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with tears in his eyes told them that the nest would be there
still if ever they wished to return to it. A shakedown and
a dinner would always be theirs, and the heart of a father
would never be closed to the troubles of his children.
‘You do talk, Athelny,’ said his wife. ‘I don’t know what
trouble they’re likely to get into so long as they’re steady. So
long as you’re honest and not afraid of work you’ll never be
out of a job, that’s what I think, and I can tell you I shan’t be
sorry when I see the last of them earning their own living.’
Child-bearing, hard work, and constant anxiety were
beginning to tell on Mrs. Athelny; and sometimes her back
ached in the evening so that she had to sit down and rest
herself. Her ideal of happiness was to have a girl to do the
rough work so that she need not herself get up before seven.
Athelny waved his beautiful white hand.
‘Ah, my Betty, we’ve deserved well of the state, you and I.
We’ve reared nine healthy children, and the boys shall serve
their king; the girls shall cook and sew and in their turn
breed healthy children.’ He turned to Sally, and to comfort
her for the anti-climax of the contrast added grandilo-
quently: ‘They also serve who only stand and wait.’
Athelny had lately added socialism to the other contra-
dictory theories he vehemently believed in, and he stated
now:
‘In a socialist state we should be richly pensioned, you
and I, Betty.’
‘Oh, don’t talk to me about your socialists, I’ve got no
patience with them,’ she cried. ‘It only means that another
lot of lazy loafers will make a good thing out of the working

Of Human Bondage