Edith Wharton - Penn State University

SummerHatchard had been called to Springfield by the illness of awidowed sister, and young Harney, by that time seriouslyembarked on his task of drawing and measuring all theold houses between Nettleton and the New Hampshireborder, had suggested the possibility of boarding at thered house in his cousin’s absence, Charity had trembledlest Mr. Royall should refuse. There had been no questionof lodging the young man: there was no room for him. Butit appeared that he could still live at Miss Hatchard’s ifMr. Royall would let him take his meals at the red house;and after a day’s deliberation Mr. Royall consented.Charity suspected him of being glad of the chance tomake a little money. He had the reputation of being anavaricious man; but she was beginning to think he wasprobably poorer than people knew. His practice had becomelittle more than a vague legend, revived only atlengthening intervals by a summons to Hepburn orNettleton; and he appeared to depend for his living mainlyon the scant produce of his farm, and on the commissionsreceived from the few insurance agencies that he representedin the neighbourhood. At any rate, he had beenprompt in accepting Harney’s offer to hire the buggy at adollar and a half a day; and his satisfaction with the bargainhad manifested itself, unexpectedly enough, at theend of the first week, by his tossing a ten-dollar bill intoCharity’s lap as she sat one day retrimming her old hat.“Here—go get yourself a Sunday bonnet that’ll makeall the other girls mad,” he said, looking at her with a sheepishtwinkle in his deep-set eyes; and she immediatelyguessed that the unwonted present—the only gift of moneyshe had ever received from him—represented Harney’sfirst payment.But the young man’s coming had brought Mr. Royall otherthan pecuniary benefit. It gave him, for the first time in years,a man’s companionship. Charity had only a dim understandingof her guardian’s needs; but she knew he felt himselfabove the people among whom he lived, and she saw thatLucius Harney thought him so. She was surprised to findhow well he seemed to talk now that he had a listener whounderstood him; and she was equally struck by youngHarney’s friendly deference.Their conversation was mostly about politics, and be-34