She also knew
that her father's affairs were in a most critical condition, for this
she had extracted from him on the previous night, and that if any
remedy was to be attempted it must be attempted at once, and on some
heroic scale. Therefore, she made up her mind to ask her /bete noire/,
Mr. Quest, what the truth might be.
"Mr. Quest," she said, with some trepidation, as he at last
triumphantly handed her the beef, "I hope you will forgive me for
asking you a plain question, and that, if you can, you will favour me
with a plain answer. I know my father's affairs are very much
involved, and that he is now anxious to borrow some more money; but I
do not know quite how matters stand, and I want to learn the exact
truth."
"I am very glad to hear you speak so, Miss de la Molle," answered the
lawyer, "because I was trying to make up my mind to broach the
subject, which is a painful one to me. Frankly, then--forgive me for
saying it, your father is absolutely ruined. The interest on the
mortgages is a year in arrear, his largest farm has just been thrown
upon his hands, and, to complete the tale, the mortgagees are going to
call in their money or foreclose."
At this statement, which was almost brutal in its brief
comprehensiveness, Ida turned pale as death, as well she might, and
dropped her fork with a clatter upon the plate.
Pages:
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117