Lamb no trouble. She said she would wait 
 upon herself, and never complain of her food or 
 her apartment. Bertha regarded this as a 
 triumph, for she felt that Fanny would try to do 
 all she promised. 
 
 Eichard turned up his nose at the idea of hav- 
 ing his sister board with a washerwoman ; but as 
 neither his figures nor his common sense could 
 suggest a better plan, he was compelled to yield. 
 
 " Now, Richard, you must let me have some of 
 your money; for, to guard aga nst any accident, 
 I wish to pay Fanny's board for two or three 
 months in advance." 
 
 "I can't spare any money now. What's the 
 use of paying her board before it is due? "
 
 140 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " We do not know what may happen. You and 
 I can take care of ourselves; and I think it is no 
 more than right that we should provide for Fanny 
 beyond the chance of an accident." 
 " But we must pay our own board." 
 " Of course, we cannot remain at this hotel." 
 " Certainly we can, at least for a time." 
 "What do you intend to do, Richard, for a 
 living? " 
 
 " I don't know. I shall find something. How 
 much money do you want ? " 
 
 " You had better give me twenty dollars. That 
 will pay Fanny's board for ten weeks." 
 
 " Twenty dollars ! Why, that is more than half 
 of all I have," replied Richard, dismayed at the 
 prospect of parting with so much of his funds. 
 
 Bertha had a double motive in asking for this 
 large proportion of Richard's money. The first 
 was, to secure the payment of Fanny's board, in 
 case her plans for the future should fail ; and the 
 second was, that she had but little confidence in 
 her brother's firmness. She feared that while his 
 money lasted, he would do nothing to help him- 
 self; that, while his pride had even thirty-five dol- 
 lars for a foundation, he would spend his time in 
 idleness, and perhaps do worse.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 141 
 
 Actuated by these motives, she reasoned with 
 him so forcibly and eloquently, that he at last 
 handed her the money ; but he gave it up with a 
 protest, and with many regrets. After breakfast 
 the bill at the hotel was paid, and Fanny was 
 taken to her new home. Bertha remained with 
 her that day, putting her room and her wardrobe 
 in order, and instructing her still further in the 
 duties and relations of her new position. 
 
 Notwithstanding the odium of boarding with a 
 washerwoman, Fanny liked the place very well, 
 and even thought she should be contented with 
 Mrs. Lamb, who certainly did every thing she 
 could to smooth down the fall from the palace to 
 the cottage. 
 
 During the day, Ben and Noddy paid them a 
 visit. The little savage seemed to take quite a 
 sensible view of the new order of things ; and when 
 Bertha told ! : m what had been done for him, he 
 agreed to re Main with Ben, and be a good boy, 
 if she would come and see him as often as she 
 could. 
 
 Towards night, Bertha returned to the hotel, 
 where she found a letter from Richard.
 
 142 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA STARTS FOR NEW YORK, AND 
 
 MAKES THE ACQUAINTANCE OF MASTER CHARLEY 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 BERTHA was not a little startled when the clerk 
 of the hotel handed her the letter, upon which she 
 recognized the handwriting of her brother. It was 
 ominous of disaster; at least, it suggested that 
 Eichard was not at hand to speak for himself; and 
 she feared that his quick impulses had led him to 
 take a step of which he had not, probably, con- 
 sidered the consequences. It required some 
 courage to open a letter from him under such cir- 
 cumstances, and she held it in her hand for some 
 moments before she could muster resolution 
 enough to break the seal ; and when she did so, 
 her worst fears were confirmed. 
 
 Eichard wrote that he had been engaged by a 
 gentleman to take his boat down to New York. 
 He was to receive five dollars for the job; and as 
 it admitted of no delay, he had been obliged to 
 sail at once, without seeing her. At the close of 
 the epistle, Eichard boasted a little of his first
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 143 
 
 success in earning money, and declared that, when 
 he got to the city, he should certainly find employ- 
 ment which would be both agreeable and profit- 
 able; and when he did, he would inform her of 
 the fact. 
 
 The thoughtless, impulsive boy had actually 
 abandoned his sister, and, full of hope and con- 
 ceit, had embarked in his career of life. Perhaps 
 he thought Bertha was abundantly able to take 
 care of herself, and did not need any assistance 
 from him, but it would have been more honorable 
 and gallant in him if he had left a few dollars 
 in her hands to pay her way until she could make 
 a beginning. 
 
 Bertha's doubts and fears were not for herself. 
 She knew that Richard was thoughtless and 
 flighty, and she trembled lest he should again 
 fall into evil company. The city would have been 
 a bad place for him under any circumstances, but 
 doubly so if he had no one to give him a friendly 
 word of advice. He had gone, and whatever she 
 thought or felt in regard to him, nothing could be 
 done to bring him back. She was now alone. The 
 family had separated, and the path of each seemed 
 to be in a different direction from that of the 
 others.
 
 144 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 She could not think of her situation without a 
 feeling of sadness. A sense of loneliness which 
 she had not before experienced came over her, 
 which, with her anxiety for the fate of her father 
 and her brother, had a very depressing influence 
 upon her. But she had no time to indulge in 
 sentimental emotions, for life had suddenly be- 
 come real to her, and stern necessity compelled 
 her to make it earnest. 
 
 As she had now disposed of Fanny, and Rich- 
 ard had disposed of himself, she had nothing to 
 do but to apply herself to the remaining duty of 
 the hour. She must go to work ; but what to do, 
 and where to find a place, were very perplexing 
 questions. She was willing to do any thing that 
 she could, even to labor with her hands, if it 
 would afford her the means of supporting herself 
 and her sister. 
 
 With these thoughts in her mind, she walked 
 through the principal street of Whitestone, to ob- 
 tain any suggestion which the stores and other 
 places of business might give her. In her walks 
 through the place in more prosperous days, she 
 had occasionally seen a notice posted in the win- 
 dows, of a " Saleswoman wanted," or, " A young 
 lady to act as Cashier." She walked up the street
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 145 
 
 on one side, and down on the other, attentively 
 examining every window and door, in search of 
 such a notice. But Whitestone at the present time 
 did not need a saleswoman or a cashier. Disap- 
 pointed and disheartened by her ill success, she 
 walked down to the river, not from any motive, 
 but because she had nowhere else to go. 
 
 Now, for the first time since she had read her 
 brother's letter, the thought came to her with fear- 
 ful force, that she had less than half a dollar in 
 the world. This was not enough to pay for her 
 lodging at the hotel, and she had not been to 
 supper. Poverty seemed more terrible to her now 
 than ever before. She began to feel that her sit- 
 uation was not only trying, but absolutely appall- 
 ing. Even hunger and cold threatened to assail 
 her, for the little money she had would not supply 
 the necessities of life for even a single day. She 
 could not dig, and she was ashamed to beg. 
 
 It was now growing dark, and she could not 
 with safety remain in the streets any longer. 
 There was only one house in the vicinity at which 
 she believed she should be welcome, and this was 
 the house of the widow Lamb. It was revolting to 
 her pride to force herself, as it were, upon a 
 stranger; but she could not go to the hotel, and
 
 146 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 there was no other way to do. It was after th 
 supper hour, and on her way through the village, 
 she stopped at a restaurant, and had a very simple 
 supper of tea and bread and butter ; but even this 
 was purchased with a large part of all her worldly 
 wealth. 
 
 Mrs. Lamb welcomed her to her humble cottage, 
 and she passed the night with Fanny. But the 
 future looked so blank and dismal to poor Bertha, 
 that she was less cheerful than usual, though she 
 tried to conceal her doubts and fears from the 
 widow and from her sister. Fanny had a thou- 
 sand questions to ask, to only a few of which 
 Bertha could give satisfactory answers. 
 
 " Have you got a place to work yet ? " was put 
 a dozen times by the inquisitive little girl. 
 
 " I have not," answered Bertha, sadly ; " and I 
 am afraid I shall not be able to find one in White- 
 stone." 
 
 "What will you do?" 
 
 " I must go to the city, I suppose." 
 
 " Then you will see father." 
 
 " I shall certainly try to see him." 
 
 "You will tell him that I am a good girl 
 won't you ? " 
 
 " I will, Fanny, and I am afraid that will bo 
 the best news I shall have for him."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 147 
 
 " Tell him, too, that I am very sorry he is in 
 prison, and I would do any thing to get him out." 
 
 " I will, Fanny," replied Bertha, as she threw 
 her arms around her neck and kissed her. " Yon 
 have been a good girl to-day, and Mrs. Lamb 
 says you have not only given her no trouble, but 
 that you have helped her a great deal about her 
 work." 
 
 " I tried to be good, Bertha," said Fanny. " 1 
 haven't complained a bit." 
 
 " I hope you never will." 
 
 " But I don't want you to go off and leave me." 
 
 " I must go, Fanny ; but one of these days we 
 shall meet again, and be all the happier for the 
 trials and sorrow which we have been called upon 
 to endure." 
 
 " I hope we shall," replied Fanny, whose con- 
 duct during the first day of her residence at the 
 cottage had been very hopeful. 
 
 Fanny turned over and went to sleep after she 
 had been duly praised and encouraged for her ex- 
 cellent demeanor. But Bertha's cup was too full 
 to permit her to sleep. The morrow's sun prom- 
 ised to dawn upon a day of greater trial and dif- 
 ficulty than she had yet known. Twenty cents was 
 all the money she had in the world, and White-
 
 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 stone had no employment to give her. She must 
 go to New York ; but how to get there was beyond 
 her comprehension. The distance was twenty- 
 five miles, and she had not the means to pay her 
 fare by railroad or steamboat. 
 
 The thought of borrowing a few dollars oc- 
 curred to her; but there was no one, except the old 
 boatman, of whom she would dare ask such a 
 favor. Her pride that self-respect which gives 
 dignity and nobility to the character revolted at 
 the idea of asking even him for money, which she 
 might never be able to pay. But while she was 
 perplexed and agitated by these difficult problems, 
 nature kindly came to her aid, and she dropped 
 asleep without any plan for the coming day. 
 
 She was going to leave the cottage at an early 
 hour the next morning, but Mrs. Lamb pressed her 
 to remain until after breakfast; and then, with 
 many tears, she bade farewell to her sister, not 
 daring to believe that they would soon meet again. 
 Bertha was stronger and more courageous than 
 she had been on the preceding evening; for the 
 more we look trials and troubles in the face, the 
 more familiar we become with them, and the less 
 terrible do they seem to us. 
 
 With a feeling that she had only half done her
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 149 
 
 work the night before, she again walked through 
 the main street, and even had the hardihood to 
 enter several of the larger stores and apply for a 
 situation. Although she had no better success 
 than before, she was strengthened by the con- 
 sciousness that she had permitted no false pride 
 to come between her and the attainment of her 
 purpose. She had done all she could do in White- 
 stone, and it would be of no avail to remain there 
 any longer. 
 
 Then came up the question again, how should 
 she get to the city; for she had fully determined 
 to go there. She could not walk, and she could 
 not pay her fare. Why could she not walk, she 
 asked herself. She was healthy and strong, and 
 had always been accustomed to a great deal of 
 out-door exercise. There were no impossibilities 
 to one in her situation, and whatever the result 
 she would be no worse off on the way than if she 
 remained in Whitestone. She decided at once to 
 start, and leave the issue in the hands of that 
 kind Providence which never permits the true and 
 the good to be utterly cast down. 
 
 She would not think of leaving Whitestone 
 without saying good by to Ben and Noddy; and 
 for this purpose she went down to the wharf,
 
 150 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 where the boatman had the day before commenced 
 business with his new boat. Much to her regret, 
 she found they had gone up the river with a 
 party of gentlemen, and would not return till 
 late in the evening. Disappointed at this intelli- 
 gence, she went to the hotel, where she had left her 
 trunk, and wrote a short note to Ben, informing 
 him of her intention. The clerk kindly promised 
 to take care of her trunk till she sent for it, and 
 she turned from the house to commence her weary 
 pilgrimage. 
 
 Following the road near the bank of the river, 
 she walked patiently and perseveringly for three 
 hours, till she heard a clock on a church strike 
 twelve. She was so faint and weary that she 
 could walk no further, and seated herself under a 
 tree by the side of the river, to rest herself. She 
 had retired a short distance from the road, so that 
 she need not be subject to the rude gaze of those 
 who passed. 
 
 In the last village through which she passed, she 
 bad bought three small rolls; and upon these she 
 made her dinner. A few blackberries that grew in 
 the field were a great addition to the feast. Re* 
 freshed by her meal, and by an hour of rest, she 
 resumed her walk. She had gone but a short dis- 
 tance before her attention was attracted by the
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 151 
 
 loud cries of a child in a pasture adjoining the 
 highway. The screams were so piteous that she 
 could not help getting through the fence, and has- 
 tening to the spot from whence they came, where 
 she found a little boy, very prettily dressed, and 
 evidently the child of wealthy parents, sitting 
 on a stone. His eyes were red and swollen with 
 weeping, and he was sobbing and moaning as 
 though he had some real cause of grief. He was 
 apparently about six years old. Bertha, moved 
 by his distress, took him tenderty by the hand, and 
 gently patted his head, to assure him she was his 
 friend. 
 
 "What is the matter, little boy?" she asked, 
 when she had fully convinced him that she was 
 not an evil spirit sent to torment him. 
 
 " I don't know the way home," blubbered the 
 little fellow. 
 
 " Don't cry any more, and I think we can find 
 your home. What is your name?" 
 
 " Charley." 
 
 "Haven't you got another name?" 
 
 " Charley Byron. I am six years old last May,, 
 and Millard Fillmore is President of the United 
 States," replied Charley, suddenly brightening up, 
 and wiping away the great tears that still lingered 
 on his cheek.
 
 152 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " You are a nice little fellow, and your educa- 
 tion has not been neglected, I see." 
 
 " I can spell cat ; c-a-t, cat," continued Charley, 
 who appeared to have forgotten all his sorrows. 
 
 "You spelled it right," said Bertha, with a 
 smile. " Do you know where your father lives? " 
 
 " My father lives in a great house on the hill ; 
 and I guess Mary'll catch it for letting me get 
 lost." 
 
 " Where is Mary now? " 
 
 " I don't know where she is. She sat down on 
 a rock and went to sleep. I was looking for black- 
 berries, and when I wanted to find Mary again, I 
 couldn't. I have been walking ever so long, and 
 I can't find Mary," said Charley, beginning to look 
 very sad again. 
 
 " Don't cry any more, and I will help you find 
 your father's house." 
 
 Bertha remembered that she had passed a large 
 house on a hill, only a short distance back, and 
 taking Charley's hand, she led him to the road. 
 
 It was a hard walk for little Charley, for he was 
 so tired he could hardly move at all ; but Bertha 
 assisted him as much as she could, and at last 
 they came to the gateway of the great house. 
 
 " That's my father's house," said Charley, just 
 before they reached the gate.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 153 
 
 " You can find your way now can't you ? " 
 asked Bertha. 
 
 " Yes, but I want you to come up and see my 
 mother." 
 
 " I think I will not go any further." 
 
 " Yes, but I want you to come up and see my 
 mother; and you must come." 
 
 " I am very tired, Charley, almost as tired as 
 you are, and I do not feel like walking up the 
 hill." 
 
 " You can rest in my house." 
 
 " I think I will not go up, Charley." 
 
 " But you must come. I can't find the way if 
 you don't," said Charley, tugging at Bertha's hand 
 with a zeal which would permit no denial. 
 
 " If I must, I must," said Bertha, yielding the 
 point. 
 
 " I want to show you my new rocking horse. 
 Father sent it up yesterday, and it is a real nice 
 one." 
 
 Charley led the way up to the front door of the 
 house, and pulled Bertha in after him. His 
 mother, who had been terribly worried at his long 
 absence, greeted him in the entry with a kiss, and 
 asked him where the nurse was. 
 
 Charley told his story in his childish way, and
 
 154 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 it was fully confirmed by the presence of Bertha, 
 who was warmly welcomed by the grateful lady. 
 
 " Mary is growing very remiss of late, and I 
 must discharge her," said Mrs. Byron, when they 
 were seated in the sitting room. " It isn't safe to 
 trust Charley with her. The dear little fellow 
 may get into the river. I have been worrying this 
 half hour about him." 
 
 " He was crying bitterly when I found him," 
 added Bertha. 
 
 " It was very good of you to take so much 
 trouble." 
 
 " I couldn't leave him while he was so full of 
 grief." 
 
 While they were talking, the delinquent nurse 
 arrived, very much alarmed at the sudden disap- 
 pearance of her charge. But when she saw 
 Charley, she was greatly relieved, and invented a 
 very plausible story to account for the accident. 
 The story disproved itself, without any help from 
 Charley or Bertha; and the result was, that her 
 mistress, provoked by her falsehood as much as by 
 her neglect, promptly discharged her. 
 
