Ruby's Reward — page 233: what you’re looking at

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

“That is true. ButI could notsee you very often even i? you remain in the city,” he said. “TI shall be obliged to be uwuy a great deal this summer. Mr. Conant is still so driven that he says I must take eharge of the contract at Chester, with a little over- sight from him now und then; so it will not be pos- sible for me to be inthe city only as I am forced to go back and forth on business,” “Oh, if Robert could only have lived!” Ruby mur- mured, with quivering lips, and feeling very desolate and troubled. It was wretched to be so without pro- tection. Walter bent and touched her forehead softly. “Oh, if I could only take you now, and shield you from all these things! It is dreadful to be so poor!” he said, in a tone of passionate regret. Ruby looked up quickly, as it startled by a new thought. “you ought not to be poor,” she said. ‘You ought to have had some of Mr. Ralph Carpenter’s property, and the more I think of it, the more sure I feel, as I once lei rd Mr. Ruggles intimate, that a great wrong has been done you.” “T have long felt so myself,’ Walter replied, with a clouded brow, for the feeling had been growing upon him for the last year; “for, as IT have already told you, Uncle Ralph said that he had made ample provision for me.” “Do you suppose Edmund Carpenter would dare destroy his tather's will?’ Ruby asked,in a low, awed tone. “T hope he would not be guilty of such a erime; but we shall probably never know auything more about it, for the only man, who knew about it—Mi. Simons—ig dead, and if there has been any wrong sous: it cannot be righted now,’ Walter said, with a sigh. He felt more disturbed than he had ever been over his misfortune in this respect, since Ruby appeared to be in danger and to need his Protect Rings dae cht Lott his present condition, he was powerless to give ler.