not knowing in the least what they were laughing at.

But Arthur was heavy at heart in the midst of it. "Do you owe much
money, Hamish?" he inquired, after they had left the boys, and were
walking soberly along, under the quiet elm-trees.

"More than I can pay, old fellow, just at present," was the answer.

"But is it _much_, Hamish?"

"No, it is not much, taking it in the abstract. Quite a trifling sum."

Arthur caught at the word "trifling;" it seemed to dissipate his fears.
Had he been alarming himself for nothing! "Is it ten pounds, Hamish?"

"Ten pounds!" repeated Hamish, in a tone of mockery. "That would be
little indeed."

"Is it fifty?"

"I dare say it may be. A pound here and a pound there, and a few pounds
elsewhere--yes, taking it altogether, I expect it would be fifty."

"And how much more?" thought Arthur to himself. "You said it was a
trifling sum, Hamish!"

"Well, fifty pounds is not a large sum. Though, of course, we estimate
sums, like other things, by comparison. You can understand now, why I
was not sanguine with regard to Constance's hopeful project of helping
my father to get to the German baths. I, the eldest, who ought to be