mr. bell blew his nose ostentatiously before answering. then he said:

\"he gāve you strength to do what your conscience told you was right;and i don\"t see that we need any higher or holier strength than that; orwisdom either. i know i hāve not that much; and yet men set me downin their fool\"s books as a wise man; an independent character; strong-minded, and all that cant. the veriest idiot who obeys his own simplelaw of right, if it be but in wiping his shoes on a door-mat, is wiser andstronger than i. but what gulls men are!\"

there was a pause. mr. hale spoke first, in continuation of his thought:

\"about margaret.\"

\"well! about margaret. what then?\"

\"if i die----\"

\"nonsense!\"

\"what will bee of her--i often think? i suppose the lennoxes willask her to live with them. i try to think they will. her aunt shaw lovedher well in her own quiet way; but she forgets to love the absent.\"

\"a very mon fault. what sort of people are the lennoxes?\"

\"he, handsome, fluent, and agreeable. edith, a sweet little spoiledbeauty. margaret loves her with all her heart, and edith with as much ofher heart as she can spare.\"

。=《

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