Still, there had somehow stolen upon him from time to time a thought of his niece which was tinged with compassion and pity; breaking through the dull cloud of dislike or indifference which darkened men and women in his eyes, there was, in her case, the faintest gleam of light--a most feeble and sickly ray at the best of times--but there it was, and it showed the poor girl in a better and purer aspect than any in which he had looked on human nature yet.
'I wish,' thought Ralph, 'I had never done this.

And yet it will keep this boy to me, while there is money to be made.

Selling a girl--throwing her in the way of temptation, and insult, and coarse speech.

Nearly two thousand pounds profit from him already though.
Pshaw! match-making mothers do the same thing every day.' He sat down, and told the chances, for and against, on his fingers.
'If I had not put them in the right track today,' thought Ralph, 'this foolish woman would have done so.Well.If her daughter is as true to herself as she should be from what I have seen, what harm ensues?
A little teasing, a little humbling, a few tears.

Yes,' said Ralph, aloud, as he locked his iron safe.