1 files changed, 13416 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/3280.txt b/3280.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b75c95a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/3280.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,13416 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cap'n Warren's Wards, by Joseph C. Lincoln
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Cap'n Warren's Wards
+
+Author: Joseph C. Lincoln
+
+Release Date: June 11, 2009 [EBook #3280]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAP'N WARREN'S WARDS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Donald Lainson and D. A. Alexander
+
+
+
+
+
+ CAP'N WARREN'S WARDS
+
+ By Joseph C. Lincoln
+
+ Author of "The Depot Master," "The Woman Haters,"
+ "The Postmaster," "Cap'n Erie,"
+ "Mr. Pratt," etc.
+
+ WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
+ BY EDMUND FREDERICK
+
+ A. L. BURT COMPANY
+ PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+ COPYRIGHT 1911, BY
+ D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
+
+ _Published October, 1911_
+
+ Printed in the United States of America
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "Captain Warren had risen from his chair and was facing
+her." [Page 48]]
+
+
+
+
+CAP'N WARREN'S WARDS
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+
+"Ostable!" screamed the brakeman, opening the car door and yelling his
+loudest, so as to be heard above the rattle of the train and the shriek
+of the wind; "Ostable!"
+
+The brakeman's cap was soaked through, his hair was plastered down on
+his forehead, and, in the yellow light from the car lamps, his wet nose
+glistened as if varnished. Over his shoulders the shiny ropes of rain
+whipped and lashed across the space between the cars. The windows
+streamed as each succeeding gust flung its miniature freshet against
+them.
+
+The passengers in the car--there were but four of them--did not seem
+greatly interested in the brakeman's announcement. The red-faced person
+in the seat nearest the rear slept soundly, as he had done for the
+last hour and a half. He had boarded the train at Brockton, and, after
+requesting the conductor not to "lemme me git by Bayport, Bill," at
+first favored his fellow travelers with a song and then sank into
+slumber.
+
+The two elderly men sitting together on the right-hand side of the car
+droned on in their apparently endless Jeremiad concerning the low price
+of cranberries, the scarcity of scallops on the flats, the reasons why
+the fish weirs were a failure nowadays, and similar cheerful topics. And
+in his seat on the left, Mr. Atwood Graves, junior partner in the New
+York firm of Sylvester, Kuhn and Graves, lawyers, stirred uneasily on
+the lumpy plush cushion, looked at his watch, then at the time-table in
+his hand, noted that the train was now seventy-two minutes late, and
+for at least the fifteenth time mentally cursed the railway company, the
+whole of Cape Cod from Sandwich to Provincetown, and the fates which had
+brought him there.
+
+The train slowed down, in a jerky, hiccoughy sort of way, and crept
+on till the car in which Mr. Graves was seated was abreast the lighted
+windows of a small station, where it stopped. Peering through the
+water-streaked pane at the end of his seat, the lawyer saw dim
+silhouettes of uncertain outline moving about. They moved with provoking
+slowness. He felt that it would be joy unspeakable to rush out there and
+thump them into animation. The fact that the stately Atwood Graves even
+thought of such an undignified proceeding is sufficient indication of
+his frame of mind.
+
+Then, behind the door which the brakeman, after announcing the station,
+had closed again, sounded a big laugh. The heartiness of it grated on
+Mr. Graves's nerves. What idiot could laugh on such a night as this
+aboard a train over an hour late?
+
+The laugh was repeated. Then the door was flung briskly open, and a
+man entered the car. He was a big man, broad-shouldered, inclined to
+stoutness, wearing a cloth cap with a visor, and a heavy ulster, the
+collar of which was turned up. Through the gap between the open ends of
+the collar bristled a short, grayish beard. The face above the beard and
+below the visor was sunburned, with little wrinkles about the eyes and
+curving lines from the nostrils to the corners of the mouth. The upper
+lip was shaved, and the eyebrows were heavy and grayish black. Cap,
+face, and ulster were dripping with water.
+
+The newcomer paused in the doorway for an instant, evidently to add the
+finishing touch to a conversation previously begun.
+
+"Well, I tell you, Ezra," he called, over his shoulder, "if it's too
+deep to wade, maybe I can swim. Fat floats, they tell me, and Abbie says
+I'm gettin' fleshier every day. So long."
+
+He closed the door and, smiling broadly, swung down the aisle. The pair
+of calamity prophets broke off their lament over the declining fisheries
+and greeted him almost jovially.
+
+"Hello, Cap'n!" cried one. "What's the south shore doin' over here in
+this flood?"
+
+"What's the matter, Cap'n?" demanded the other. "Broke loose from your
+moorin's, have you? Did you ever see such a night in your life?"
+
+The man in the ulster shook hands with each of his questioners, removing
+a pair of wet, heavy leather gloves as he did so.
+
+"Don't know's I ever did, Dan," he answered. "Couldn't see much of this
+one but its color--and that's black. I come over this mornin' to
+attend to some business at the court-house--deeds to some cranberry bog
+property I just bought--and Judge Baxter made me go home with him to
+dinner. Stayed at his house all the afternoon, and then his man, Ezra
+Hallett, undertook to drive me up here to the depot. Talk about blind
+pilotin'! Whew! The Judge's horse was a new one, not used to the roads,
+Ezra's near-sighted, and I couldn't use my glasses 'count of the rain.
+Let alone that, 'twas darker'n the fore-hold of Noah's ark. Ho, ho!
+Sometimes we was in the ruts and sometimes we was in the bushes. I told
+Ez we'd ought to have fetched along a dipsy lead, then maybe we could
+get our bearin's by soundin's. 'Couldn't see 'em if we did get 'em,'
+says he. 'No,' says I, 'but we could taste 'em. Man that's driven
+through as much Ostable mud as you have ought to know the taste of every
+road in town.'"
+
+"Well, you caught the train, anyhow," observed Dan.
+
+"Yup. If we'd been crippled as _well_ as blind we could have done that."
+He seated himself just in front of the pair and glanced across the aisle
+at Mr. Graves, to find the latter looking intently at him.
+
+"Pretty tough night," he remarked, nodding.
+
+"Yes," replied the lawyer briefly. He did not encourage conversation
+with casual acquaintances. The latest arrival had caught his attention
+because there was something familiar about him. It seemed to Graves that
+he must have seen him before; and yet that was very improbable. This
+was the attorney's first visit to Cape Cod, and he had already vowed
+devoutly that it should be his last. He turned a chilling shoulder to
+the trio opposite and again consulted the time-table. Denboro was the
+next station; then--thank the Lord--South Denboro, his destination.
+
+Conversation across the aisle was brisk, and its subjects were many and
+varied. Mr. Graves became aware, more or less against his will, that
+the person called "Cap'n" was, if not a leader in politics and local
+affairs, still one whose opinions counted. Some of those opinions, as
+given, were pointed and dryly descriptive; as, for instance, when a
+certain town-meeting candidate was compared to a sculpin--"with a big
+head that sort of impresses you, till you get close enough to realize it
+_has_ to be big to make room for so much mouth." Graves, who was fond
+of salt water fishing, knew what a sculpin was, and appreciated the
+comparison.
+
+The conductor entered the car and stopped to collect a ticket from his
+new passenger. It was evident that he, too, was acquainted with the
+latter.
+
+"Evening, Cap'n," he said, politely. "Train's a little late to-night."
+
+"It is--for to-night's train," was the prompt response, "but if it keeps
+on at the rate it's travelin' now, it'll be a little early for to-morrow
+mornin's, won't it?"
+
+The conductor laughed. "Guess you're right," he said. "This is about as
+wet a storm as I've run through since I've been on the road. If we get
+to Provincetown without a washout we'll be lucky.... Well, we've made
+another hitch. So far, so good."
+
+The brakeman swung open the door to shout, "Denboro! Denboro!" the
+conductor picked up his lantern and hurried away, the locomotive
+whistled hoarsely, and the train hiccoughed alongside another little
+station. Mr. Graves, peering through his window, imagined that here
+the silhouettes on the platform moved more briskly. They seemed almost
+excited. He inferred that Denboro was a bigger and more wide-awake
+village than Ostable.
+
+But he was mistaken. The reason for the excitement was made plain by the
+conductor a moment afterwards. That official entered the car, removed
+his uniform cap, and rubbed a wet forehead with a wetter hand.
+
+"Well, gentlemen," he said, "I've been expecting it, and here it is.
+Mark me down as a good prophet, will you? There's a washout a mile
+further on, and a telegraph pole across the track. It's blowing great
+guns and raining pitchforks. It'll be out of the question for us to go
+forward before daylight, if then. Darn a railroad man's job anyhow!"
+
+Five minutes later Mr. Graves descended the steps of the car, his
+traveling bag in one hand and an umbrella in the other. As soon as
+both feet were securely planted on the platform, he put down the bag
+to wrestle with the umbrella and the hurricane, which was apparently
+blowing from four directions at once. Feeling his hat leaving his head,
+he became aware that the umbrella had turned inside out. He threw the
+wreck violently under the train and stooped to pick up the bag. The bag
+was no longer there.
+
+"It's all right," said a calm voice behind him. "I've got your satchel,
+neighbor. Better beat for harbor, hadn't we? Here! this way."
+
+The bewildered New Yorker felt his arm seized in a firm grip, and he was
+rushed across the platform, through a deluge of wind-driven water, and
+into a small, hot, close-smelling waiting room. When he pushed his hat
+clear of his eyes he saw that his rescuer was the big man who boarded
+the train at Ostable. He was holding the missing bag and smiling.
+
+"Dirty weather, hey?" he observed, pleasantly. "Sorry your umbrella had
+to go by the board. I see you was carryin' too much canvas and tried to
+run alongside in time to give you a tow; but you was dismasted just as I
+got there. Here's your dunnage, all safe and sound."
+
+He extended the traveling bag at arm's length. Mr. Graves accepted his
+property and murmured thanks, not too cordially. His dignity and temper
+had gone overboard with the umbrella, and he had not yet recovered them.
+
+"Well," went on his companion, "here we are! And I, for one, wanted to
+be somewheres else. Caleb," turning to the station master, who came in
+at that moment, "any way of my gettin' home to-night?"
+
+"'Fraid not, Cap'n," was the answer. "I don't know of any. Guess you'll
+have to put up at the hotel and wait till mornin'."
+
+"That's right," agreed the passenger called "Dan," who was standing
+near. "That's what Jerry and I are goin' to do."
+
+"Yes, but you and Jerry are bound for Orham. I'm booked for South
+Denboro, and that's only seven miles off. I'd _swim_ the whole seven
+rather than put up at Sim Titcomb's hotel. I've been there afore, thank
+you! Look here, Caleb, can't I hire a team and drive over?"
+
+"Well, I don't know. S'pose you might ring up Pete Shattuck and ask him.
+He's pretty particular about his horses, though, and I cal'late he--"
+
+"All right. I'll ring him up. Pete ought to get over some of his
+particularness to oblige me. I've helped _him_ once or twice."
+
+He was on his way to the ticket office, where the telephone hung on the
+wall. But Mr. Graves stepped forward and spoke to him.
+
+"Excuse me, sir," said the lawyer. "Did I understand you to say you were
+going to South Denboro?"
+
+"Yes. I am, if the powers--and Pete Shattuck--'ll let me."
+
+"You were going to drive over? May I go with you? I'm very anxious to
+get to South Denboro to-night. I have some very important business
+there, and I want to complete it and get away to-morrow. I must be back
+in New York by the morning following."
+
+The captain looked his questioner over. There was a doubtful look on his
+face, and he smiled quizzically.
+
+"Well, I don't know, Mr.--"
+
+"Graves is my name."
+
+"I don't know, Mr. Graves. This ain't goin' to be a pleasure cruise
+exactly. You might get pretty wet."
+
+"I don't care. I can get dry again when I get there. Of course I shall
+share the expense of the livery. I shall be greatly obliged if I may go
+with you. If not, I must try for a rig myself."
+
+"Oh, if you feel that way about it, why, come ahead and welcome. I was
+only warnin' you, that's all. However, with me aboard for ballast, I
+guess we won't blow away. Wait a jiffy till I get after Pete."
+
+He entered the ticket office and raised a big hand to the little crank
+of the telephone bell.
+
+"Let's see, Caleb," he called; "what's Shattuck's number?"
+
+"Four long and two short," answered the station master.
+
+Graves, wondering vaguely what sort of telephone system was in use on
+Cape Cod, heard his prospective pilot ring the instrument for a full two
+seconds, repeating the ring four times altogether. This he followed with
+two sharp tinkles. Then came a series of shouted "Hellos!" and, at last,
+fragments of one-half of a dialogue.
+
+"That you, Shattuck? Know who this is, don't you? Yes, that's right....
+Say, how many folks listen every time a bell rings on this line? I've
+heard no less'n eight receivers come down so far.... Two of 'em went up
+then, did you hear 'em?... Sartin.... I want to hire a team to go over
+home with.... To-night--Sartin.... I don't care.... Yes, you will,
+too.... _Yes_, you _will_... Send my man back with it to-morrow... I
+don't care _what_ it is, so it's got four legs and wheels...."
+
+And so on for at least five minutes. Then the captain hung up the
+receiver and came back to the waiting room.
+
+"Bargain's made, Mr. Graves," he announced. "Pete'll have some sort of
+a turn-out alongside soon's he can get it harnessed. If you've got any
+extra storm duds in that satchel of yours, I'd advise you to put 'em on.
+We're goin' to have a rough passage."
+
+Just how rough it was likely to be, Graves realized when he emerged from
+the station to board the Shattuck buggy. "Pete" himself had driven the
+equipage over from the livery stable.
+
+"I wouldn't do this for anybody but you, Cap'n," he vouchsafed, in what
+might be called a reproachful shout. Shouting was necessary, owing to
+the noise of the storm.
+
+"Wouldn't do what?" replied the captain, looking first at the ancient
+horse and then at the battered buggy.
+
+"Let this horse out a night like this."
+
+"Humph! I should think night would be the only time you would let him
+out.... There! there! never mind. Get aboard, Mr. Graves. Put your
+satchel on the floor between your feet. Here, let me h'ist that boot for
+you."
+
+The "boot" was a rubber curtain buttoned across the front of the buggy,
+extending from the dashboard to just below the level of the driver's
+eyes. The lawyer clambered in behind it, the captain followed, the end
+of the reins was passed through a slit in the boot, Mr. Shattuck, after
+inquiring if they were "all taut," gave the command, "Gid-dap!" and
+horse and buggy moved around the corner of the station, out into
+darkness.
+
+Of the next hour Graves's memories are keen but monotonous,--a strong
+smell of stable, arising from the laprobe which had evidently been
+recently used as a horse blanket; the sound of hoofs, in an interminable
+"jog, jog--splash, splash," never hurrying; a series of exasperated
+howls from the captain, who was doing his best to make them hurry; the
+thunderous roar of rain on the buggy top and the shrieking gale which
+rocked the vehicle on its springs and sent showers of fine spray driving
+in at every crack and crevice between the curtains.
+
+The view ahead, over the boot, was blackness, bordered by spidery trees
+and branches whipping in the wind. Occasionally they passed houses
+sitting well back from the road, a lighted window gleaming cozily. And
+ever, as they moved, the storm seemed to gather force.
+
+Graves noticed this and, at length, when his nervousness had reached
+the breaking point, screamed a question in his companion's ear. They
+had attempted no conversation during the ride, the lawyer, whose
+contemptuous opinion of the locality and all its inhabitants was now a
+conviction, feeling that the result would not be worth the effort, and
+the captain busy with his driving.
+
+"It is blowing worse than ever, isn't it?" yelled the nervous Graves.
+
+"Hey? No, just about the same. It's dead sou'west and we're getting out
+of the woods, that's all. Up on those bare hills we catch the full force
+of it right off the Sound. Be there pretty soon now, if this Old Hundred
+of a horse would quit walkin' in his sleep and really move. Them lights
+ahead are South Denboro."
+
+The lights were clustered at the foot of a long and rather steep hill.
+Down the declivity bounced and rocked the buggy. The horse's hoofs
+sounded hollow on the planks of a bridge. The road narrowed and became
+a village street, bordered and arched by tall trees which groaned and
+threshed in the hurricane. The rain, as it beat in over the boot, had,
+so the lawyer fancied, a salty taste.
+
+The captain bent down. "Say, Mister," he shouted, "where was it you
+wanted to stop? Who is it you're lookin' for?"
+
+"What?"
+
+"I say--Heavens to Betsy! how that wind does screech!--I say where'bouts
+shall I land you. This is South Denboro. Whose house do you want to go
+to?"
+
+"I'm looking for one of your leading citizens. Elisha Warren is his
+name."
+
+"What?"
+
+"Elisha Warren. I--"
+
+He was interrupted. There was a sharp crack overhead, followed by a
+tremendous rattle and crash. Then down upon the buggy descended what,
+to Graves, appeared to be an avalanche of scratching, tearing twigs
+and branches. They ripped away the boot and laprobe and jammed him back
+against the seat, their sharp points against his breast. The buggy was
+jerked forward a few feet and stopped short.
+
+He heard the clatter of hoofs and shouts of "Whoa!" and "Stand
+still!" He tried to rise, but the tangle of twigs before him seemed
+impenetrable, so he gave it up and remained where he was. Then, after an
+interval, came a hail from the darkness.
+
+"Hi, there! Mr. Graves, ahoy! Hurt, be you?"
+
+"No," the lawyer's tone was doubtful. "No--o, I--I guess not. That you,
+Captain?"
+
+"Yes, it's me. Stand still, you foolhead! Quit your hoppin' up and
+down!" These commands were evidently addressed to the horse. "Glad you
+ain't hurt. Better get out, hadn't you?"
+
+"I--I'm not sure that I can get out. What on earth has happened?"
+
+"Tree limb carried away. Lucky for us we got the brush end, 'stead of
+the butt. Scooch down and see if you can't wriggle out underneath. I
+did."
+
+Mr. Graves obediently "scooched." After a struggle he managed to slide
+under the tangle of branches and, at length, stood on his feet in the
+road beside the buggy. The great limb had fallen across the street, its
+heavy end near the walk. As the captain had said, it was fortunate for
+the travelers that the "brush" only had struck the carriage.
+
+Graves found his companion standing at the horse's head, holding the
+frightened animal by the bridle. The rain was descending in a flood.
+
+"Well!" gasped the agitated New Yorker. "I'll be hanged if this isn't--"
+
+"Ain't it? But say, Mr. Graves, _who_ did you say you was comin' to
+see?"
+
+"Oh, a person named Elisha Warren. He lives in this forsaken hole
+somewhere, I believe. If I had known what an experience I must go
+through to reach him, I'd have seen him at the devil."
+
+From the bulky figure at the horse's head came a chuckle.
+
+"Humph! Well, Mr. Graves, if the butt of that limb had fetched us,
+instead of t'other end, I don't know but you _might_ have seen him
+there. I'm Elisha Warren, and that's my house over yonder where the
+lights are."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+
+"This is your room, Mr. Graves," said Miss Abigail Baker, placing
+the lighted lamp on the bureau. "And here's a pair of socks and some
+slippers. They belong to Elisha--Cap'n Warren, that is--but he's got
+more. Cold water and towels and soap are on the washstand over yonder;
+but I guess you've had enough _cold_ water for one night. There's plenty
+hot in the bathroom at the end of the hall. After you change your wet
+things, just leave 'em spread out on the floor. I'll come fetch 'em by
+and by and hang 'em to dry in the kitchen. Come right downstairs when
+you're ready. Anything else you want? No? All right then. You needn't
+hurry. Supper's waited an hour 'n' a half as 'tis. 'Twon't hurt it to
+wait a spell longer."
+
+She went away, closing the door after her. The bewildered, wet and
+shivering New Yorker stared about the room, which, to his surprise, was
+warm and cozy. The warmth was furnished, so he presently discovered,
+by a steam radiator in the corner. Radiators and a bathroom! These were
+modern luxuries he would have taken for granted, had Elisha Warren been
+the sort of man he expected to find, the country magnate, the leading
+citizen, fitting brother to the late A. Rodgers Warren, of Fifth Avenue
+and Wall Street.
+
+But the Captain Warren who had driven him to South Denboro in the rain
+was not that kind of man at all. His manner and his language were as far
+removed from those of the late A. Rodgers as the latter's brown stone
+residence was from this big rambling house, with its deep stairs and
+narrow halls, its antiquated pictures and hideous, old-fashioned wall
+paper; as far removed as Miss Baker, whom the captain had hurriedly
+introduced as "my second cousin keepin' house for me," was from the
+dignified butler at the mansion on Fifth Avenue. Patchwork comforters
+and feather beds were not, in the lawyer's scheme of things, fit
+associates for radiators and up-to-date bathrooms. And certainly this
+particular Warren was not fitted to be elder brother to the New York
+broker who had been Sylvester, Kuhn and Graves' client.
