“Why, I think,” said Royal, “that it was a fair bargain; and, besides, to make a small duck pond will be as much as the duckling is worth.”
“Still, that was not her understanding, and so the case is somewhat doubtful. Now, sometimes, in such a case, where a man has a claim which he perceives is, after all, a doubtful one, and the other party is not willing to allow it, he will not insist upon it. We all have just claims, which, considering all the circumstances of the case, we do not wish to insist upon.”
“How?” said Royal.
“Why, suppose, for instance, that I should lend a book to Mary Jay, and, while it was at her house, it should accidentally get injured.”
“But Mary Jay is very careful of books,” said Lucy.
“I have no doubt of that,” replied Miss Anne; “but then an accident might happen. A little child might get it.”
“But there are no little children there,” persisted Lucy.
“No matter,” replied Miss Anne; “we can certainly make the supposition, that the book got injured.”
Lucy thought that, even as a mere supposition, the idea that a book could get injured, while under Mary Jay’s care, was wholly inadmissible. However, she said no more, and Miss Anne proceeded.
“Now, if that were the case,” continued Miss Anne, “I should have a claim upon Mary Jay to buy me another book. If any body borrows any thing, and it gets injured while in her care, she is bound to get another; so I should have a fair and just claim upon her; but I should not insist upon it. I should not wish her to buy me another book. It would be a just claim, but yet I should not insist upon it.