Rain was plentiful in the north-country dale, coal was dear, and Mrs.Osborn was forced to study economy, partly because her husband would not.
By and by Osborn turned his glance from the window and fixed it on his son, who stood waiting across the big oak table.

Gerald was a handsome lad, like his father, but marked by a certain refinement and a hint of delicacy.

Although he felt anxious, his pose was free and graceful and his look undisturbed.

Osborn threw the bills on the table.
"This kind of thing must stop," he said.

"I haven't grumbled much, perhaps not as much as I ought, about your extravagance, but only a fool imagines he can spend more than he has got." "We have had such fools in our family," the boy remarked, and stopped when he saw Osborn's color rise.
"It's a pity it's true," the latter agreed, with a patience he did not often use.