+
+It could not be, it _could_ not. There must be some mistake. In country
+towns there were likely to be several of the same name. There must be
+another Elisha Warren. Comforted by this thought, Mr. Graves opened his
+valise, extracted therefrom other and drier articles of wearing apparel,
+and proceeded to change his clothes.
+
+Meanwhile, Miss Abigail had descended the stairs to the sitting room.
+Before a driftwood fire in a big brick fireplace sat Captain Warren in
+his shirt-sleeves, a pair of mammoth carpet slippers on his feet, and
+the said feet stretched luxuriously out toward the blaze.
+
+"Abbie," observed the captain, "this is solid comfort. Every time I go
+away from home I get into trouble, don't I? Last trip I took to Boston,
+I lost thirty dollars, and--"
+
+"Lost it!" interrupted Miss Baker, tartly. "Gave it away, you mean."
+
+"I didn't _give_ it away. I lent it. Abbie, you ought to know the
+difference between a gift and a loan."
+
+"I do--when there is any difference. But if lendin' Tim Foster ain't
+givin' it away, then I miss my guess."
+
+"Well," with another chuckle, "Tim don't feel that way. He swore right
+up and down that he wouldn't take a cent--as a gift. I offered to make
+him a present of ten dollars, but he looked so shocked that I apologized
+afore he could say no."
+
+"Yes, and then _lent_ him that thirty. Shocked! The only thing that
+would shock that good-for-nothin' is bein' set to work. What possessed
+you to be such a soft-head, _I_ don't know. When you get back a copper
+of that money I'll believe the millennium's struck, that's all."
+
+"Hum! Well, I'll help you believe it--that is, if I have time afore I
+drop dead of heart disease. Abbie, you'd make a good lawyer; you can get
+up an argument out of a perfect agreement. I said the thirty dollars
+was lost, to begin with. But I knew Tim Foster's mother when she used
+to think that boy of hers was the eighth wonder of the world. And I
+promised her I'd do what I could for him long's I lived.... But it seems
+to me we've drifted some off the course, ain't we? What I started to say
+was that every time I go away from home I get into trouble. Up to Boston
+'twas Tim and his 'loan.' To-night it's about as healthy a sou'wester
+as I've ever been out in. Dan fetched in the team, has he?"
+
+"Yes. It's in the stable. He says the buggy dash is pretty well
+scratched up, and that it's a wonder you and that Graves man wa'n't
+killed. Who is he, anyhow?"
+
+"Land knows, I don't."
+
+"You don't know! Then what's he doin' here?"
+
+"Changin' his duds, I guess. That's what I'd do if I looked as much like
+a drowned rat as he did."
+
+"'Lisha Warren! if you ain't the most _provoking'_ thing! Don't be so
+unlikely. You know what I mean. What's he come here, to this house,
+for?"
+
+"Don't know, Abbie. I didn't know he _was_ comin' here till just as we
+got down yonder by Emery's corner. I asked him who he was lookin' for,
+he said 'Elisha Warren,' and then the tree caved in on us."
+
+"'Lisha, you--you don't s'pose 'twas a--_sign_, do you?"
+
+"Sign?"
+
+"Yes, a sign, a prophecy-like, a warnin' that somethin' is goin' to
+happen."
+
+The captain put back his head and laughed.
+
+"Sign somethin' _had_ happened, I should think," he answered. "What's
+_goin'_ to happen is that Pete Shattuck'll get his buggy painted
+free-for-nothin', at my expense. How's supper gettin' along? Is it
+ready?"
+
+"Ready? It's been ready for so long that it'll have to be got ready
+all over again if.... Oh! Come right in, Mr. Graves! I hope you're drier
+now."
+
+Captain Warren sprang from the chair to greet his visitor, who was
+standing in the doorway.
+
+"Yes, come right in, Mr. Graves," he urged, cordially. "Set down by the
+fire and make yourself comf'table. Abbie'll have somethin' for us to eat
+in a jiffy. Pull up a chair."
+
+The lawyer came forward hesitatingly. The doubts which had troubled him
+ever since he entered the house were still in his mind.
+
+"Thank you, Captain," he said. "But before I accept more of your
+hospitality I feel I should be sure there is no mistake. I have come on
+important business, and--"
+
+"Hold on!" The captain held up a big hand. "Don't you say another word,"
+he commanded. "There's just one business that interests me this minute,
+and that's supper. There's no mistake about _that_, anyhow. Did you say
+'Come ahead,' Abbie? or was you just going to? Good! Right into the
+dinin' room, Mr. Graves."
+
+The dining room was long and low. The woodwork was white, the floor
+green painted boards, with braided rag mats scattered over them.
+There were old-fashioned pictures on the walls, pictures which brought
+shudders to the artistic soul of Atwood Graves. A broad bay window
+filled one side of the apartment, and in this window, on shelves and in
+wire baskets, were Miss Baker's cherished and carefully tended plants.
+As for the dining table, it was dark, old-fashioned walnut, as were the
+chairs.
+
+"Set right down here, Mr. Graves," ordered the captain. "I'll try
+to keep you supplied with solid cargo, and Abbie'll 'tend to the
+moistenin'. Hope that teapot is full up, Abbie. Hot tea tastes good
+after you've swallered as much cold rain as Mr. Graves and I have...
+Father-we-thank-thee-for-these-mercies-set-before-us-Amen.... How's
+your appetite when it comes to clam pie, Mr. Graves?"
+
+Mr. Graves's appetite was good, and the clam pie was good. So, too,
+were the hot biscuits and the tea and homemade preserves and cake.
+Conversation during the meal was, for the most part, a monologue by the
+captain. He gave Miss Baker a detailed and exaggerated account of his
+adventures in Ostable, on board the train, and during the drive home.
+The housekeeper listened, fidgeting in her chair.
+
+"'Lisha Warren," she interrupted, "how you do talk! Rainin' so hard you
+had to hold the reins taut to keep the horse's head out of water so he
+wouldn't drown! The idea!"
+
+"Fact," asserted Captain Warren, with a wink at his guest. "And that
+wa'n't the worst of it. 'Twas so dark I had to keep feelin' the buggy
+with my foot to be sure I was in it. Ain't that so, Mr. Graves?... Here!
+Abbie won't like to have you set lookin' at that empty plate. She's
+always afraid folks'll notice the gilt's wearin' off. Pass it over
+quick, and let me cover it with some more pie."
+
+"Yes, and have some more tea," urged Miss Abbie. "You mustn't pay
+attention to what he says, Mr. Graves," she went on. "Some day he'll
+tell the truth by accident, and then I'll know it's time to send for the
+doctor."
+
+Several times the lawyer attempted to mention the business which had
+brought him to the Cape, and the probability of his having made a
+mistake. But neither host nor housekeeper would listen.
+
+"When you've been in South Denboro as long as I have," declared the
+former, "you'll understand that the time to talk business is when you
+can't think of anything else. Wait till we get into the settin' room.
+Abbie, those six or eight biscuits I've ate are gettin' lonesome. I'll
+take another for sociability, thank you."
+
+But, at last, when all the biscuits but one were gone, and the cake
+plate looked like the Desert of Sahara, the captain pushed back his
+chair, rose, and led the way into the next room. Miss Baker remained to
+clear the table.
+
+"Set down by the fire, Mr. Graves," urged the captain. "Nothin' like
+burnin' wood to look hot and comf'table, is there? It don't always make
+you feel that way--that's why I put in hot water heat--but for looks and
+sociableness you can't beat a log fire. Smoke, do you?"
+
+"Yes. Occasionally. But, Captain Warren--"
+
+"Here, try that. It's a cigar the Judge gave me over to Ostable. He
+smokes that kind reg'lar, but if you don't like it, throw it away.
+He ain't here to see you do it, so you won't be fined for contempt of
+court. I'll stick to a pipe, if you don't mind. Now we're shipshape
+and all taut, I cal'late. Let's see, you wanted to talk business, I
+believe."
+
+"Yes, I did. But before I begin I should like to be sure you are the
+Elisha Warren I came from New York to interview. Is there another of
+that name in Denboro?"
+
+"Um-hm. There's Warrens a-plenty all through this section of the Cape.
+Our family blew ashore here a hundred and fifty years ago, or such
+matter. My dad's name was Elisha; so was my grandfather's. Both sea
+cap'ns, and both dead. There's another Elisha livin' over on the shore
+lane."
+
+"Indeed. Then perhaps it is he I want."
+
+"P'raps. He's keeper of the town poorhouse. I can tell you better if you
+give me an idea what your business is."
+
+"I am an attorney. And now let me ask another question, please. Have
+you--had you a brother in business in New York?"
+
+"Hey?" The captain turned and looked his guest squarely in the eye. His
+brows drew together.
+
+"I've got a brother in New York," he answered, slowly. "Did _he_ send
+you here?"
+
+"Was your brother's name A. Rodgers Warren?"
+
+"'A. Rodgers'? No. His name is Abijah Warren, and--Wait! His middle name
+is Rodgers, though. Did 'Bije send you to me?"
+
+"A moment, Captain. Was your brother a broker?"
+
+"Yes. His office is--or used to be on Broad Street. What--"
+
+"You have not heard from him for some time?"
+
+"Not for eighteen years. He and I didn't agree as well as we might.
+Maybe 'twas my fault, maybe 'twas his. I have my own ideas on that. If
+you're lookin' for 'Bije Warren's brother, Mr. Graves, I guess you've
+come to the right place. But _what_ he sent you to me for, or what
+he wants--for he wants somethin', or he wouldn't have sent--I don't
+understand."
+
+"Why do you think he wanted something?"
+
+"Because he's 'Bije Warren, and I was brought up with him. When we was
+young ones together, he went to school and I went to work. He got the
+frostin' on the cake, and I got the burnt part next to the pan. He went
+to college, and I went to sea. He.... However, you mustn't think I find
+fault with him for that. I sp'iled him as much as anybody, I guess.
+'Twas later on that we.... Well, never mind that, either. What is it he
+wants of me, after eighteen years?"
+
+"He wants a good deal of you, Captain Warren. Or _did_ want it."
+
+"Did? Don't he want it now?"
+
+"I don't know. Captain, I'm surprised that you haven't heard. It seems
+that I am the bearer of bad news. Your brother--"
+
+"Is 'Bije _dead_?"
+
+"He died ten days ago very suddenly. In a way it was a great shock to us
+all, yet we have known that his heart was weak. He realized it, too."
+
+"So 'Bije is dead, hey?" Captain Elisha's face was very grave, and he
+spoke slowly. "Dead! Well, well, well!"
+
+He paused and looked into the fire. Graves saw again that vague
+resemblance he had caught on the train, but had forgotten. He knew now
+why he noticed it. Unlike as the two brothers were, unlike in almost
+every way, the trace of family likeness was there. This sunburned,
+retired captain _was_ the New York financier's elder brother. And this
+certainty made Mr. Graves's errand more difficult, and the cause of it
+more inexplicable.
+
+Captain Elisha cleared his throat.
+
+"Well, well!" he sighed. "So 'Bije has gone. I s'pose you think it's
+odd, maybe," he went on, "that I ain't more struck down by the news. In
+a way, I am, and, in a way, I'm mighty sorry, too. But, to speak truth,
+he and I have been so apart, and have had nothin' to do with each other
+for so long that--that, well, I've come to feel as if I didn't have a
+brother. And I know he felt that way. Yes, and _wanted_ to feel so--I
+know that."
+
+"I wouldn't say that, if I were you," observed the lawyer, gently. "I
+think you're mistaken there."
+
+"I ain't mistaken. Why, look here, Mr. Graves! There was a time when
+I'd have got down on my knees and crawled from here to New York to help
+'Bije Warren. I lent him money to start in business. Later on him and I
+went into partnership together on a--a fool South American speculation
+that didn't pan out for nothin'. I didn't care for that. I took my
+chance same as he did, we formed a stock company all amongst ourselves,
+and I've got my share of the stock somewhere yet. It may come in handy
+if I ever want to paper the barn. But 'twa'n't business deals of that
+kind that parted us, 'twas another matter. Somethin' that he did to
+other folks who'd trusted us and.... Humph! this don't interest you, of
+course.... Well, 'Bije was well off, I know. His wife died way back
+in the nineties. She was one of them fashionable women, and a hayseed
+salt-herrin' of a bachelor brother-in-law stuck down here in the
+sandheaps didn't interest her much--except as somethin' to forget, I
+s'pose. I used to see her name in the Boston papers occasionally, givin'
+parties at Newport and one thing a'nother. I never envied 'em that kind
+of life. I'm as well fixed as I want to be. Got some money put by for
+a rainy spell, comf'table house and land, best town on earth to live in
+and work for; I'm satisfied and always have been. I wouldn't change for
+nothin'. But I'm nine year older than 'Bije was--and yet I'm left alive.
+Hum!"
+
+"Your brother had two children by his marriage," said Graves, after a
+moment of silence.
+
+"Hey? Two children? Why, yes, I remember he did. Boy and girl, wa'n't
+they? I never saw em. They've growed up by this time, of course."
+
+"Yes, the eldest, Caroline, is nearly twenty. The boy, Stephen, is a
+year younger. It is concerning those children, Captain Warren, that I
+have come to you."
+
+Captain Elisha turned in his chair. "Hey?" he queried. "The children?
+You've come to me about 'Bije's children?"
+
+Graves nodded. "Yes," he answered, solemnly. "That is what I meant by
+saying your brother had not forgotten you or wished to forget you. In
+spite of the estrangement, it is evident that his confidence in your
+judgment and integrity was supreme. His children were his idols, Captain
+Warren, and he has left them in your charge."
+
+The captain's pipe fell to the hearth.
+
+"_What_?" he shouted. "Left his children to--to _me_! Mr. Graves,
+you're--you're out of your head--or I am!"
+
+"No, I'm perfectly sane. I have a copy of the will here, and--"
+
+He was interrupted by Miss Baker, who appeared at the door of the dining
+room. "Did you want me, 'Lisha?" she asked.
+
+Her employer stared at her in a dazed, uncomprehending way.
+
+"Want you?" he repeated. "Want you?"
+
+"Yes; I heard you holler, and I thought p'raps you was callin' me."
+
+"Hey? No, I don't want you, Abbie.... Holler! I shouldn't wonder! If
+all I did was holler, I'm surprised at myself. No, no! Run along out and
+shut the door. Yes, shut it.... Now, Mr. Graves, say that over again and
+say it slow."
+
+"I say that your brother has left his two children in your care until
+the youngest shall become of age--twenty-one. I have a copy of his will
+here, and--"
+
+"Wait, wait! let me think. Left his children to me!... to _me_. Mr.
+Graves, had 'Bije lost all his money?"
+
+"No. He was not the millionaire that many thought him. Miss Warren and
+her brother will be obliged to economize somewhat in their manner
+of living. But, with care _and_ economy, their income should be quite
+sufficient, without touching the principal, to--"
+
+"Hold on again; the income, you say. What is that income?"
+
+"Roughly speaking, a mere estimate, about twenty to twenty-five thousand
+yearly."
+
+Captain Elisha had stooped to pick up the pipe he had dropped. His
+fingers touched it, but they did not close. Instead he straightened up
+in his chair as if suffering from an electric shock.
+
+"Mr. Graves," he began; "Mr. Graves, are you cra--. No, I asked you that
+before. But--but twenty _thousand_ a--a year! For mercy sakes, what's
+the principal?"
+
+"In the neighborhood of five hundred thousand, I believe. Of course, we
+had no authority to investigate thoroughly. That will be a part of your
+duties, but--"
+
+"S-shh! Let me soak this into my brains a little at a time. 'Bije leaves
+his children five hundred thousand, half a million, and--and they've got
+to _economize_! And I'm.... Would you mind readin' me that will?"
+
+The attorney drew a long envelope from his pocket, extracted therefrom a
+folded document, donned a pair of gold-mounted eyeglasses, and began to
+read aloud.
+
+The will was short and very concise. "'I, Abijah Rodgers Warren, being
+of sound mind--'"
+
+"You're sartin that part's true, are you?" broke in the captain.
+
+Graves nodded, rather impatiently, and continued. "'Of sound mind,
+memory and understanding, do make, publish and declare this to be my
+last will and testament, in manner following, that is to say:--
+
+"'First:--I direct my executor hereinafter named to pay my just debts
+and funeral expenses as soon as maybe convenient after my decease.'"
+
+"Did he owe much, think likely?" asked Captain Elisha.
+
+"Apparently not. Very little beyond the usual bills of a household."
+
+"Yes, yes. Grocer and butcher and baker and suchlike. Well, I guess they
+won't have to put in a keeper. Heave ahead."
+
+"'Second:--I give, devise and bequeath all my estate, both real and
+personal, to my brother, Elisha Warren, if he survive--'"
+
+The captain gasped. "To me?" he cried, in utter amazement. "He leaves
+it to _me_? 'Bije leaves--say, Mr. Graves, there's some mistake here
+somewhere, sure! And besides, you said--"
+
+"Just a minute, Captain Warren, if you please. If you'll be patient and
+not interrupt, I'll try to make the whole matter plain."
+
+"Well, if you can do _that_, you'll have King Solomon and all his wisdom
+beat a mile, that's all I've got to say. Go on."
+
+"'To my brother, Elisha Warren, if he survive me, _in trust_,
+nevertheless, for the following purpose, to wit:--
+
+"'To invest the same and to use the income thereof for the education and
+maintenance of my two children, Caroline Edgecombe Warren--'"
+
+"Edgecombe? Named for some of his wife's folks, I presume likely. Excuse
+me for puttin' my oar in again. Go on."
+
+"'And Stephen Cole Warren--'"
+
+"_That's_ his wife, sartin. She was a Cole. I swan, I beg your pardon."
+
+"'Until the elder, Caroline Edgecombe Warren, shall have reached her
+twenty-first birthday, when one-half of the principal of said estate,
+together with one-half of the accumulated interest, shall be given to
+her, and the trust continued for the education and maintenance of my
+son, Stephen Cole Warren, until he shall have reached his twenty-first
+birthday, when I direct that the remainder be given to him.
+
+"'Third:--I appoint as testamentary guardian of my said children my said
+brother, Elisha Warren.
+
+"'Fourth:--I appoint as sole executor of this, my last will and
+testament, my said brother, Elisha Warren.
+
+"'Fifth:--Imposing implicit trust and confidence in Elisha Warren,
+my brother, I direct that he be not required to give bond for the
+performance of any of the affairs or trusts to which he has been herein
+appointed.'
+
+"The remainder," concluded Graves, refolding the will, "is purely
+formal. It is dated May 15th, three years ago. Your brother, Captain
+Warren, evidently realized, although no one else seems to have done
+so, the precarious state of his health, and prepared, as every careful
+person should, for the great emergency."
+
+The attorney removed his eyeglasses and rubbed them with his
+handkerchief. Captain Elisha sat silent, staring at the fire. After an
+interval, Graves spoke again.
+
+"Of course, Captain," he went on, "my errand is now plain. I come to
+acquaint you with your brother's last wishes and to ascertain whether or
+not you are willing to accept the trust and responsibility he has laid
+upon you. As you doubtless know, the state provides a legal rate of
+reimbursement for such services as yours will--or may--be. Ahem!"
+
+"May be? You mean I ain't got to do this thing unless I want to?"
+
+"Certainly. You have the right to renounce the various appointments, in
+which case another executor, trustee, and guardian will be appointed.
+I realize, and I'm sure that your brother's children will realize, your
+hesitance in assuming such a responsibility over persons whom you have
+never even met."
+
+"Yes, I guess we'll all realize it; you needn't worry about that. Look
+here, do the children know I'm elected?"
+
+"Yes. Of course, the will has been read to them."
+
+"Hum! I s'pose likely they was overcome with joy, wa'n't they?"
+
+Graves bit his lip. Remembering the comments of Miss Caroline and
+her brother when they learned of their uncle's appointment, he had
+difficulty in repressing a smile.
+
+"Well," he replied, slowly, "of course, one could scarcely expect them
+to rejoice. They have never seen you. In fact, I doubt if either of them
+knew their father had a brother, living."
