“Sam Appleby, I’d rather never see Boston again, never have Dan see it, than to have him agree to endorse principles that he does not believe! And Dan feels the same way about it.”
“But don’t you consider your daughter? Will you condemn Maida to a broken-hearted life——?”
“Maida must decide for herself. I think Jeffrey Allen will yet persuade her to leave her father. She is devoted to Dan, but she is deeply in love with Jeff and it’s only natural she should go with him. Any other girl would do so without a second thought. Maida is unusual, but I doubt if she can hold out much longer against her lover’s pleading.”
“I think she will. Maida has your own unbreakable will.”
“So be it, then. The child must choose for herself. But it doesn’t alter the stand Dan and I have taken.”
“Nothing can alter that?”
“Nothing, Samuel Appleby.”
“That remains to be seen. Have I your permission to talk to Maida, alone?”
“Certainly. Why not? If you can persuade her to marry Jeff, I’ll be only too glad. If you find her determined to stand by her father, then the case remains as it is at present.”
And so, as Maida returned from her walk with Keefe, she was asked to go for another stroll with Samuel Appleby.