"Say what you please. I shall say nothing. But this property doesn't belong to us till father comes back to prove it."
"Comes back!" Adeline gasped. "Why, they'll send him to State's prison!"
"They won't send him to State's prison if he's innocent, and if he isn't—"
"Suzette! Don't you dare!"
"But that has nothing to do with it. We must give up what doesn't belong to us. Will you go for Mr. Putney, or shall I go? I'm not afraid to be seen, if you don't like to go. I can hold up my head before the whole world, now I know what we ought to do, and we're going to do it; but if we kept this place after that letter, I couldn't even look you in the face again." She continued to Adeline's silence, "Why, we needn't either of us go! I can get Elbridge to go." She made as if to leave the room.
"Wait! I can't let you—yet. I haven't thought it out," said Adeline.
"Not thought it out!" Suzette went back and stood over her where she sat in her rocking-chair.
"No!" said Adeline, shrinking from her fierce look, but with a gathering strength of resistance in her heart. "Because you've been thinking of it, you expect me to do what you say in an instant. The place was mother's, and when she died it came to me, and I hold it in trust for both of us; that's what Mr. Putney says. Even supposing that father did use their money—and I don't believe he did—I don't see why I should give up mother's property to them." She waited a moment before she said, "And I won't."
"Is half of it mine?" asked Suzette.
"I don't know. Yes, I suppose so."