Mrs. Richards said:

"If you had only waited, Edward--if you had only stopped to think; but

no, you must run straight to the printing-office and spread it all over

the world."

"It said publish it."

That is nothing; it also said do it privately, if you liked. There,

now--is that true, or not?"

Why, yes--yes, it is true; but when I thought what a stir it would make,

and what a compliment it was to Hadleyburg that a stranger should trust

it so--"

"Oh, certainly, I know all that; but if you had only stopped to think,

you would have seen that you couldn't find the right man, because he is

in his grave, and hasn't left chick nor child nor relation behind him;

and as long as the money went to somebody that awfully needed it, and

nobody would be hurt by it, and--and--"

She broke down, crying. Her husband tried to think of some comforting

thing to say, and presently came out with this:

"But after all, Mary, it must be for the best--it must be; we know that.

And we must remember that it was so ordered--"

The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg