margaret?\" then she conquered herself, and said, with a bright stronglook on her face:

\"it is a painful thing, but it must be done, and i will do it as well as everi can. you must hāve many painful things to do.\"

mr. hale shook his head despondingly: he pressed her hand in token ofgratitude. margaret was nearly upset again into a burst of crying. toturn her thoughts, she said: \"now tell me, papa, what our plans are. youand mamma hāve some money, independent of the ine from theliving, hāve not you? aunt shaw has, i know.\"

\"yes. i suppose we hāve about a hundred and seventy pounds a year ofour own. seventy of that has always gone to frederick, since he hasbeen abroad. i don\"t know if he wants it all,\" he continued in a hesitatingmanner. \"he must hāve some pay for serving with the spanish army.\"

\"frederick must not suffer,\" said margaret, decidedly; \"in a foreigncountry; so unjustly treated by his own. a hundred is left could notyou, and i, and mamma live on a hundred a year in some very cheap-veryquiet part of england? oh! i think we could.\"

\"no!\" said mr. hale. \"that would not answer. i must do something. imust make myself busy, to keep off morbid thoughts. besides, in acountry parish i should be so painfully reminded of helstone, and myduties here. i could not bear it, margaret. and a hundred a year wouldgo a very little way, after the necessary wants of housekeeping are met,towards providing your mother with all the forts she has beenaccustomed to, and ought to hāve. no: we must go to milton. that issettled. i can always decide better by myself, and not influenced bythose whom i love,\" said he, as a half apology for hāving arranged somuch before he had told any one of his family of his intentions. \"icannot stand objections. they make me so undecided.\"

margaret resolved to keep silence. after all, what did it signify wherethey went, pared to the one terrible change?

mr. hale continued: \"a few months ago, when my misery of doubtbecame more than i could bear without speaking, i wrote to mr. bell-youremember mr. bell, margaret?\"

\"no; i never saw him, i think. but i know who he is. frederick\"sgodfather--your old tutor at oxford, don\"t you mean?\"

..。

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