"He's got a legal right to all 'Bije left, and more, too. It
may be he won't be too hard; perhaps he'll... but there," hastily. "I
mustn't say that. We've got to face the situation as 'tis. And I
can't tell you his name because he don't want it mentioned unless it's
absolutely necessary. And we don't, either. We don't want--any of us--to
have this get into the papers. We mustn't have any disgrace."
"Disgrace! Good heavens! Isn't there disgrace enough already? Isn't
it enough to know father was a crook as well as an idiot? I've always
thought he was insane ever since that crazy will of his came to light;
but to steal! and then to leave a paper proving it, so that we've got to
lose everything! His children! It's--"
"Now hold on, boy! Your dad didn't mean to take what didn't belong to
him--for good, that is; the note proves that. He did do wrong and used
another man's money, but--"
"Then why didn't he keep it? If you're going to steal, steal like a man,
I say!"
"Steve, Steve! steady now!" The captain's tone was sterner. "Don't speak
that way. You'll be sorry for it later. I tell you I don't condemn your
father ha'f so much as I pity him."
"Oh, shut up! You make me sick. You talk just as Caro does. I'll never
forgive him, no matter how much she preaches, and I told her so.
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