GODFREY THORNTON, Grant's uncle, lived in the neighboring town of
Somerset. He was an old bachelor, three years older than his
brother, the minister, and followed the profession of a lawyer. His
business was not large, but his habits were frugal, and he had
managed to save up ten thousand dollars. Grant had always been a
favorite with him, and having no son of his own he had formed the
plan of sending him to college. He was ambitious that he should be a
professional man.

It might have been supposed that he would have felt disposed to
assist his brother, whose scanty salary he knew was inadequate to
the needs of a family. But Godfrey Thornton was an obstinate man,
and chose to give assistance in his own way, and no other. It would
be a very handsome thing, he thought, to give his nephew a college
education. And so, indeed, it would. But he forgot one thing. In
families of limited means, when a boy reaches the age of fifteen or
sixteen he is very properly expected to earn something toward the
family income, and this Grant could not do while preparing for
college. If his uncle could have made up his mind to give his
brother a small sum annually to make up for this, all would have
been well. Not that this idea had suggested itself to the Rev. John
Thorn-ton. He felt grateful for his brother's intentions toward
Grant, and had bright hopes of his boy's future. But, in truth,
pecuniary troubles affected him less than his wife. She was the
manager, and it was for her to contrive and be anxious.

After Grant had arranged the matters referred to in the preceding
chapter, he told his mother that he proposed to go to Somerset to
call on his uncle.