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Miss
Brodie says: "Well, lad, with all this talk of war, there are few gentlemen
and ladies interested in purchasing fashionable British dress and the like.
But far worse are these terrible Non-Importation agreements that we were forced
to sign. The Patriots insist that we will not purchase any merchandise from
England. And if you dare to go against these Patriots, they will put you out
of business completely, and worse. Why some merchants have been threatened with
tar and feathering if they don't comply with the Patriots.
"I have no suppliers on this side of the Atlantic," she adds, "and it will be many months—and even longer if we go to war with England—before I can restock my shelves with merchandise. How can I live here if I cannot operate my millinery shop?"
She hands you the box containing the hat. "Here is your master's hat. And I've tucked a note in it for him as well. See that he receives it promptly."
With the hat box under one arm, you start back for your house. After walking several blocks, you pause. You would really like to read the note Miss Brodie enclosed for your master.
Should you read the note?
