At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 60: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AT A GIRL’S MERCY. 49 - ‘was in my possession when it was stolen, conse- quently I am held responsible for it.’ ‘I don’t see how,’? Nan still protested, in warm defense of his rights. ‘‘I don’t see how he can hold you responsible any more than fora horse of his that might be stolen from the stables when he hired stable room of you, or requested the room for his animal over night, or anything else of his he might leave in your house or on your estate.”’ Her father laughed. “T have done my best to convince you of the right — and wrong of it,’ he said, ‘‘and now all I can do is to let things prove themselves. At any rate, this de- lay in settlement is an advantage tome. I have so much more time to retrieve myself, you see,’’ turn- ing to Helen. ‘‘It is well business doesn’t lie in your hands under the circumstances, for I tremble at what might happen.’’ “Nothing very serious,’’ Nan retorted, saucily, her spirits rising under her father’s laughter, so good for her to hear. ‘‘Nothing more serious than your utter surprise at our success, for if business were in our hands we’d make it a special study, and master the art just as soon as you, grand lords of creation. Maybe we don’t understand business because you don’t give us a chance. When you come home from the office you lock the doors and lock in your busi- ness, and we at home seldom hear of it save as something so far beyond us as not to be discussed with us or in our presence; and then you turn upon us when we offer a remark or a suggestion as to business, and tell us calmly we say so and so be- cause we don’t understand business. Oh, you think it’s just to put us aside and honestly believe we are not capable of grasping the intricate machinery be- Gomicbooks (E(0) 59) m ,