I cannot say that he was never again misled by his hopefulness:
the yield of crops or the profits of a cattle sale usually fell
below his estimate; and he was always prone to believe that he
could make money by the purchase of a horse which turned out badly--
though this, Mary observed, was of course the fault of the horse,
not of Fred's judgment. He kept his love of horsemanship, but he rarely
allowed himself a day's hunting; and when he did so, it was remarkable
that he submitted to be laughed at for cowardliness at the fences,
seeming to see Mary and the boys sitting on the five-barred gate,
or showing their curly heads between hedge and ditch.
There were three boys: Mary was not discontented that she brought
forth men-children only; and when Fred wished to have a girl like her,
she said, laughingly, "that would be too great a trial to your mother."
Mrs. Vincy in her declining years, and in the diminished lustre of
her housekeeping, was much comforted by her perception that two at least
of Fred's boys were real Vincys, and did not "feature the Garths."
But Mary secretly rejoiced that the youngest of the three was very
much what her father must have been when he wore a round jacket,
and showed a marvellous nicety of aim in playing at marbles,
or in throwing stones to bring down the mellow pears.
Ben and Letty Garth, who were uncle and aunt before they were well
in their teens, disputed much as to whether nephews or nieces were
more desirable; Ben contending that it was clear girls were good
for less than boys, else they would not be always in petticoats,
which showed how little they were meant for; whereupon Letty,
who argued much from books, got angry in replying that God made coats
of skins for both Adam and Eve alike--also it occurred to her that
in the East the men too wore petticoats.
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