Until the senior partner has finished with Gaskell young Thorne must
remain seated.
"Gaskell," said Mr. Carroll, "if we had listened to you, if we'd run
this place as it was when father was alive, this never would have
happened. It _hasn't_ happened, but we've had our lesson. And after this
we're going slow and going straight. And we don't need you to tell us
how to do that. We want you to go away--on a month's vacation. When I
thought we were going under I planned to send the children on a sea
voyage with the governess--so they wouldn't see the newspapers. But now
that I can look them in the eye again, I need them, I can't let them go.
So, if you'd like to take your wife on an ocean trip to Nova Scotia and
Quebec, here are the cabins I reserved for the kids. They call it the
royal suite--whatever that is--and the trip lasts a month. The boat
sails to-morrow morning. Don't sleep too late or you may miss her."
The head clerk was secreting the tickets in the inside pocket of his
waistcoat. His fingers trembled, and when he laughed his voice trembled.
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