Title:  False Friends, and The Sailor’s Resolve

Author:  Unknown

Release Date:  December 31, 2004 [eBook #14543]

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ISO-646-us (us-ASCII)

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FALSE FRIENDS

THE SAILOR’S RESOLVE

1884

[Illustration:  Lady Grange reading to her son. Page 19.]

[Illustration:  A Talk about the picture. Page 33.]

FALSE FRIENDS

     “Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward.”—­PROV. xxii. 5.

[Illustration:  Reflection. Page 25.]

“Philip, your conduct has distressed me exceedingly,” said Lady Grange, laying her hand on the arm of her son, as they entered together the elegant apartment which had been fitted up as her boudoir.  “You could not but know my feelings towards those two men—­I will not call them gentlemen—­whose company you have again forced upon me.  You must be aware that your father has shut the door of this house against them.”

“My father has shut the door against better men than they are,” said the youth carelessly; “witness my own uncles Henry and George.”

The lip of the lady quivered, the indignant colour rose even to her temples; she attempted to speak, but her voice failed her, and she turned aside to hide her emotion.

“Well, mother, I did not mean to vex you,” said Philip, who was rather weak in purpose than hardened in evil; “it was a shame to bring Jones and Wildrake here, but—­but you see I couldn’t help it.”  And he played uneasily with his gold-headed riding-whip, while his eye avoided meeting that of his mother.

“They have acquired some strange influence, some mysterious hold over you,” answered the lady.  “It cannot be,” she added anxiously, “that you have broken your promise,—­that they have drawn you again to the gaming-table,—­that you are involved in debt to these men?”

Philip whistled an air and sauntered up to the window.

Lady Grange pressed her hand over her eyes, and a sigh, a very heavy sigh, burst from her bosom.  Philip heard, and turned impatiently round.