+
+"Y-e-e-s. That part don't surprise me. But the rest of it does. By the
+miracles of the prophets! the rest of it does! That 'Bije--'Bije--should
+leave his children and their money to _me_ to take care of is passin'
+human belief, as our old minister used to say--.... Humph! I s'pose
+likely, Mr. Graves, you'd like to have me say yes or no to the thing
+while you're here, hey?"
+
+Graves nodded. "It would be well to do so," he said. "The settlement
+of the estate must be taken in hand as soon as possible. The law so
+directs."
+
+"Yes, I see that. Well, what would you advise my doin'?"
+
+To this direct question the lawyer returned a noncommittal answer.
+
+"I'm afraid that must be answered by yourself alone, Captain Warren," he
+said. "Of course, the acceptance of the trust will necessarily involve
+much trouble and inconvenience, especially to one of your--er--settled
+and--er--conservative--I judge merely from what you have said--your
+conservative habits. The estate is large, the investments are,
+doubtless, many and varied, and the labor of looking into and
+investigating them may require some technical skill and knowledge of
+finance. Yes."
+
+"Um-hm.... Well, I judge that that kind of skill and knowledge could be
+hired, if a feller felt like payin' fair wages; hey?"
+
+"Oh, yes, yes. Any good lawyer could attend to that, under the
+supervision of the executor, certainly. But there are other
+inconveniences to a--a--"
+
+"Country jay like me. I understand. Go ahead."
+
+"I mean that you would probably be required to spend much, or all, of
+the next two or three years in New York."
+
+"Would, hey? I didn't know but bein' as a guardian has entire charge of
+the children and their money and all--I understand that's what he does
+have--he could direct the children fetched down to where _he_ lived, if
+he wanted to. Am I wrong?"
+
+"No," the lawyer's hesitancy and annoyance was plainly evident. "No-o.
+Of course, that _might_ be done. Still, I--"
+
+"You think that wouldn't cause no more rejoicin' than some other things
+have? Yes, yes; I cal'late I understand, Mr. Graves. Well, I guess
+you'll have to give me to-night to chew over this. I guess you will.
+It's come on me so sudden, 'Bije's death and all, that I want to be by
+myself and think. I don't want to seem unsociable or lackin' in
+hospitality. The whole house is yours. Help yourself to it. But when I'm
+caught in a clove hitch, I just have to set down and think myself out of
+it. I _have_ to. I was built and launched that way, I guess, and maybe
+you'll excuse me."
+
+"Certainly, Captain Warren. You're quite right in wishing to deliberate
+on so important a matter. And, if you will excuse me in return, I
+believe I will go to my room. I've had a rather wearing day."
+
+"And a damp evenin'. Yes, I'll excuse and sympathize with you, too. I'll
+see you to your room, and I'll hope you'll have consider'ble more sleep
+than I'm likely to get. Abbie!... Abbie!... Fetch Mr. Graves's lamp,
+won't you, please?"
+
+It was after two the next morning before Captain Elisha rose from his
+chair by the fire and entered his bed chamber. Yet, when Atwood Graves
+came down to breakfast, he found his host in the sitting room awaiting
+him.
+
+"Afore we tackle Abbie's pancakes and fishballs, Mr. Graves," said the
+captain, "let's get the rest of that will business off our minds. Then
+we can have the pancakes to take the taste out of our mouths, as you
+might say. And let me ask you one more question. This--er--er--Caroline
+and Stephen, they're used to livin' pretty well--fashionable society,
+and the like of that, hey?"
+
+"Yes. Their home was on Fifth Avenue, and the family moved in the best
+circles."
+
+"Hum! I should imagine life on twenty-odd thousand a year must be
+pretty much all circles, one everlastin' 'turn your partners.' Well, Mr.
+Graves, my circles down here are consider'ble smaller, but they suit me.
+I'm worth twenty-odd thousand myself, not in a year, but in a lifetime.
+I'm selectman and director in the bank and trustee of the church. When I
+holler 'Boo,' the South Denboro folks--some of them, anyhow--set up and
+take notice. I can lead the grand march down in this neighborhood once
+in a while, and I cal'late I'm prettier leadin' it than I would be doin'
+a solitaire jig for two years on the outside edge of New York's best
+circles. And I'm mighty sure I'm more welcome. Now my eyesight's strong
+enough to see through a two-foot hole after the plug's out, and I can
+see that you and 'Bije's children won't shed tears if I say no to that
+will. No offense meant, you know; just common sense, that's all."
+
+This was plain speaking. Mr. Graves colored, though he didn't mean to,
+and for once could not answer offhand.
+
+"So," continued the captain, "I'll ease your and their minds by sayin'
+that, the way I feel now, I probably sha'n't accept the trust. I
+_probably_ sha'n't. But I won't say sure I won't, because--well, because
+'Bije was my brother; he was that, no matter what our diff'rences may
+have been. And I know--I _know_ that there must be some reason bigger
+than 'implicit trust' and the other May-baskets for his appointin' me in
+his will. What that reason is I _don't_ know--yet."
+
+"Then you intend--?"
+
+"I don't know what I intend--in the end. But for a beginnin', I cal'late
+to run down to New York some time durin' the next week, take a cruise
+'round, and sort of look things over."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+
+"It's a box of a place, though, isn't it," declared Mr. Stephen Warren,
+contemptuously glancing about the library of the apartment. "A box, by
+George! I think it's a blooming shame that we have to put up with it,
+Sis."
+
+Mr. Warren sprawled in the most comfortable chair in the room, was
+looking out through the window, across the wind-swept width of Central
+Park West, over the knolls and valleys of the Park itself, now bare of
+foliage and sprinkled with patches of snow. There was a discontented
+look on his face, and his hands were jammed deep in his trousers
+pockets.
+
+His sister, Caroline, sat opposite to him, also looking out at the
+December landscape. She, too, was discontented and unhappy, though she
+tried not to show it.
+
+"Why don't you say something," snapped Stephen, after a moment of
+silence. "_Isn't_ it a box of a place? Now come."
+
+"Yes," replied the young lady, without looking at her brother. "Yes,
+Steve, I suppose it is. But you must remember that we must make the
+best of it. I always wondered how people could live in apartments. Now I
+suppose I shall have to find out."
+
+"Well, I maintain that we don't have to. We aren't paupers, even though
+father wasn't so well fixed as everyone thought. With management and
+care, we could have stayed in the old house, I believe, and kept up
+appearances, at least. What's the use of advertising that we're broke?"
+
+"But, Steve, you know Mr. Graves said--"
+
+"Oh, yes, I know. You swallowed every word Graves said, Caro, as if
+he was the whole book of Proverbs. By George, _I_ don't; I'm from
+Missouri."
+
+Mr. Warren, being in the Sophomore class at Yale, was of the age when
+one is constitutionally "from Missouri." Probably King Solomon, at
+sixty, had doubts concerning the scope and depth of his wisdom; at
+eighteen he would have admitted its all-embracing infallibility without
+a blush.
+
+"I tell you," continued Stephen, "there's no sense in it, Sis. You and I
+know plenty of people whose incomes are no larger than ours. Do they
+'economize,' as Graves is continually preaching? They do not, publicly
+at least. They may save a bit, here and there, but they do it where it
+doesn't show and nobody knows. Take the Blaisdells, for instance. When
+the Sodality Bank went up, and old Blaisdell died, everybody said the
+family was down and out. They must have lost millions. But did _they_
+move into 'apartments' and put up a placard, 'Home of the Dead-Brokes.
+Walk in and Sympathize?' I guess they didn't! They went into mourning,
+of course, and that let them out of entertaining and all that, but they
+stayed where they were and kept up the bluff. That's the thing that
+counts in this world--keeping up the bluff."
+
+"Yes, but everyone knows they are--bluffing, as you call it."
+
+"What of it? They don't really know, they only suspect. And I met Jim
+Blaisdell yesterday and he shook my hand, after I had held it in front
+of his eyes where he couldn't help seeing it, and had the nerve to tell
+me he hoped things weren't as bad with us as he had heard."
+
+"I never liked the Blaisdells," declared Caroline, indignantly.
+
+"Neither did I. Neither do most people. But Jim is just as much in the
+swim as he ever was, and he's got his governor's place on the board of
+directors at the bank, now that it's reorganized, and an office down
+town, and he's hand and glove with Von Blarcom and all the rest.
+They think he's a promising, plucky young man. They'll help his bluff
+through. And are his mother and sister dropped by the people in their
+set? I haven't noticed it."
+
+"Well, Mrs. Corcoran Dunn told me that everyone was talking about
+the Blaisdells and wondering how long they could keep it up. And the
+newspapers have been printing all sorts of things, and hinting that
+young Mr. Blaisdell's appointment as director, after his father wrecked
+the bank, was a scandal. At least, we haven't _that_ to bear up under.
+Father was honest, if he wasn't rich."
+
+"Who cares for the newspapers? They're all run by demagogues hunting
+sensations. What makes me feel the worst about all this is that Stock
+Exchange seat of father's. If I were only of age, so that I could go
+down there on the floor, I tell you it wouldn't be long before you and I
+were back where we belong, Sis. But, no, I'm a kid, so Graves thinks, in
+charge of a guardian--a _guardian_, by gad!"
+
+He snorted, in manly indignation. Caroline, her pretty face troubled,
+rose and walked slowly across the room. It was a large room, in spite of
+the fact that it was one of a suite in an apartment hotel, and furnished
+richly. A. Rodgers Warren spent his money with taste, and spent it
+freely while he lived. The furniture, the paintings, and bric-a-brac
+were of the very best, chosen with care, here and abroad.
+
+"Oh, dear!" sighed the girl. "I do hope Mr. Graves will be well enough
+to call to-day. He expected to. Except for the telephone message telling
+us that that _man_ at Denboro--"
+
+"Our dear Uncle Elisha," put in Stephen, with sarcasm. "Uncle ''Lish!'
+Heavens! what a name!"
+
+"Hush! He can't help his name. And father's was worse yet--Abijah! Think
+of it!"
+
+"I don't want to think of it. Neither did the governor; that's why
+he dropped it, I suppose. Just what did Graves say? Give me his exact
+words."
+
+"His partner, Mr. Kuhn, telephoned. He said that Mr. Graves had a bad
+cold, having been wet through in a dreadful storm down there in the
+country. The doctor forbade his leaving the house for a day or two, but
+he would call on Tuesday--to-day--if he was sufficiently recovered. And
+Mr. Kuhn said that everything was satisfactory. This Captain Warren--a
+ship captain, I suppose he is--would, in all probability, refuse to
+accept the guardianship and the rest of it--"
+
+"Refuse? I should think so. I'm just as certain father was insane when
+he made that will as I am that I'm alive. If I thought he wasn't, I'd
+never forgive him."
+
+"Hush, Steve. You promised me you wouldn't speak in that way."
+
+"Well, all right, I won't. But, Caro, he _must_ have been insane. If he
+wasn't, do you suppose he would have put us and the estate in the care
+of a Down-East jay? It's inconceivable! It's ridiculous! Think of it.
+Suppose this uncle of ours had accepted. Suppose he had come to town
+here and any of our friends had met him. 'This is our guardian, Captain
+Warren, of Punkin Centre.' 'Please to meet ye,' says Uncle 'Lish. 'How's
+taters?' Horrors! Say, Caro, you haven't told anyone, Malcolm or his
+mother, or anyone, have you?"
+
+"Of course not, Steve. You know I wouldn't."
+
+"Well, don't. They needn't know it, now or at any other time. Graves
+will probably get himself appointed, and he's respectable if he is an
+old fogy. We'll worry along till I'm twenty-one, and then--well, then
+I'll handle our business myself."
+
+Evidently there was no question in his mind as to his ability to handle
+this or any business, no matter how involved. He rose from his chair and
+yawned.
+
+"It's deadly dull," he complained. "You don't need me, do you, Caro? I
+believe I'll go out for a while. That is, unless you really care."
+
+His sister hesitated before replying. When she spoke, there was
+disappointment in her tone.
+
+"Why, Steve," she said, "I did hope you might be here when Mr. Graves
+came. He will wish to speak of important matters, and it seems to me
+that both of us should hear what he has to say."
+
+Young Warren, who had started for the door, stopped and kicked
+impatiently at the corners of the rug.
+
+"Oh, _well_!" he observed, "if you want me of course I'll stay. But why
+doesn't old Graves come, if he is coming. Maybe he's under the weather
+yet," he added, hopefully. "Perhaps he isn't coming at all to-day. I
+believe I'll call up Kuhn on the 'phone and find out."
+
+He was on his way to the telephone when the doorbell buzzed.
+
+"Gad! there he is now," he exclaimed. "Now I suppose I'll have to stay.
+We'll hear about dear Uncle 'Lish, won't we? Oh, joy!"
+
+But the staid butler, when he entered the library, did not announce the
+lawyer's name.
+
+"Mrs. Corcoran Dunn and Mr. Malcolm," he said. "Will you see them, Miss
+Caroline?"
+
+The young lady's face lit up.
+
+"Certainly, Edwards," she said. "Show them--Oh, Mrs. Dunn, I'm so glad
+to see you! It was _ever_ so good of you to come. And Malcolm."
+
+Mrs. M. Corcoran Dunn was tall and, in South Denboro, would have been
+called "fleshy," in spite of her own and the dressmaker's efforts to
+conceal the fact. She was elaborately gowned and furred, and something
+about her creaked when she walked. She rushed into the room, at the
+butler's heels, and, greeting Caroline with outstretched hands, kissed
+her effusively on the cheek.
+
+"My dear child," she cried, "how could I stay away? We have spoken of
+you and Stephen _so_ often this morning. We know how lonely you must be,
+and Malcolm and I decided we _must_ run in on you after lunch. Didn't
+we, Malcolm?"
+
+Mr. Malcolm Corcoran Dunn, her son, was a blond young man, with a rather
+indolent manner.
+
+"Sure, Mater!" he said, calmly. "How d'ye do, Caroline? 'Lo, Steve!"
+
+The quartette shook hands. Mrs. Dunn sank creakingly into a chair and
+gazed about the room. Malcolm strolled to the window and looked out.
+Stephen followed and stood beside him.
+
+"My dear," said Mrs. Dunn, addressing Caroline, "how are you getting on?
+How are your nerves? Is all the dreadful 'settling' over?"
+
+"Very nearly, thank goodness."
+
+"That's a mercy. I should certainly have been here yesterday to help you
+in superintending and arranging and so on, but I was suffering from one
+of my 'hearts,' and you know what _they_ are."
+
+Everyone who knew Mrs. Corcoran Dunn was acquainted with her "hearts."
+The attacks came, so she was accustomed to explain, from an impaired
+valve, and "some day"--she usually completed the sentence with upturned
+eyes and a resigned upward wave of the hand.
+
+Her son turned from the window.
+
+"I say, Mother," he explained, wearily, "I do wish you wouldn't speak of
+your vital organs in the plural. Anyone would imagine you were a sort
+of freak, like the two-headed boy at the circus. It's positively
+distressing."
+
+Stephen laughed. He admired young Dunn immensely. Mrs. Dunn sighed.
+
+"Don't, Malcolm, dear," she pleaded. "You sound so unfeeling. One not
+acquainted with your real kindness of heart--"
+
+"Oh, drop it," interrupted Malcolm. "Let's omit the heart interest.
+This isn't a clinic. I say, Steve, how do you like the new flat? It is a
+flat, isn't it?"
+
+Stephen turned red. His sister colored and bit her lip. Mrs. Dunn
+hastened to the rescue.
+
+"Horrors!" she exclaimed. "Malcolm, you really are insufferable. Flat!
+Caroline, dear, you mustn't mind him. He will have his joke. Malcolm,
+apologize."
+
+The command was sharp, and her son obeyed it.
+
+"Beg your pardon, Steve," he said. "Yours, too, Caroline. I was only
+joking. There's a little beast of a bookkeeper down at the office who
+is forever talking of his 'nice flat in the Bronx.' It's a standing
+guy, you know. So far as I can see, these are pretty snug quarters. And
+attractively arranged, too. Your taste, Caroline, I'm betting."
+
+Miss Warren, slightly mollified, bowed assent.
+
+"I thought so," continued Malcolm. "No one but you would have known
+exactly the right spot for everything. Show us through, won't you?"
+
+But Mrs. Dunn had other plans.
+
+"Not now, Malcolm," she put in. "Caroline is tired out, I'm sure. A
+little fresh air will do her good. I was going to suggest that you and
+she and Stephen go for a short ride. Yes, really you must, my dear," she
+added, turning to the girl beside her. "Our car is at the door, it's not
+at all a bad afternoon, and the outing will be just what you need."
+
+"Thank you, Mrs. Dunn," said Caroline, gratefully. "I should like to.
+Indeed, I should. But we have been expecting a business call from Mr.
+Graves, father's lawyer, and--"
+
+"Oh, come on, Sis!" interrupted Stephen. "I'm dying to get out of this
+jail. Let old Graves wait, if he comes. We won't be long; and, besides,
+it's not certain that he is coming to-day. Come on!"
+
+"I'm afraid I ought not, Steve. Mr. Graves may come, and--and it seems
+too bad to trouble our friends--"
+
+"It's not trouble, it's pleasure," urged Mrs. Dunn. "Malcolm will be
+delighted. It was his idea. Wasn't it?" turning to her son.
+
+"Oh, yes! certainly," replied the young gentleman. "Hope you'll come,
+Caroline. And you, of course, Steve. The blessed machine's been off its
+feed for a week or more, but Peter says he thinks it's all right again.
+We'll give it a try-out on the Drive. Hope we have better luck than my
+last," with a laugh. "They nabbed us for speeding, and I had to promise
+to be a good boy or to be fined. Said we were hitting it at fifty an
+hour. We _were_ going some, that's a fact. Ha! ha!"
+
+"But he won't be reckless when you're with him, Caroline," put in his
+mother. "You will go? That's so nice! As for Mr. Graves, I'll explain
+if he comes. Oh, no! _I'm_ not going! I shall remain here in this
+comfortable chair and rest until you return. It's exactly what my
+physician orders, and for once I'm going to obey him. My heart, you
+know, my poor heart--"
+
+She waved her hand and raised her eyes. Miss Warren expostulated, but to
+no purpose. Mrs. Corcoran Dunn would _not_ go, but the others must. So,
+at last, they did. When Caroline and her brother had gone for their
+wraps, Mrs. Dunn laid a hand on her son's arm.
+
+"Now mind," she whispered, "see if you can find out anything during the
+ride. Something more explicit about the size of their estate and who the
+guardian is to be. There are all sorts of stories, you know, and we
+_must_ learn the truth very soon. Don't appear curious, but merely
+friendly. You understand?"
+
+"Sure, Mater," was the careless answer. "I'll pump."
+
+The two departed, leaving their lady visitor ensconced in the
+comfortable chair. She remained in it for perhaps five minutes. Then she
+rose and sauntered about the room. She drifted into the drawing-room,
+returning a moment later and sauntering casually toward the open desk by
+the fireplace. There were papers and letters scattered about this desk,
+and these she turned over, glancing toward the door to be sure no one
+was coming. The letters were, for the most part, messages of sympathy
+from friends of the Warren family. Hearing an approaching step, she
+hastily returned to the chair.
+
+Edwards, the butler, entered the library and replenished the fire. Mrs.
+Dunn languidly accosted him.
+
+"Ah--er--Edwards," she said, "you are--er--growing familiar with your
+new home?"
+
+"Yes, ma'am," replied Edwards, politely.
+
+"It must seem--er--small compared to the other."
+
+"Smaller; yes, ma'am."
+
+"But very snug and comfortable."
+
+"Yes, ma 'am."
+
+"It is fortunate that Miss Warren and her brother have the aid of such
+a--an old servant of the family."
+
+"Thank you, ma'am."
+
+"Is Miss Caroline managing her own affairs?"
+
+"Apparently so. Yes, ma'am."
+
+"I presume, however, a guardian has been appointed? With an estate such
+as the late Mr. Warren _must_ have left, some responsible person would
+be, of course, necessary."
+
+She paused. Edwards, having arranged the logs to his liking, brushed the
+dust from his hands.
+
+"I don't know, ma'am, I'm sure," he said. "Neither Miss Caroline nor Mr.
+Stephen have spoken with me concerning the family affairs."
+
+Mrs. Corcoran Dunn straightened, with hauteur.
+
+"I think that was the doorbell," she remarked, a trifle sharply. "If it
+should be Mr. Graves, the attorney, you may show him into the library
+here."
+
+"Yes, ma'am," said Edwards once more, and departed.
+
+The lady visitor heard voices in the passage. She listened, but could
+hear nothing understandable. Evidently the butler was having an argument
+with someone. It could not be Graves.