 While Mrs. Byron was paying the girl, Charley 
 exhibited his new rocking horse, and other treas- 
 ures ; but Bertha was absorbed by a new idea, she 
 did not pay much attention to his prattle.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 155 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA BECOMES A GOVERNESS, AND RE- 
 SIDES AT BLUE HILL. 
 
 " THERE," said Mrs. Byron, as she joined her 
 little son on the piazza, when the nurse had gone, 
 " that is the fourth person I have had to take care 
 of Charley. Now she is gone, and I don't know 
 where I shall get another. It is not every person 
 that I am willing to trust to take care of my little 
 boy." 
 
 " It must be very trying to you," added Bertha, 
 thoughtfully. 
 
 " I paid her ten dollars a month for her serv- 
 ices : but I tremble to think of the dangers which 
 Charley has escaped while in the care of these 
 negligent servants." 
 
 " I suppose you would think I am too young to 
 take care of Charley?" said Bertha, while her 
 cheek crimsoned, and her heart seemed to rise up 
 into her throat. 
 
 " You ! " exclaimed the lady, with a smile, as 
 she glanced at Bertha, from head to foot. 
 
 " Yes, madam ; if you could give me twelve dol-
 
 156 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 ars a month, I should like to obtain the situa- 
 tion of governess of the child. I have had some 
 experience in teaching children." 
 
 " You. astonish me, miss. I do not even know 
 your name yet." 
 
 " Bertha " She was about to give her whole 
 
 name, but the thought suddenly occurred to her, 
 that, if she did so, her application would at once 
 be rejected; and, without stopping to consider 
 whether it was right or wrong to give a false 
 name, she added, " Bertha Loring." 
 
 No sooner had she given this name than she 
 regretted it; but conscious that she had no evil 
 intention in doing so, she did not attempt to cor- 
 rect the error. 
 
 " Bertha Loring," added Mrs. Byron. " How 
 old are you ? " 
 
 " I am nearly fourteen." 
 
 " But you said you had had some experience in 
 teaching children," said the lady, rather incredu- 
 lously. 
 
 " Yes, ma'am. It was in a kind of mission 
 school, and it was voluntary teaching." 
 
 " Ah, that, indeed," mused Mrs. Byron. " You 
 are rather young, especially for the salary you 
 ask."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 157 
 
 " I have a sister who is dependent upon me for 
 support, and I must do something by which I can 
 earn about three dollars a week." 
 
 " Have you any testimonials of character or 
 ability?" 
 
 " None, ma'am ; I have never been in any situ- 
 ation yet." 
 
 " It would hardly be proper for me to place my 
 only child in the care of a total stranger." 
 
 " Very true, ma'am," sighed Bertha ; " but I 
 have none." 
 
 " But I like your appearance and manners very 
 much, and I am very grateful for what you have 
 done for Charley. Perhaps you could refer me to 
 some person w^th whom you are acquainted." 
 
 Bertha was about to mention the name of the 
 clergyman in Whitestone, whose church her fath- 
 er's family had fttended; but as the words were 
 upon her lips, she happened to remember that she 
 had not given her real name, and that the minister 
 would not know any such person as Bertha Lor- 
 ing. 
 
 " For reasons which I could give, if necessary, I 
 would rather not refer to any of my former 
 friends," said Bertha. 
 
 " Your former friends? " repeated the lady, who.
 
 158 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 by this time had begun to obtain some idea of 
 the circumstances of the applicant. " Are they 
 sot your friends now." 
 
 " I do not know, ma'am," sighed Bertha. " As 
 I have no references, I think I will take my 
 leave." 
 
 " Don't go yet, Miss Loring. I assure you I 
 feel a deep interest in you, and only a necessary 
 caution prevents me from engaging you at once. 
 You must perceive that your situation is quite 
 peculiar." 
 
 " Yes, ma'am, I know that it is ; and therefore 
 I am unwilling to trouble you any longer." 
 
 "You have evidently been well educated; and 
 at your age you cannot possibly be an adventurer." 
 
 Bertha was not very clear what the lady meant 
 by an adventurer, but she hastened to assure her 
 she was not one. 
 
 " And I should suppose from your name that 
 you belong to a good family." 
 
 " My father has been very unfortunate," replied 
 Bertha, " or I should not be an applicant for this 
 situation." 
 
 " Where is your father now ? " 
 
 " He is in New York city." 
 
 " Possibly my husband knows him/' added the
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 159 
 
 lady. "Loring? Loring?" she continued, mus- 
 ing. 
 
 " I don't think he does," replied Bertha. " But. 
 ma'am, my father does not know that I am trying 
 to earn my own living and that of my sister. He 
 has very recently failed in business. My friends 
 don't know that I am an applicant for such a 
 place; and for reasons of my own, I w r ish to con- 
 ceal my movements, at least for the present. You 
 will excuse me from answering any question in 
 regard to my family." 
 
 Poor Bertha! It was her first attempt at de- s 
 ception of any kind, and she could hardly play 
 the part she had chosen. 
 
 " I think I perfectly understand your position, 
 and as Charley seems to like you so well, I shall 
 engage you at the salary you named." 
 
 " Thank you, ma'am," exclaimed Bertha, aston- 
 ished at the decision of Mrs. Byron. " You are 
 very generous to take me without testimonials or 
 reference; but I assure you your confidence shall 
 not be undeserved." 
 
 " I am quite satisfied, or I shouldn't have ven- 
 tured to engage you under these circumstances.' 
 Here, Charley; how would you like this young 
 lady to take care of you ? "
 
 160 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " O, ever so much, ma ! " exclaimed Charley, 
 jumping off his horse, and seizing the new govern- 
 ess by the hand. 
 
 " She will teach you to read, Charley," added 
 his mother. 
 
 " O, goody ! I want to be able to read my 
 picture books; but I can spell cat now; c-a-t 
 cat." 
 
 " 'Till you learn, I will read them to you 
 Charley," said Bertha, who had already begun to 
 feel a strong interest in her young charge. 
 
 " Have you any taste for music, Miss Loring? " 
 
 " I can play and sing a little," replied Bertha, 
 modestly. 
 
 " Come and let me hear you play ? " said 
 Charley, as he tugged away at the hand of Bertha, 
 and finally dragged her into the parlor, where the 
 piano was located. 
 
 " He is very fond of music," remarked Mrs. By- 
 ron, as she followed them into the parlor. 
 
 Bertha played several simple pieces for the 
 amusement of the little boy, and played them so 
 well that the mother was even more delighted than 
 the child. Then, at the special request of Charley, 
 she played and sang " Three Blind Mice," which 
 suited him so well, that he called for more. For
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 161 
 
 an hour she engaged the attention of both her au- 
 ditors; and then the heir of Blue Hill, as the 
 estate of Mr. Byron was called, clamored for 
 " pickers," which, rendered into the vernacular, 
 meant pictures. 
 
 Charley produced pencils, paper, and a slate, 
 and insisted that Bertha should " make a house." 
 She had early developed a decided taste and 
 talent for drawing, and up to the commencement 
 of the summer vacation, she had taken lessons of 
 an artist whose cottage was in the neighborhood 
 of Woodville. Her teacher declared that she 
 would make an artist, and quite a number of her 
 pencil drawings adorned, the walls of her father's 
 house. In the extremity of her want and sorrow, 
 she had thought of applying her talent to a prof- 
 itable use, and she had not yet given up the idea. 
 
 She took the pencil which Charley brought, and 
 made a house which was entirely satisfactory. 
 Then she made men, and horses, and carts, and 
 other objects which the young gentleman called 
 for, so that she soon became a prodigy in his 
 eyes, and of course, as the mother saw with the 
 child's eyes, she was equally a wonder in her es- 
 timation. 
 
 When Charley began to grow weary of pictures,
 
 162 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 tooth of them were well rested from the fatigue of 
 their walk, and the child proposed a ramble in 
 the garden, where Bertha was just as pleasing and 
 just as instructive as she had been at the piano 
 and with the pencil. 
 
 At six o'clock, Mr. Byron came home, and heard 
 with astonishment the change which had been 
 made in the domestic affairs of the family. Mas- 
 ter Charley had considerable to say about his new 
 governess, as his mother had already taught him 
 to call her, and he recommended her so highly, 
 that the father was well satisfied with the change. 
 
 As soon as she had an opportunity, she wrote 
 to Ben, informing him what and where she was, 
 and asking him to send her trunk to her. On 
 the following day, the trunk was brought down 
 in the boat, and she had a visit from Ben and 
 Noddy. The old man was glad to see her so 
 well situated, but he had his doubts about the 
 change of name. Noddy jumped and capered like 
 an antelope, and astonished Charley by throwing 
 back somersets and forward somersets, and by 
 such gyrations as the little fellow had never seen 
 before. The visit was a pleasant one to all par- 
 ties, and Ben and Noddy left with the promise to 
 call again in a short time.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 163 
 
 While Bertha was watching the boat as it sped 
 on its way up the river, she heard a sharp cry 
 from Charley, and on turning, saw him lying on 
 the ground. 
 
 " Why, what's the matter, Charley ? " she cried, 
 lifting him up. 
 
 " I bumped my head, and hurt me," replied he. 
 
 Bertha examined the injured member, and 
 found a pretty smart bump on the summit of his 
 cranium, which she washed in cold water from 
 the river, and rubbed it till Charley declared it 
 was quite well. 
 
 " How did you do it? " asked she. 
 
 " I was trying to do what Noddy did, and hit 
 my head upon a stone." 
 
 "You mustn't try to do such things as that.'* 
 
 Noddy did it." 
 
 " Noddy is a little wild boy. I have told him 
 a great many times not to do such things. It 
 isn't pretty, and you must not try to do so again.'* 
 
 " I should like to do what Noddy did, and I 
 mean to try it again." 
 
 " Don't, Charley ; you may get a worse bump 
 than you did this time." 
 
 " I don't care if I do; if Noddy did it, I can." 
 
 But before the forcible argument which the
 
 164 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 governess brought forward, Master Charley finally 
 promised not to break his head in vain attempts 
 to do what was neither pretty nor proper for the 
 heir of Blue Hill to do. 
 
 A few days after the visit of the boatman, she 
 received a letter from Richard, which had been for- 
 warded to her from Whitestone. He wrote in ex- 
 cellent spirits, and said he had obtained a situa- 
 tion on board of a gentleman's yacht, and was 
 about to sail for Newport. He had seen his father 
 in the Tombs. He was to be examined on the fol- 
 lowing day, and fully expected to be discharged. 
 This was all Richard said about his father. It 
 was meagre enough, and very unsatisfactory to 
 Bertha. She had not the money to pay the ex- 
 pense of a visit to the city, or she would have 
 asked leave of absence for a day, to go and see 
 him. She had written several letters to him, but 
 had not yet received any reply, and therefore sup- 
 posed they did not reach him. 
 
 Bertha soon found that her situation was not a 
 bed of roses. Mrs. Byron was not an angel. Her 
 temper was not angelic, and the governess was 
 sometimes compelled to submit to harsh and un- 
 merited rebuke, couched in such language as she 
 had never heard before.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 165 
 
 The hopeful heir of Blue Hill, though he could 
 spell " cat " and knew that Millard Fillmore was 
 President of the United States, was not yet fit to 
 put on his wings and become a cherub. He had 
 some of his mother's temper, and a great deal of 
 his own obstinacy. He was an only child, and as 
 such had been indulged, as far as indulgence would 
 go; and Bertha found that she was expected to 
 lead, not to govern him. If Charley wanted to 
 jump into the river, she was to find arguments to 
 convince him that the cold water was uncomforta- 
 ble, and might drown him. If he wanted to eat 
 green apples, she was to persuade him not to do 
 so, and not make him cry by taking them away 
 from him. 
 
 One day he took a notion that certain unripe 
 winter pears would be "good to take,'' and had 
 actually bitten one of them, when Bertha, with 
 as little force as was needful, took it from him, 
 and threw it away. Charley set up a howl which 
 made the ground shake under him, and brought 
 his mother from the house. The heir of Blue 
 Hill told his story, and Bertha was sharply 
 scolded for crossing the dear little fellow. 
 
 When Mrs. Byron suggested that the young gen- 
 tleman ought to commence learning his letters,
 
 i66 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 the governess applied herself with becoming zeal 
 to the task of teaching him those mysterious 
 characters. For ten minutes Charley gave his 
 attention ; then he wanted her to read a story. In 
 vain she coaxed him to learn the letters; it was 
 plain that he had no taste for the heavy work of 
 literature. Day after day she attempted to fasten 
 his mind upon the ABC, but with no better suc- 
 cess. She resorted to all the expedients she could 
 devise, but Charley was as obstinate as a mule. 
 
 These were some of her trials trials with 
 Master Charley; trials with his mother. Bertha 
 faithfully persevered, and endured every thing 
 without a murmur. But her charge was some- 
 times a little lamb, as pretty and as cunning as 
 child could be; and there were hours of sunshine 
 oases in the desert of trial and care. 
 
 When Bertha had been at Blue Hill about a 
 week, Mr. Byron gave a large dinner party, and 
 the house was filled with all the fine folks of the 
 surrounding country. Mrs. Byron was very much 
 afraid Charley would get into his " tantrums " in 
 the presence of the company, and thus convince 
 them that he was not an angel in spite of his 
 velvet tunic and his lace-frilled trousers. During 
 the dinner hour, therefore, a period in which
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 167 
 
 Charley was peculiarly liable to be attacked by 
 unaccountable humors, Bertha was required to 
 keep him in the nursery, and also to keep him in 
 excellent temper. 
 
 By dint of extraordinary tact and perseverance, 
 she succeeded in accomplishing both these ends, 
 and congratulated herself upon the hope that she 
 should thus escape the unwelcome infliction of 
 seeing any of the visitors. It was quite probable 
 that among them were many friends of her father, 
 and the fear of being recognized, and her little 
 deception exposed, was terrible. The dinner hour 
 was a fashionable one, and before the party rose 
 from the table Charley's bed time had arrived, and 
 she was on the point of disposing of him for the 
 night, when Mrs. Byron entered the nursery. 
 
 " The company have just gone to the parlor,, 
 and they all insist upon seeing Charley," said 
 she. 
 
 Bertha was appalled ; but it was useless to offer 
 any objections, and she proceeded to prepare her 
 charge for the ordeal. 
 
 " I suppose it is not necessary for me to appear 
 with him," said she, in an indifferent tone, which 
 but ill concealed her anxiety. 
 
 " Certainly it is," replied Mrs. Byron, sharply.
 
 i68 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " You must go with him, and be sure that you 
 make him appear to the best advantage. You 
 can tell him some cunning little things to say be- 
 fore he goes down. Let him come into the room 
 with his hat on, and his little cane in his hand." 
 
 " Wouldn't you excuse me from going with 
 him ? " pleaded Bertha. 
 
 " Certainly not." 
 
 " I will go with him to the door, and tell him 
 what to say," added Bertha. 
 
 " I thought you were brought up in a good 
 family," sneered Mrs. Byron. " You surely are 
 not afraid to appear in company." 
 
 " Not afraid to, ma'am, but I do not like to 
 do so." 
 
 " Whether you like it or not, you must do so. 
 Now be sure that Charley appears well, and shows 
 himself to the best advantage," said Mrs. Byron, 
 as she sailed out of the room. 
 
 There was no alternative, and Bertha prepared 
 for the trial. Charley's plumed hat was put upon 
 his head, his cane placed in his hand, and he was 
 duly marched into the presence of the company.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 169 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 IN WHICH BEETHA LOSES HER SITUATION, AFTER 
 MASTER CHARLEY HAD MADE A SENSATION. 
 
 MASTER CHARLEY strutted into the parlor, cane 
 in hand, and was warmly greeted by the guests, 
 who, as a matter of politeness, if nothing else, 
 were in duty bound to admire his curly head and 
 his cunning manners. For a time, therefore, 
 Bertha escaped observation, and the heir of Blue 
 Hill was the centre of attraction. 
 
 " I can spell cat ; c-a-t, cat," roared Charley ; 
 " and I can spell dog ; h-o-g, dog : and Millard 
 Fillmore is President of the United States." 
 
 " Now, who is Governor of New York, 
 Charley?" whispered Bertha. 
 
 " O, I know ! " and Charley scratched his head 
 and disarranged the curls, to the horror of his 
 mother. " O, I know who is Governor of New 
 York: it is Captain Kyd; and he buried lots of 
 money round here, somewhere." 
 
 The company laughed heartily at this sally, and 
 thought it was very cunning; but Bertha blushed
 
 170 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 at the carelessness of her pupil, and Mrs. Byron 
 looked daggers at the governess. The exhibition 
 of Charley's quick points promised to be a failure; 
 and Bertha was sadly perplexed, for she felt that 
 she was not giving satisfaction. 
 
