Elizabeth rose from her stool, and crossed over to the door that led into the hall. She did not seem to sense just what she was doing till her hand touched the cold knob. With a start, as though wakened from a bad dream, she turned about and faced her father.
“Father,”––her breath came in short gasps,––“you have no right to keep your word to such a man as you say this Phillips 288 person is. There is but one thing for us to do: go at once to Uncle Josiah. I’m certain he can get enough money to pay the interest, if that is what you want.”
“But, Beth, I cannot do that. My business honor is at stake, and I must permit the law to take its course.”
“You may be right about the legal part. But how about the moral side? Is there not something at stake there, too?”
“It does seem a moral injustice, but I cannot help that. It is hard, for Josiah will see only the moral side of it, and the people of the village will think it unjust. Josiah may find out the facts, that is, enough of them to prove to his mind that I can’t foreclose on his property because of the little loan. What more he may discover, I cannot even guess. It will depend somewhat on the lawyer who advises him. But no matter what he discovers, my conscience will be clear in that I did not break faith with his renegade brother.”
“What right have you to keep faith with him?”
“My little Beth, please do not question 289 my action,” he entreated. “It will all be clear to you some day. I’m willing to wait for my vindication, but I must know that my little girl trusts her daddy to do what is right. If you don’t, it will kill me!”
There was such deep pathos in his voice that she recrossed the room. She laid her hand on the arm of her father’s chair.
“After all, Father, I am only a girl, and know very little of law and business. Forgive me if I have hurt you. I don’t see why you feel as you do about carrying this thing through at so great a sacrifice of lifelong friendships. But I believe that you must be doing the best you can as you see your duty.”
“I can hope for no more than that, my dear.”