+
+Edwards reappeared, looking troubled.
+
+"It's a--a gentleman to see Miss Caroline," he said. "He won't give his
+name, ma'am, but says she's expecting him."
+
+"Expecting him?"
+
+"Yes, ma'am. I told him she was out, but he said he was intending
+to stay a while anyway, and would wait. I asked his business, but he
+wouldn't tell it."
+
+"That's odd." Mrs. Dunn was slightly interested. "A tradesman, perhaps;
+or an agent of the landlord."
+
+"No-o, ma'am. I don't think he's either of them, ma'am."
+
+"What sort of a person is he, Edwards?"
+
+The butler's face twitched for an instant with a troubled smile. Then it
+resumed its customary respectful calm.
+
+"I hardly know, ma'am. He's an oddish man. He--I think he's from the
+country."
+
+From behind him came a quiet chuckle.
+
+"You're right, Commodore," said a man's voice; "I'm from the country.
+You guessed it."
+
+Edwards jumped, startled out of his respectable wits. Mrs. Dunn rose
+indignantly from her chair.
+
+"I beg your pardon, ma'am," said the intruder, appearing in the doorway.
+"You mustn't think I'm forcin' my way where I ain't wanted. But it
+seemed to take so long to make the Admiral here understand that I was
+goin' to wait until Caroline came back that I thought I'd save time and
+breath by provin' it to him. I didn't know there was any company. Excuse
+me, ma'am, I won't bother you. I'll just come to anchor out here in the
+entry. Don't mind me."
+
+He bowed politely, picked up the large suit-case, plainly bran-new,
+which he had momentarily placed on the rug at his feet, and, with it
+in one hand and a big soft felt hat in the other, stepped back into the
+hall out of sight. The astonished Mrs. Dunn and the paralyzed Edwards
+heard a chair crack as if a heavy weight had descended upon it.
+Evidently he had "come to anchor."
+
+The lady was the first to recover the power of speech.
+
+"Why!" she exclaimed, in an alarmed whisper. "Why! I never heard of
+such brazen impertinence in my life. He must be insane. He is a lunatic,
+isn't he, Edwards?"
+
+The butler shook his head. "I--I don't know, ma'am," he stammered.
+
+"I believe he is." Mrs. Dunn's presence of mind was returning, and with
+it her courage. Her florid cheeks flamed a more vivid red, and her eyes
+snapped. "But whether he is or not, he sha'n't bulldoze me."
+
+She strode majestically to the door. The visitor was seated in the hall,
+calmly reading a newspaper. Hat and suit-case were on the floor beside
+him.
+
+"What do you mean by this?" demanded the lady. "Who are you? If you have
+any business here, state it at once."
+
+The man glanced at her, over his spectacles, rose and stood looking down
+at her. His expression was pleasant, and he was remarkably cool.
+
+"Yes, ma'am," he said, gravely. "I'll be glad to tell you who I am,
+if you'd like to have me. I'd have done it before, but I thought there
+weren't any use troublin' you with my affairs. But, just a minute--"
+he hesitated--"I haven't made any mistake, have I? I understood your
+steward--the feller with the brass buttons, to say that Abijah Warren's
+children lived here. That's so, ain't it? If not, then I _am_ mistaken."
+
+Mrs. Dunn regarded him with indignation. "You are," she said coldly.
+"The family of the late Mr. Rodgers Warren lives here. I presume the
+slight resemblance in names misled you. Edwards, show the gentleman
+out."
+
+"Just one moment more, ma'am. It was Rodgers Warren's children I was
+lookin' for. A. Rodgers Warren he called himself, didn't he? Yes. Well,
+the A stood for Abijah; that was his Christian name. And he left
+two children, Caroline and Stephen? Good! I thought for a jiffy I'd
+blundered in where I had no business, but it's all right. You see,
+ma'am, I'm their uncle from South Denboro, Massachusetts. My name is
+Elisha Warren."
+
+Mrs. Dunn gasped. Edwards, peering over her shoulder, breathed heavily.
+
+"You are--their _uncle_?" repeated the lady.
+
+"Yes, ma'am. I'm 'Bije's brother. Oh, don't worry. It's all right. And
+don't fret yourself about me, either. I'll set right down out here
+and read my paper and wait till Caroline or Stephen get home. They're
+expectin' me. Mr. Graves, the lawyer, told 'em I was comin'."
+
+He calmly seated himself and adjusted his spectacles. Mrs. Dunn stared
+at him, then at Edwards. After an instant's indecision, she stepped
+back into the library and walked to the window. She beckoned, with an
+agitated finger, to the butler, who joined her.
+
+"Edwards," she whispered, "did you hear what he said?"
+
+"Yes, ma'am," replied Edwards, wide-eyed and wondering.
+
+"Is it true?"
+
+"I don't know, ma'am."
+
+"Did Mr. Warren have a brother?"
+
+"I didn't know that he had, ma'am."
+
+"Do you--do you think it likely that he would have a brother like--like
+_that_?"
+
+"I don't know, ma'am."
+
+"Was Miss Caroline expecting him?"
+
+"I don't know, ma'am. She--"
+
+"Oh, you don't know anything! You're impossible. Go away!"
+
+"Yes, ma'am," said Edwards thankfully; and went. Mrs. Corcoran Dunn
+stood for some minutes by the window, thinking, or trying to think a way
+to the truth in this astounding development. Of course the man _might_
+be a lunatic who had gained his information concerning the Warren family
+from the papers; but he did not look like a lunatic. On the other hand,
+he certainly did not look as one would have expected a brother of
+Rodgers Warren's to look. Oddest of all, if he was such a brother, why
+had neither Caroline or Stephen mentioned his existence? According to
+his story, Graves, the Warren lawyer, had warned the children of his
+coming. Caroline had been very reticent concerning her father's will,
+the amount of his estate, and the like. And Mrs. Dunn had repeatedly,
+though discreetly, endeavored to find out these important details.
+Neither hints nor questions had resulted satisfactorily. Was it possible
+that this was the reason, this country uncle? If so--well, if so, here
+was a Heaven-sent opportunity for a little genteel and perfectly safe
+detective work. Mrs. Dunn creakingly crossed the room and spoke.
+
+"Mr. Warren," she said, "I feel guilty in keeping you out there. Won't
+you come into the library?"
+
+"Why, thank you, ma'am, I'm all right. Don't you trouble about me. Go
+right on with your readin' or sewin' or knittin' or whatever you was
+doin' and--"
+
+"I was not reading," replied Mrs. Dunn, with a slight shudder. "Come in,
+please. I wish you to."
+
+Captain Elisha folded his paper and put it in his pocket. Entering the
+library, he stood quietly waiting.
+
+"Won't you sit down?" asked his impromptu hostess, trying hard to be
+gracious.
+
+"Thank you," said the captain. He sank into an armchair and looked
+curiously about him.
+
+"So you are the late Mr. Warren's brother?" asked the lady, making her
+first lead in the game.
+
+"Yes, ma'am. His older brother. 'Bije was ten year younger'n I am,
+Mrs.--er--"
+
+"Dunn. I am an old friend of the family."
+
+"That's good. I'm glad to hear they've got friends. When you're in
+sickness or trouble or sorrer, friendship counts for consider'ble. How
+are the young folks--Caroline and Stephen--pretty smart, hey?"
+
+"_Smart_? Why, they are intelligent, naturally. I--"
+
+"No, no. I mean are they pretty well?"
+
+"Very well, indeed, considering the shock of their recent bereavement."
+
+"Yes, yes. Of course. And they've moved, too. Movin's an awful job. They
+say three movin's are as bad as a fire, but I cal'late I'd rather burn
+up a set of carpets than _pull_ 'em up, 'specially if they was insured.
+'Tain't half so much strain on your religion. I remember the last time
+we took up our carpets at home, Abbie--she's my second cousin, keepin'
+house for me--said if gettin' down on my knees has that effect on me
+she'd never ask me to go to prayer-meetin' again. Ho! ho!"
+
+He chuckled. Mrs. Dunn elevated her nose and looked out of the window.
+Then she led another small trump.
+
+"You say that Miss Caroline and her brother expect you," she said. "You
+surprise me. Are you sure?"
+
+"Oh, yes, ma'am. I'm sure. When Mr. Graves came down to see me, last
+week 'twas, I told him to say I'd be up pretty soon to look the ground
+over. This is a pretty fine place the young folks have got here," he
+added, gazing admiringly at the paintings and bookcases.
+
+"Yes," assented the lady, condescendingly. "For an apartment it is
+really quite livable."
+
+"Livable!" Captain Elisha's astonishment got the better of his
+politeness for the moment. "Um! Yes, I should say a body _might_ manage
+to worry along in it. Was the place where they used to live any finer
+than this?"
+
+"Certainly!"
+
+"You don't tell me! No wonder they talked about economi--Humph!"
+
+"What were you about to say, Mr. Warren?"
+
+"Oh, nothin', nothin'! Talkin' to myself is a habit I've got. Abbie--my
+second cousin; I guess I told you about her--says it's a sure sign that
+a person's rich or out of his head, one or t'other. I ain't rich, so--"
+He chuckled once more.
+
+"Mr. Graves came to see you at your home, did he?"
+
+"Yes, ma'am. At South Denboro. And he certainly did have a rough
+passage. Ho! ho! Probably you heard about it, bein' so friendly with the
+family."
+
+"Ahem! Doubtless he would have mentioned it, but he has been ill."
+
+"Sho! I'm sorry to hear that. I was afraid he'd catch cold."
+
+"Yes. I hope Mr. Graves's errand was successful?"
+
+"Well, sort of so-so."
+
+"Yes. He came to see you in connection with your brother's estate--some
+legacy, perhaps?"
+
+She did not look at the captain when she asked this question. Therefore,
+she did not notice the glance which he gave her. When he answered, it
+was in the same deliberate, provokingly deliberate, manner.
+
+"Um-hm. Somethin' of that kind, Mrs. Dunn. I can't help thinkin'," he
+went on, "how nice it is that Caroline and Steve have such a good friend
+as you to help 'em. Your husband and 'Bije was chums, I s'pose?"
+
+"No, not exactly. The friendship was on my side of the family."
+
+"So? Want to know! Your husband dead, ma'am?"
+
+Mrs. Dunn changed the subject. Her husband, Mr. Corcoran Dunn--once Mike
+Dunn, contractor and Tammany politician--was buried in Calvary Cemetery.
+She mourned him, after a fashion, but she preferred not to talk about
+him.
+
+"Yes," she answered shortly. "It--it looks as if it might snow, doesn't
+it?"
+
+"I shouldn't wonder. Have you any children, ma'am?"
+
+"One--a son." The widow's tone was frigid.
+
+"So? He must be a comfort to you. I s'pose likely he's a friend of my
+nephew and niece, too."
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"That's good. Young folks ought to have young friends. You live in this
+neighborhood, ma'am?"
+
+The lady did not answer. She gazed haughtily at the trees in the Park.
+Captain Elisha rubbed a smile from his lips with his hand and remained
+silent. The tall clock ticked loud.
+
+There came the sound of laughter from the passage outside. The hall
+door opened. A moment later, Caroline, followed by her brother and young
+Dunn, entered the library.
+
+The girl's cheeks were rosy from the cold wind. Her hair, beneath the
+fur auto cap, had blown in brown, rippled disorder across her forehead.
+She was smiling.
+
+"Oh, Mrs. Dunn!" she cried. "I'm so glad I accepted
+your--Malcolm's--invitation. We had a glorious ride! I--"
+
+She stopped short. Captain Warren had risen from his chair and was
+facing her. Mrs. Dunn also rose.
+
+"Caroline," she said, nervously, "this"--pausing on the word--"gentleman
+is here to see you. He says he is--"
+
+The captain interrupted her. Stepping forward he seized his niece's
+hands in his. "Well, well!" he exclaimed admiringly. "'Bije's girl, that
+I ain't seen since you was a little mite of a baby! Caroline, I'm your
+Uncle Elisha."
+
+"Good _Lord_!" groaned Stephen Warren.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+
+If the captain heard Stephen's fervent ejaculation, he paid no attention
+to it. Dropping his niece's hand, he extended his own toward his nephew.
+
+"And this is Stephen?" he said. "Well, Steve, you and me have never met
+afore, I b'lieve. But that's our misfortune, not our fault, hey? How are
+you? Pretty smart?"
+
+The boy's face was flaming. He mumbled something to the effect that he
+was all right enough, and turned away without accepting the proffered
+hand. Captain Elisha glanced quickly at him, then at his sister.
+
+"Well, Caroline," he said, pleasantly, "I s'pose you've been expectin'
+me. Mr. Graves told you I was comin', didn't he?"
+
+Miss Warren, also, was flushed with embarrassment and mortified
+surprise.
+
+"No," she stammered. "He has been ill."
+
+"Sho! you don't say! Mrs. Dunn--your friend here--said he was laid up
+with a cold, but I didn't realize 'twas as bad as that. So you didn't
+know I was comin' at all."
+
+"No. We--we have not heard from you since he returned."
+
+"That's too bad. I hope I sha'n't put you out any, droppin' in on
+you this way. You mustn't treat me as comp'ny, you know. If 'tain't
+convenient, if your spare room ain't ready so soon after movin', or
+anything of that kind, I can go to a hotel somewheres for a day or so.
+Hadn't I better, don't you think?"
+
+Caroline hesitated. If only they might have been spared this public
+humiliation. If the Dunns had not been there. It was bad enough to
+have this dreadful country uncle come at all; but to have him come now,
+before they were prepared, before any explanations had been made! What
+should she do?
+
+Her brother, fidgeting at her elbow, not daring to look at Malcolm
+Dunn, who, he knew, was thoroughly enjoying the scene, could stand it no
+longer.
+
+"Caro," he snapped, "what are you waiting for? Don't you _know_ that the
+rooms are not ready? Of course they're not! We're sorry, and all that,
+but Graves didn't tell us and we weren't prepared. Certainly he'll have
+to go to the hotel, for--for the present."
+
+He ventured to raise his eyes and glare indignantly at the captain.
+Finding the latter looking intently at him, he dropped them again and
+jammed his clenched fists into his pockets.
+
+Captain Elisha pulled thoughtfully at his beard.
+
+"Humph!" he grunted. "Humph! then I cal'late maybe--" He took a step
+toward the door, stopped, turned back, and said, with calm decision, "I
+guess I'd better stay. You won't mind me, Caroline--you and Stephen. You
+_mustn't_. As I said, I ain't comp'ny. I'm one of the family, your pa's
+brother, and I've come some consider'ble ways to see you two young folks
+and talk with you. I've come because your pa asked me to. I'm used to
+roughin' it, been to sea a good many v'yages, and if a feather bed ain't
+handy I can get my forty winks on the floor. So that's settled, and you
+mustn't have me on your conscience. That's sense, ain't it, Mrs. Dunn?"
+
+Mrs. Corcoran Dunn did not deign a reply. Caroline answered for her.
+
+"Very well," she said, coldly. Stepping to the desk she rang a bell. The
+butler appeared in the doorway.
+
+"Edwards," said Miss Warren, "this gentleman," indicating the captain,
+"is to be our guest, for the present. You may show him to his room--the
+blue room, I think. If it is not ready, see that it is made so."
+
+"Yes, Miss Caroline," replied Edwards. Retiring to the hall, he returned
+with the suit-case.
+
+"Will you wish to go to your room at once, sir?" he asked.
+
+"Why, I guess I might as well, Commodore," answered Captain Elisha,
+smiling. "Little soap and water won't do no harm. Fact is, I feel's if
+'twas a prescription to be recommended. You needn't tote that valise,
+though," he added. "'Tain't heavy, and I've lugged it so fur already
+sence I got off the car that I feel kind of lonesome without it."
+
+The butler, not knowing exactly how to answer, grinned sheepishly.
+Captain Elisha turned to Mrs. Dunn and her son.
+
+"Well, good afternoon, ma'am," he said. "I'm real glad to have made your
+acquaintance. Yours, too, sir," with a nod toward Malcolm. "Your mother
+told me what a friend of the young folks you was, and, as I'm sort
+of actin' pilot for 'em just now, in a way of speakin', any friend of
+theirs ought to be a friend of mine. Hope to see you often, Mr. Dunn."
+
+The young man addressed smiled, with amusement not at all concealed, and
+languidly admitted that he was "charmed."
+
+"Your first visit to the city?" he inquired, in a tone which caused
+Stephen to writhe inwardly.
+
+"No-o. No, not exactly. I used to come here pretty frequent, back in
+my sea-goin' days, when my ship was in port. I sailed for Osgood and
+Colton, down on South Street, for a spell. They were my owners. You
+don't remember the firm, I s'pose?"
+
+"No. The privilege has been denied me. You find some changes in
+New York, don't you--er--Captain? You are a captain, or a bos'n, or
+admiral--something of that sort, I presume?"
+
+"Malcolm!" said his mother, sharply.
+
+"Oh, no offense intended. My sea terms are rather mixed. The captain
+will excuse me."
+
+"Sartin! Cap'n's what they all call me, mostly. Your son ain't ever been
+to sea, except as passenger, I cal'late, ma'am?"
+
+"Certainly not," snapped Mrs. Dunn.
+
+"Of course, of course. Well, 'tain't a life I'd want a boy of mine
+to take up, nowadays. But it did have some advantages. I don't know
+anything better than a v'yage afore the mast to learn a young feller
+what's healthy for him to unlearn. Good day, ma'am. Good day, Mr. Dunn.
+I mustn't keep the Commodore waitin' here with that valise. I'll be
+out pretty soon, Caroline; just as soon as I've got the upper layer
+of railroad dust off my face and hands. You'll be surprised to see how
+light-complected I really am when that's over. All right! Heave ahead,
+Commodore!"
+
+He departed, preceded by Edwards and the suit-case. Stephen Warren threw
+himself violently into a chair by the window. Young Dunn laughed aloud.
+His mother flashed an indignant glance at him, and then hurried to
+Caroline.
+
+"You poor dear!" she exclaimed, putting an arm about the girl's
+shoulder. "Don't mind us, please don't! Malcolm and I understand. That
+is, we know how you feel and--"
+
+"Oh, but you _don't_ know, Mrs. Dunn," cried Caroline, almost in tears.
+"You don't understand! It's so much worse than you think. I--I--Oh, why
+did father do it? How could he be so inconsiderate?"
+
+"There! there!" purred the friend of the family. "You mustn't, you know.
+You really mustn't. Who is this man? This uncle? Where does he come
+from? Why does he force himself upon you in this way? I didn't know your
+poor father had a brother."
+
+"Neither did we," growled Stephen, savagely. Malcolm laughed again.
+
+"What does it all mean, dear?" begged Mrs. Dunn. "You are in trouble,
+I'm sure. Don't you think we--Malcolm and I--might be able to help you?
+We should so love to do it. If you feel that you _can_ confide in us;
+if it isn't a secret--"
+
+She paused expectantly, patting the girl's shoulder. But Caroline had
+heard young Dunn's laugh, and was offended and hurt. Her eyes flashed as
+she answered.
+
+"It's nothing," she said. "He has come to see us on a matter of
+business, I believe. I am nervous and--foolish, I suppose. Mr. Graves
+will see us soon, and then everything will be arranged. Thank you for
+calling, Mrs. Dunn, and for the ride."
+
+It was a very plain hint, but Mrs. Dunn did not choose to understand it
+as such.
+
+"You're sure you hadn't better tell me the whole story, dear?" she
+urged. "I am old enough, almost, to be your mother, and perhaps my
+advice might.... No? Very well. You know best but--You understand that
+it is something other than mere curiosity which leads me to ask."
+
+"Of course, I understand," said the girl hastily. "Thank you very much.
+Perhaps, by and by, I can tell you everything. But we must see Mr.
+Graves first. I--oh, _don't_ ask me more now, Mrs. Dunn."
+
+The widow of so astute a politician as Mike Dunn had been in his day
+could have scarcely failed to profit by his teachings. Moreover, she
+possessed talent of her own. With a final pat and a kiss, she prepared
+for departure.
+
+"Good-by, then," she said, "or rather, _au revoir_. We shall look in
+to-morrow. Come, Malcolm."
+
+"I say, Mal!" cried Stephen, rising hurriedly. "You won't tell anyone
+about--"
+
+"Steve!" interrupted his sister.
+
+Malcolm, about to utter a languid sarcasm, caught his mother's look, and
+remained silent. Another meaning glance, and his manner changed.