 But there was still one more hope left. She had 
 taught Charley to play " Days of Absence " with 
 one finger on the piano, and she thought he might 
 possibly make a sensation with this, if he had not 
 forgotten it, as he had almost every thing else. 
 She placed him upon the stool, and putting the 
 finger in the right place, the young gentleman 
 went through this performance in a very credita- 
 ble manner, very much to the surprise even of his 
 mother, who had not heard him do it. The guests 
 clapped their hands, and expressed their admira- 
 tion in no measured terms, which so excited the 
 vanity of the child, that he immediately proceeded 
 to perform another astounding feat, which was 
 not put down in the programme. This was no 
 less than throwing a back somerset, in imitation 
 of Noddy Newman. 
 
 If the experiment had not been a failure, no 
 doubt it would have been received with rapturous 
 applause, as every thing he did was received ; but 
 Charley was not quite equal to a back somerset,
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 171 
 
 and struck the floor upon the top of h& head. 
 The new sensation was a decidedly unpleasant one 
 to the heir of Blue Hill, and was not at all agree- 
 able to the company. It was followed by a yell 
 that would have been creditable to a tiger in the 
 jungles of Hindostan. Bertha ran to his assist- 
 ance, picked him up, and rubbed the bump which 
 had been so suddenly developed. It was the bump 
 of self-esteem unnaturally enlarged, which was 
 entirely unnecessary, for Charley had a super- 
 abundance before the accident. 
 
 The sympathizing guests gathered around the 
 wounded hero, and endeavored to console him ; but 
 he bawled incessantly, and refused to be com- 
 forted. Mrs. Byron was shocked, and declared 
 that the mishap had resulted from the careless 
 governess, introducing the boy to bad company. 
 But whatever the cause, and whatever the efforts 
 used to induce Master Charley to moderate his 
 excessive grief, he w*pt and roared as one without 
 hope. 
 
 " Take him to t'^ nursery," said Mrs. Byron, in 
 a whisper to Bertha. 
 
 " Come up stairs with me, Charley, and I will 
 make a house for you," said Bertha. 
 
 " I won't & up stairs. I don't want any of
 
 172 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 your old pictures," bawled the discomfited hero. 
 
 " Come up with me, and I will sing ' Three 
 Blind Mice ' to you." 
 
 " I won't." 
 
 " We will play horse, then." 
 
 " I don't want to play horse. I am going to 
 stay here as long as I please." 
 
 Bertha was tempted to pick him up, and carry 
 him out of the room; but this would be violation 
 of all rule and precedent. In vain she coaxed 
 him ; in vain she promised to play every thing and 
 sing every thing. Charley had lost his temper, 
 and nothing could move him. A spoiled child on 
 exhibition, especially when he performs after the 
 manner of Master Charley on the present oc- 
 casion, is disgusting to all except his parents. 
 Mrs. Byron was not satisfied with the conduct of 
 her hopeful; but instead of regarding it as the 
 result of a want of discipline, she attributed it 
 all to the mismanagement of the governess. 
 
 Bertha would have brought the scene to a con- 
 clusion, however unpleasant, without delay, if she 
 had dared to do so; but as Master Charley must 
 have his own way, no matter who suffered, or what 
 consequences followed, he was not taken from the 
 room by the strong hand of authority. He
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 
 
 bawled till his throat must have been sorer than 
 his head, and the company were tired of the music. 
 
 At last, a gentleman, despairing of any relief, 
 took out his watch, and offered to show the works 
 to the disconsolate heir. This was a rare treat, 
 and Charley had the grace to yield the point, and 
 submit to a treaty of peace, or at least to a susi- 
 pension of hostilities. 
 
 " How do you do, Miss Grant? " said a gentle- 
 man who had been observing Bertha with close 
 attention for some time, as he stepped, forward 
 and extended his hand. 
 
 She took it, blushed deeply, and stammered out 
 a reply, for Mrs. Byron was standing by her side. 
 
 " How is your father ? " asked the gentleman. 
 
 "He is not very well. I have not seen him 
 lately." 
 
 " I have frequently met you at Woodville ; per- 
 haps you do not remember me." 
 
 " Yes, sir, I do." 
 
 " I have been at the south for some months, and 
 returned yesterday. Do you still reside at Wood' 
 fillet" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 " You are visiting your friends here, I suppose. 
 It is very kind of you to attempt to manage that
 
 174 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 child," he added, in a low tone, as Mrs. Byron's 
 attention was called to a rupture between Charley 
 and his new friend, whose watch the dear little 
 fellow insisted upon picking to pieces. 
 
 " He is very hard to manage," replied Bertha. 
 
 " A spoiled child," added the gentleman, as Mrs. 
 Byron returned to the spot. 
 
 " My governess is wholly incompetent," said 
 she angrily, for she had heard the last remark. 
 " Charley is a good boy, and, when properly 
 managed, is as gentle as a lamb, Mr. Gray." 
 
 " He appears to be," added the gentleman, 
 satirically. " He evidently has a sweet temper, 
 and in due time will make a great and good man." 
 
 Mrs. Byron did not understand these remarks, 
 but took them as a compliment, and her anger was 
 partially appeased. 
 
 " He has had enough to try the temper of a 
 saint. He had nearly died with the cholera three 
 days ago from eating green apples, of which the 
 governess permitted him to partake." 
 
 Mr. Gray looked at Bertha, and evidently did 
 not believe this statement, for the sudden coloring 
 of Bertha's cheek seemed to refute the falsehood. 
 
 " Do I understand you that Miss Grant is the 
 child's governess ? "
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 175 
 
 " Miss Loring," added Mrs. Byron. 
 
 " But this is the daughter of Mr. Grant, of 
 Woodville," said the gentleman, who was per- 
 plexed by the name and the relation which she 
 bore to the family. 
 
 ' My father has been unfortunate, and met with 
 some heavy reverses," stammered Bertha. " I am 
 engaged as a governess here." 
 
 " Pardon me," said Mr. Gray, who was now 
 greatly embarrassed. " As I said I have recently 
 come home, after an absence of some months, and 
 had not heard of the unpleasant position of your 
 father's affairs." 
 
 "Miss Grant?" said the lady of the house. 
 " Miss Loring, you can retire," she added in a loud 
 tone. 
 
 Bertha was too glad to obey this haughty com- 
 mand to object even to the tone in which it was 
 uttered. But when she had gone, Mrs. Byron 
 heard more about Mr. Grant and his affairs; for 
 there were several present who were acquainted 
 with him, and all had read the history of his 
 alleged fall in the papers. She learned that the 
 father of her governess was even then a prisoner 
 in the Tombs. 
 
 " To think that I have placed my only child in 
 the care of such a person ! " exclaimed Mrs. Byron.
 
 176 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " Miss Bertha Grant is a very excellent young 
 lady," Mr. Gray ventured to suggest. 
 
 "She is an impostor!" said Mrs. Byron, who 
 seemed to feel that the governess was the cause 
 of all her mortal trials. 
 
 " At Woodville she was regarded as a young 
 lady of splendid abilities, and her mission to the 
 poor children of Dunk's Hollow was the admira- 
 tion of all the neighborhood," added Mr. Gray. 
 " I know of no person to whom I would more 
 willingly intrust my children." 
 
 " She is an impostor ! " persisted Mrs. Byron. 
 " That is enough to condemn her ; " and leaving 
 Charley to entertain the company in his fascinat- 
 ing way, she flounced out of the room, and has- 
 tened to the nursery, to which Bertha had already 
 retreated. 
 
 " Miss Loring, you have deceived and disap- 
 pointed me," she began, still flushed with anger. 
 
 " I am sorry I deceived you, Mrs. Byron, and I 
 hope you will forgive me, for I meant no harm to 
 you." 
 
 " You are an impostor ! " 
 
 " No, ma'am, I am not. I am just what I rep- 
 resented myself to be." 
 
 " Your father is in prison for fraud."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 177 
 
 " That is his misfortune, but it is not my fault, 
 replied Bertha, indignant at this brutal treat- 
 ment. 
 
 "Misfortune? Yes, that is what they always 
 call it when a man commits a crime." 
 
 " My father has committed no crime." 
 
 " You came here under a false name. You have 
 imposed upon me. I don't know what you are, 
 even now. At any rate, you are not a fit person 
 to watch over the innocent life of my only child. 
 I tremble for him even now, after you have been 
 here only a week. Of course you understand me." 
 
 " Your words are plain enough." 
 
 " I am not willing that you should remain here 
 another night," added the angry woman. " I have 
 trusted you too long." 
 
 " I hope I have not abused your confidence." 
 said Bertha, overwhelmed by this outburst of 
 abuse. 
 
 " I have not counted my spoons since you came." 
 
 " Madam, that is an insult that no lady would 
 put upon an unprotected girl. I will leave your 
 house immediately," answered Bertha, almost 
 stunned by this unfeeling charge. 
 
 " As quick as possible, if you please," sneered 
 the lady. " I dare not lose sight of you."
 
 178 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 Bertha stepped into the adjoining room, and in 
 a few moments was dressed ready to leave the 
 house. 
 
 " I should like to look into your trunk before 
 you go," said Mrs. Bj'ron, to whose malice there 
 seemed to be no limit. 
 
 " You cannot, madam," replied Bertha, firmly, 
 but respectfully. 
 
 " But I think I shall. Since I have found out 
 what you are, I have a great many doubts. Give 
 me the key of your trunk." 
 
 " No, madam, I will not. I will submit to no 
 further insult." 
 
 " I will see if you won't." 
 
 " If you proceed any further, madam, I will ap- 
 peal to Mr. Gray for protection. He was my 
 father's friend, and I hope he is mine. I will 
 leave your house at once, and send for my trunk 
 as soon as I can." 
 
 " Not till your trunk has been examined." 
 
 " Very well, madam ; I will appeal to Mr. 
 Gray; " and she pnssed out of the room. 
 
 " Stop, Miss Loring." 
 
 Bertha paused in the hall. 
 
 " If there is nothing in your trunk but what
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 1795 
 
 belongs to you, you need not fear to have it 
 examined. 
 
 " There is nothing but my property in it ; but 
 I will not submit to such an insult." 
 
 " You can go; and if Mr. Byron thinks it neces- 
 sary to search the trunk, he will do so." 
 
 " You have forgoten to pay me my salary, 
 madam," said Bertha. 
 
 " Dare you ask me for payment, after what has? 
 happened? " 
 
 " 1 think I am justly entitled to what I have- 
 earned." 
 
 " I don't think so, and you can go." 
 
 " But I want my wages, madam." 
 
 " I do not owe you any thing. You imposed 
 upon me, and you have done Charley more harm, 
 than good. He never behaved as he did this even- 
 ing before since he was born." 
 
 " I think I have done my duty faithfully ; at 
 least, I have tried to do it. I have not money 
 enough to pay my fare to the city, and I hope you 
 will not keep back my wages." 
 
 " I shall pay you nothing." 
 
 " I shall be very sorry to appeal to Mr. Gray for 
 assistance, but I shall have to ask him to lend 
 me a few dollars."
 
 180 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " You impudent hussy ! " exclaimed Mrs. Byron, 
 in a great rage, as she again found herself in a 
 difficult position. 
 
 Mr. Gray was a wealthy and influential person, 
 and she would have given any sum rather than 
 permit him to know any thing about the matter. 
 Bertha said no more, but walked down the stairs, 
 intending to call Mr. Gray from the parlor, and 
 tell him the whole truth. When she reached the 
 lower hall, she heard the screams of Master 
 Charley, who had evidently had a falling out with 
 the owner of the watch. 
 
 " I want Miss Loring ! " screamed the little ruf- 
 tfan. 
 
 She was about to approach the open door of the 
 parlor, when Mrs. Byron rushed down the stairs, 
 and in more gentle tones than she had heard her 
 use since the first day she came into the house, 
 called her by name. She paused, and the lady 
 joined her. 
 
 " Here is three dollars. I believe that is what 
 I owe you is it not ? " 
 
 " Yes, madam ; thank you." 
 
 " Peter has a horse and wagon at the door, and 
 lie will carry your trunk for you." 
 
 " Thank you, ma'am : you are very kind," said
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 181 
 
 Bertha, surprised at the sudden change in the 
 manner of the lady. 
 
 The powerful name of Mr. Gray had wrought 
 the change, with, perhaps, a consciousness that she 
 had exceeded the bounds of humanity and decency. 
 
 The lady stepped into the parlor and closed the 
 door behind her, that no one might witness the 
 departure of the discharged governess. Bertha 
 found in Peter a ready friend, and in a few 
 moments she was seated in the wagon by his side, 
 with her trunk in front of her. 
 
 " Where shall I drive you, Miss Loring? " asked 
 Peter, as they proceeded down the hill to the road. 
 
 " I hardly know, Peter," replied Bertha, sadly.. 
 " I have no place to go." 
 
 " No place to go ! " exclaimed he. " What are 
 you leaving at this hour of night for, then ? " 
 
 " I was obliged to leave." 
 
 " Ah, I see how it is. I was afraid that brat 
 would be the death of you; and when I heard 
 him screeching in the parlor, I thought there 
 would be a row for somebody. Then you have 
 been discharged? " 
 
 " I have." 
 
 " Turned out of the house at this hour of night, 
 with no place to go! That woman has no more 
 soul than a brickbat."
 
 .182 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " Is there a hotel in the village, Peter? " 
 
 " There is ; but it is no place for a young girl 
 like you. If you will go to my poor cottage, you 
 shall have a poor man's welcome." 
 
 " Thank you, Peter. I shall be very grateful 
 to you if you will let me remain with you till 
 morning." 
 
 " I will, with all my heart." 
 
 Peter was head groom at Blue Hill, and his 
 house was only a short distance from the residence 
 of Mr. Byron. Peter's wife received her kindly, 
 ^nd conducted her to the little spare chamber 
 which was appropriated to her use. 
 
 The groom evidently understood the temper of 
 the mistress of Blue Hill well enough to compre- 
 hend the nature of the difficulty which had driven 
 Bertha from her place, and neither he nor his wife 
 asked any questions. Although it was quite early 
 in the evening, the poor girl preferred to retire, 
 and her hostess offered no objection. 
 
 The events of the evening had been so rapid and 
 unexpected, that Bertha was entirely unprepared 
 for the shock which had so suddenly fallen upon 
 her. Again she was alone and friendless in the 
 world, and she could hardly expect another lucky 
 incident would supply her with a home, as had
 
 The Mission of Bertna Grant. 183 
 
 been the case only a week before. But she was a 
 little better off than she had been then, for she 
 had three dollars in her purse, with which to pay 
 her fare to the city. 
 
 Before she went to sleep she committed herself 
 to the care of her heavenly Father, and felt confi- 
 dent that he would guide her steps, and protect 
 her in the midst of the trials which were before 
 her. 
 
 At breakfast the next morning, when Bertha an- 
 nounced her purpose of going to the city, Peter 
 offered to drive her down to the ferry, where she 
 could cross the river, and take the cars on the- 
 other side. She gratefully accepted his offer, and 
 as soon as he could get the horse, he returned 
 from the stable. 
 
 In a short time Bertha was embarked on the 
 ferry, with many thanks to Peter and his wife for 
 their kindness, which, she assured him, should 
 never be forgotten. A ride of less than an hour 
 brought her to the great city, where every body 
 seemed to be rushing to and fro, as though the 
 salvation of the world depended upon the celerity 
 of their movements. None of them took any 
 notice of poor Bertha, and she was more alone in 
 the midst of the multitude than she had been* 
 amidst the rural scenes she had just left.
 
 184 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 She knew not what to do, or where to go; and 
 having left her trunk in charge of the baggage 
 master at the railroad station, she wandered down 
 Broadway.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 185 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA VISITS HER FATHER^ OFFICE,, AND 
 ANSWERS AN ADVERTISEMENT IN THE HERALD. 
 
 BERTHA, knew enough of the perils of the great 
 city to make her tremble, when she considered that 
 she was alone and unprotected. The prospect be- 
 fore her of finding suitable employment was ex- 
 ceedingly dark and hopeless. Though she had 
 often been in the city, and knew the principal 
 localities, eve^y thing seemed new and strange to 
 her; the houses and the streets wore a different 
 aspect, for she was not now the daughter of the 
 rich broker, but the child of want, seeking the 
 > opportunity to fulfil what had become the great 
 mission of her existence. 
 
 Though her first object was to obtain a situa- 
 tion where she might procure the means of sub- 
 sistence, this was not the mission of Bertha Grant- 
 She had in her mind, clearly and hopefully de- 
 fined, a higher and holier purpose. As at Wood- 
 ville, in the midst of luxury and plenty, she did
 
 1 86 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 not live only to enjoy them; she now felt that she 
 had been sent into the world with a great work 
 given her to perform An earnest and true man, 
 from his pulpit in Whitestone, had given her the 
 idea, and she had pondered and cherished it till it 
 became a principle. 
 
