the emigrants to give up their long-delayed plans
merely to meet their wishes, they made up their minds to accept the
situation with a good grace.

"You see," said Otto to the ex-queen--for he was becoming very wise in
his own eyes, and somewhat oracular in the midst of all these
excitements--"when a fellow can't help himself he's bound to make the
best of a bad business."

"Don't you think it would be better to say he is bound to accept
trustingly what God arranges, believing that it will be all for the
best?" returned Pauline.

"How can a bad business be for the best?" demanded Otto, with the air of
one who has put an unanswerable question.

His sister looked at him with an expression of perplexity. "Well, it is
not easy to explain," she said, "yet I can believe that all _is_ for the
best."

"Ha, Pina!" returned the boy, with a little touch of pride, "it's all
very well for you to say that, but you won't get men to believe things
in that way."

"Otto," said Dr Marsh, who was standing near and listening to the
conversation, "it is not so difficult as you think to prove that what we
call a bad business may after all be for the best. I remember at this
moment a case in point. Come--I'll tell you a story. Once upon a time
I knew a gentleman with a stern face and a greedy soul, who believed in
nothing, almost, except in the wickedness of mankind, and in his own
capacity to take advantage of that wickedness in order to make money.
Money was his god. He spent all his time and all his strength in making
it, and he was successful. He had many ships on the sea, and much gold
in the bank. He had also a charming little wife, who prayed in secret
that God would deliver her husband from his false god, and he had a dear
little daughter who loved him to distraction in spite of his `business
habits!' Well, one year there came a commercial crisis. Mr Getall
eagerly risked his money and over-speculated. That same year was
disastrous in the way of storms and wrecks. Among the wrecks were
several of Mr Getall's finest ships. A fire reduced one of his
warehouses to ashes, and, worse still, one of his most confidential and
trusted clerks absconded with some thousands of pounds. All that was a
very bad business, wasn't it?"

"It was," assented Otto; "go on."

"The upshot was a crash--"

"What!--of the burning warehouse?"

"No; of the whole business, and the Getalls were reduced to comparative
beggary. The shock th