The value of property consists only
in its being means, ground, or material to work his will withal.
There is no success in the universe but in his will being done."
Arctura was silent. She had inherited prejudices which, while she
hated selfishness, were yet thoroughly selfish. Such are of the
evils in us hardest to get rid of. They are even cherished for a
lifetime by some of the otherwise loveliest of souls. Knowing that
herein much thought would be necessary for her, and that she would
think, Donal went no farther: a house must have its foundation
settled before it is built upon; argument where the grounds of it
are at all in dispute is worse than useless.
He turned to his ladder, set it right, mounted, and peered into the
opening. At the length of his arm he could reach the wires Davie had
described: they were taut, and free of rust--were therefore not iron
or steel. He saw also that a little down the shaft a faint light
came in from the opposite side: there was another opening somewhere!
Next he saw that each following string--for strings he already
counted them--was placed a little lower than that before it, so that
their succession was inclined to the other side of the
shaft--apparently in a plane between the two openings, that a
draught might pass along their plane: this must surely be the
instrument whence the music flowed! He descended.
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