 She believed she had been created to do good 
 to her fellow-beings, and with this noble thought 
 in her heart she had gone upon her mission to 
 the poor children of Dunk's Hollow. He who 
 spoke in Whitestone the words and the spirit of 
 Him of Nazareth spoke through Bertha to the 
 friendless and despised little ones who gathered 
 around her at the Glen. His words and her words, 
 spoken in faith and hope, and embodied in good 
 and generous deeds, were to yield their hundred 
 fold; and though Bertha had been withdrawn 
 from her labors, the seed which she had sown were 
 still growing. Though some might perish, others 
 would live, and thrive, and mature. 
 
 In the same faith and hope which bad led her 
 to gather together the children of Dunk's Hollow, 
 she was now laboring to save her father and her 
 brother her father from suffering and sorrow, 
 her brother from himself. This was the present 
 mission of Bertha Grant ; and it was a part of the
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 187 
 
 great purpose of her existence. While she was in 
 want she could do nothing. The body must be 
 fed and clothed, and if she could obtain employ- 
 ment that would relieve her from absolute want, 
 she would be in condition to prosecute the greater 
 work of the hour. 
 
 Full cf these thoughts she walked down Broad- 
 way, with nothing to encourage her, and without 
 any plan or expectation to guide her doubtful foot- 
 steps. Slowly she threaded her way through the 
 dense crowd that always throngs the street, till she 
 came to the Park. All the way she had looked 
 in vain lor any suggestion that might aid her in 
 accomplishing her purpose. In a few hours more 
 the night would come. She dared not go to a 
 hotel in the great city, and she trembled to think 
 of being friendless and homeless in those streets 
 where villains choose darkness for deeds of sin 
 and violence. 
 
 The thought filled her with terror, but it in- 
 spired her with new resolution. There was some- 
 thing to be done, and the hours for doing it were 
 few and short. Yet where should she go? She 
 could not answer this question, and involuntarily 
 she continued her walk down Broadway, till she 
 came to Wall Street. She was now in the vicinity
 
 1 88 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 of her father's office, and she determined to go 
 look at it, if nothing more. 
 
 It was a familiar locality, for she had often 
 been to see her father during business hours. To 
 her astonishment she found the office open, and 
 her father's clerk in his usual place at the desk. 
 This looked hopeful to her, and she entered, with 
 a beating heart, to inquire about her father. 
 
 " Miss Grant ! " exclaimed the clerk, as she came 
 in. 
 
 " Can you tell me any thing about my father? " 
 asked Bertha, as she seated herself in the chair 
 which the clerk offered her. 
 
 " I am sorry to say that I cannot give you 
 any good news from him," required Mr. Sherwood, 
 gloomily. 
 
 "Where is he now?" 
 
 " He is where he was," said the clerk, with an 
 embarrassed air. 
 
 " In the prison, you mean." 
 
 "Yes, in the Tombs; but I am as certain as 
 I am of my own existence, that he will come out 
 without the stain of dishonor upon him." 
 
 " I feel, I know, that he has been guilty of no 
 crime," added Bertha, earnestly. 
 
 " I suppose you understand the circumstances 
 under which he was arrested?"
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 189 
 
 " I do not." 
 
 " It is a rather complicated affair. He was ar- 
 rested on the charge of fraud." 
 
 " So I have understood." 
 
 " But he is no more guilty of fraud than I am ; 
 and if we can only get a chance to let the truth 
 out, we shall make the matter plain to the whole 
 world. Grayle is at the bottom of the whole af- 
 fair. He is your father's enemy." 
 
 " He is a very rude and hard man," said Bertha, 
 recalling the incidents of her departure from 
 Woodville. 
 
 " Three or four years ago your father spoiled a 
 dishonest speculation in which Grayle and others 
 were engaged; this made him an enemy, though 
 they still kept on good terms together. Some 
 months since Mr. Grant borrowed fifty thousand 
 dollars of him, giving him certain English securi- 
 ties as collateral." 
 
 " I really don't know what you mean," said 
 Bertha. 
 
 " The securities were certain papers, by which 
 Brace Brothers, a large English banking firm, sup- 
 posed to be very wealthy, promised to pay certain 
 sums of money," continued the clerk, smiling at 
 the perplexed look of Bertha. " In other words,
 
 190 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 Brace Brothers promised to pay your father (01 
 the holder of the paper) twelve thousand pounds." 
 
 " I understand that." 
 
 " This money was to be drawn in bills of ex- 
 change, or orders. Now, when your father wanted 
 a large sum for immediate use, he gave them to 
 Mr. Grayle as security, because the bills of ex- 
 change were not to be drawn till September. The 
 very next steamer that came in brought intelli- 
 gence of the suspension of Brace Brothers that 
 is, they had stopped payment did not pay their 
 notes and other obligations." 
 
 " I understand it very well." 
 
 " Well, Grayle declared that your father knew 
 these securities were worthless when he gave them 
 to him, and immediately accused him of fraud. 
 He came into the office very much excited, and 
 talked to your father as no gentleman ever talked 
 to another. Your father resented the charge, 
 which made Grayle all the more angry and ex- 
 cited." 
 
 " But how could he accuse my father of fraud, 
 when all this happened before it was known that 
 Brace Brothers had suspended ? " 
 
 " There was some reason," said the clerk, after 
 a pause. " One of Grayle's friends had a letter,
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 191 
 
 which had come before the transaction, in which 
 Brace Brothers mentioned their financial embar- 
 rassments; but I am certain your father had no 
 suspicion that they were weak. In fact," said 
 Mr. Sherwood, dropping his voice to a very low 
 tone " I have a letter, which I carry in my pocket 
 since your father was arrested, that will set the 
 matter all right. A friend of mine gave it to me. 
 Grayle would give a thousand dollars for this 
 letter," added the clerk, slapping his hand upon 
 his breast pocket, with a triumphant air. 
 
 " I hope you will save him," replied Bertha. 
 
 " I know I shall. Our own correspondence 
 with Brace Brothers shows that they believed 
 themselves to be sound and good. But this letter 
 will save him, if nothing else will. All we want is 
 to get the matter before the court. Grayle keeps 
 getting it put off, for if the truth comes out it will 
 ruin him." 
 
 " He has secured Woodville," added Bertha. 
 
 " That was the only weak thing your father 
 did. Grayle went so far that your father was 
 alarmed, and attempted to save his honor at the 
 expense of his property. He gave Grayle a bill of 
 sale of Woodville and all it contained, to keep him 
 quiet for few days, till he could raise the monej
 
 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 to pay him. The villain then arrested your father 
 and took possession of Woodvii^." 
 
 " Tiie paper said my father was going to leave 
 the country." 
 
 " All nonsense : He had no more idea of leav- 
 ing the country than I had. Grayle watched him 
 all the time; and when he went over to the Brit- 
 ish steamer to see a friend, who was going to 
 Europe, he had him arrested, and then circulated 
 the story which you read in the newspaper. 
 Every body believes just now that Mr. Grant is a 
 common swindler; but we will set that matter 
 right before long," added the clerk, confidently. 
 
 " I am sure I hope so. Could I see my father? " 
 
 " I am afraid not. Your brother got in, and 
 saw him ; but since then, orders have been given to 
 admit no one but his counsel. They wouldn't let 
 me in. Grayle is playing a deep game, and has 
 probably used his influence to prevent your father 
 from seeing his friends. He is a great villain." 
 
 Mr. Sherwood's opinions were decided, and were 
 very emphatically delivered. They were full of 
 hope and encouragement to Bertha, and she re- 
 joiced that she had been led to visit the office. 
 But, although she was comforted and assured by 
 the intelligence she had gained, there was nothing
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 193 
 
 in it which promised to supply her immediate 
 wants. She was still homeless and friendless, for 
 she had not the courage to place herself under the 
 protection of Mr. Sherwood. He was a young 
 man, and had been with her father but a few 
 months. At least, she was not prepared to adopt 
 this course until all other resources had failed. 
 
 There was nothing in the facts she had just 
 learned to change her purpose. Her father might 
 get out of prison, but he was a ruined man. Mr. 
 Sherwood might be mistaken in his estimate of 
 the value of the latter in his possesion. The 
 duty of providing for herself and Fanny seemed to 
 be just as imperative as ever. 
 
 Though she was not yet willing to ask the pro- 
 tection of her father's clerk, the time might come 
 within a few hours when she might be glad to do 
 so. He was ignorant of her real situation, and 
 supposed she was comfortably located in the house 
 of some friend or relative. 
 
 " Where shall I find you, Mr. Sherwood, in case 
 I should wish to see you again? " asked Bertha. 
 
 " You will find me here at all hours of the day 
 and night. I have not been out of the office for 
 more than half an hour at once since your father 
 was arrested. I sleep on that sofa. Grayle is
 
 194 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 an unscrupulous wretch, and I don't think he 
 would hesitate to take any papers in the office 
 which would serve his purpose; or even to break 
 in, if he has the courage to do so." 
 
 " What a terrible man he must be ! " added 
 Bertha. 
 
 ** He offered me a situation in his office the day 
 after your father was arrested. I think he would 
 be willing to buy me up at any price." 
 
 " I am sure my father will be grateful to you." 
 
 " Your father always used me well, and I will 
 not desert him if all the rest of the world does." 
 
 " I am very thankful that he has so good a 
 friend." 
 
 " O, I only wish to do as I would be done by. 
 If you should want any thing, Miss Grant, you 
 can call upon me. There was a small sum of 
 money in the office when your father was arrested 
 though I suppose it will all come in use to pay the 
 lawyers, and other expenses." 
 
 "Thank you; I don't need any thing at pres- 
 ent," replied Bertha, who would not have touched 
 a dollar that could be serviceable in effecting her 
 father's release. 
 
 At this point an elderly gentleman entered the 
 office, and began to make inquiries of Mr. Sher-
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 195 
 
 wood concerning her father. He looked earnestly 
 at Bertha for a moment, and appeared to be very 
 much excited. She thought his countenance 
 seemed familiar to her, though she was confident 
 she had never seen him before. The clerk, per- 
 haps thinking it would not be pleasant for her to 
 hear her father's situation discussed by a stranger, 
 conducted her into the private office, and gave her 
 the morning paper the Herald. 
 
 Bertha wondered who the gentleman was, as she 
 glanced over the columns of the paper. His face 
 was strangely familiar, yet she was positive she 
 had never seen him. But her attention was soon 
 withdrawn from him by an advertisement in the 
 paper, which, caught her eye. An old gentleman, 
 an invalid, advertised for a well-educated young 
 lady, to read to him, and act as amanuensis. 
 
 " If I could only get that place ! " said she to 
 herself, as she wrote down on a slip of paper the 
 address mentioned in the advertisement. 
 
 There would be hundreds of applicants for the 
 situation ; but she could try to obtain it, and she 
 resolved to do so without a moment's delay. As 
 she passed through the other office, where the 
 stranger was engaged in earnest conversation with 
 the clerk, she said that she would call again some
 
 196 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 other time, and hastened down the stairs to the 
 street. 
 
 The house of the invalid gentleman was in the 
 upper part of the city, and she got into a stage 
 in Broadway, lest some other applicant should 
 obtain the place before her. Without much diffi- 
 culty she found the house. It was a very large 
 and elegant establishment', and on the door was 
 the name of " F. Presby." With a trembling hand, 
 she rang the bell, which was answered by a man 
 in a white jacket, who brusquely demanded her 
 business. 
 
 " I wish to see Mr. Presby," replied Bertha. 
 
 "Which Mr. Presby?" 
 
 " The old gentleman the invalid." 
 
 " Another person to answer the advertisement," 
 said a female voice in the entry, beyond the inner 
 door. " Tell her he is not at home, John." 
 
 " Not at home, miss," repeated the man in the 
 white jacket. 
 
 " When will he be at home? " asked Bertha. 
 
 " He has gone out of town, and will not be in 
 again until next week." 
 
 " But he advertised for a young lady." 
 
 " Yes, miss, he did ; but, you see, the old gentle- 
 man ii crazy, and don't know what he wants. At 
 any rate, he don't want any young lady."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 197 
 
 Poor Bertha's heart sank within her, as the nice 
 place which she had hoped to obtain proved to be 
 a mere shadow, and she stood gazing at the serv- 
 ant with a look of despair. 
 
 "Not at home, miss," repeated the man, par- 
 tially closing the door, as a hint for her to leave. 
 
 She turned and descended the steps, the man 
 closing the door with a slam. But she had 
 scarcely reached the sidewalk, before she heard the 
 door open again. She turned to discover the 
 cause, and saw a tall, pale old gentleman, with a 
 dressing gown on, standing at the door. 
 
 " Do you wish to see me?" asked he, in feeble 
 tones. 
 
 " I called to see Mr. Presby," replied Bertha, 
 a ray of hope again lighting up her soul. 
 
 " Come in, if you please." 
 
 But the servant had told her that old Mr. 
 Presby was crazy, and did not want a young lady 
 to read to him. The thought of throwing herself 
 into the company of a lunatic was not pleasing; 
 but the sad, pale old gentleman looked so mild and 
 inoffensive that she concluded there must be some 
 mistake, and she followed him into the house.
 
 198 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA FINDS A NEW HOME, AND IS 
 MYSTIFIED BY STRANGE THINGS. 
 
 THE old gentleman conducted Bertha up the 
 stairs to the large front room which was fitted up 
 as a library. It was furnished in a plain, old- 
 fashioned manner, and was well supplied with 
 sofas, lounges, and easy chairs. As they entered 
 this room, the old gentleman closed the door be- 
 hind them, and offered her a chair. 
 
 Bertha almost wished she had not come in, 
 when Mr. Presby closed the door, for being alone 
 with an insane man was the most terrible thing 
 she could imagine. She did not at first dare to 
 take the chair to which the old gentleman beck- 
 oned her, but lingered near the door, ready to 
 make her escape when she should discover the first 
 symptom of insanity in the invalid. 
 
 " Be seated, if you please," said the old gentle- 
 man. 
 
 "Thank you, sir," stammered Bertha, still re-
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 199 
 
 taining her place near the door, and gazing at the 
 invalid with the deepest anxiety. 
 
 But then it occurred to her that the rude serv- 
 vant had told her Mr. Presby was out of town, 
 which was certainly a falsehood ; and perhaps the 
 statement that he was crazy was equally false. 
 She had never seen an insane person; but Mr. 
 Presby did not look any different from any other 
 person. He was very sad and pale, and seemed to 
 be harmless. 
 
 " Won't you take a seat ? " asked he again, in a 
 tone so mild and gentle that she was almost con- 
 vinced he was not crazy. 
 
 She had heard that insane people are sometimes 
 quite rational, and only have fits of madness at 
 times. This might be the case with Mr. Presby, 
 and he might, at any moment, become a raving 
 maniac. But she took the chair, though she trem- 
 bled as she did so, and kept one eye upon the 
 door all the time. 
 
 "You wished to see me," continued the old 
 gentleman, as he seated himself near her much 
 nearer than she wished to have him under the cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied Bertha, looking at him full 
 in the eye, that she might discover the first symp-
 
 2oo Rich and Humble, or 
 
 torn of wildness in season to make her escape be- 
 fore he could proceed to violence. 
 
 " Don't be alarmed," added Mr. Presby, with a 
 smile, as he evidently noticed her agitation. 
 
 " I I'm not alarmed," stammered Bertha, in 
 doubt whether she should apply for the situation. 
 
 " You are, I presume, an applicant for the place 
 which I advertised in the morning paper." 
 
 "Yes, sir; I called to see about that; but 
 I I don't know as the place will suit me," an- 
 swered she, still very much embarrassed at the 
 thought of becoming reader and amanuensis for a 
 crazy man. 
 
 " Well, my child, I don't wish you to take the 
 situation if you think it will not suit you," added 
 Mr. Presby, with a fatherly smile. " What is your 
 name? " 
 
 " Bertha Grant, sir." 
 
 " Why do you think the place would not suit 
 you?" 
 
 " Because I, really, sir " 
 
 " You seem to have changed your mind very 
 suddenly." 
 
 " The servant told me you were out of 
 town " 
 
 " And out of my head," said the invalid, with a
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 201 
 
 smile. " I begin to understand why you think the 
 situation will not suit you. The servant told you 
 that Mr. Presby was crazy, and did not want any 
 young lady." 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied Bertha, frankly. 
 
 " I am not crazy. I thank God that amid the 
 heavy misfortunes he has visited upon me, I am 
 still iermitted to enjoy my reason unimpaired. 
 No, < hild, I am not insane ; I have never been so." 
 
 " I am so glad to hear it ! " exclaimed Bertha. 
 