+
+"All right, Steve, old man," he said. "Good-by and good luck. Caroline,
+awfully glad we had the spin this afternoon. We must have more. Just
+what you and Steve need. At your service any time. If there is anything
+I can do in any way to--er--you understand--call on me, won't you?
+Ready, Mater?"
+
+The pair were shown out by Edwards. On the way home in the car Mrs.
+Corcoran Dunn lectured her son severely.
+
+"Have you no common sense?" she demanded. "Couldn't you see that the
+girl would have told me everything if you hadn't laughed, like an
+idiot?"
+
+The young man laughed again.
+
+"By Jove!" he exclaimed, "it was enough to make a wooden Indian laugh.
+The old jay with the barnacles telling us about the advantages of a
+sailor's life. And Steve's face! Ho! ho!"
+
+His mother snorted disgust. "If you had brains," she declared, "you
+would have understood what he meant by saying that the sea was the place
+to learn what to unlearn. He was hitting at you. Was it necessary to
+insult him the first time you and he exchanged a word?"
+
+"Insult him? _Him?_ Ha, ha! Why, Mater, what's the matter with you? Do
+you imagine that a hayseed like that would recognize an insult without
+an introduction? And, besides, what difference does it make? You don't
+intend putting him on your calling list, do you?"
+
+"I intend cultivating him for the present."
+
+"_Cultivating_ him?"
+
+"Yes--for the present. He is Rodgers Warren's brother. That lawyer,
+Graves, traveled miles to see him. What does that mean? That, in some
+important way, he is connected with the estate and those two children.
+If the estate is worth anything, and we have reason to believe it is,
+you and I must know it. If it isn't, it is even more important that we
+should know, before we waste more time. If Caroline is an heiress, if
+she inherits even a moderate fortune--"
+
+She shrugged her shoulders by way of finish to the sentence.
+
+Malcolm whistled.
+
+"But to think of that old Down-Easter being related to the Warren
+family!" he mused. "It seems impossible."
+
+"Nothing is impossible," observed his mother. Then, with a shudder, "You
+never met your father's relatives. I have."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When Captain Elisha emerged from his room, after a wash and a change
+of linen, he found the library untenanted. He strolled about, his hands
+behind him, inspecting the pictures with critical interest. Caroline,
+dressed for dinner, found him thus engaged. He turned at the sound of
+her step.
+
+"Why, hello!" he cried, with hearty enthusiasm. "All rigged up for
+inspection, ain't you?"
+
+"Inspection?"
+
+"Oh, that's just sailor's lingo. Means you've got your Sunday uniform
+on, that's all. My! my! how nice you look! But ain't black pretty old
+for such a young girl?"
+
+"I am in mourning," replied his niece, coldly.
+
+"There! there! of course you are. Tut! tut! How could I forget it. You
+see, I've been so many years feelin' as if I didn't have a brother that
+I've sort of got used to his bein' gone."
+
+"I have not." Her eyes filled as she said it. The captain was greatly
+moved.
+
+"I'm a blunderin' old fool, my dear," he said. "I beg your pardon. Do
+try to forgive me, won't you? And, perhaps--perhaps I can make up your
+loss to you, just a little mite. I'd like to. I'll try to, if--"
+
+He laid a hand on her shoulder. She avoided him and, moving away, seated
+herself in a chair at the opposite side of the desk. The avoidance was
+so obvious as to be almost brutal. Captain Elisha looked very grave for
+an instant. Then he changed the subject.
+
+"I was lookin' at your oil paintin's," he said. "They're pretty fine,
+ain't they? Any of them your work, Caroline?"
+
+"_My_ work?" The girl's astonishment was so great that she turned to
+stare at her questioner. "_My_ work?" she repeated. "Are you joking? You
+can't think that I painted them."
+
+"I didn't know but you might. That one over there, with the trees and
+folks dancin'--sort of picnic scene, I judge--that looks as if you might
+have done it."
+
+"That is a Corot."
+
+"'Tis, hey? I want to know! A--a--what did you call it?"
+
+"A Corot. He was a famous French artist. That was father's favorite
+picture."
+
+"Sho! Well, I like it fust-rate myself. Did 'Bije--did your father know
+this Mr. Corot well?"
+
+"Know him? Certainly not. Why should you think such a thing as that?"
+
+"Well, he bought the picture of him, and so I s'pose likely he knew him.
+There was a young feller come to South Denboro three or four year
+ago and offered to paint a picture of our place for fifteen dollars.
+Abbie--that's Abbie Baker, she's one of our folks, you know, your third
+cousin, Caroline; keepin' house for me, she is--Abbie wanted me to have
+him do the job, but I wa'n't very particular about it, so it never come
+to nothin'. He done two or three places, though, and I swan 'twas nice
+work! He painted Sam Cahoon's old ramshackle house and barn, and you'd
+hardly know it, 'twas so fixed up and fine, in the picture. White paint
+and green grass and everything just like real. He left out the places
+where the pickets was off the fence and the blinds hangin' on one hinge.
+I told Abbie, I says, 'Abbie, that painter's made Sam's place look
+almost respectable, and if that ain't a miracle, I don't know what is.
+I would think Sam would blush every time he sees that picture.' Ho, ho!
+Abbie seemed to cal'late that Sam Cahoon's blushin' would be the biggest
+miracle of the two. Ho! ho! You'd like Abbie; she's got lots of common
+sense."
+
+He chuckled at the reminiscence and rubbed his knee. His niece made no
+reply. Captain Elisha glanced at the Corot once more and asked another
+question.
+
+"I presume likely," he said, "that that picture cost consider'ble more
+than fifteen, hey?"
+
+"Father paid twenty-two thousand dollars for it," was the crushing
+answer.
+
+The captain looked at her, opened his mouth to speak, shut it again,
+and, rising, walked across the room. Adjusting his glasses, he inspected
+the Corot in silence for a few minutes. Then he drew a long breath.
+
+"Well!" he sighed. "_Well_." Then, after an interval, "Was this the only
+one he ever painted?"
+
+"The only one? The only picture Corot painted? Of course not! There are
+many more."
+
+"Did--did this Corot feller get as much for every job as he did for
+this?"
+
+"I presume so. I know father considered this one a bargain."
+
+"Did, hey? Humph! I ought to know enough by this time not to believe all
+I hear, but I kind of had an idea that picture paintin' was starvation
+work. I've read about artists committin' suicide, and livin' in attics,
+and such. Whew! About two such bargain sale jobs as this, and
+I'd guarantee not to starve--and to live as nigh the ground as a
+second-floor bedroom anyhow. How about this next one? This feller in a
+dory--coddin', I guess he is. Did--did Mr. Corot do him?"
+
+"No. That is by a well-known American artist. It is a good piece of
+work, but not like the other. It is worth much less. Perhaps five
+thousand."
+
+"So? Well, even for that I'd undertake to buy consider'ble many dories,
+and hire fellers to fish from 'em, too. Humph! I guess I'm out of
+soundin's. When I thought fifteen dollars was a high price for paintin'
+a view of a house I was slightly mistaken. Next time I'll offer the
+paintin' feller the house and ask him what he considers a fair boot,
+besides. Sam Cahoon's a better speculator than I thought he was. Hello,
+Commodore! what's worryin' you now?"
+
+Edwards appeared to announce that dinner was served. Caroline rose
+and led the way to the dining room. Captain Elisha followed, looking
+curiously about him as he did so. Stephen, who had been sulkily dressing
+in his own room, entered immediately after.
+
+The captain surveyed the dining room with interest. Like the others
+of the suite, it was sumptuously and tastefully furnished. He took the
+chair indicated by the solemn Edwards, and the meal began.
+
+The butler's sense of humor was not acute, but it was with considerable
+difficulty that he restrained his smiles during the next half hour. A
+more appreciative observer would have noticed and enjoyed the subtler
+points. Stephen's glare of disgust at his uncle when the latter tucked
+his napkin in the opening of his waistcoat; Caroline's embarrassment
+when the captain complimented the soup, declaring that it was almost
+as good as one of Abbie's chowders; the visitor's obvious uneasiness at
+being waited upon attentively, and the like. These Edwards missed, but
+he could not help appreciating Captain Elisha's conversation.
+
+Caroline said little during dinner. Her brother glowered at his plate
+and was silent. But the captain talked and talked.
+
+"Maybe you think I didn't have a time findin' your new lodgin's,"
+he said. "I come over on the cars, somethin' I don't usually do when
+there's anything afloat to carry me. But I had an errand or two to do
+in Boston, so I stopped over night at the hotel there and got the nine
+o'clock train. I landed here in New York all shipshape and on time, and
+started in to hunt you up."
+
+"How did you get our address?" asked his niece. "Mr. Graves couldn't
+have given it to you, for we only decided on this apartment a few days
+ago."
+
+"Ho! ho!" chuckled Captain Elisha, rolling in his chair, like a ship in
+a cross sea. "Ho! ho! You remind me of Abbie, Caroline. That's what she
+said. 'I never heard of such a crazy cruise,' she says. 'Startin' off
+to visit folks when you haven't the least idea where they live!' 'Oh,
+yes, I have,' I says, 'I know where they live; they live in New York.'
+Well, you ought to have seen her face. Abbie's a good woman--none
+better--but she generally don't notice a joke until she trips over it.
+I get consider'ble fun out of Abbie, take her by the large. 'New York!'
+she says. 'Did anybody ever hear the beat of that? Do you cal'late New
+York's like South Denboro, where everybody knows everybody else? What
+are you plannin' to do? run up the fust man, woman or child you meet and
+ask 'em to tell you where 'Bijah Warren lives? Or are you goin' to trot
+from Dan to Beersheby, trustin' to meet your nephew and niece on the
+way? I never in my born days!'
+
+"Well," went on the captain, "I told her that the last suggestion
+weren't such a bad one, but there was one little objection to it.
+Considerin' that I hadn't ever laid eyes on Steve and that I hadn't seen
+you since you was a baby, the chances was against my recognizin' you
+if we did meet. Ho, ho, ho! Finally I hinted that I might look in the
+directory, and she got more reconciled to my startin'. Honest, I do
+believe she'd have insisted on takin' me by the hand and leadin' me to
+you, if I hadn't told her that.
+
+[Illustration: "The captain talked and talked."]
+
+"So I did look in the directory and got the number on Fifth Avenue where
+you used to be. I asked a policeman the nighest way to get there, and
+he said take a bus. Last time I was in New York I rode in one of those
+Fifth Avenue omnibuses, and I never got such a jouncin' in my life.
+The pavement then was round cobble stones, like some of the roads
+in Nantucket. I remember I tried to ask a feller that set next to me
+somethin' or other, and I swan to man I couldn't get nothin' out of my
+mouth but rattles. 'Metropolitan Museum,' sounded like puttin' in a ton
+of coal. I thought I was comin' apart, or my works was out of order, or
+somethin', but when the feller tried to answer he rattled just as bad,
+so I realized 'twas the reg'lar disease and felt some better. I never
+shall forget a fleshy woman--somethin' like that Mrs. Dunn friend of
+yours, Caroline--that set opposite me. It give me the crawls to look at
+her, her chins shook around so. Ho! ho! she had no less'n three of 'em,
+and they all shook different ways. Ho! ho! ho! If I'd been in the habit
+of wearin' false hair or teeth or anything that wa'n't growed to or
+buttoned on me I'd never have risked a trip in one of those omnibuses.
+
+"So when the police officer prescribed one for me this v'yage, I was
+some dubious. I'm older'n I was ten year ago, and I wa'n't sure that I'd
+hold together. I cal'lated walkin' was better for my health. So I found
+Fifth Avenue and started to walk. And the farther I walked the heavier
+that blessed satchel of mine got. It weighed maybe ten or twelve pounds
+at the corner of 42nd Street, but when I got as far as the open square
+where the gilt woman is hurryin' to keep from bein' run over by Gen'ral
+Sherman on horseback--that statue, you know--I wouldn't have let that
+blessed bag go for less'n two ton, if I was sellin' it by weight. So
+I leaned up against an electric light pole to rest and sort of get my
+bearin's. Then I noticed what I'd ought to have seen afore, that the
+street wa'n't paved with cobbles, as it used to be, but was smooth as
+a stretch of state road down home. So I figgered that a bus was a safe
+risk, after all. I waited ten minutes or more for one to come, and
+finally I asked a woman who was in tow of an astrakhan-trimmed dog at
+the end of a chain, if the omnibuses had stopped runnin'. When I fust
+see the dog leadin' her I thought she was blind, but I guess she
+was deef and dumb instead. Anyhow, all she said was 'Ugh!' not very
+enthusiastic, at that, and went along. Ho! ho! So then I asked a man,
+and he pointed to a bus right in front of me. You see, I was lookin' for
+the horses, same as they used to be, and this was an automobile.
+
+"I blushed, I guess, just to show that there was some red underneath
+the green, and climbed aboard the omnibus. I rode along for a spell,
+admirin' as much of the scenery as I could see between the women's hats,
+then I told the skipper of the thing that I wanted to make port at 82nd
+Street. He said 'Ugh,' apparently suff'rin' from the same complaint the
+dog woman had, and we went on and on. At last I got kind of anxious and
+asked him again.
+
+"'Eighty-second!' says he, ugly. 'This is Ninety-first.'
+
+"'Good land!' says I. 'I wanted Eighty-second.'
+
+"'Why didn't you say so?' says he, lookin' as if I'd stole his mother's
+spoons.
+
+"'I did,' says I.
+
+"'You _did_?' he snarls. 'You did not! If you did, wouldn't I have heard
+you?'
+
+"Well, any answer I'd be likely to make to that would have meant more
+argument, and the bus was sailin' right along at the time, so I piled
+out and did some more walkin', the other way. At last I reached your old
+number, Stevie, and--Hey? Did you speak?"
+
+"Don't call me 'Stevie,'" growled his nephew, rebelliously.
+
+"Beg your pardon. I keep forgettin' that you're almost grown up. Well,
+as I was sayin', I got to the house where you used to live, and 'twas
+shut tight. Nobody there. Ho! ho! I felt a good deal like old Beriah
+Doane must have on his last 'vacation.' You see, Beriah is one of our
+South Denboro notorieties; he's famous in his way. He works and loafs
+by spells until cranberry pickin' time in the fall; then he picks steady
+and earns thirty or forty dollars all at once. Soon's he's paid off, he
+starts for Boston on a 'vacation,' an alcoholic one. Well, last fall
+his married sister was visitin' him, and she, bein' strong for good
+Templarism, was determined he shouldn't vacate in his regular way. So
+she telegraphed her husband's brother in Brockton to meet Beriah there,
+go with him to Boston, and see that he behaved himself and stayed sober.
+Beriah heard of it, and when his train gets as far as Tremont what does
+he do but get off quiet and change cars for New Bedford. He hadn't been
+there for nine years, but he had pleasant memories of his last visit.
+And when he does get to New Bedford, chucklin' over the way he's
+befooled his sister and her folks, I'm blessed if he didn't find that
+the town had gone no-license, and every saloon was shut up! Ho! ho! ho!
+Well, I felt about the way he did, I guess, when I stood on the steps
+of your Fifth Avenue house and realized you'd gone away. I wouldn't have
+had Abbie see me there for somethin'. Ho! ho!"
+
+He leaned back in his chair and laughed aloud. Caroline smiled faintly.
+Stephen threw down his napkin and sprang to his feet.
+
+"Sis," he cried, "I'm going to my room. By gad! I can't--"
+
+Catching a warning glance from his sister, he did not finish his
+sentence, but stood sulkily beside his chair. Captain Elisha looked at
+him, then at the girl, and stopped laughing. He folded his napkin with
+care, and rose.
+
+"That's about all of it," he said, shortly. "I asked around at two or
+three of the neighbors' houses, and the last one I asked knew where
+you'd moved and told me how to get here."
+
+When the trio were again in the library, the captain spoke once more.
+
+"I'm 'fraid I've talked too much," he said, gravely. "I didn't realize
+how I was runnin' on. Thought I was home, I guess, with the fellers of
+my own age down at the postoffice, instead of bein' an old countryman,
+tirin' out you two young city folks with my yarns. I beg your pardon.
+Now you mustn't mind me. I see you're expectin' company or goin' callin'
+somewheres, so I'll just go to my bedroom and write Abbie a line. She'll
+be kind of anxious to know if I got here safe and sound and found you.
+Don't worry about me, I'll be comf'table and busy."
+
+He turned to go. Caroline looked at him in surprise. "We are not
+expecting callers," she said. "And certainly we are not going out
+to-night. Why should you think such a thing?"
+
+It was her uncle's turn to show surprise.
+
+"Why," he said, with a glance at Stephen, "I see that you're all dressed
+up, and so I thought, naturally--"
+
+He paused.
+
+Young Warren grunted contemptuously.
+
+"We dressed for dinner, that is all," said Caroline.
+
+"You--you mean you put these clothes on every night?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+Captain Elisha was plainly very much astonished.
+
+"Well," he observed, slowly. "I--guess I've made another mistake. Hum!
+Good night."
+
+"Good night," said Stephen, quickly. Caroline, however, seemed
+embarrassed.
+
+"Captain Warren," she said, "I thought possibly you might wish to talk
+business with my brother and me. We--we understand that you have come
+on business connected with father's will. It seems to me that the sooner
+we--we--"
+
+"Get it over the better, hey? Well, maybe you're right. It's an odd
+business for an old salt like me to be mixed up in, that's a fact. If it
+hadn't been so odd, if I hadn't thought there must be some reason, some
+partic'lar reason, I--well, I guess I'd have stayed to home where I
+belong. You mustn't think," he added, seriously, "that I don't realize
+I'm as out of place amongst you and your rich friends as a live fish in
+a barrel of sawdust. That's all right; you needn't trouble to say no.
+But you must understand that, realizin' it, I'm not exactly imposin'
+myself on you for pleasure or--well, from choice. I'm so built that I
+can't shirk when my conscience tells me I shouldn't, that's all. I'm
+kind of tired to-night, and I guess you are. To-morrow mornin', if it's
+agreeable to all hands, we will have a little business talk. I'll have
+to see Lawyer Graves pretty soon, and have a gen'ral look at your pa's
+affairs. Then, if everything is all right and I feel my duty's done,
+I'll probably go back to the Cape and leave you to him, or somebody else
+able to look out for you. Until then I'm afraid," with a smile which had
+a trace of bitterness in it; "I'm afraid you'll have to do the best you
+can with me. I'll try to be no more of a nuisance than I can help. Good
+night."
+
+When the two young people were left alone, Caroline turned to her
+brother.
+
+"Steve," she said, "I'm afraid you were a little rude. I'm afraid you
+hurt his feelings."
+
+The boy stared at her in wonder. "Hurt his feelings!" he exclaimed.
+"_His_ feelings! Well, by Jove! Caro, you're a wonder! Did you expect me
+to throw my arms around his neck? If he had had any feelings at all, if
+he was the slightest part of a gentleman, do you suppose he would come
+here and disgrace us as he is doing? Who invited him? Did we? I guess
+not!"
+
+"But he is father's brother, and father asked him to come."
+
+"No, he didn't. He asked him--heaven knows why--to look out for our
+money affairs. That's bad enough; but he didn't ask him to _live_ with
+us. He sha'n't! by gad, he sha'n't! _You_ may be as sweet to him as you
+like, but I'll make it my business to give him the cold shoulder every
+chance I get. I'll freeze him out, that's what I'll do--freeze him out.
+Why, Caro! be sensible. Think what his staying here means. Can we take
+him about with us? Can our friends meet _him_ as--as our uncle? He's got
+to be made to go. Hasn't he now? Hasn't he?"
+
+The girl was silent for a moment. Then she covered her face with her
+hands. "Oh, yes!" she sobbed. "Oh, yes, he must! he _Must_! _Why_ did
+father do it?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+
+The Warren breakfast hour was nine o'clock. At a quarter to nine
+Caroline, entering the library, found Stephen seated by the fire reading
+the morning paper.
+
+"Good morning," she said. Then, looking about the room, asked, "Has--has
+_he_ been here?"
+
+Her brother shook his head. "You mean Uncle 'Lish?" he asked,
+cheerfully. "No, he hasn't. At least, I haven't seen him and I haven't
+made any inquiries. I shall manage to survive if he never appears. Let
+sleeping relatives lie, that's my motto."
+
+He laughed at his own joke and turned the page of the paper. The butler
+entered.
+
+"Breakfast is served, Miss Caroline," he announced.
+
+"Has Captain Warren come from his room?" asked the young lady.
+
+"No, Miss Caroline. That is, I haven't seen him."
