Fanny and Julia's Uncle Arrives From India

No sooner did Kate's eyes fall on the young man than she darted forward
with a cry of recognition and exclaimed, "Why, Frank Cameron, how came you
here?"

But before he answers Kate's question, we will introduce him to our
readers. Frank Cameron was a cousin of Kate Wilmot. His father, who was a
lawyer by profession, had amassed a large fortune, on the interest of
which he was now living in elegant style in the city of New York. Frank,
who was the eldest child, had chosen the profession of his father,
contrary to the wishes of his proud lady mother, who looked upon all
professions as too plebeian to suit her ideas of gentility. This
aristocratic lady had forgotten the time when, with blue cotton umbrella
and thick India rubbers, she had plodded through the mud and water of the
streets in Albany, giving music lessons for her own and widowed mother's
maintenance. One of her pupils was Kate Wilmot's mother, Lucy Cameron.
While giving lessons to her she first met Lucy's brother, Arthur Cameron,
who afterward became her husband. He was attracted by her extreme beauty
and his admiration was increased on learning her praiseworthy efforts to
maintain herself and mother. They were married, and with increasing years
came increasing wealth, until at length Mr. Cameron was a millionaire and
retired from business.

As riches increased, so did Mrs. Cameron's proud spirit, until she came to
look upon herself as somewhat above the common order of her fellow-beings.
She endeavored to instil her ideas of exclusiveness into the minds of her
children. With her daughter Gertrude, she succeeded admirably, and by the
time that young lady had reached her eighteenth year, she fancied herself
a kind of queen to whom all must pay homage. But Frank the poor mother
found perfectly incorrigible. He was too much like his father to think
himself better than his neighbor on account of his wealth. Poor Mrs.
Cameron had long given him up, only asking as a favor that he would not
disgrace his family by marrying the washerwoman's daughter. Frank promised
he would not, unless perchance he should fall in love with her, "And
then," said he, with a wicked twinkle of his handsome hazel eyes, "then,
my dear Mrs. Cameron, I cannot be answerable for consequences."