"You may be right there, Edith," said Claire, a further light breaking into his mind. "We have at least done our duty toward Fanny in making this demand on her guardian. And now, the question left for us to decide may be whether it will be just toward her, and also toward our own children, still to keep her in our own family, and let her share, with the others, the best that it is in our power to give."
"And will it be hard to make that decision?" said Edith, a slight flush coming into her earnest face.
"I think not," was the firm reply.
"Have we loved her less than our own?" asked Edith.
"I believe not."
"Love seeks the highest good for its object."
"Yes—yes."
"Can a stranger love the child as we have loved her?"
Claire shook his head.
"Can a stranger, even with more of what the world gives, yet with less of a genuine affection, secure for her, as we may, what should justly be regarded as the highest good in life."