to his son, had said, "And, my dears, both of you, beware of bricks and
mortar. I have no doubt, John, when you are settled, that you and Janie
will find defects in your house. My experience is that all houses have
defects; but my opinion is, that it is better to pull a house down, and
build a new one, than to try to remedy them."

Mr. Augustus Mortimer had tried building, rebuilding, and altering
houses more than once; and his daughter-in-law knew that he would be
seriously vexed if she disregarded his advice.

Of course if it had been John himself that had objected, the thing would
have been done in spite of that; but his father must be considered, she
knew, for in fact everything depended on him.

John had been married the day he came of age. His father had wished it
greatly: he thought it a fine thing for a man to marry early, if he
could afford it. The bride wished it also, but the person who wished it
most of all was her mother, who managed to make John think he wished it
too, and so, with a certain moderation of feeling, he did; and if things
had not been made so exceedingly easy for him, he might have attained
almost to fervour on the occasion.

As it was, being young for his years, as well as in fact, he had hardly
forgotten to pride himself on having a house of his own, and reached the
dignified age of twenty-two, when Mrs. John Mortimer, presenting him
with a son, made a man of him in a day, and threw his boyish thoughts
into the background. To his own astonishment, he found himself greatly
pleased with his heir. His father was pleased also, and wrote to the
young mother something uncommonly like a letter of thanks, at the same
time presenting her with a carriage and horses.