+
+Stephen tossed the paper on the floor and rose.
+
+"I wonder--" he began. Then, with a broad grin, "A sudden thought
+strikes me, Sis. He has undoubtedly blown out the gas."
+
+"Steve! How can you!"
+
+"Perfectly simple. Absolutely reasonable. Just what might have been
+expected. 'He has gone, but we shall miss him.' Come on, Caro; I'm
+hungry. Let the old hayseed sleep. You and I can have a meal in peace.
+Heavens! you don't care for another experience like last night's, do
+you?"
+
+"Edwards," said Caroline, "you may knock at Captain Warren's door and
+tell him breakfast is served."
+
+"Yes," commanded Stephen, "and tell him not to hurry on our account.
+Come, Caro, come! You're not pining for his society. Well, wait then!
+_I_ won't!"
+
+He marched angrily out of the room. His sister hesitated, her wish
+to follow complicated by a feeling of duty to a guest, no matter how
+unwelcome. The butler reappeared, looking puzzled.
+
+"He's not there, miss?" he said.
+
+"Not there? Not in his room?"
+
+"No, Miss Caroline. I knocked, and he didn't answer, so I looked in and
+he wasn't there. His bed's been slept in, but he's gone."
+
+"Gone? And you haven't seen him?"
+
+"No, miss. I've been up and about since half past seven, and I can't
+understand where he could have got to."
+
+The door of the hall opened and shut. Edwards darted from the library.
+A moment afterwards Captain Elisha strolled in. He was wearing his
+overcoat, and his hat was in his hand.
+
+"Good mornin', Caroline," he hailed, in his big voice. "Surprised to see
+me, are you? Ho! ho! So was the Commodore. He couldn't understand how
+I got in without ringin'. Well, you see, I'm used to turnin' out pretty
+early, and when it got to be most seven o'clock, I couldn't lay to bed
+any longer, so I got up, dressed, and went for a walk. I fixed the door
+latch so's I could come in quiet. You haven't waited breakfast for me, I
+hope."
+
+"No; it is ready now, however."
+
+"Ready now," the captain looked at his watch. "Yes, I should think so.
+It's way into the forenoon. You _have_ waited for me, haven't you? I'm
+awfully sorry."
+
+"No, we have not waited. Our breakfast hour is nine. Pardon me for
+neglecting to tell you that last evening."
+
+"Oh, that's all right. Now you trot right out and eat. I've had mine."
+
+"Had your breakfast?"
+
+"Yes, indeed. When I'm home, Abbie and I usually eat about seven, so I
+get sort of sharp-set if I wait after that. I cal'lated you city folks
+was late sleepers, and I wouldn't want to make any trouble, so I found
+a little eatin' house down below here a ways and had a cup of coffee and
+some bread and butter and mush. Then I went cruisin' round in Central
+Park a spell. This _is_ Central Park over across here, ain't it?"
+
+"Yes." The girl was too astonished to say more.
+
+"I thought 'twas. I'd been through part of it afore, but 'twas years
+ago, and it's such a big place and the paths run so criss-cross I got
+sort of mixed up, and it took me longer to get out than it did to get
+in. I had the gen'ral points of the compass, and I guess I could have
+made a pretty average straight run for home, but every time I wanted to
+cut across lots there was a policeman lookin' at me, so I had to stick
+to the channel. That's what made me so late. Now do go and eat your
+breakfast. I won't feel easy till I see you start."
+
+Caroline departed, and the captain, after a visit to his own room, where
+he left his coat and hat, returned to the library, picked up the paper
+which his nephew had dropped, and began reading.
+
+After breakfast came the "business talk." It was a brief one. Captain
+Elisha soon discovered that his brother's children knew very little
+concerning their father's affairs. They had always plenty of money, had
+been indulged in practically every wish, and had never had to think or
+plan for themselves. As to the size of the estate, they knew nothing
+more than Mr. Graves had told them, which was that, instead of the
+several millions which rumor had credited A. Rodgers Warren with
+possessing, five hundred thousand dollars would probably be the extent
+of their inheritance, and that, therefore, they must live economically.
+As a first step in that direction, they had given up their former home
+and moved to the apartment.
+
+"Yes, yes," mused the captain, "I see. Mr. Graves didn't know about your
+movin', then? You did it on your own hook, so to speak?"
+
+Stephen answered promptly.
+
+"Of course we did," he declared. "Why not?"
+
+"No reason in the world. A good sensible thing to do, I should say.
+Didn't anybody advise you where to go?"
+
+"Why should we need advice?" Again it was Stephen who replied. "We
+aren't kids. We're old enough to decide some things for ourselves, I
+should think."
+
+"Yes. Sartin. That's right. But I didn't know but p'raps some of your
+friends might have helped along. This Mrs. Dunn now, she kind of hinted
+to me that she'd--well, done what she could to make you comf'table."
+
+"She has," avowed Caroline, warmly. "Mrs. Dunn and Malcolm have proved
+their friendship in a thousand ways. We never can repay them, Stephen
+and I, never!"
+
+"No. There's some things you can't ever pay, I know that. Mrs. Dunn
+found this nice place for you, did she?"
+
+"Why, yes. She and I found it together."
+
+"So? That was lucky, wa'n't it? Advertised in the newspaper, was it; or
+was there a 'To Let' placard up in the window?"
+
+"No, certainly not. Mrs. Dunn knew that we had decided to move, and she
+has a cousin who is interested in New York property. She asked him, and
+he mentioned this apartment."
+
+"One of his own, was it?"
+
+"I believe so. Why are you so particular? Don't you like it?"
+
+Her tone was sharp. Stephen, who resented his uncle's questions as
+impertinent intrusions upon the family affairs, added one of his own.
+
+"Isn't it as good as those in--what do you call it--South Denboro?" he
+asked, maliciously.
+
+Captain Elisha laughed heartily.
+
+"Pretty nigh as good," he said. "I didn't notice any better on the way
+to the depot as I drove up. And I doubt if there's many new ones built
+since I left. It's a mighty fine lot of rooms, I think. What's the rent?
+You'll excuse my askin', things bein' as they are."
+
+"Twenty-two hundred a year," answered his niece, coldly.
+
+The captain looked at her, whistled, broke off the whistle in the
+middle, and did a little mental arithmetic.
+
+"Twenty-two hundred a year!" he repeated. "That's one hundred and
+eighty odd a month. Say, that cousin of Mrs. Dunn's must want to get his
+investment back. You mean for just these ten rooms?"
+
+Stephen laughed scornfully.
+
+"Our guardian has been counting, Caro," he remarked.
+
+"Yes. Yes, I counted this mornin' when I got up. I was interested,
+naturally."
+
+"Sure! Naturally, of course," sneered the boy. "Did you think the
+twenty-two hundred was the rent of the entire building?"
+
+"Well, I didn't know. I--"
+
+"The rent," interrupted Caroline, with dignity, "was twenty-four
+hundred, but, thanks to Mrs. Dunn, who explained to her cousin that we
+were friends of hers, it was reduced."
+
+"We being in reduced circumstances," observed her brother in supreme
+disgust. "Pity the poor orphans! By gad!"
+
+"That was real nice of Mrs. Dunn," declared Captain Elisha, heartily.
+"She's pretty well-off herself, I s'pose--hey, Caroline?"
+
+"I presume so."
+
+"Yes, yes. About how much is she wuth, think?"
+
+"I don't know. I never inquired."
+
+"No. Well, down our way," with a chuckle, "we don't have to inquire. Ask
+anybody you meet what his next door neighbor's wuth, and he'll tell you
+within a hundred, and how he got it, and how much he owes, and how he
+gets along with his wife. Ho! ho! Speakin' of wives, is this Mr. Dunn
+married?"
+
+He looked at his niece as he asked the question. There was no reason why
+Caroline should blush; she knew it, and hated herself for doing it.
+
+"No," she answered, resentfully, "he is not."
+
+"Um-hm. What's his business?"
+
+"He is connected with a produce exchange house, I believe."
+
+"One of the firm?"
+
+"I don't know. In New York we are not as well posted, or as curious,
+concerning our friends' private affairs as your townspeople seem to be."
+
+"I guess that's so. I imagine New Yorkers are too busy gettin' it
+themselves to bother whether their neighbors have got it or not. Well,"
+he went on, rising, "I guess I've kept you young folks from your work
+or--or play, or whatever you was going to do, long enough for this once.
+I think I'll go out for a spell. I've got an errand or two I want to do.
+What time do you have dinner?"
+
+"We lunch at half past one," answered Caroline.
+
+"We dine at seven."
+
+"Oh, yes, yes! I keep forgettin' that supper's dinner. Well, I presume
+likely I'll be back for luncheon. If I ain't, don't wait for me. I'll be
+home afore supper--there I go again!--afore dinner, anyhow. Good-by."
+
+Five minutes later he was at the street corner, inquiring of a policeman
+"the handiest way to get to Pine Street." Following the directions
+given, he boarded a train at the nearest subway station, emerged at Wall
+Street, inquired once more, located the street he was looking for, and,
+consulting a card which he took from a big stained leather pocket-book,
+walked on, peering at the numbers of the buildings he passed.
+
+The offices of Sylvester, Kuhn, and Graves, were on the sixteenth floor
+of a new and gorgeously appointed sky-scraper. When Captain Elisha
+entered the firm's reception room, he was accosted by a wide-awake and
+extremely self-possessed office boy.
+
+"Who'd you want to see?" asked the boy, briskly.
+
+The captain removed his hat and wiped his forehead with his
+handkerchief.
+
+"Hold on a jiffy, Sonny," he panted. "Just give me a minute to sort of
+get myself together, as you might say. I rode up in one of those express
+elevators of yours, and I kind of feel as if my boots had got tangled up
+with my necktie. When that elevator feller cast off from the cellar, I
+begun to shut up like a spyglass. Whew! Say, Son, is Mr. Graves in?"
+
+"No," replied the boy, grinning.
+
+"Hum! Still in the sick bay, is he--hey?"
+
+"He's to home. Got a cold."
+
+"Yup. It's too bad. Mr.--er--Sylvester, is he in?"
+
+"Naw, he ain't. And Mr. Kuhn's busy. Won't one of the clerks do? What do
+you want to see the firm about?"
+
+"Well, Son, I had reasons of my own. However, I guess I won't disturb
+Mr. Kuhn, if he's busy's you say. Here! you tell him, or Mr. Sylvester
+when he comes, that Cap'n Warren, Cap'n Elisha Warren of South
+Denboro--better write it down--called and will be back about half past
+twelve or thereabouts. Got it, have you? Hum! is that Elisha? You don't
+tell me! I've been spellin' it for sixty years, more or less, and never
+realized it had such possibilities. Lend me your pencil. There! you give
+Mr. Sylvester that and tell him I'll see him later. So long, Son."
+
+He departed, smiling. The indignant office boy threw the card on the
+table.
+
+Captain Elisha strolled down Pine Street, looking about him with
+interest. It had been years since he visited this locality, and the
+changes were many. Soon, however, he began to recognize familiar
+landmarks. He was approaching the water front, and there were fewer new
+buildings. When he reached South Street he was thoroughly at home.
+
+The docks were crowded. The river was alive with small craft of all
+kinds. Steamers and schooners were plenty, but the captain missed the
+old square-riggers, the clipper ships and barks, such as he had sailed
+in as cabin boy, as foremast hand, and, later, commanded on many seas.
+
+At length, however, he saw four masts towering above the roof of a
+freight house. They were not schooner rigged, those masts. The yards
+were set square across, and along them were furled royals and upper
+topsails. Here, at last, was a craft worth looking at. Captain Elisha
+crossed the street, hurried past the covered freight house, and saw a
+magnificent great ship lying beside a broad open wharf. Down the wharf
+he walked, joyfully, as one who greets an old friend.
+
+The wharf was practically deserted. An ancient watchman was dozing in
+a sort of sentry box, but he did not wake. There was a pile of
+foreign-looking crates and boxes at the further end of the pier,
+evidently the last bit of cargo waiting to be carted away. The captain
+inspected the pile, recognized the goods as Chinese and Japanese, then
+read the name on the big ship's stern. She was the _Empress of the
+Ocean_, and her home port was Liverpool.
+
+Captain Elisha, as a free-born Yankee skipper, had an inherited and
+cherished contempt for British "lime-juicers," but he could not help
+admiring this one. To begin with, her size and tonnage were enormous.
+Also, she was four-masted, instead of the usual three, and her hull and
+lower spars were of steel instead of wood. A steel sailing vessel was
+something of a novelty to the captain, and he was seized with a desire
+to go aboard and inspect.
+
+The ladder from ship to wharf was down, of course, and getting on board
+was an easy matter. When he reached the deck and looked about him, the
+great size of the ship was still more apparent. The bulwarks were as
+high as a short man's head. She was decked over aft, and, as the captain
+said afterwards, "her cabins had nigh as many stories as a house."
+From the roof of the "first story," level with the bulwarks, extended
+a series of bridges, which could be hoisted or lowered, and by means of
+which her officers could walk from stern to bow without descending to
+the deck. There was a good-sized engine house forward, beyond the galley
+and forecastle. Evidently the work of hoisting anchors and canvas was
+done by steam.
+
+The captain strolled about, looking her over. The number of improvements
+since his seagoing days was astonishing. He was standing by the wheel,
+near the companion way, wishing that he might inspect the officers'
+quarters, but not liking to do so without an invitation, when two men
+emerged from the cabin.
+
+One of the pair was evidently the Japanese steward of the ship. The
+other was a tall, clean-cut young fellow, whose general appearance and
+lack of sunburn showed quite plainly that he was not a seafaring man
+by profession. The steward caught sight of Captain Elisha, and, walking
+over, accosted him.
+
+"Want to see skipper, sir?" he asked, in broken English. "He ashore."
+
+"No, Doctor," replied the captain, cheerfully. "I don't want to see
+him. I've got no business aboard. It's been some time since I trod the
+quarter-deck of a square-rigger, and I couldn't resist the temptation
+of tryin' how the planks felt under my feet. This is consider'ble of a
+clipper you've got here," he added.
+
+"Yes, sir," replied the steward grinning.
+
+"Where you from?" asked Captain Elisha.
+
+"Singapore, sir."
+
+"Cargo all out?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Waitin' for another one?"
+
+"Yes, sir. We load for Manila bimeby."
+
+"Manila, hey? Have a good passage across?"
+
+"Yes, sir. She good ship."
+
+"Shouldn't wonder. How d'ye do, sir," to the young man, who was standing
+near. "Hope you won't think I'm crowdin' in where I don't belong. I was
+just tellin' the doctor here that it had been some time since I trod a
+quarter-deck, and I thought I'd see if I'd forgot the feel."
+
+"Have you?" asked the young man, smiling.
+
+"Guess not. Seems kind of nat'ral. I never handled such a whale of a
+craft as this, though. Didn't have many of 'em in my day. Come over in
+her, did you?"
+
+"No," with a shake of the head. "No such luck. I'm a land lubber, just
+scouting round, that's all. She's a bully vessel, isn't she?"
+
+"Looks so. Tell you better after I've seen what she could do in a
+full-sail breeze. All hands ashore, Doctor?"
+
+"Yes, sir," replied the steward.
+
+"Crew paid off and spendin' their money, I s'pose. Well, if it ain't
+against orders, I'd kind of like to look around a little mite. May I?"
+
+The steward merely grinned. His companion answered for him.
+
+"Certainly you may," he said. "I'm a friend of one of the consignees,
+and I'd be glad to show you the ship, if you like. Shall we begin with
+the cabins?"
+
+Captain Elisha, delighted with the opportunity, expressed his thanks,
+and the tour of inspection began. The steward remained on deck, but the
+captain and his new acquaintance strolled through the officers' quarters
+together.
+
+"Jerushy!" exclaimed the former, as he viewed the main cabin. "Say, you
+could pretty nigh have a dance here, couldn't you? A small one. This
+reminds me of the cabin aboard the _Sea Gull_, first vessel I went mate
+of--it's so diff'rent. Aboard her we had to walk sittin' down. There
+wa'n't room in the cabin for more'n one to stand up at a time. But she
+could sail, just the same--and carry it, too. I've seen her off the Horn
+with studdin' sails set, when craft twice her length and tonnage had
+everything furled above the tops'l yard. Hi hum! you mustn't mind an old
+salt runnin' on this way. I've been out of the pickle tub a good while,
+but I cal'late the brine ain't all out of my system."
+
+His guide's eyes snapped.
+
+"I understand," he said, laughing. "I've never been at sea, on a long
+voyage, in my life, but I can understand just how you feel. It's in
+my blood, I guess. I come of a salt water line. My people were from
+Belfast, Maine, and every man of them went to sea."
+
+"Belfast, hey? They turned out some A No. 1 sailors in Belfast. I sailed
+under a Cap'n Pearson from there once--James Pearson, his name was."
+
+"He was my great uncle. I was named for him. My name is James Pearson,
+also."
+
+"_What_?" Captain Elisha was hugely delighted. "Mr. Pearson, shake
+hands. I want to tell you that your Uncle Jim was a seaman of the kind
+you dream about, but seldom meet. I was his second mate three v'yages.
+My name's Elisha Warren."
+
+Mr. Pearson shook hands and laughed, good-humoredly.
+
+"Glad to meet you, Captain Warren," he said. "And I'm glad you knew
+Uncle Jim. As a youngster, he was my idol. He could spin yarns that were
+worth listening to."
+
+"I bet you! He'd seen things wuth yarnin' about. So you ain't a sailor,
+hey? Livin' in New York?"
+
+The young man nodded. "Yes," he said. Then, with a dry smile, "If you
+call occupying a hall bedroom and eating at a third-rate boarding-house
+table living. However, it's my own fault. I've been a newspaper man
+since I left college. But I threw up my job six months ago. Since then
+I've been free-lancing."
+
+"Have, hey?" The captain was too polite to ask further questions, but he
+had not the slightest idea what "free-lancing" might be. Pearson divined
+his perplexity and explained.
+
+"I've had a feeling," he said, "that I might write magazine articles and
+stories--yes, possibly a novel or two. It's a serious disease, but
+the only way to find out whether it's chronic or not is to experiment.
+That's what I'm doing now. The thing I'm at work on may turn out to be
+a sea story. So I spend some time around the wharves and aboard the few
+sailing ships in port, picking up material."
+
+Captain Elisha patted him on the back.
+
+"Now don't you get discouraged," he said. "I used to have an idea that
+novel writin' and picture paintin' was poverty jobs for men with healthy
+appetites, but I've changed my mind. I don't know's you'll believe it,
+but I've just found out, for a fact, that some painters get twenty-two
+thousand dollars for one picture. For _one_, mind you. And a little mite
+of a thing, too, that couldn't have cost scarcely anything to paint.
+Maybe novels sell for just as much. _I_ don't know."
+
+His companion laughed heartily. "I'm afraid not, Captain," he said.
+"Few, at any rate. I should be satisfied with considerably less, to
+begin with. Are you living here in town?"
+
+"Well--we-ll, I don't know. I ain't exactly livin', and I ain't exactly
+boardin', but--Say! ain't that the doctor callin' you?"
+
+It was the steward, and there was an anxious ring in his voice. Pearson
+excused himself and hurried out of the cabin. Captain Elisha lingered
+for a final look about. Then he followed leisurely, becoming aware, as
+he reached the open air, of loud voices in angry dialogue.
+
+Entrances to the _Empress of the Ocean's_ cabins were on the main deck,
+and also on the raised half-deck at the stern, near the wheel, the
+binnacle and the officers' corned-beef tubs, swinging in their frames.
+From this upper deck two flights of steps led down to the main deck
+below. At the top of one of these flights stood young Pearson, cool and
+alert. Behind him half crouched the Japanese steward, evidently very
+much frightened. At the foot of the steps were grouped three rough
+looking men, foreigners and sailors without doubt, and partially
+intoxicated. The three men were an ugly lot, and they were all yelling
+and jabbering together in a foreign lingo. As the captain emerged
+from the passage to the open deck, he heard Pearson reply in the same
+language.
+
+"What's the matter?" he asked.
+
+Pearson answered without turning his head.
+
+"Drunken sailors," he explained. "Part of the crew here. They've been
+uptown, got full, and come back to square a grudge they seem to have
+against the steward. I'm telling them they'd better give up and go
+ashore, if they know when they're well off."
+
+The three fellows by the ladder's foot were consulting together. On the
+wharf were half a dozen loungers, collected by the prospect of a row.
