Do you not think so?" he asked suddenly, seeing, by the
lad's face, that he was not in agreement with him.
"No, sir; it does not seem to me that it would be unfair. These men
bought the lands for, as you say, but a fraction of their value; they
did so in the belief that Parliament would triumph, and their
purchase was but a speculation grounded on that belief. They have had
the enjoyment of the estates for years, and have drawn from them an
income which has, by this time, brought them in a sum much exceeding
that which they have adventured, and it does not seem to me that
there would be any hardship whatever were they now called upon to
restore them to their owners. 'Tis as when a man risks his money in a
venture at sea. If all goes as he hopes he will make a great profit
on his money. If the ship is cast away or taken by pirates, it is
unfortunate, but he has no reason to curse his ill-luck if the ship
had already made several voyages which have more than recouped the
money he ventured."
"Well and stoutly argued!" the Prince said approvingly. "But you must
remember, young sir, that the King, on his return, was by no means
strongly seated on the throne. There was the Army most evilly
affected towards him; there were the Puritans, who lamented the upset
of the work they or their fathers had done. All those men who had
purchased the estates of the Royalists had families and friends, and,
had these estates been restored to their rightful owners, there might
have been an outbreak that would have shaken the throne again.
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