'Papa, do you mean you gave her insufficient money and knew it at the time?'
'I knew it at the time.'
There was another interval, of greater length. Esther felt a little chill creeping over her. Yet she must come to an understanding with her father; that was quite indispensable.
'Papa, do you mean that it was inadvertence? Or was it necessity?'
'How could it be inadvertence, when I tell you I knew what I did?'
'But, papa'— Esther's breath almost failed her. 'Papa, we are living just as we always have lived?'
'Are we?'—somewhat drily.
'There is my schooling, of course'—
'And rent, and a horse to keep, and a different scale of market prices from that which we had in Seaforth. Everything costs more here.'
'There was the money for the sale of the place,' said Esther vaguely.