+
+"If I can hold them off for a few minutes," went on Pearson, "we'll be
+all right. The wharf watchman has gone for the police. Here! drop it!
+What are you up to?"
+
+One of the sailors had drawn a knife. The other two reached for their
+belts behind, evidently intending to follow suit. From the loafers on
+the wharf came shouts of encouragement.
+
+"Do the dude up, Pedro! Give him what's comin' to him."
+
+The trio formed for a rush. The steward, with a shrill scream, fled to
+the cabin. Pearson did not move; he even smiled. The next moment he was
+pushed to one side, and Captain Elisha stood at the top of the steps.
+
+"Here!" he said, sternly. "What's all this?"
+
+The three sailors, astonished at this unexpected addition to their
+enemies forces, hesitated. Pearson laid his hand on the captain's arm.
+
+"Be careful," he said. "They're dangerous."
+
+"Dangerous? Them? I've seen their kind afore. Here, you!" turning to the
+three below. "What do you mean by this? Put down that knife, you lubber!
+Do you want to be put in irons? Over the side with you, you swabs! Git!"
+
+He began descending the ladder. Whether the sailors were merely too
+surprised to resist, or because they recognized the authority of the
+deep sea in Captain Elisha's voice and face is a question. At any rate,
+as he descended they backed away.
+
+"Mutiny on board a ship of mine?" roared the captain. "What do you mean
+by it? Why, I'll have you tied up and put on bread and water. Over the
+side with you! Mutiny on board of _me_! Lively! Tumble up there!"
+
+With every order came a stride forward and a correspondingly backward
+movement on the part of the three. The performance would have been
+ridiculous if Pearson had not feared that it might become tragic. He was
+descending the steps to his new acquaintance's aid, when there rose a
+chorus of shouts from the wharf.
+
+"The cops! the cops! Look out!"
+
+That was the finishing touch. The next moment the three "mutineers" were
+over the side and running as fast as their alcoholic condition would
+permit down the wharf.
+
+"Well, by George!" exclaimed Pearson.
+
+Captain Elisha seemed to be coming out of a dream. He stood still, drew
+his hand across his forehead, and then began to laugh.
+
+"Well!" he stammered. "Well, I snum! I--I--Mr. Pearson, I wonder what on
+earth you must think of me. I declare the sight of that gang set me back
+about twenty years. They--they must have thought I was the new skipper!
+Did you hear me tell 'em they couldn't mutiny aboard of me? Ho! ho!
+Well, I am an old idiot!"
+
+Pearson stuck his fist into the palm of his other hand. "I've got it!"
+he cried. "I knew your name was familiar. Why, you're the mate that
+handled the mutinous crew aboard Uncle Jim's bark, the _Pacer_, off
+Mauritius, in the typhoon, when he was hurt and in the cabin. I've heard
+him tell it a dozen times. Well, this _is_ a lucky day for me!"
+
+Captain Elisha was evidently pleased. "So he told you that, did he?" he
+began. "That _was_ a time and a half, I--"
+
+He was interrupted. Over the rail appeared a blue helmet, and an instant
+later a big and very pompous police officer leaped to the deck. He was
+followed by the wharf watchman, who looked frightened.
+
+"Where's the other one of them?" demanded the policeman. "Oh, it's you,
+is it? Well, you're too old to be gettin' drunk and fightin'. Come along
+now, peaceable, and let's have no words about it."
+
+He advanced and laid a hand on the captain's arm.
+
+"You're under arrest," he announced. "Will you come along quiet?"
+
+"I'm under arrest?" repeated Captain Elisha. "Under--My soul and body!
+Why, I ain't done anything."
+
+"Yes, I know. Nobody's done nothin'. Come on, or shall I--Hello, Mr.
+Pearson, sir! How d'you do?"
+
+Pearson had stepped forward.
+
+"Slattery," he said, "you've made a mistake. Let me tell you about
+it." He drew the officer aside and whispered in his ear. After a rather
+lengthy conversation, the guardian of the peace turned to the watchman.
+
+"What d'you mean by tellin' all them lies?" he demanded.
+
+"Lies?" repeated the astonished watchman. "I never told no lies."
+
+"You did. You said this gentleman," indicating the nervous and
+apprehensive Captain Elisha, "was fightin' and murderin'. I ask your
+pardon, sir. 'Twas this bloke's foolishness. G'wan ashore! You make me
+sick. Good day, Mr. Pearson."
+
+He departed, driving his new victim before him and tongue-lashing him
+all the way. The captain drew a long breath.
+
+"Say, Mr. Pearson," he declared, "a minute or so ago you said this was
+a lucky day for you. I cal'late it's a luckier one for me. If it hadn't
+been for you I'd been took up. Yes, sir, took up and carted off to the
+lockup. Whew! that would have looked well in the papers, wouldn't it?
+And my niece and nephew.... Jerushy! I'm mightily obliged to you. How
+did you handle that policeman so easily?"
+
+Pearson laughed. "Oh," he replied, "a newspaper training and
+acquaintance has its advantages. Slattery knows me, and I know him."
+
+"Well, I thank you, I do so."
+
+"You needn't. I wouldn't have missed meeting you and seeing you handle
+those fellows for a good deal. And besides, you're not going to escape
+so easy. You must lunch with me."
+
+The captain started, hastily pulled out his watch, and looked at it.
+
+"Quarter to one!" he cried. "And I said I'd be back at that lawyer's
+office at half-past twelve. No, no, Mr. Pearson, I can't go to lunch
+with you, but I do wish you'd come and see me some time. My address
+for--for a spell, anyhow--is Central Park West," giving the number, "and
+the name is Warren, same as mine. Will you come some evenin'? I'd be
+tickled to death to see you."
+
+The young man was evidently delighted.
+
+"Will I?" he exclaimed. "Indeed I will. I warn you, Captain Warren, that
+I shall probably keep you busy spinning sea yarns."
+
+"Nothin' I like better, though I'm afraid my yarns'll be pretty dull
+alongside of your Uncle Jim's."
+
+"I'll risk it. Good-by and good luck. I shall see you very soon."
+
+"That's right; do. So long."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+
+The boy, Captain Elisha's acquaintance of the morning, was out, regaling
+himself with crullers and milk at a pushcart on Broad Street, when the
+captain returned to the officers of Sylvester, Kuhn and Graves. The
+clerk who had taken his place was very respectful.
+
+"Captain Warren," he said, "Mr. Sylvester was sorry to miss you. He
+waited until half past twelve and left word for us to telephone if you
+came. Our Mr. Graves is still ill, and the matter of your brother's
+estate must be discussed without further delay. Please sit down and I
+will telephone."
+
+The captain seated himself on the leather-covered bench, and the clerk
+entered the inner office. He returned, a few moments later, to say:
+
+"Mr. Sylvester is at the Central Club. He wished me to ask if you could
+conveniently join him there."
+
+Captain Elisha pondered. "Why, yes," he replied, slowly, "I s'pose I
+could. I don't know why I couldn't. Where is this--er--club of his?"
+
+"On Fifth Avenue, near Fifty-second Street. I'll send one of our boys
+with you if you like."
+
+"No, no! I can pilot myself, I guess. I ain't so old I can't ask my
+way. Though--" with a reminiscent chuckle--"if the folks I ask are all
+sufferin' from that 'Ugh' disease, I sha'n't make much headway."
+
+"What disease?" asked the puzzled clerk.
+
+"Oh, nothin'. I was just thinkin' out loud, that's all. Mr. Sylvester
+wants to see me right off, does he?"
+
+"Yes, he said he would wait if I 'phoned him you were coming."
+
+"Um-hm. Well, you can tell him I've left the dock, bound in his
+direction. Say, that young chap that was here when I called the fust
+time--studyin' to be a lawyer, is he?"
+
+"Who? Tim? No, indeed. He's only the office boy. Why did you ask?"
+
+"Oh, I was just wonderin'. I had a notion he might be in trainin' for a
+judgeship, he was so high and mighty. Ho! ho! He's got talent, that boy
+has. Nobody but a born genius could have made as many mistakes in one
+name as he did when he undertook to spell Elisha. Well, sir, I'm much
+obliged to you. Good day."
+
+The Central Club is a ponderous institution occupying a becomingly
+gorgeous building on the Avenue. The captain found his way to its door
+without much trouble. A brass-buttoned attendant answered his ring and
+superciliously inquired his business. Captain Elisha, not being greatly
+in awe of either buttons or brief authority, calmly hailed the attendant
+as "Gen'ral" and informed him that he was there to see Mr. Sylvester, if
+the latter was "on deck anywheres."
+
+"Tell him it's Cap'n Warren, Major," he added cheerfully; "he's
+expectin' me."
+
+The attendant brusquely ushered the visitor into a leather-upholstered
+reception room and left him. The captain amused himself by looking at
+the prints and framed letters and autographs on the walls. Then a round,
+red, pleasant-faced man entered.
+
+"Pardon me," he said, "is this Captain Warren?"
+
+"Yes, sir," was the reply. "That's my name. This is Mr. Sylvester, ain't
+it? Glad to know you, sir."
+
+"Thanks. Sorry to have made you travel way up here, Captain. I waited
+until twelve-thirty, but as you didn't come then, I gave you up. Hope I
+haven't inconvenienced you."
+
+"No, no. Not a mite. Might just as well be here as anywhere. Don't think
+another thing about it."
+
+"Have you lunched, Captain Warren?"
+
+"No, come to think of it, I ain't. I've been kind of busy this forenoon,
+and a little thing like dinner--luncheon, I mean--slipped my mind.
+Though 'tain't often I have those slips, I'm free to say. Ho! ho!
+Abbie--she's my second cousin, my housekeeper--says I'm an unsartin
+critter, but there's two things about me she can always count on, one's
+that my clothes have always got a button loose somewheres, and t'other's
+my appetite."
+
+He laughed, and Sylvester laughed with him.
+
+"Well," observed the lawyer, "I'm not sure that I couldn't qualify on
+both of those counts. At any rate I'm sure of my appetite. I had a lunch
+engagement with an acquaintance of mine, but he hasn't appeared, so you
+must take his place. We'll lunch together."
+
+"Well, now, I'd like to fust-rate, and it's real kind of you, Mr.
+Sylvester; but I don't know's I'd better. Your friend may heave in
+sight, after all, and I'd be in the way."
+
+"Not a bit of it. And I said 'acquaintance,' not 'friend.' Of course you
+will! You must. We can talk business while we're eating, if you like."
+
+"All right. And I'm ever so much obliged to you. Is there an eatin'
+house near here?"
+
+"Oh, we'll eat right here at the club. Come."
+
+He led the way, and Captain Elisha followed. The Central Club has a
+large, exclusive, and wealthy membership, and its quarters correspond.
+The captain gazed about him at the marble floors and pillars, the
+paintings and busts, with interest. After checking his hat and coat, as
+they entered the elevator he asked a question.
+
+"Which floor is your club on, Mr. Sylvester?" he asked.
+
+"Floor? Why, the dining room is on the fourth, if that's what you mean."
+
+"No, I meant how many rooms do you rent?"
+
+"We occupy the entire building. It is our own, and a comparatively new
+one. We built it three years ago."
+
+"You mean this whole shebang is just one _club_?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"Hum! I see. Well, I--"
+
+"What were you going to say?"
+
+"Nothin'. I was wonderin' what fool thing I'd ask next. I'm more used to
+lodge rooms than I am to clubs, I guess. I'd like to take home a picture
+of this place to Theophilus Kenney. Theoph's been raisin' hob because
+the Odd Fellows built on to their buildin'. He said one room was enough
+for any society. 'Twould be, if we was all his kind of society. Theoph's
+so small he could keep house in a closet. He's always hollerin'
+in meetin' about his soul. I asked the minister if it didn't seem
+ridic'lous for Kenney to make such a big noise over such a little thing.
+This where we get off?"
+
+The dining room was a large and ornate apartment. Captain Elisha, when
+he first entered it, seemed about to ask another question, but choked
+it off and remained silent. Sylvester chose a table in a retired corner,
+and they sat down.
+
+"Now, Captain Warren," said the host, "what will you eat?"
+
+Captain Elisha shook his head.
+
+"You do the orderin'," he replied dryly; "I'll just set and be thankful,
+like the hen that found the china doorknob. Anything that suits you will
+do me, I guess."
+
+The lawyer, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his companion, gave
+his orders, and the waiter brought first a bit of caviar on toast. If
+Sylvester expected this delicacy to produce astonished comments, he was
+disappointed.
+
+"Well, well!" exclaimed Captain Elisha. "I declare, you take me back a
+long ways, Mr. Sylvester. Caviar! Well, well! Why, I haven't ate this
+since I used to go to Cronstadt. At the American consul's house there we
+had it often enough. Has a kind of homey taste even yet. That consul was
+a good feller. He and I were great friends.
+
+"I met him a long spell after that, when I was down in Mexico," he
+went on. "He'd made money and was down on a vacation. My ship was at
+Acapulco, and he and I used to go gunnin' together, after wild geese
+and such. Ho! ho! I remember there was a big, pompous critter of an
+Englishman there. Mind you, I'm not talkin' against the English. Some of
+the best men I ever met were English, and I've stood back to back with
+a British mate on a Genoa wharf when half of Italy was hoppin' around
+makin' proclamations that they was goin' to swallow us alive. And,
+somehow or 'nother, they didn't. Took with prophetic indigestion, maybe.
+
+"However, this Englishman at Acapulco was diff'rent. He was so swelled
+with importance that his back hollered in like Cape Cod Bay on the map.
+His front bent out to correspond, though, so I cal'late he averaged up
+all right. Well, he heard about what a good--that I was pretty lucky
+when it come to shootin' wild geese, and I'm blessed if he didn't send
+me orders to get him one for a dinner he was goin' to give. Didn't
+ask--_ordered_ me to do it, you understand. And him nothin' but a
+consignee, with no more control over me than the average female
+Sunday-school teacher has over a class of boys. Not so much, because
+she's supposed to have official authority, and he wa'n't. _And_ he
+didn't invite me to the dinner.
+
+"Well, the next time my friend, the ex-consul, and I went out gunnin',
+I told him of the Englishman's 'orders.' He was mad. 'What are you goin'
+to do about it?' he asks. 'Don't know yet,' says I, 'we'll see.' By and
+by we come in sight of one of them long-legged cranes, big birds you
+know, standin' fishin' at the edge of some reeds. I up with my gun and
+shot it. The consul chap looked at me as if I was crazy. 'What in the
+world did you kill that fish-basket on stilts for?' he says. 'Son,'
+says I, 'your eyesight is bad. That's a British-American goose. Chop off
+about three feet of neck and a couple of fathom of hind legs and pick
+and clean what's left, and I shouldn't wonder if 'twould make a good
+dinner for a mutual friend of ours--good _enough_, anyhow.' Well, sir!
+that ex-consul set plump down in the mud and laughed and laughed. Ho,
+ho! Oh, dear me!"
+
+"Did you send it to the Englishman?" asked Sylvester.
+
+"Oh, yes, I sent it. And, after a good while and in a roundabout way, I
+heard that the whole dinner party vowed 'twas the best wild goose
+they ever ate. So I ain't sure just who the joke was on. However, I'm
+satisfied with my end. Well, there! I guess you must think I'm pretty
+talky on short acquaintance, Mr. Sylvester. You'll have to excuse me;
+that caviar set me to thinkin' about old times."
+
+His host was shaking all over. "Go ahead, Captain," he cried. "Got any
+more as good as that?"
+
+But Captain Elisha merely smiled and shook his head.
+
+"Don't get me started on Mexico," he observed. "I'm liable to yarn
+all the rest of the afternoon. Let's see, we was goin' to talk over my
+brother's business a little mite, wa'n't we?"
+
+"Why, yes, we should. Now, Captain Warren, just how much do you know
+about your late brother's affairs?"
+
+"Except what Mr. Graves told me, nothin' of importance. And, afore we go
+any further, let me ask a question. Do _you_ know why 'Bije made me his
+executor and guardian and all the rest of it?"
+
+"I do not. Graves drew his will, and so, of course, we knew of your
+existence and your appointment. Your brother forbade our mentioning it,
+but we did not know, until after his death, that his own children were
+unaware they had an uncle. It seems strange, doesn't it?"
+
+"It does to me; _so_ strange that I can't see two lengths ahead. I
+cal'late Mr. Graves told you how I felt about it?"
+
+"Yes. That is, he said you were very much surprised."
+
+"That's puttin' it mild enough. And did he tell you that 'Bije and I
+hadn't seen each other, or even written, in eighteen years?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Um-hm. Well, when you consider _that_, can you wonder I was set all
+aback? And the more I think of it, the foggier it gets. Why, Mr.
+Sylvester, it's one of them situations that are impossible, that you
+can prove fifty ways _can't_ happen. And yet, it has--it sartinly has.
+Now tell me: Are you, or your firm, well acquainted with my brother's
+affairs?"
+
+"Not well, no. The late Mr. Warren was a close-mouthed man, rather
+secretive, in fact."
+
+"Humph! that bein' one of the p'ints where he was different from his
+nighest relation, hey?"
+
+"I'm not so sure. Have you questioned the children?"
+
+"Caroline and Steve? Yes, I've questioned 'em more than they think I
+have, maybe. And they know--well, leavin' out about the price of oil
+paintin's and the way to dress and that it's more or less of a disgrace
+to economize on twenty thousand a year, their worldly knowledge ain't
+too extensive."
+
+"Do you like them?"
+
+"I guess so. Just now ain't the fairest time to judge 'em. You see
+they're sufferin' from the joyful shock of their country relation
+droppin' in, and--"
+
+He paused and rubbed his chin. His lips were smiling, but his eyes were
+not. Sylvester noted their expression, and guessed many things.
+
+"They haven't been disagreeable, I hope?" he asked.
+
+"No-o. No, I wouldn't want to say that. They're young and--and, well,
+I ain't the kind they've been used to. Caroline's a nice girl. She is,
+sure. All she needs is to grow a little older and have the right kind of
+advice and--and friends."
+
+"How about the boy?" Mr. Sylvester had met young Warren, and his eyes
+twinkled as he spoke.
+
+"Steve? Well," there was an answering twinkle in Captain Elisha's eye;
+"well, Steve needs to grow, too; though I wouldn't presume to tell him
+so. When a feller's undertakin' to give advice to one of the seven wise
+men, he has to be diplomatic, as you might say."
+
+The lawyer put back his head and laughed uproariously.
+
+"Ha! ha!" he crowed. "That's good! Then, from your questioning of the
+children, you've learned--?"
+
+"Not such an awful lot. I think I've learned that--hum! that a good
+guardian might be a handy thing to have in the house. A reg'lar legal
+guardian, I mean. Otherwise--"
+
+"Otherwise?"
+
+"Otherwise there might be too many disinterested volunteer substitutes
+for the job. Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it."
+
+"Have you made up your mind to be that guardian?"
+
+"Not yet. I haven't made up my mind to anything yet. Now, Mr. Sylvester,
+while we're waitin' for what comes next--you've ordered enough grub
+to victual a ship--s'pose you just run over what your firm knows about
+'Bije. That is, if I ain't askin' too much."
+
+"Not at all. That's what I'm here for. You have a right to know. But I
+warn you my information isn't worth much."
+
+He went on, briefly and with the conciseness of the legal mind, to tell
+of A. Rodgers Warren, his business and his estate. He had been a broker
+with a seat on the Stock Exchange.
+
+"That seat is worth consider'ble, ain't it?" interrupted the captain.
+
+"Between eighty and one hundred thousand dollars."
+
+"Yup. Well, it reminds me of a picture I saw once in one of the comic
+papers. An old feller from the backwoods somewheres--good deal like me,
+he was, and just about as green--was pictured standin' along with
+his city nephew in the gallery of the Exchange. And the nephew says,
+'Uncle,' says he, 'do you realize that a seat down there's wuth
+seventy-five thousand dollars?' 'Gosh!' says the old man, 'no wonder
+most of 'em are standin' up.' Ho! ho! Is that seat of 'Bije's part of
+the five hundred thousand you figger he's left?"
+
+"Yes, in a way it is. To be truthful, Captain Warren, we're not sure as
+to the amount of your brother's tangible assets. Graves made a hurried
+examination of the stocks, bonds, and memoranda, and estimated the
+total, that's all."
+
+"I see. Well, heave ahead."
+
+The lawyer went on. The dead broker's office had been on Broad Street.
+A small office, with but two clerks. One of the clerks was retained,
+and the office, having been leased for a year by its former tenant,
+was still open pending the settlement of the estate. A. Rodgers Warren
+personally was a man who looked older than he really was, a good liver,
+and popular among his companions.
