0 Middlemarchsee Mary and tell her that he was engaged to work under her
father. He did not like to disappoint himself there.
‘I am very sorry,’ were all the words that he could muster.
But Mr. Garth was already relenting.
‘We must make the best of it, Fred,’ he began, with a re-
turn to his usual quiet tone. ‘Every man can learn to write.
I taught myself. Go at it with a will, and sit up at night if
the day-time isn’t enough. We’ll be patient, my boy. Callum
shall go on with the books for a bit, while you are learning.
But now I must be off,’ said Caleb, rising. ‘You must let your
father know our agreement. You’ll save me Callum’s salary,
you know, when you can write; and I can afford to give you
eighty pounds for the first year, and more after.’
When Fred made the necessary disclosure to his parents,
the relative effect on the two was a surprise which entered
very deeply into his memory. He went straight from Mr.
Garth’s office to the warehouse, rightly feeling that the most
respectful way in which he could behave to his father was to
make the painful communication as gravely and formally
as possible. Moreover, the decision would be more certain-
ly understood to be final, if the interview took place in his
father’s gravest hours, which were always those spent in his
private room at the warehouse.
Fred entered on the subject directly, and declared briefly
what he had done and was resolved to do, expressing at the
end his regret that he should be the cause of disappointment
to his father, and taking the blame on his own deficiencies.
The regret was genuine, and inspired Fred with strong, sim-
ple words.