 But the glowing expression with which she re- 
 ceived this assurance quickly gave place to a sad 
 look again, as she considered that the invalid 
 might not be aware of his own infirmity. 
 
 " You have some doubts," added he, as he ob- 
 served the change upon her face. " It is sad for 
 me to have to defend myself from such a charge. 
 You know that John told you one falsehood." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; and I am satisfied," replied Bertha : 
 " but it seems very strange to me." 
 
 " If you would like the situation, I think I can 
 convince you that I am not crazy." 
 
 " I would like it very much, sir, if you would 
 please to give me the place." 
 
 "Perhaps you will not suit me," added Mr. 
 Presby, with a smile.
 
 202 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I will try to do so, sir." 
 
 " You are very young." 
 
 " I shall be fourteen in a short time." 
 
 " Younger than I thought you were ; it will be 
 very hard for a young girl like you to be shut op 
 with an old man like me." 
 
 " I shall not mind that, sir." 
 
 "And there will be a great many annovances 
 and trials to endure." 
 
 " I will try to be faithful and patient." 
 
 " I suppose there have been a dozen applicants 
 at the door for the place this forenoon, but you 
 are the first that I have seen. They were all sent 
 away, as you were. I should not have seen you 
 if I had not happened to overhear the conversa- 
 tion between you and John in the entry." 
 
 " How very strange ! " said Bertha, not able to 
 comprehend this singular state of things. 
 
 " You will understand it soon enough. I like 
 your appearance, young as you are ; and as I may 
 not see another applicant, I am the more desirous 
 of engaging you, if you will answer my pnrpose. 
 I presume you have been well educated, or you 
 would not have applied for the place." 
 
 Bertha briefly stated the history of her educa- 
 tion, which seemed to be satisfactory to Mr.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 203 
 
 Presby. He then questioned her in regard to her 
 family, and without telling any more than was 
 necessary, she informed him in regard to her past 
 life. He was not inquisitive, and she passed the 
 examination without informing him what her 
 father's first name was, or where he had resided. 
 
 " Now, Miss Grant, I should like to hear you 
 read. You may begin with the first article in the 
 Post," continued Mr. Presby. 
 
 He then handed her Kirk White's poems, and 
 she read a couple of pages. 
 
 "You read very well indeed for one so young, 
 and you appear to understand what you read. 
 Now I will dictate a letter for you to write, and if 
 your penmanship is plain and distinct, you will 
 satisfy me in every respect." 
 
 Mr. Presby dictated to Bertha a letter of about 
 a page in length. Her taste and skill in drawing 
 had materially improved her writing, and she 
 wrote a beautiful hand, much larger and plainer 
 than fashionably educated young ladies usually 
 write. 
 
 " That is admirable ! " exclaimed Mr. Presby, as 
 she handed him the sheet. " It is as plain as 
 print. I commend your hand to the book-keepers 
 down town. I can read that writing."
 
 JO4 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I am very glad it suits you, sir," said Bertha, 
 delighted with the success of her examination. 
 
 " You have spelled all the words right, and 
 the letter is neat and well arranged. I suppose 
 you know something about arithmetic and geogra- 
 phy?" 
 
 "Yes, sir; I am very willing to be examined." 
 
 " No, I will not trouble you any farther. If the 
 place will suit you, it is yours." 
 
 " Thank you, sir." 
 
 Bertha was quite sure it would suit her, if Mr. 
 Presby was not insane; and she was pretty well 
 satisfied now that he was not. 
 
 " You have not spoken of the salary, sir," sug- 
 gested Bertha, who had some doubts on this sub- 
 ject. 
 
 " You may suit yourself about that, Miss 
 Grant," replied Mr. Presby, with a smile. 
 " Money is the least of my cares in this world." 
 
 " If you thought four dollars a week was not 
 too much," said she, after some hesitation. 
 
 " I will give you five with pleasure," added Mr. 
 Presby. " It is of no consequence what I pay, if 
 you answer my purpose." 
 
 " You are very kind and very generous, sir; and 
 I will do the best I can to please you."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 205 
 
 " That is all I require ; and you need not come 
 in the morning till ten o'clock." 
 
 Ten o'clock ! Then she had no home, after all, 
 and she must find a place to board somewhere in 
 the vicinity. The five dollars a week seemed to 
 melt away all at once, for it would take three dol- 
 lars a week to pay her board, and there was only 
 two left to pay Fanny's board, and nothing for 
 clothes and other expenses. 
 
 "Where do you live?" asked Mr. Presby. "I 
 suppose you will want to go home before it is very 
 dark at night." 
 
 " I have no home," answered Bertha, sadly. 
 
 " No home ; Poor child ! Then your parents 
 are dead? " 
 
 She did not dare to tell him that her father was 
 in prison ; so she made no reply. 
 
 " But you shall have a home here," continued 
 Mr. Presby, rising and opening a door which led 
 into a small chamber over the front entry. " You 
 shall have this room, and take your meals with 
 me." 
 
 " Thank you, sir ; I shall never be able to repay 
 you for your kindness." 
 
 " Poor child ! This is the happiest day I have 
 known for a long time. I thank the Lord for
 
 2o6 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 Bending you to me, for we shall be a blessing to 
 each other." 
 
 Bertha could not help crying, the old gentleman 
 was so tender and so kind. She was sure now 
 that he could not be crazy ; and she wondered more 
 than ever at the strange conduct of John, and the 
 female whose voice she had heard in the entry. 
 
 She looked into the chamber, and found it was 
 nicely furnished, and had a very pleasant aspect. 
 With the devout old gentleman she thanked God 
 for conducting her to this new home. She felt 
 Mr. Presby would not turn her out of the house, 
 even if he should find out that he father was a 
 prisoner in the Tombs. 
 
 " Poor child," said Mr. Presby, which seemed 
 to be growing into a favorite expression with him. 
 " You said your name was " 
 
 " Bertha Grant, sir." 
 
 " Bertha ; I shall call you Bertha, for you are 
 only a child now, and I mean to be a father to 
 you, if you are a good girl, as I am sure you will 
 be. Poor child ! no home, and no friends." 
 
 The old man walked slowly up and down the 
 room, as he uttered these words, and seemed to 
 be thinking of something. 
 
 u I wish I had a better home than this for you,
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 207 
 
 poor child," said Mr. Presby, as he stopped in 
 front of the chair in which she was sitting. 
 
 " I am sure I could not ask a better home," re- 
 plied Bertha. 
 
 " Poor child ! It is hearts that make home, not 
 fine rooms, rich carpets, and costly furniture," 
 added Mr. Presby, with a deep sigh, as he shook 
 his head, and resumed his walk. " Hearts, not 
 rooms and furniture," he murmured several times. 
 
 " I could ask no kinder heart than yours to 
 warm my home," said Bertha, pitying the old man, 
 he was so sad and sorrowful. 
 
 " Poor child ! I love you already," exclaimed 
 Mr. Presby, as he paused by her side, bent over 
 and kissed her on the forehead, while a great tear 
 dropped from his sunken eye upon her brow. 
 
 Bertha thought the old gentleman acted very 
 strangely. There was a mystery connected with 
 him which she could not penetrate. The conduct 
 of John, and the female who had spoken, added 
 to the mystery, rather than assisted in its solu- 
 tion. It was evident that they had prevented 
 several applicants for the situation she had ob- 
 tained from seeing the invalid, and had attempted 
 to prevent her from doing so. Why they should 
 act in this manner was unaccountable to her; but
 
 208 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 she had no desire to pry into matters which did 
 not concern her. 
 
 " This shall be your home, my child," said Mr. 
 Presby, pausing again before her chair, and look- 
 ing tenderly upon her. 
 
 " Thank you, sir. You fixed my wages before 
 you knew that I had no other home. You will 
 wish to change the sum now." 
 
 " No, child, no ! " answered Mr. Presby, impa- 
 tiently. " Now do not say any thing more about 
 money. It has been the bane of my life. I do 
 not like the sound of the word. You shall have 
 five dollars a week, or ten, or any other sum you 
 desire, only let me have one true friend in the 
 wide world, and I care not for all the gold in the 
 universe." 
 
 " Pardon me, sir," said Bertha, deeply moved by 
 the earnestness of the old gentleman; for as he 
 spoke, the tears coursed down his pale, wrinkled 
 cheek, and his soul seemed to be filled with an- 
 guish. " I would not have mentioned the subject 
 again, if it had not been a matter of great conse- 
 quence to me. I have a sister in the country, 
 whose board I must pay, and I only wish to earn 
 money enough to support her." 
 
 " I knew that one so young could not love
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 209 
 
 money. It has been a curse to me. God has 
 punished me by making me rich. I am worth at 
 least half a million of dollars. I own houses and 
 lands, stocks, bonds and mortgages; I have the 
 notes of rich men in my safe, and I have over a 
 hundred thousand dollars in the banks; but I 
 would give all I have in the world, every dollar, 
 for a poor cottage in the country, if I could have 
 with it the respect and affection of my of my of 
 those whom Heaven sent to bless my declining 
 years, and smooth my pathway down to the 
 grave." 
 
 The old man dropped into his chair, and wept 
 as though his heart would break. Bertha tried to 
 comfort him. She brushed back the long, white 
 locks from his forehead, and kissed his wrinkled 
 brow. Gentle-hearted as she was, she could not 
 help weeping with him. 
 
 " Poor child ! " sobbed Mr. Presby. " You must 
 not love me : if you do, others will hate you." 
 
 " I wish I could do something to make you 
 happy," replied Bertha. 
 
 " No ; they will hate you, if you do." 
 
 "Who will hate me?" 
 
 The old man looked at her in silence for a mo- 
 ment.
 
 2io Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I dare not tell you," said he. " I am a gretit 
 sufferer. God has sorely afflicted me; but I sup- 
 pose I deserve it. I try to be patient and resigned 
 to my lot. It is hard, very hard." 
 
 Mr. Presby wiped his eyes, and after a struggle, 
 calmed his strong emotion. 
 
 " Come, Bertha, you shall read to me now," he 
 added. 
 
 "What shall I read?" asked she. 
 
 " You shall select something yourself." 
 
 She took the Bible, and read the twenty-third 
 Psalm, and then a portion of the Sermon on the 
 Mount.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 211 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA LISTENS TO THE STORY OP A 
 FAMILY QUARREL. 
 
 MR. PRESBY was comforted by the passages 
 which Bertha read, and perhaps the sympathy she 
 extended to the suffering invalid was hardly less 
 soothing than the words of the Scripture. Though 
 she had gathered some idea of the nature of her 
 patron's troubles from the conversation she had 
 had with him, yet she was still ignorant of his 
 relations with the other occupants of the house. 
 She comprehended that his children were unkind 
 and ungrateful to him, and this seemed so un- 
 natural and terrible to her, that she pitied the old 
 gentleman from the depths of her soul. 
 
 After she had finished reading the Bible, Mr. 
 Presby remained silent and thoughtful for a long 
 time. He seemed to be meditating upon the pas- 
 sages read, and she did not disturb him; but she 
 could not help calling to mind the statement of 
 John that he was insane. His conduct was cer- 
 tainly very singular; but if his children, those who 
 should have loved him, who should have comforted 
 him and humored his weakness, if they had 
 turned against him, it would be quite enough to 
 explain even more strange behavior than he had 
 yet exhibited. 
 
 He rose from his easy chair, and paced the
 
 212 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 room, as he had done before ; but he was calm, and 
 appeared to be more resigned to his misfortunes. 
 He did not talk to himself, as he had done; and 
 whether he was insane or not, Bertha had ceased 
 to be afraid of him, and even felt some confidence 
 that she could manage him if he should have a 
 paroxysm. 
 
 " Poor child ! " said he, at last, as he paused in 
 his walk. " I am old and thoughtless : you hare 
 no home, and I suppose you have no clothing. 
 Come, we will go out and buy some for you." 
 
 " I have plenty of clothing, sir. My trunk is at 
 the railroad station," replied Bertha. 
 
 " We will go and get it, then. The carriage 
 comes to take me out to ride about this time every 
 day. You shall go with me, and we will get your 
 trunk." 
 
 Mr. Presby took off his dressing gown, and, re- 
 tiring to his chamber in the rear of the library, 
 prepared himself for the ride. Bertha put on her 
 hat and shawl again, and in a few moments both 
 were ready. Before they left, Mr. Presby gathered 
 up some account books and papers that were on 
 his desk, and placed them in a small iron safe in 
 one corner of the room, which he locked, and put 
 the key in his pocket. 
 
 The carriage was at the door, and Mr. Presby 
 led the way down stairs. John was in the entry; 
 but he was very obsequious this time, and bowed 
 low as he opened the doors for them. 
 
 " Keep your eyes wide open, miss, or the old
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 213 
 
 man will knock your brains out when he has the 
 fit," he whispered in Bertha's ear, as she passed 
 him. 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked she. 
 
 " O, Mr. Presby is stark, staring mad ! " he re-, 
 plied, earnestly. " He will take your life before 
 you have been with him three days." 
 
 Bertha's old fears assailed her again for a mo- 
 ment; but she could not believe, if Mr. Presby 
 were such a dangerous person, that his friends 
 would permit him to ride about the city without 
 any attendant. They could certainly have sent 
 him to the Insane Asylum, for his family seemed 
 to have no tender regard for him which would 
 restrain them from such a course. 
 
 The carriage was driven to the station, and 
 Bertha procured her trunk. It was placed in the 
 little room adjoining the library, and then they 
 were driven down town. Mr. Presby visited sev- 
 eral insurance offices, and other places of business, 
 where he was treated with respect and consider- 
 ation by all whom he met. Bertha entered several 
 of the offices with him, and heard him talk about 
 matters that were beyond her comprehension ; but, 
 very clearly, no one seemed to be of John's opin- 
 ion, that Mr. Presby was " stark, staring mad." 
 
 On their return, at three o'clock, dinner was 
 served in the library. The table was prepared by 
 a colored girl, who waited upon them, and re- 
 moved the things when the meal was ended. 
 
 "Sylvia, is Mr. Presby Edward at home?"
 
 214 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 said the invalid to the girl, as she was leaving the 
 room with the dishes. 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 "Has he dined?" 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Tell him I wish to see him at his earliest con- 
 venience." 
 
 " I will, sir." 
 
 Bertha, noticed that Mr. Presby's lips quivered 
 as he spoke to the servant; and as soon as she 
 had gone, he seated himself in his chair, and ap- 
 peared to be much agitated. In half an hour, dur- 
 ing which time the old gentleman was silent and 
 thoughtful, Edward Presby entered the room. He 
 was a man of thirty-five, elegantly dressed, and in 
 whom an experienced observer would at once have 
 detected what is called " a man of the world " 
 a man who lives for its pleasures alone, ignoring 
 its cares and responsibilities. 
 
 " How do you do to-day, father? " said Edward, 
 as he entered the room, and cast a searching 
 glance at Bertha. 
 
 " I am as well as usual," replied the old man, 
 coldly. 
 
 " You sent for me, father? " 
 
 " I did. John must be discharged." 
 
 Mr. Presby spoke these words with firmness, 
 but his lip quivered, and his frame was slightly 
 convulsed. It had evidently cost him a great ef- 
 fort to utter them. 
 
 " John discharged? " repeated Edward Presby,
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 215 
 
 " He must be discharged," added the father. 
 
 " My wife would never consent to it. What has 
 he done now?" 
 
 Mr. Presby briefly explained the events of the 
 morning; that John had refused to admit those 
 who answered his advertisement; that he had told 
 Bertha the " old man " was crazy. 
 
 " A mere pleasantry, father," replied Edward. 
 " Probably John didn't know any thing about the 
 advertisement." 
 
 " Perhaps not. Does he believe that I am in- 
 sane?" 
 
 " Of course not," laughed the son. 
 
 " Will you discharge him? " 
 
 " I couldn't think of such a thing. John is the 
 most useful person in the house." 
 
 " Edward, I am in earnest. John must go, or I 
 shall." 
 
 " Come, father, you are out of humor. Have 
 you lost any money to-day? " 
 
 " I have nothing more to say, Edward," replied 
 Mr. Presby, trembling with emotion. 
 
 " I am sure I haven't," added the son-, as he 
 withdrew from the room. 
 
 The invalid went to his desk and wrote a few 
 lines, which he enclosed in an envelope. Having 
 written the direction upon it, he handed it to 
 Bertha, and requested her to ride down to Wall 
 Street in a stage, and deliver it to the person for 
 whom it was intended. 
 
 " I would not ask you to do such work for me, if 
 I could trust any one else," said he, sadly.
 
 216 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I will deliver the note," replied she. 
 
 " In a few days we will change our residence, 
 Bertha," he added, with a smile. " I hope in our 
 new home we may be happier than we can be 
 here." 
 
