They have
always thought he would be eager to buy whenever they decided to
sell, and now he says he doesn't want it, and old Mr. Cardigan is ill
over it all. Mr. Bryce says his father has lost his courage at last;
and oh, dear, things are in such a mess. Mr. Bryce started to tell me
all about it--and then he stopped suddenly and wouldn't say another
word."
Shirley smiled. She thought she understood the reason for that.
However, she did not pause to speculate on it, since the crying need
of the present was the distribution of a ray of sunshine to broken-
hearted Moira.
"Silly," she chided, "how needlessly you are grieving! You say my
uncle has declined to buy the Valley of the Giants?"
Moira nodded.
"My uncle doesn't know what he's talking about, Moira. I'll see that
he does buy it. What price are the Cardigans asking for it now?"
"Well, Colonel Pennington has offered them a hundred thousand dollars
for it time and again, but last night he withdrew that offer. Then
they named a price of fifty thousand, and he said he didn't want it
at all."
"He needs it, and it's worth every cent of a hundred thousand to him,
Moira. Don't worry, dear. He'll buy it, because I'll make him, and
he'll buy it immediately; only you must promise me not to mention a
single word of what I'm telling you to Bryce Cardigan, or in fact, to
anybody.
Pages:
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235