such
natures as Adeline's. "Why, I don't see what there is so wrong about
father's letter," she began. "It just shows what I always said: that his
mind was affected by his business troubles, and that he wandered away
because he couldn't get them straight. And now it's preyed so upon him
that he's beginning to believe the things they say are true, and to
blame himself. That's the way I look at it."

"Adeline!" Suzette commanded, with a kind of shriek, "Be still! You
_know_ you don't believe that!"

Adeline hesitated between her awe of her sister, and her wish to persist
in a theory which, now that she had formulated it for Suzette's
confusion, she found effective for her own comfort. She ventured at
last, "It is what I said, the first thing, and I shall always say it,
Suzette; and I have a right."

"Say what you please. I shall say nothing. But this property doesn't
belong to us till father comes back to prove it."

"Comes back!" Adeline gasped. "Why, they'll send him to State's prison!"

"They won't send him to State's prison if he's innocent, and if he
isn't--"

"Suzette! Don't you dare!"

"But that has nothing to do with it. We must give up what doesn't belong
to us. Will you go for Mr. Putney, or shall I go? I'm not afraid to be
seen, if you don't like to go. I can hold up my head before the whole
world, now I know what we ought to do, and we're going to do it; but if
we kept this place after that letter, I couldn't even look _you_ in the
face again." She continued to Adeline's silence, "Why, we needn't either
of us go! I can get Elbridge to go." She made as if to leave the room.

"Wait! I can't let you--yet. I haven't thought it out," said Adeline.

"Not thought it out!" Suzette went back and stood over her where she sat
in her rocking-chair.

"No!" said Adeline, shrinking from her fierce look, but with a gathering
strength of resistance in her heart. "Because _you've_ been thinking of
it, you expect me to do what you say in an instant. The place was
mother's, and when she died it came to me, and I hold it in trust for
both of us; that's what Mr. Putney says. Even supposing that father did
use their money--and I don't believe he did--I don't see why I should
give up mother's property to them." She waited a moment before she said,
"And I won't."

"Is half of it mine?" asked Suzette.

"I don't know. Yes, I suppose so."

"I'm of age, and I shall give up my half. I'm going to send for Mr.
Putney." She