 Bertha knew not what to say, and therefore she 
 said nothing. The father and the son did not 
 agree, and the house was divided against itself. 
 It was a very painful state of things, to see this 
 difference between those who should cherish and 
 sustain each other, and Bertha, who had almost 
 idolized her father, could not understand it. She 
 put on her hat and shawl, and was leaving the 
 room, when Mr. Presby called her back. 
 
 " If you stay with me, Bertha, you must under- 
 stand all these things," said he. " It is a sad 
 story to tell a young girl like you, but you must 
 know it all. They will turn you against me, if 
 you don't." 
 
 " No one shall turn me against you, sir. You 
 have been very kind to me, and I am grateful 
 for it." 
 
 " They will make you believe that I am crazy." 
 
 " I will not believe it, sir." 
 
 Mr. Presby seated himself in his easy chair 
 again, and began to tell Bertha the history of his 
 troubles. He had two children, a son and a daugh- 
 ter. His wife had died ten years before, and soon 
 after her death a difficulty between the father and 
 son had occurred. 
 
 Edward had never devoted himself to business
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 217 
 
 of any kind, but spent all his time in fashionable 
 dissipation. He had married a gay and extrava- 
 gant lady, and after the death of his mother, he 
 had been invited to " keep house " for his father. 
 But the house was not large enough for the fash- 
 ionable lady, and both she and Edward had im- 
 portuned him to move into a magnificent palace of 
 a house. Mr. Presby was simple in his tastes, 
 and refused to do so. His refusal to comply had 
 caused the first quarrel. 
 
 The daughter had joined with the son in the re- 
 quest to purchase the palace, and had taken sides 
 with him in the quarrel. She desired to live in 
 the style of a princess to outdo all her neigh- 
 bors and friends. The demands upon the purse of 
 Mr. Presby became so extravagant, that even his 
 immense fortune could not sustain such a press- 
 ure, and he had been compelled to limit the son 
 to six thousand dollars a year, and the daughter 
 to fifteen hundred. 
 
 Mr. Presby had been firm in his purpose, and 
 every month he had paid over to each the sum 
 allotted. He positively refused to grant another 
 dollar, though he was continually annoyed by ap- 
 plications for more, which were often accom- 
 panied by threats and abusive language. 
 
 The quarrel had never been healed ; on the con- 
 trary, the estrangement became greater every 
 year. The son and his wife had obtained complete 
 possession of the house, except the floor which the 
 old gentleman had reserved for his own use. They
 
 218 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 managed its affairs to suit themselves, without 
 even consulting his wishes or his tastes, and he 
 soon felt himself a stranger there. They seemed 
 to look forward with pleasure to the hour which 
 would end his mortal pilgrimage, and place them 
 in possession of his wealth. 
 
 Mr. Presby wept as he told this sad story, and 
 Bertha pitied him more than ever. She thought 
 he had been very liberal with his children, espe- 
 cially as the son refused to do any business, as his 
 father wished. She could not see that he had been 
 to blame, and she wondered at the patience which 
 he had displayed. 
 
 " Now, Bertha, you understand it all," said he ; 
 " and I see that you pity me." 
 
 " I do, indeed." 
 
 " But they are my children, and I love them 
 still. O, how it would gladden my heart to hear 
 them speak gentle words to me! They hate me; 
 they want my property, and would rejoice to have 
 me die," groaned he, covering his face with his 
 hands. " I would give all I have if they would 
 love me." 
 
 " Perhaps they will." 
 
 " Their hearts are hardened against me. They 
 want my money. And I would give it all to them, 
 if it would make them love me. I would become 
 a beggar for their sake. But they would spend all 
 I have in a few years, and it would be folly to in- 
 dulge them." 
 
 " I think John is a very bad man," said Bertha, 
 recalling what he had said to her in the entry.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 219 
 
 " He is not only a spy upon my actions, but he 
 is employed to thwart me in my wishes. I can- 
 not endure him. I have been peaceable and pa- 
 tient; but I cannot be so any longer. Now you 
 may go with the note, Bertha." 
 
 " Shall I leave it if the gentleman is not in? " 
 
 " Yes ; he will get it if it is left at his office." 
 
 " I will do so, sir." 
 
 " Stop a moment, Bertha. Have you any money 
 to pay your fare ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir; a little." 
 
 "Here is five dollars; you may wish to pur- 
 chase something. You need not hurry back, for 
 I shall try to sleep an hour or two, if I am not too 
 much excited." 
 
 Bertha took the money, and thanked her em- 
 ployer for his kindness. As she descended the 
 stairs, John was in his accustomed place; for no 
 one seemed to pass in or out of the house without 
 his knowledge. 
 
 " Where are you going, miss ? " asked he, in 
 conciliatory tones. 
 
 " I am going out," she replied, without stopping. 
 
 " So I see ; but where are you going? " 
 
 " Down town." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 " Excuse me, John, but I am in a hurry to do 
 my errand/' 
 
 "What is your errand, miss?" persisted he. 
 
 " I do not think it is quite proper for me to tell 
 my employer's business to any one, and you will 
 excuse me if^ do not answer you."
 
 22O Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " O, certainly ; it's none of my business, of 
 course, and I did not mean to pry into the affairs 
 of Mr. Presby." 
 
 Bertha placed her hand upon the door ; but the 
 night lock was a peculiar one, and she did not 
 understand it. She kept working upon it, and 
 John did not offer to assist her. 
 
 "Have you seen Miss Ellen Presby?" asked 
 John. 
 
 " I have not," replied Bertha, still trying to 
 open the door. 
 
 " She wishes to see you. I will call her, if you 
 please." 
 
 " I will see her when I return," said Bertha ; 
 but John had gone. 
 
 Bertha had some ingenuity, and before the man 
 came back, she succeeded in opening the door. 
 As she did so, she discovered a couple of night 
 keys hanging near the door, and in order to save 
 John the trouble of answering her summons when 
 she returned, she put one of them in her pocket. 
 
 When she had seated herself in the stage, she 
 took out the note Mr. Presby had given her. She 
 doubted not it had some reference to the matters 
 which had transpired during the afternoon. She 
 turned the envelope, and read with astonishment 
 the name of the man, who, a few days before, had 
 turned her out of Woodville. It was directed to 
 " Samuel Grayle, Esq."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 221 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA HEARS GOOD NEWS, AND H3 
 SORELY PERSECUTED. 
 
 BERTHA was surprised and alarmed to find the 
 name of Mr. Grayle on the note. She hoped Mr. 
 Presby had no business relations with such a man, 
 and she was frightened at the thought of seeing 
 liim again. He had insulted her at Woodville, and 
 he might do so in New York. But her errand 
 must be done; and she hoped he would not be in 
 his office. 
 
 Mr. Grayle was in his private room with several 
 gentlemen when she reached her destination. She 
 gave the note to his clerk, and saw it delivered. 
 It was a lucky escape, and she retreated from the 
 place well satisfied with the result. As Mr. 
 Presby had told her she need not hurry back, she 
 decided to call upon Mr. Sherwood again. 
 
 " I am very glad to see you again, Miss Grant," 
 said the clerk, as she entered the office, " for I 
 have good news for you." 
 
 " Has my father got out of the Tombs ? " asked 
 Bertha, to whom this seemed to be the only good 
 news that could come to her. 
 
 " No ; not quite so good as that," replied the 
 clerk, shaking his head. " You saw the gentle-
 
 222 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 man who was with me when you left the office 
 this morning? " 
 
 " I did." 
 
 " Did you know him? " 
 
 " I did not, though his face seemed strangely 
 familiar." 
 
 " It was your uncle, from Valparaiso." 
 
 " Uncle Obed?" 
 
 " Yes, I suppose that is his name ; at any rate, 
 he is your father's only brother." 
 
 " O, I am so glad ! " exclaimed Bertha, " for I 
 know that he can save my father." 
 
 "Your father shall be saved, any way; but for 
 the present your uncle cannot do much. He is a 
 stranger in New York. His business in Val- 
 paraiso was entirely with English merchants." 
 
 " Where is he now? " 
 
 " He is stopping at the Astor House. If your 
 father can only be set at liberty, your uncle will 
 take care of his pecuniary matters as soon as his 
 funds arrive from England." 
 
 " I will call and see him." 
 
 " I think he has gone to Philadelphia, to see a 
 friend who will furnish him with money to pay off 
 your father's most pressing debts." 
 
 " That is just like uncle Obed," said Bertha. 
 
 " He remained with me all the forenoon. He 
 knows about Brace Brothers, and he says they 
 have only suspended, and will, eventually, pay all 
 they owe. If this is the case, Mr. Grant will yet 
 come out all right. As the matter stands now,
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 223 
 
 if your father could raise about fifty thousand 
 dollars, it would keep him out of trouble till the 
 affairs of Brace Brothers are settled up. This 
 your uncle will endeavor to procure." 
 
 " Will Mr. Grayle be paid then? " asked Bertha. 
 
 " Mr. Grayle has already been paid. He has 
 taken Woodville, though he says the estate will 
 not pay him what he has advanced. I suppose it 
 would not, if sold at auction, and he does not 
 like the bargain. As soon as he pressed your 
 father, and threw him into prison, others became 
 clamorous for their money. I hope your uncle 
 will be able to raise the sum needed." 
 
 " I am sure he will." 
 
 " He is very doubtful, for all his friends are in 
 England, and all his property is there. He has 
 retired from business, and means to settle in this 
 vicinity, as soon as he can close up his affairs, 
 and invest his wealth in this country. He was 
 very anxious to see you." 
 
 " I will see him at once if I can." 
 
 On her way up town, she called at the Astor 
 House; but uncle Obed had gone to Philadelphia, 
 as the clerk thought he had done. 
 
 It was time for her to return to Mr. Presby's, 
 and she took a stage for this purpose. Her father 
 and his affairs now engrossed all her attention, 
 and she even forgot those of her invalid employer. 
 It was certainly good news that uncle Obed had 
 arrived. Her father had written to him several 
 months before, and she had felt that, if he would
 
 224 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 come, all would be well. He could get Mr. Grant 
 out of prison; he could recover possession of 
 Woodville; and he could advance money to pay 
 her father's debts, and thus save him from his 
 creditors till the affairs of Brace Brothers were 
 settled. 
 
 But Uncle Obed seemed to be almost powerless, 
 after all. He had come, but he was a stranger in 
 the land, with no means and no credit. He had 
 wealth enough, but it might as well have been at 
 the bottom of the Red Sea, so far as any present 
 use was concerned. 
 
 Her father was still in prison. 
 
 Woodville was still in possession of Mr. Grayle. 
 Creditors representing fifty thousand dollars were 
 still ready to harass her father. 
 
 Here were three tremendous obstacles in the 
 path of her father. Bertha felt that she was but 
 a child, and she could do nothing against such 
 fearful odds; but still her mission was to save her 
 father. The coming of uncle Obed would keep 
 the family from want; but all her father had 
 seemed to be lost, and nothing but beggary or de- 
 pendence to be before him. It was doubtful 
 whether uncle Obed could do anything before it 
 would be too late to save her father from ruin. 
 What could she do herself? Alas ! nothing. 
 
 Still thinking of these things, she arrived at the 
 door of Mr. Presby's house. As she went up the 
 stone steps, the thought came, that perhaps she 
 might do something; but it was too absurd to be
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 225 
 
 cherished, and she dismissed it at once. She was 
 so absorbed with these reflections that she did not 
 think of the night key in her pocket, and rang 
 the bell. The summons was promptly answered 
 by John, who opened the door about a foot, and 
 placed himself in the aperture. 
 
 "Who do you wish to see, miss?" asked he, 
 politely. 
 
 " I wish to see Mr. Presby the old gentleman." 
 
 " Do you? Well, he isn't at home." 
 
 "Notathome?" 
 
 " He has just gone out of town, and won't be 
 back for three days." 
 
 " If you will let me in, I will go to my room," 
 said Bertha, who, of course, did not believe John's 
 ridiculous story. 
 
 " Eh? " added the man, with a kind of leer, as 
 though he did not understand her. 
 
 " I say I will go to my room, if you please." 
 
 " Your room ? Pray, miss, where is your 
 room? " 
 
 " It is the small chamber over the front entry." 
 
 " Really, miss, I don't understand you. I don't 
 see how your room can be in this house." 
 
 "Don't you know me, John?" asked Bertha, 
 astonished at this singular reception. 
 
 "Don't I know you? How should I know 
 you?" replied he, with an innocent look. 
 
 " I am the young lady whom Mr. Presby en- 
 gaged to-day." 
 
 " Mr. Presby didn't engage any young lady to 
 day."
 
 226 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " Why, yes he did, John. You know me very 
 well. Didn't you talk with me when I went out, 
 two hours ago, and ask me where I was going? " 
 
 " I ? 'Pon my word, I never saw you before in 
 my life ! " protested John, apparently amazed at 
 this statement. 
 
 It was greeted by a loud laugh from the entry 
 behind him. It was the same voice she had heard 
 before, and Bertha supposed it must be Miss 
 Ellen. 
 
 " Then, if you will call Mr. Presby, he will as- 
 sure you I am the person he engaged." 
 
 " How can I call him when he is out of town? " 
 
 " He is not out of town, John." 
 
 "O, now, that does not sound like a lady to 
 doubt my word; but I will call Mr. Edward 
 Presby." 
 
 " I do not wish to see him." 
 
 " Then I can't do any thing for you, miss." 
 
 " I will go up to my room." 
 
 " We don't let strangers into the house," replied 
 John, decidedly. 
 
 "What do you mean, John? You know me 
 well enough." 
 
 "Never saw you before in my life; and if you 
 doubt my word, I shall never want to see you 
 again." 
 
 " Send her away, John," said the voice of the 
 female in the entry. 
 
 "Good evening, miss; if you call next week, 
 you may see Mr. Presby," said John, with one of
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 227 
 
 those wicked leers with which he accompanied his. 
 polite impudence, and closed the door in her face. 
 
 Bertha, astounded by this incident, retired from 
 the door, and moved down the street again. Such 
 villainy and such trickery were beyond her com- 
 prehension. She had actually been denied admis- 
 sion to the house of her employer. But she had 
 spirit enough not to yield the point. She had 
 walked down the street but a short distance before 
 she thought of the night key in her pocket, and 
 then she determined to return, and to make her 
 way to Mr. Presby's library, whether John was- 
 willing or not, for it did not occur to her that he 
 would carry his opposition so far as to prevent her 
 by force from doing so. It was evident that Mr. 
 Presby's son and daughter intended to prevent 
 her from remaining with him. They feared her 
 influence that she might comfort and encourage 
 the invalid, and thus prolong his life; or be an 
 available witness in a contested will case; or that 
 she might in some manner prevent them from 
 controlling the old man's thoughts or actions. 
 " You must not love me, or they will hate you," 
 had been the warning of the father. If they 
 washed to prevent her from seeing Mr. Presby 
 again, it would be hard for her to do so. 
 
 Bertha felt that the old man was in the hands 
 of his enemies, though they were his own children, 
 and higher considerations than her own comfort 
 and welfare prompted her not to yield to the con- 
 spiracy. She could not desert the old gentleman
 
 228 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 when he had been so kind to her. Obeying this 
 generous impulse, she hastened up the steps, and 
 inserted the night key as quickly as she could. 
 The door was opened without difficulty, and not 
 stopping to close it behind her, she hung up the 
 night key on the nail from which she had taken 
 it, and opened the inner door, intending to run up 
 stairs before John should appear to dispute her 
 passage. 
 
 She was partially successful, and had ascended 
 a few steps before the vigilant man-servant 
 showed himself. But John, whom Mrs. Presby re- 
 garded as the most useful person in the house, was 
 as active as he was keen. No sooner did he dis- 
 cover that he had, in some mysterious manner, 
 been circumvented, than he sprang up the stairs, 
 and catching hold of her dress, pulled her down 
 to the door again. 
 
 "Who is it, John?" called the voice of the 
 female from an adjoining room. 
 
 " It is the girl that tried to get in a few mo- 
 ments ago." 
 
 " An entry thief isn't she, John ? " said Mr. 
 Edward Presby, who now appeared in the hall, 
 followed by his wife and his sister. 
 
 " I suppose so, sir," replied the ready John. 
 "" She has been prowling about the house all day. 
 I have sent her away twice/' 
 
 " But how did she get in ? " demanded Mr. 
 Presby. 
 
 " That's more than I know ; but this kind of
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 229* 
 
 folks always find a way to open a door," answered 
 John, with a wicked grin. 
 
 " How did you get in ? " said Mr. Presby, 
 sternly. 
 
 " Hush, Ned," whispered Miss Ellen, pointing 
 up stairs. 
 
 " No fear of him ; he is fast asleep in the back 
 chamber," muttered John. 
 
