“You render an account to me, my own dear father,” she said low and tremulously, while her face flushed crimson; “I cannot bear to hear you speak so.  I am fully satisfied, and very, very thankful for all your kind care of it and of me.”

He regarded her with a smile of mingled tenderness and amusement, while softly patting and stroking the small white hand laid lovingly upon his.

“Could I—­could any father—­do less for his own beloved child?” he asked.

“Not you, I know, papa.  But may I ask you a question?”

“As many as you like.”

“How much are you worth?  Ah! you needn’t look so quizzical.  I mean how much do you own in money, land, etc.?”

“Something less than a million; I cannot tell you the exact number of dollars and cents.”

“Hardly a third as much as I!  It doesn’t seem right.  Papa, take half of mine.”

“That wouldn’t balance the scales either,” he said laughingly; “and besides, Mr. Travilla has now some right to be consulted.”

“Papa, I could never love him again, if he should object to my giving you all but a few hundred thousands.”

“He would not.  He says he will never touch a cent of your property; it must be settled entirely upon yourself, and subject to your control.  And that is quite right; for he, too, is wealthy.”

“Papa, I don’t think I deserve so much; I don’t want the care of so much.  I do wish you would be so good as to take half for your own, and continue to manage the other half for me as you think best.”

“What you deserve is not the question just now.  This is one of the talents which God has given you, and I think you ought, at least for the present, to keep the principal and decide for yourself what shall be done with the interest.  You are old enough now to do so, and I hope do not wish to shirk the responsibility, since God, in His good providence, has laid it upon you.”

He spoke very gravely and Elsie’s face reflected the expression of his.

“No, I do not wish it now, papa,” she said, in a low, sweet voice.  “I will undertake it, asking Him for wisdom and grace to do it aright.”

They were busy for the next hour or two over the papers.

“There!” cried Elsie, at length, “we have examined the last one, and I think I understand it all pretty thoroughly.”

“I think you do.  And now another thing; ought you not to go and see for yourself your property in Louisiana?”

Elsie assented, on condition that he would take her.

“Certainly, my dear child, can you suppose I would ever think of permitting you to go alone?”

“Thank you, papa.  And if poor mammy objects this time, she may take her choice of going or staying; but go I must, and see how my poor people are faring at Viamede.  I have dim, dreamy recollections of it as a kind of earthly paradise.  Papa, do you know why mammy has always been so distressed whenever I talked of going there?”