"I know so," Mr. Galbraith declared earnestly, "and it is because I am
so sure of it that I came to you to-day. Bob, it was to you that Madam
Lee left her fortune. It was to be used for the furthering of your
dearest wish because--to quote her own words--_because I love the boy
as if he were of my own blood_."
As he listened, Robert Morton's eyes grew cloudy, and emotion choked
his utterance until he could not speak.
Apparently Mr. Galbraith either expected no reply or tactfully
interpreted his silence, for without waiting he continued:
"You can understand now, Bob, feeling toward you as we all do, that
this recent family development has not been easy for us to confront.
Delight Hathaway is a beautiful girl who possesses, no doubt, admirable
qualities. We expect to become warmly attached to her in time. But
for all her kinship she is a stranger to us while you are of our own--a
brother, friend." For the first time the kind voice faltered. "I have
even cherished a hope," it went on in a lower tone, "that perhaps in
the future a closer bond might bind you to us.
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