 But Mr. Presby acted upon this caution, and 
 taking Bertha by the arm, led her into the dining 
 room, in the rear, where the invalid could not 
 possibly hear what transpired. 
 
 " Now, how did you get in ? " repeated Mr. 
 Presby, in the same stern tone he had used before^ 
 as though he had been speaking to a common 
 thief, whom he hated and despised. 
 
 " I came in with the night key," replied Bertha, 
 appalled at the turn which the affair had taken. 
 
 " Where did you get the night key? " 
 
 " I took it from the nail when I went out." 
 
 " When you went out ! When was that ? " 
 
 " I know what she means. She stole the key 
 when she came to the door with the foolish in- 
 quiries," observed Miss Ellen. 
 
 " Did you miss the keys, John ? " asked Mr_ 
 Presby. 
 
 " I did not, sir. I don't believe she got in tha* 
 way. I will go and see; " and he left the room, 
 
 In a moment he returned, declaring the two- 
 night keys were hanging on the nail, where he 
 had seen them half a dozen times during the day.
 
 .230 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 "Of course she picked the lock, then," added 
 Mr. Presby. 
 
 "Well, I hope something will be done about it 
 this time," said Mrs. Presby. " You caught a 
 woman in the entry once before, and let her go 
 because she was well dressed." 
 
 "That was a mistake of mine; and I will not 
 make another of the same kind. John, you may 
 go and get an officer." 
 
 " For mercy's sake, Mr. Presby, don't send me to 
 prison ! " said Bertha, terrified beyond expression. 
 
 " That is just what the woman said, in almost 
 the same words," added Mrs. Presby. 
 
 "Don't you know me, sir?" pleaded Bertha. 
 " I was in the library when you were there this 
 afternoon." 
 
 " No use," replied Mr. Presby, shaking his head. 
 " That kind of stuff won't go down." 
 
 " The other thief said she wanted to see her 
 ister, who was a servant in the house," said Miss 
 Ellen. 
 
 " It is a plain case, miss, and there is no use 
 of wasting words in idle stories. I let one entry 
 thief escape, and I will not permit another to slip 
 through my fingers." 
 
 " I am no thief, sir. I beg you to send up to 
 your father, and he will assure you I am not a 
 thief," pleaded Bertha. 
 
 " My father is out of town." 
 
 Poor Bertha could say nothing to move her per- 
 secutors ; and, in despair, she relapsed into silence.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 231 
 
 In a few moments John returned with a police- 
 man. Mr. Preeby and his man told their story, 
 and the officer thought it was a very plain case. 
 
 " Come, miss," said he, taking her by the arm 
 and leading her out into the street.
 
 232 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA PROVES HER INNOCENCE, AND 
 MEETS RICHARD IN THE STATION HOUSE. 
 
 IT was now quite dark, and in the friendly 
 shades of night, poor Bertha was spared the shame 
 of being gazed upon by unthinking people in the 
 street. The policeman took her by the hand, and 
 conducted her to the station, where she was to re- 
 main till morning, when she would be taken be- 
 fore a magistrate to be examined on the charge of 
 " breaking and entering." 
 
 She was so terrified by the scene through which 
 she had just passed, that she had not the courage 
 to say any thing to the officers in vindication of 
 her innocence. They looked at her with curiosity 
 and some of them seemed to regard her as a differ- 
 ent person from those who were usually brought 
 to the station. 
 
 " Bless my soul ! " exclaimed a sergeant, when 
 he came to look at her. " I have certainly seen 
 that face before." 
 
 " O, Nathan ! " groaned Bertha, as she recog- 
 nized in the officer a man who had formerly been 
 employed as coachman at Woodville. 
 
 " Bertha Grant ! " ejaculated he, holding up 
 both hands with astonishment. " It can't be pos- 
 sible!"
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 233 
 
 " I am innocent, Nathan," sobbed Bertha. " I 
 have not done any thing to bring me to this place. 
 I am so glad to find you here." 
 
 " Poor girl ! I can't do any thing for you, I am 
 afraid." 
 
 "You will not keep me in this terrible place? 
 You will not let them carry me before the court. 
 It would kill my poor father." 
 
 " I would not, if I could help it, Bertha," re- 
 plied Nathan, sadly ; " but we have to keep people 
 who are arrested on such charges till they are 
 proved to be innocent." 
 
 " I am innocent ! I have not done any thing 
 wrong." 
 
 " But I have no right to let you go at least 
 while you stand charged with breaking and enter- 
 ing. If I dared, I would let you go at once." 
 
 " Let me tell you all about it, and then perhaps 
 you will know what is best to be done." 
 
 " I will do every thing I can for you, Bertha. 
 You were always kind to me, and I would do any 
 thing to get you out of trouble." 
 
 " I don't want you to do any thing wrong, Na- 
 than. I would not have you neglect your duty 
 even to save me from prison." 
 
 Bertha then told the sergeant every thing that 
 had occurred at the house of Mr. Presby during 
 the day, from the moment she rang the bell in the 
 forenoon, till she had been taken out of the house 
 by the policeman. 
 
 " Poor girl ! " sighed the policeman, when she
 
 234 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 had finished her simple narrative. " I think we 
 can get you out of trouble very soon. If Mr. 
 Presby, the old gentleman, will only say that you 
 were lawfully in the house, that you had a right 
 to be there, we will not keep you a single mo- 
 ment." 
 
 " Mr. Presby would come to me at once, if he 
 only knew I was here; I know he would," added 
 Bertha. 
 
 " It is a plain case, and all we want is a word 
 from him. Now I will go rigL 1 - down to his house, 
 and tell him all about it." 
 
 " I am afraid they will not let you see him." 
 
 " I will see him. Don't disturb yourself about 
 that, Bertha. I shall certainly see him." 
 
 The sergeant then spoke to the principal officers 
 of the station, and Bertha, instead of being put 
 into a cell with the wretched thieves and drunk- 
 ards who had already been brought in, was per- 
 mitted to remain in the office. 
 
 At nine o'clock, Nathan had not returned, and 
 Bertha was sure that he had found some difficulty 
 in seeing Mr. Presby ; but she was sure, too, that 
 he would do all he could for her, and so she waited 
 in hope and patience. Occasionally a thief or a 
 vagabond was brought in, but Bertha did not even 
 care to look at him. At ten o'clock, while she 
 was wondering that the sergeant did not come, an 
 officer led a boy into the room. 
 
 " What have you got there ? " demanded the 
 captain.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 235 
 
 " A little fellow that I picked up in the next 
 street. He is so tipsy he can't stand alone, and 
 had stretched himself on the curb stone, where he 
 was near having his legs broken by a stage." 
 
 "Who is he?" 
 
 " Don't know, sir. He is well dressed. I asked 
 him where his home was, and he said he hadn't 
 any." 
 
 " No, sir," said the boy, rousing from his stupor, 
 " I haven't any home ; but I belong to the yacht 
 Whirlwind." 
 
 " Merciful heavens ! " cried Bertha, rushing to 
 the side of the intoxicated youth. 
 
 " Do you know him, miss? " asked the captain. 
 
 " Yes, sir, I do," stammered Bertha. 
 
 "Who is he?" 
 
 " He is my brother." 
 
 " What ! Is that you, Berty ? " stammered Rich- 
 ard Grant. " Well, I am glad to see you, Berty. 
 What are you doing here? " 
 
 " O, Richard ! " was all that the poor girl could 
 utter, as she threw herself into a chair, and wept 
 bitterly. 
 
 " Put him to bed," said the captain, in a low 
 tone. 
 
 The officers took the drunken boy out of hia 
 chair, and laid him in one of the bunks of an 
 adjoining cell. The captain gave Bertha permis- 
 sion to stay with him, but he was unable to talk 
 much, nd soon dropped asleep. She covered him 
 up, arid seated herself by his side. When she
 
 236 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 heard the outer door open again, she hastened out 
 to see if Nathan had come. 
 
 " Where is she ? Poor child ! " said Mr. Presby, 
 as he entered the room. 
 
 Bertha hastened to him, her eyes still filled with 
 the tears called forth by the new grief that had 
 come upon her. 
 
 " O, I am so glad to see you, Mr. Presby ! " ex- 
 claimed she, as she grasped the old gentleman's 
 extended hands. 
 
 "Poor child! Poor child! I told you they 
 would hate you if you loved me. They sent you 
 to a prison did they? O God! They are my 
 children." 
 
 " It's all right, Miss Bertha," said Nathan who 
 had already told the captain that the girl had 
 spoken the truth. 
 
 " May Heaven bless you, Nathan ! " said Bertha, 
 taking him by the hand. " You have saved me 
 from a world of anguish, and I shall be grateful 
 to you as long as I live." 
 
 " Never mind that, Bertha. You were always 
 good to me, and I am too glad of a chance to 
 serve you." 
 
 " Poor child ! " added Mr. Presby. " Are you 
 satisfied now, captain ? " 
 
 "Entirely; the girl can go as soon as she 
 pleases," replied the captain. 
 
 " Come, Bertha, let us get away from this place ; 
 but we will remember your friend the sergeant. 
 I have a carriage at the door. I will not let you
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 237 
 
 go out of my sight again while we remain in the 
 city. Come, Bertha." 
 
 " I can't go now," she replied, glancing at the 
 cell in which Richard was sleeping off the fumes 
 of the liquor he had drank. 
 
 The captain now kindly came forward, and ex- 
 plained what had taken place during the absence 
 of the sergeant. Mr. Presby was full of sympathy 
 for the poor girl, and at once proposed to take 
 Eichard away with them ; but Nathan promised to 
 take care of him till morning, and detain him till 
 Bertha could see him again. 
 
 " Now, Bertha, we will be happy," said Mr. 
 Presby, when they were seated in the carriage. " I 
 have just purchased a fine house in the country, 
 and we will go there to-morrow. You shall not 
 be persecuted any more." 
 
 " I do not care for myself," added Bertha. 
 
 " Your brother shall go with you. The poor 
 boy had no home, and I suppose he was sad and 
 lonely. We will take good care of him, and he will 
 never do such a thing again." 
 
 " I hope not." 
 
 st The house I have bought is a beautiful one. 
 I have purchased all the furniture, horses, boats, 
 and every thing, just as its late owner left it. I 
 am sure we shall be very happy there." 
 
 " I hope you will be happy." 
 
 " I shall be ; perhaps if I leave them, it will 
 do them good. They do not believe that I will go, 
 for I have threatened to do so, a great many times,
 
 238 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 when my heart would not let me. But the place 
 is bought this time, and I have given my check 
 for it. Did you think I never would come to 
 you?" 
 
 " I thought John would not let the officer see 
 you." 
 
 " I was not at home when he came. I was at 
 Mr. Grayle's office, where the purchase was com- 
 pleted, and the deed given." 
 
 " Mr. Grayle ! " exclaimed Bertha, a new light 
 appearing to her. 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Grayle ; I bought the place of him. 
 The estate is known by the name of Woodville. 
 Quite a pretty name isn't it? " 
 
 "Woodville!" repeated Bertha. "And you 
 have bought it?" 
 
 " Yes ; you appear to know the place." 
 
 " It was my home till a few days ago," answered 
 Bertha, sadly. 
 
 " Your home ! Good Heaven ! Then you are the 
 daughter of poor Franklin Grant." 
 
 " I am, sir." 
 
 "Poor child! I was slightly acquainted with 
 your father ; but he had a quarrel with Mr. Grayle, 
 which concerned me, and I haven't seen him for 
 several years." 
 
 " Is Mr. Grayle your friend? " asked she. 
 
 " Not exactly my friend. I have had some busi- 
 ness relations with him; but I have nothing 
 against your father." 
 
 Bertha, in her own simple style, then told him
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 239 
 
 what Mr. Grayle had done to her father, and that 
 he had turned his children out of Woodville. Mr, 
 Presby was indignant, and declared that he would 
 never trust him again. 
 
 When the carriage reached the house, they were 
 admitted by John, who was as polite as a French 
 dancing master. They had no sooner entered the 
 library than Edward Presby presented himself. 
 He declared that the arrest of Bertha was a mis- 
 take. He did not know her, and none of the 
 family had ever seen her. 
 
 " Edward," said the father, very sternly, " it is 
 useless for you to say any thing. We part to- 
 morrow; let us part in peace." 
 
 "Part, father?" exclaimed Edward. 
 
 Mr. Presby briefly informed his son what he had 
 done, and stated his plans for the future. 
 
 " Surely you will not leave us, father," said 
 Edward, who probably began to realize that he 
 had gone too far. 
 
 " I shall go to-morrow." 
 
 The son tried to explain, and said all he could 
 to alter his purpose; but Mr. Presby remained 
 firm to the last, and he finally retired in anger, 
 and with threats on his lips. 
 
 Bertha went to her chamber, but she could not 
 sleep, she was so excited by the events of the 
 evening. On the morrow she was to return to 
 Woodville, though not with the family; and she 
 was sad at the thought of going without her 
 father.
 
 240 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 Uncle Obed would return from Philadelphia the 
 next day, and she hoped he would bring some com- 
 fort for her; for with Richard intoxicated in the 
 station house, and her father still in the Tombs, 
 her mission seemed farther than ever from its ac- 
 complishment.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 241 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA FINDS UNCLE OBED, AND RETURNS 
 TO WOODVILLE. 
 
 MR. PRESBY called Bertha at an early hour on 
 the following morning, for the carriage had been 
 engaged for her at seven o'clock. She had slept 
 but little during the night, for the terrible condi- 
 tion of her brother haunted her thoughts when 
 awake, and her dreams when she slept. She was 
 driven to the station house, where Richard had 
 slept off the fumes of the intoxicating cup. 
 
 He was glad to see her, but he was very much 
 depressed in spirits, and heartily ashamed of his 
 conduct. He was more reasonable and penitent 
 than she had ever seen him before. He told her 
 that the yacht had come from Newport the day 
 before, and that he had been discharged, because 
 they no longer wanted him. He had taken a room 
 at a hotel, but he had only two dollars left of the 
 money he had brought from Woodville, increased 
 by a few dollars he had earned. He acknowledged 
 that he had been intoxicated twice while at New- 
 port, and that when he came on shore in New 
 York, he felt very sad at the thought of having no 
 home ; and he had drank some wine to cheer him 
 up. and make him forget that his father was in 
 prison, and thf 1 family scattered. 
 
 " Bertha, I never will taste any wine or liquor
 
 242 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 again as long as I live," said he, with solemn 
 earnestness, when he had finished his narrative. 
 
 " I hope you never will, Richard. My heart is 
 nearly broken now," added Bertha, wiping away 
 her tears; "but if you will be good and true, I 
 shall be happy again. O, you don't know how 
 much I have thought of you ! " 
 
 " Come, Berty, don't cry. I have been selfish 
 and wicked, but I will stand by you now to the 
 last. I will do any thing you wish." 
 
 Bertha was very much comforted by Richard's 
 promises of amendment, for she felt that he meant 
 them, and she prayed that he might have the 
 firmness to keep them. She then told him what 
 had happened during their separation ; of the sale 
 of Woodville, and the return of uncle Obed, and 
 that she was going to their old home with Mr. 
 Presby. 
 
 This conversation took place in the carriage, 
 and on the sidewalk in front of Mr. Presby's 
 house. For some time, Richard could not be per- 
 suaded to visit his sister's employer; but he at last 
 consented. The old gentleman did not allude to 
 the events of the preceding evening, but talked 
 about his plans in connection with Woodville. 
 He insisted that Richard should go with them, 
 and occupy his old room; indeed, he said he 
 wanted him very much to assist him in finding the 
 housekeeper, the boatman, and the servants, for 
 he intended to restore every thing to the condition 
 in which Mr. Grant had left it.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 243: 
 
 Richard gladly consented to remain with 
 and assist him in moving his books, papers, and 
 other articles, which were to be conveyed to 
 Woodville. His wonted spirits seemed to return 
 when his mind was occupied, and before break- 
 fast was over, Mr. Presby and Richard were excel- 
 lent friends. 
 
 The forenoon was occupied in packing up the 
 books and papers, which were sent off early in 
 the afternoon, under the care of Richard, who had 
 instructions to find the old servants, and send 
 them back to their accustomed places. 
 
 At one o'clock, when the Philadelphia train had 
 arrived, Bertha repaired to the Astor House, to~ 
 ascertain if uncle Obed had returned, leaving Mr. 
 Presby with his son and daughter. The latter 
 were astonished and alarmed at the firmness of 
 their father, and the events of years were re- 
 hearsed and commented upon. They promised ta 
 let him have his own way in all things if he would 
 remain and were even willing to discharge John. 
 They asked him what the world would say; but he- 
 was silent. They proposed to go with him to 
 Woodville; but he declined. He had gone too far 
 to recede. Mr. Presby told them what he had suf- 
 fered, but he spoke kindly, and hoped they would 
 visit him in his new home. 
 
 Bertha was rejoiced to find that uncle Obed was 
 in the house, and she was shown to his room. 
 She had never seen him before they met in the 
 office of her father, but the picture of him that
 
 .244 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 hung in the drawing room at Woodville was so 
 true, that his countenance seemed familiar to her. 
 
 " My dear uncle ! " exclaimed she, as she rushed 
 forward to grasp his extended hand. 
 
 " Then this is Bertha," replied uncle Obed, as 
 he kissed her. 
 
 " I am so glad to see you ! " 
 
 " And I am as glad to see you ; for when I 
 heard what had happened, I was very much 
 alarmed about you." 
 
 Of course the conversation immediately turned 
 to the situation of her father. Bertha told him 
 what had occurred from the time of her father's 
 ^arrest. Uncle Obed was sad and thoughtful. He 
 was perplexed and disappointed. He felt a strong 
 desire to do something which he could not accom- 
 plish. 
 
 " Mr. Sherwood told me you had gone to Phila- 
 delphia to obtain the money which would save 
 my poor father from ruin," said Bertha. 
 
 " I did go, but my friend was not at home, and 
 will not return for a week. Bertha, I am sorely 
 tried; I don't see that I can do any thing for your 
 father at present. I cannot raise the money." 
 
 " I hoped you would be able to save my poor 
 father." 
 
 " I have done every thing I could ; but I am a 
 stranger here now. Fifty thousand dollars is an 
 immense sum of money." 
 
 " Perhaps I can raise it, uncle Obed," said Ber- 
 tha, musing.
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 245. 
 
 " You, child? Of course you cannot." 
 
 " I can try." 
 
 Uncle Obed laughed at the assurance of Bertha, 
 and did not bestow a second thought upon the 
 absurd proposition. 
 
 " I must go to Woodville with Mr. Presby this 
 afternoon/' said she, " and I must leave you now, 
 uncle." 
 
 " I am sorry Woodville was sold, for I meant to 
 buy it myself when my funds arrive. I intended, 
 to have seen Mr. Grayle yesterday. I suppose it 
 is of no use to regret it, though. When shall 
 I see you again, Bertha? " 
 
 " I shall probably come to the city to-morrow,, 
 with Mr. Presby." 
 
 Bertha hastened back to the house of Mr. 
 Presby, where he was to wait her return. 
 
 "Did you see your uncle?" asked he. 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " You told me he would release your father." 
 
 "Yes, sir; but he cannot," replied Bertha, 
 bursting into tears. 
 
 "Poor child! Why not?" 
 
 " Mr. Grayle put my father in prison, and keeps 
 him there." 
 
 " I will see Grayle before I go to Woodville," 
 said the old gentleman, jumping out of his chair. 
 
 " But that would not be enough," added Bertha. 
 
 "What more, child?" 
 
 " My uncle has been trying to raise a large sum 
 of money, to satisfy the creditors who persecute- 
 my father."
 
 .246 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " How much money ?" 
 
 " Fifty thousand dollars," replied Bertha, draw- 
 ing a very long breath. 
 
 " Fifty thousand ! " exclaimed Mr. Presby. 
 
 "My uncle will be responsible for it: he is a 
 rich man, but all his wealth is in England." 
 
 " You shall have the money, my child," said Mr. 
 Presby, after a few moments' consideration. 
 
 " May Heaven bless you as you have blessed 
 me ! " exclaimed Bertha, clasping his hands, and 
 rapturously kissing his pale forehead. 
 
 "I will go down now and see Grayle ; then I 
 will meet you at the Astor House. It will be late 
 when we get to Woodville to-night, but your 
 father shall go with us, Bertha," said the old gen- 
 tleman, as he put on his hat and took his cane. 
 "" Come, child ; we will lose no time." 
 
 " O, sir, I am so happy ! " 
 
 " I didn't understand before that Grayle caused 
 .your father to be imprisoned. If I had, I would 
 have seen him before." 
 
 Bertha hastened back to the Astor House, while 
 Mr. Presby took a carriage and drove to the office 
 of Grayle. 
 
 " O, uncle Obed ! " cried Bertha, as she rushed 
 into his room, out of breath with the exertion of 
 running up stairs. 
 
 "What now, Bertha?" 
 
 " I have got the money ! " 
 
 " What ! Impossible ! " 
 
 " I have ; Mr. Presby will let you have it, and 
 father will be set at liberty to-night ' "
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 247 
 
 Uncle Obed was incredulous, and seemed to be 
 of John's opinion, that Mr. Presby was crazy. He 
 absolutely refused to believe the good news, and 
 the non-appearance of Mr. Presby seemed to 
 justify his want of faith. It was three hours be- 
 fore the old gentleman came, and Bertha began to 
 fear that her enthusiasm had deceived her. But 
 he came at last, and the two gentlemen were in- 
 troduced to each other. 
 
 Mr. Presby opened the business of the meeting 
 by saying what a good girl Bertha was; that, 
 though he had known her only two days, he loved 
 her as his own child. He then inquired very par- 
 ticularly into uncle Obed's business affairs, and 
 having satisfied himself in regard to his financial 
 soundness, he produced checks for fifty thousand 
 dollars. 
 
 " Business men would call me a fool or a luna- 
 tic, after what I have done; but if I knew I 
 should lose every dollar I have advanced, I should 
 do just as I have done," said Mr. Presby, as he 
 placed uncle Obed's notes in his pocket-book. 
 
 " You shall not lose a penny of it, Mr. Presby," 
 said uncle Obed, earnestly. " I am able to pay 
 these notes three times over." 
 
 " I don't doubt it, Mr. Grant. Now, if the 
 business is finished, we will call in somebody else," 
 added Mr. Presby, as he rang the bell. 
 
 He whispered something very mysteriously, to 
 the waiter who answered the summons and thenr 
 continued the conversation with uncle Obed.
 
 248 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 " I have purchased your brother's estate 
 Woodville; but whenever he wants it again, he 
 shall have it," said he. " I must be in sight of 
 Bertha; and I suppose I can buv a piece of land 
 and build a cottage upon it." 
 
 " Nay, sir, you shall always have a home at 
 Woodville. I can promise that for my brother," 
 replied uncle Obed. 
 
 " O, yes ! " said Bertha. " I should be so happy 
 to have you at our house ! " 
 
 Brace Brothers will certainly pay all they owe. 
 I fully understand the cause of their suspension. 
 When your father gets out of this difficulty, he 
 will be as well off as ever he was," added uncle 
 Obed. 
 
 At this moment the door was thrown open by 
 the waiter. A joyful cry from Bertha revealed 
 the nature of Mr. Presby's mysterious proceedings 
 with the bell rope and the waiter. 
 
 " My father ! My father ! " exclaimed Bertha, 
 as she rushed into his arms, and kissed him over 
 and over again. 
 
 " My dear child ! " said Mr. Grant, as he pressed 
 the overjoyed daughter to his heart, while the 
 great tears rolled down his thin, pale cheek. 
 
 Bertha felt that her mission was accomplished 
 at least her present and most urgent one. Long 
 and tenderly she caressed her father, while she 
 told him how kind Mr. Presby had been to her. 
 
 " This is all Bertha's work. Franklin," said 
 uncle Obed. " She raised the money, and pro- 
 cured your release."
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 249 
 
 " No, father ; it was Mr. Presby." 
 
 " For your sake I did it, my child," added Mr. 
 Presby. " But come ; we are all going to Wood- 
 ville to-night." 
 
 The next train bore the whole party from the 
 city. On the way all the incidents connected with 
 the release of Mr. Grant were rehearsed. At first 
 Grayle would not consent to it; but Mr. Presby 
 had compelled him to do so by threats which he 
 had the power to carry out, for the wretch owed 
 him large sums of money. Mr. Presby had be- 
 come his bail till the action could be disposed of; 
 but Grayle acknowledged that the charge of fraud 
 could not be proved. He declared that the affair 
 would ruin him, when Mr. Grant was released. 
 
 It was dark when the party arrived at Wood- 
 ville; but the house was lighted up, and they were 
 greeted by the housekeeper and the old boatman, 
 whom Kichard had summoned back to the man- 
 sion. Noddy Newman turned half a dozen back 
 somersets on the lawn when he saw Bertha run- 
 ning up the walk. Several of the servants were 
 in their places, and supper was on the table, just 
 as though no break had occurred in the household 
 arrangements. Ben was sent after Fanny, and 
 that evening the family were reunited in the sit 
 ting room.
 
 250 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 IN WHICH BERTHA VISITS THE GLEN AGAIN, AND THE 
 STORY ENDS. 
 
 THE next day Mr. Grant and uncle Obed went 
 to the city to arrange the business of the former, 
 leaving Mr. Presby at home with the children. 
 Bertha spent the whole forenoon in showing the 
 old gentleman about the estate, and leading him to 
 all the pleasant places in the vicinity. 
 
 After dinner, Richard took them over to White- 
 stone in the Greyhound, and on their return they 
 visited Van Alstine's Island and the Glen. Even 
 Dunk's Hollow had heard the glad tidings of the 
 return of the family to Woodville, and the chil- 
 dren of the little mission school had gone to the 
 Glen in the forenoon, and again in the afternoon, 
 in the hope that Bertha might meet them there. 
 
 As the party landed, they were received with 
 shouts of rejoicing. Gretchy Von Brunt danced 
 with joy, and Grouty Von Grunt leaped up in the 
 air as though the ground had been too hot to 
 stand upon, while the other members of the school 
 manifested their satisfaction in a manner not less 
 equivocal, though rather more dignified. Bertha
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 251 
 
 kissed all the children, boys and girls ; for they all 
 had clean faces, and wore the new clothes which 
 their teacher had provided. 
 
 The whole troop ran before Bertha as she con- 
 ducted Mr. Presby up to the Glen, and seated 
 themselves in their accustomed places in the arbor. 
 The visitors spent a very pleasant hour with 
 them, and left, with the promise to come again on 
 the following day. 
 
 " Now, Bertha, you must go on with your 
 school just as you did before," said Mr. Presby. 
 " If the children want any clothes or books, or any 
 thing that costs money, you must let me know 
 it. And you must let me help you teach the 
 school." 
 
 " Thank you, sir. It is very kind of you to feel 
 an interest in these poor children," replied Bertha. 
 
 " It will make me happy, as it does you. Of 
 course your school can last only four or five 
 months? " 
 
 " No, sir ; it is too cold after October to meet 
 at the Glen." 
 
 " Well, Bertha, we must build a nice little 
 school house, so that we can meet the children in 
 the winter." 
 
 As the boat bore them down to the Woodville 
 landing, Mr. Presby and Bertha formed many 
 plans for improving the condition of the poor 
 children of Dunk's Hollow; but the limit of our 
 story does not permit us to follow them in the ex- 
 ecution of those notable schemes. The little
 
 252 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 school house was built; other children were in- 
 duced to join the number: all the scholars were 
 supplied with warm clothing for the winter; and 
 as the pupils could all read very well, a library 
 was provided for their use. From the children, 
 the mission of Bertha and her wealthy co-laborer 
 extended to the parents, and Dunk's Hollow itself 
 began to wear a new aspect. Mr. Presby talked 
 with the men, and many of them changed their 
 modes of life, and became decent, not to say re- 
 spectable, persons. 
 
 Such was the result of Bertha's mission to the 
 poor children of Dunk's Hollow. 
 
 Mr. Grant made satisfactory arrangements with 
 his creditors. Brace Brothers, as uncle Obed and 
 others had anticipated, paid their debts in full ; 
 and the money which Mr. Presby had advanced 
 was not only refunded, but Woodville was bought 
 back again, and Mr. Grant was congratulated by 
 all his friends and neighbors upon the happy ter- 
 mination of his troubles. 
 
 The only person who seemed to be a permanent 
 sufferer by the transactions we have described was 
 Mr. Grayle. His conduct in causing the arrest of 
 the broker was generally condemned, for he was 
 actuated by revenge, and a desire to make money 
 out of the misfortunes of others. As Mr. Sher- 
 wood had predicted, his course proved to be his 
 ruin; for when the whole truth came out at a 
 meeting of Mr. Grant's creditors, a storm of indig- 
 nation was raised against him. Losing the re-
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 253 
 
 spect and confidence of business men, he failed, 
 and sought a new home in the West to retrieve his 
 fallen fortunes. 
 
 When Woodville again came into the possession 
 of Mr. Grant, and his credit was completely re- 
 stored, a great dinner party was given in honor of 
 the event. Among those invited were Mr. and 
 Mrs. Byron, as well as Mr. Gray, and others who 
 had attended on the memorable occasion when 
 Master Charley had made a sensation. Strange 
 as it may seem, Mrs. Byron came; and when she 
 saw the gentle girl, whom she had insulted and 
 turned out of her house, honored and respected 
 by the most distinguished people in the vicinity, 
 she blushed with shame. 
 
 Master Charley Byron, who always had his own 
 way, insisted upon paying a visit to his former 
 governess on this occasion ; and of course he came. 
 Bertha sang " Three Blind Mice " to him, and 
 Noddy Newman turned a hundred back somersets 
 on the lawn for his special benefit; but Charley 
 was too wise to attempt the feat himself. The 
 heir of Blue Hill could spell " cat " and " dog," 
 but he had made no farther progress in knowl- 
 edge ; and it is not at all probable that he will ever 
 be President of the United States. 
 
 At other times, there came to Woodville, Mrs. 
 Lamb, Peter, the head groom of Blue Hill, and his 
 wife, Nathan, the sergeant of police, Bob Bleeker, 
 and others who had befriended Bertha in her want 
 and peril. They were kindly received, and en-
 
 254 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 couraged to continue in the faith that those who 
 assist the needy shall not lose their reward. 
 
 Mr. Sherwood was a frequent visitor at Wood- 
 ville, and his fidelity to his employer was so highly 
 appreciated, that he soon became the partner of 
 the broker ; and a few years later, when Mr. Grant 
 retired, he succeeded to the entire business. 
 
 Noddy Newman was as full of " antics " as he 
 had ever been; and when Ben, the boatman, re- 
 turned to his old position at Woodville, the little 
 savage came with him. But he was under the in- 
 fluence of Bertha, who still persevered in her ef- 
 forts to make a civilized man of him. 
 
 Mr. Presby proposed to build a cottage for him 
 self near the mansion house, but neither Bertha 
 nor her father would permit him to leave the 
 family. An addition was made to the house, 
 which afforded him a suite of rooms, and every 
 day Bertha wrote his letters and read to him. 
 The old gentleman increased the allowances of hii 
 son and daughter. They occasionally made him a 
 visit at his new home, and though they still hun- 
 gered for his money, they could not now do other- 
 wise than treat him with respect, and even with a 
 show of affection. 
 
 Removed from his troubles, and surrounded by 
 genial and loving friends, Mr. Presby ceased to be 
 an invalid, and lived ten years after his removal 
 to Woodville. When he died, Bertha Grant was 
 made rich ; several charitable institutions received 
 large donations; but the ungrateful son and
 
 The Mission of Bertha Grant. 255 
 
 daughter did not obtain the rest; for it was left 
 in charge of trustees, who were instructed to pay 
 them only the income of it during their lives, the 
 principal to be equally divided among their chil- 
 dren when they reached their majority. 
 
 Richard Grant, I am sorry to say, we must leave 
 as we began with him. Even the bitter experience 
 at Newport and New York was not enough to re- 
 form his life and character. He is almost the 
 only trial of Bertha and her father, though they 
 hope and pray that he will yet become a good and 
 true man. 
 
 Miss Fanny's pride, after its sudden fall, was 
 more moderate and reasonable, though there was 
 still much to hope for, and, better yet, much to 
 expect from the improvement already made We 
 are happy to inform her sympathizing young 
 friends, that, when her next birthday was cele- 
 brated, all who were invited attended her 
 party. 
 
 Ben, the boatman, almost worships " Miss Ber- 
 tha." As he grows older, and his rheumatism 
 becomes more troublesome, he finds in her a con- 
 stant friend, who chooses never to forget his de- 
 votion to her in the dark hour of trial and sorrow. 
 He is still a strict disciplinarian, and, though he 
 makes Noddy " stand round," he likes the boy, and 
 feels a deep interest in his future welfare. 
 
 Bertha's mission is still unfinished; for as fast 
 as one good work is accomplished, another pre- 
 sents itself. The willing heart and ready hand
 
 256 Rich and Humble, or 
 
 can never want a field of labor. " Whatsoever our 
 hands find to do, let us do it with all our might," 
 and then we shall realize the happiness which 
 crowned THE MISSION OF BERTHA GRANT. 
 
 THE END.
 
 FEB 5 1980 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 BPU 
 
 TB 1 4 198 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 GAYLORD 
 
 
 
 PRINTED IN U S.A.
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
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