“Then we must trust in providence,” he said.
“I always have,” said mother, simply. “And if it chooses that this place shall not belong to us, I, at least, will not complain. After all, we have no real right to it—relationship doesn’t give a right, except in the eyes of the law. We never did anything to deserve it, and I’ve sometimes thought that we would be stronger, and in the end happier, if we didn’t get it. Gifts make paupers, sometimes.”
“I’m not afraid,” said Dick; “we can fight our own battles;” and he looked around at us with such a light in his eyes that I could have hugged him.
“Well,” said Mr. Chester, “I’m not one of those who think that everything that happens is for the best; but I do believe that our lives are what we make them, and that we can make them pretty much what we please. I certainly don’t believe that your future depends upon this legacy; and you’ve won half the battle already by learning to take disappointment bravely. I had quite a shock to-day myself,” he added, half laughing. “Look at that,” and he drew a bill from his pocket and handed it to me. “What do you make of it?”
I unfolded it and looked at it.
“Why, it’s a five-dollar bill,” I said.
“So I thought,” he said, smiling ruefully. “But it’s not.”
“Do you mean it’s counterfeit?”
“I certainly do. Pass it around.”
It went from hand to hand around the table.