+
+"What sort of fellers were his companions?" asked Captain Elisha.
+
+"You mean his friends in society, or his companions downtown in Wall
+Street?"
+
+"The Wall Street ones. I guess I can find out something about the
+society ones. Anyhow, I can try. These Wall Streeters that 'Bije chummed
+with--a quiet lot, was they?"
+
+Sylvester hesitated. "Why--why--not particularly so," he admitted.
+"Nothing crooked about them, of course. You see, a stock-broker's life
+is a nerve-racking, rather exciting one, and--"
+
+"And 'Bije and his chums were excited, too, hey? All right, you needn't
+go any further. He was a good husband while his wife lived, wa'n't he?"
+
+"Yes. Frankly, Captain Warren, so far as I know, your brother's personal
+habits were good. There was nothing against his character."
+
+"I'm mighty glad to hear it. Mighty glad. Is there anything else you can
+tell me?"
+
+"No. Our next move, provided you decide to accept the trust, the
+executorship, and the rest, is to get together--you and Graves, if he is
+well enough; you and I if he is not--and begin a careful examination of
+the stocks, bonds, assets, and debts of the estate. This must be done
+first of all."
+
+"Graves hinted there wa'n't any debts, to amount to anything."
+
+"So far as we can see, there are none, except a few trifling bills."
+
+"Yes, yes. Hum!" Captain Elisha put down his coffee spoon and seemed to
+be thinking. He shook his head.
+
+"You appear to be puzzled about something," observed the lawyer, who was
+watching him intently.
+
+"I am. I was puzzled afore I left home, and I'm just as puzzled now."
+
+"What puzzles you? if I may ask."
+
+"Everything. And, if you'll excuse my sayin' so, Mr. Sylvester, I guess
+it puzzles you, too."
+
+He returned his host's look. The latter pushed back his chair,
+preparatory to rising.
+
+"It is all so perfectly simple, on the face of it, Captain Warren," he
+said. "Your brother realized that he must die, that his children and
+their money must be taken care of; you were his nearest relative;
+his trust in your honesty and judgment caused him to overlook the
+estrangement between you. That's the case, isn't it?"
+
+"Yes. That's the case, on the face of it, as you say. But you've forgot
+to mention one item."
+
+"What's that?"
+
+"'Bije himself. You knew him pretty well, I can see that. So did I. And
+I guess that's why we're both puzzled."
+
+Captain Elisha folded his napkin with care and stood up. Sylvester rose,
+also.
+
+"Come downstairs," he said. "We can enjoy our cigars more comfortably
+there, and go on with our talk. That is, unless you're in a great
+hurry."
+
+"No, I ain't in any special hurry. So I get up to Caroline's in season
+for supper--er, dinner, I mean--I don't care. But I don't want to keep
+you. You're a busy man."
+
+"This is business. This way, Captain."
+
+The big lounging room of the club, on the first floor, Fifth Avenue
+side, was almost empty when they entered it. The lawyer drew two big
+chairs near the open fire, rang the bell, and ordered cigars. After
+the cigars were lighted and the fragrant clouds of tobacco smoke were
+rising, he reopened the conversation. And now, in an easy, diplomatic
+way, he took his turn at questioning.
+
+It was pretty thorough pumping, managed with the skill of an experienced
+cross-examiner. Captain Elisha, without realizing that he was doing so,
+told of his boyhood, his life at sea, his home at South Denboro, his
+position in the village, his work as selectman, as member of the school
+committee, and as director in the bank. The tone of the questioner
+expressed nothing--he was too well trained for that--but every item of
+information was tabulated and appraised.
+
+The tall mahogany-cased clock struck three, then four. The lawyer
+finished his cigar and lit another. He offered a fresh one to his guest,
+but the offer was declined.
+
+"No, thank you," observed the captain. "I've been yarnin' away so
+fast that my breath's been too busy to keep this one goin'. There's
+consider'ble left yet. This is a better smoke than I'm used to
+gettin' at the store down home. I tell Ryder--he's our storekeeper and
+postmaster--that he must buy his cigars on the reel and cut 'em off with
+the scissors. When the gang of us all got a-goin' mail times, it smells
+like a rope-walk burnin' down. Ho! ho! It does, for a fact. Yet I kind
+of enjoy one of his five-centers, after all. You can get used to most
+anything. Maybe it's the home flavor or the society. P'raps they'd taste
+better still if they was made of seaweed. I'll trouble you for a match,
+Mr. Sylvester. Two of 'em, if you don't mind."
+
+He whittled one match to a point with his pocket knife, impaled the
+cigar stump upon it, and relit with the other.
+
+Meanwhile the room had been filling up. Around each of the big windows
+overlooking the Avenue were gathered groups of men, young and old,
+smoking, chatting, and gazing idly out. Captain Elisha regarded them
+curiously.
+
+"This ain't a holiday, is it?" he asked, after a while.
+
+"No. Why?"
+
+"I was just wonderin' if all those fellers hadn't any work to do, that's
+all."
+
+"Who? That crowd?" The lawyer laughed. "Oh, they're doing their regular
+stunt. You'll find most of them here every afternoon about this time."
+
+"You don't say. Pay 'em wages for it, do you?"
+
+"Not that I know of. Some of them are brokers, who come up after the
+Exchange closes. Others are business men, active or retired. Some don't
+have any business--except what they're doing now."
+
+"I want to know! Humph! They remind me of the gang in the billiard-room
+back home. The billiard-roomers--the chronic ones--don't have any
+business, either, except to keep the dust from collectin' on the chairs.
+That and talkin' about hard times. These chaps don't seem to be
+sufferin' from hard times, much."
+
+"No. Most of the younger set have rich fathers or have inherited money."
+
+"I see. They let the old man do the worryin'. That's philosophy, anyhow.
+What are they so interested in outside? Parade goin' by?"
+
+"No. I imagine an unusually pretty girl passed just then."
+
+"Is that so? Well, well! Say, Mr. Sylvester, the longer I stay in
+New York the more I see that the main difference between it and South
+Denboro is size. The billiard-room gang acts just the same way when the
+downstairs school teacher goes past. Hello!"
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"That young chap by the mizzen window looks sort of familiar to me. The
+one that stood up to shake a day-day to whoever was passin'. Hum! He's
+made a hit, ain't he? I expect some unprotected female's heart broke at
+that signal. I cal'late I know him."
+
+"Who? Which one? Oh, that's young Corcoran Dunn. He is a lady-killer, in
+his own estimation. How d'ye do, Dunn."
+
+The young man turning grinning from the window, caught a glimpse of the
+lawyer as the latter rose to identify him. He strolled over to the fire.
+
+"Hello, Sylvester," he hailed, carelessly. "That was a peach. You should
+have seen her. What? Why, it's the Admiral!"
+
+"How d'ye do, Mr. Dunn," said Captain Elisha.
+
+"Have you two met before?" asked Sylvester in astonishment.
+
+"Yes. I had the pleasure of assisting in the welcoming salute when our
+seafarin' friend come aboard. How was that, Captain? Some nautical class
+to that remark?"
+
+"Yup. You done fust rate, considerin' how recent you shipped."
+
+"Thanks. Overwhelmed, I'm sure." Then, with a look of languid amusement
+at the pair, "What is this--a meeting of the Board of Naval Affairs?
+Have you bought a yacht, Sylvester?"
+
+"No." The lawyer's tone was sharp.
+
+"Humph! Well, take my advice and don't. Yachts are all right, to have
+a good time on, but they cost like the devil to keep up. An auto is bad
+enough. By the way, Sylvester, did you hear about my running over the
+Irishman this morning?"
+
+"Running over?" repeated the captain, aghast. "You didn't run over
+nobody, I hope."
+
+"Well, I came devilish near it. Ha! ha! You see, the old tarrier
+was crossing Saint Nicholas Avenue, with a big market basket full
+of provisions--the family dinner, I suppose. By Jove, the household
+appetites must be good ones. It was slippery as the mischief, I was
+running the car, and I tried to go between the fellow and the curb.
+It would have been a decent bit of steering if I'd made it. But--ha!
+ha!--by Jove, you know, I didn't. I skidded. The man himself managed
+to hop out of the way, but his foot slipped, and down he went. Most
+ridiculous thing you ever saw. And the street! 'Pon my word it was paved
+with eatables."
+
+Sylvester, plainly annoyed, did not reply. But Captain Elisha's concern
+was evident.
+
+"The poor critter!" he exclaimed. "What did you do?"
+
+"The last I saw of him he was sitting in the mud, looking at the upset.
+I didn't linger. Peters took the wheel, and we beat it. Lucky the cop
+didn't spot the license number. Might have cost me fifty. They've had me
+up for speeding twice before. What are you and the Admiral discussing,
+Sylvester?"
+
+"We were discussing a business matter," answered the lawyer, with
+significant emphasis.
+
+"Business? Why, sure! I forgot that you were Graves's partner. Settling
+the family affairs, hey? Well, I won't butt in. Ta, ta! See you later,
+Captain. You must go for a spin in that car of mine. I'll call for you
+some day. I'll show you something they don't do on Cape Cod. Regards to
+Caro and Steve."
+
+He moved off, feeling that his invitation would have met with his
+mother's approval. She had announced that the country uncle was to be
+"cultivated."
+
+Captain Elisha's cigar had gone out. He did not attempt to relight it.
+
+"Whew!" he whistled. "Well, when I go for a 'spin,' as he calls it, with
+_him_, I cal'late my head'll be spinnin' so I won't be responsible for
+my actions. Whew!"
+
+Sylvester looked curiously at him.
+
+"So you met him before?" he asked.
+
+"Yes. He was at the rooms when I fust landed. Or his mother was there
+then. He came a little later with Caroline and Stephen."
+
+"I see."
+
+"Yes. Know him and his ma pretty well, do you?"
+
+"Slightly. I've met them, at mutual acquaintances' homes and about
+town."
+
+"Pretty well fixed, I s'pose, ain't they?"
+
+"I presume so. I don't know."
+
+"Um. He's a sociable young feller, ain't he? Don't stand on any
+ceremony, hey? Caro and Steve think a lot of him and his mother."
+
+"Yes. Graves has told me the Dunns were very intimate with the Warrens.
+In fact, just before your brother's death, I remember hearing a rumor
+that the two families might be even closer connected."
+
+"You mean--er--Caroline and--er--him?"
+
+"There was such a rumor. Probably nothing in it. There is no engagement,
+I am very sure."
+
+"Yes, yes, I see. Well, Mr. Sylvester, I must be trottin' on. I'll
+think the whole business over for another day or so and then give you my
+decision, one way or the other."
+
+"You can't give it now?"
+
+"No-o. I guess I'd better not. However, I think--"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well, I think I may take the job. Take it on trial, anyhow."
+
+"Good! I'm glad of it."
+
+"You _are_?"
+
+"I certainly am. And I'm very glad indeed to have made your
+acquaintance, Captain Warren. Good afternoon. I shall hope to see you
+again soon."
+
+Captain Elisha left the Central Club in a surprised frame of mind. What
+surprised him was that a man of such thorough city training and habits
+as the senior partner of the law firm should express pleasure at the
+idea of his accepting the charge of A. Rodgers Warren's heirs and
+estate. Mr. Graves had shown no such feeling.
+
+If he had heard Sylvester's report to Kuhn, at the office next day, he
+might have been even more surprised and pleased.
+
+"He's a brick, Kuhn," declared the senior partner. "A countryman, of
+course, but a keen, able, honest man, and, I think, a mighty good judge
+of character. If I was as sure of his ability to judge investments and
+financial affairs, I should be certain the Warren children couldn't be
+in better hands. And no doubt we can help him when it comes to that.
+He'll probably handle the girl and boy in his own way, and his outside
+greenness may jar them a little. But it'll do them good to be jarred at
+their age. He's all right, and I hope he accepts the whole trust."
+
+"Well," exclaimed Mr. Kuhn; "you surprise me. Graves seemed to be--"
+
+"Graves suffers from the absolute lack of a sense of humor. His path
+through life is about three feet wide and bordered with rock-ribbed
+conventionality. If a man has a joke in his system, Graves doesn't
+understand it and is suspicious. I tell, you, Kuhn, there's more honest
+common sense and ability in the right hand of this Down-East salt than
+there ever was in Rodgers Warren's whole body."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+
+During the next day Caroline Warren and her brother saw little of their
+uncle. Not that they complained of this or sought his society. The
+policy of avoidance and what Stephen called "freezing out" had begun,
+and the young people kept to themselves as much as possible. At
+breakfast Caroline was coldly polite, and her brother cold, although
+his politeness was not overdone. However, Captain Elisha did not seem to
+notice. He was preoccupied, said but little, and spent the forenoon in
+writing a second letter to Miss Abigail. In it he told of his experience
+on board the _Empress of the Ocean_ and of the luncheon at the Central
+Club. But he said nothing concerning his nephew and niece further than
+the statement that he was still getting acquainted, and that Caroline
+was a real nice looking girl.
+
+"I suppose you wonder what I've decided about taking the guardianship,"
+he added, just at the close. "Well, Abbie, I'm about in the position of
+Luther Sylvester when he fell off the dock at Orham. The tide was out,
+and he went into the soft mud, all under. When the folks who saw him
+tumble got to the edge and looked over, they saw a round, black thing
+sticking out of the mire, and, judging 'twas Lute's head, they asked him
+how he felt. 'I don't know yet,' sputters Lute, 'whether I'm drowned or
+smothered, but I'm somewheres betwixt and between.' That's me, Abbie, on
+that guardian business. I'm still betwixt and between. But before this
+day's over I'll be drowned or smothered, and I'll let you know which
+next time I write."
+
+After lunch he took a stroll in the Park and passed up and down the
+paths, thinking, thinking. Returning, he found that Caroline and Stephen
+had gone for an auto ride with the Dunns and would not be home for
+dinner. So he ate that meal in solitary state, waited upon by Edwards.
+
+That evening, as he sat smoking in the library, the butler appeared to
+announce a caller.
+
+"Someone to see you, sir," said Edwards. "Here's his card, sir."
+
+"Eh? Someone to see _me_? Guess you've made a mistake, haven't you,
+Commodore? I don't know anybody who'd be likely to come visitin' me here
+in New York. Why, yes! Well, I declare! Tell him to walk right in. Mr.
+Pearson, I'm glad to see you. This is real neighborly."
+
+The caller was young Pearson, the captain's acquaintance of the previous
+forenoon. They shook hands heartily.
+
+"Perhaps you didn't think I should accept that invitation of yours,
+Captain Warren," observed Pearson. "I told you I meant it when I said
+yes. And calling within thirty-six hours is pretty good proof, isn't
+it?"
+
+"Suits me fust-rate. I'm mighty glad you came. Set right down. Lonesome
+at the boardin' house, was it?"
+
+Pearson made a grimace. "Lonesome!" he repeated. "Ugh! Let's talk of
+something else. Were you in time for your appointment yesterday noon?"
+
+"Why, yes; I was and I wasn't. Say, won't you have a cigar? That's
+right. And I s'pose, bein' as this is New York, I'd ought to ask you to
+take somethin' to lay the dust, hey? I ain't made any inquiries myself,
+but I shouldn't wonder if the Commodore--the feller that let you
+in--could find somethin' in the spare room closet or somewheres, if I
+ask him."
+
+The young man laughed. "If you mean a drink," he said, "I don't care for
+it, thank you."
+
+"What? You ain't a teetotaler, are you?"
+
+"No, not exactly. But--"
+
+"But you can get along without it, hey? So can I; generally do, fur's
+that goes. But _I'm_ from South Denboro. I thought here in New York--"
+
+"Oh, there are many people, even here in New York, who are not convinced
+that alcohol is a food."
+
+"You don't tell me! Well, I'm livin' and learnin' every day. Judgin'
+from stories and the yarns in the Boston newspapers, folks up our way
+have the idea that this town is a sort of annex to the bad place. All
+right, then we won't trouble the Commodore. I notice you're lookin' over
+my quarters. What do you think of 'em?"
+
+Pearson had, in spite of himself, been glancing about the room. Its
+luxury and the evident signs of taste and wealth surprised him greatly.
+
+"Astonish you to find me livin' in a place like this, hey?"
+
+"Why, why, yes, it does, somewhat. I didn't realize you were such an
+aristocrat, Captain Warren. If I had, I might have been a little more
+careful of my dress in making my first call."
+
+"Dress? Oh, you mean you'd have put on your Sunday clothes. Well, I'm
+glad you didn't. You see, _I_ haven't got on my regimentals, and if
+you'd been on dress parade I might have felt bashful. Ho, ho! I don't
+wonder you are surprised. This is a pretty swell neighborhood, ain't
+it?"
+
+"Yes, it is."
+
+"These--er--apartments, now. 'Bout as good as any in town, are they?"
+
+"Pretty nearly. There are few better--much better."
+
+"I thought so. You wouldn't call livin' in 'em economizin' to any
+consider'ble extent, would you?"
+
+"No," with a laugh; "no, _I_ shouldn't, but my ideas of economy
+are--well, different. They have to be. Are you ecomomizing, Captain?"
+
+Captain Elisha laughed and rubbed his knee.
+
+"No," he chuckled, "_I_ ain't, but my nephew and niece are. These are
+their rooms."
+
+"Oh, you're visiting?"
+
+"No, I don't know's you'd call it visitin'. I don't know what you would
+call it. I'm here, that's about all you can say."
+
+He paused and remained silent. His friend was silent, also, not knowing
+exactly what remark to make.
+
+"How's the novel comin' on?" asked the captain, a minute later.
+
+"Oh, slowly. I'm not at all sure it will ever be finished. I get
+discouraged sometimes."
+
+"No use in doin' that. What sort of a yarn is it goin' to be? Give me a
+gen'ral idea of the course you're tryin' to steer. That is, if it ain't
+a secret."
+
+"It isn't. But there's mighty little worth telling. When I began I
+thought I had a good scheme, but it seems pretty weak and dish-watery
+now."
+
+"Most things do while their bein' done, if you really care about doin'
+'em well. Heave ahead! You said 'twas a sea yarn, and I'm a sort of
+specialist when it comes to salt water. Maybe I might prescribe just the
+right tonic, though 'tain't very likely."
+
+Pearson began to outline the plot of his novel, speaking slowly at
+first, but becoming more interested as he continued. Captain Elisha
+listened meditatively, puffing solemnly at his cigar, and interrupting
+but seldom.
+
+"I think that's a pretty good idea," he observed, at length. "Yes,
+sir, that sounds promisin', to me. This cap'n of yours now, he's a good
+feller. Don't get him too good, though; that wouldn't be natural. And
+don't get him too bad, neither. I know it's the fashion, judgin' by the
+sea yarns I've read lately, to have a Yankee skipper sort of a cross
+between a prize fighter and a murderer. Fust day out of port he begins
+by pickin' out the most sickly fo'mast hand aboard, mashes him up, and
+then takes the next invalid. I got a book about that kind of a skipper
+out of our library down home a spell ago, and the librarian said 'twas
+awful popular. A strong story, she said, and true to life. Well, 'twas
+strong--you could pretty nigh smell it--but as for bein' true to life,
+I had my doubts. I've been to sea, command of a vessel, for a good many
+years, and sometimes I'd go weeks, whole weeks, without jumpin' up and
+down on a single sailor. Fact! Got my exercise other ways, I presume
+likely.
+
+"I tell you," he went on, "the main trouble with that tale of yours, as
+I see it, is that you're talkin' about things you ain't ever seen. Now
+there's plenty you have seen, I wouldn't wonder. Let's see, you was born
+in Belfast, you said. Live there long, did you?"
+
+"Yes, until I went away to school."
+
+"Your father, he went to sea, did he?"
+
+"Yes. But his ship was lost, with all hands, when I was a baby."
+
+"But your Uncle Jim wa'n't lost. You remember him well; you said so.
+Tell me something you remember."
+
+Before the young man was aware of it, he was telling of his Uncle
+Jim, of the latter's return from voyages, of his own home life, of his
+mother, and of the village where he spent his boyhood. Then, led on by
+the captain's questioning, he continued with his years at college, his
+experiences as reporter and city editor. Without being conscious that
+he was doing so, he gave his host a pretty full sketch of himself, his
+story, and his ambitions.
+
+"Mr. Pearson," said Captain Elisha, earnestly, "don't you worry about
+that yarn of yours. If you'll take the advice of an old feller who knows
+absolutely nothin' about such things, keep on rememberin' about your
+Uncle Jim. He was a man, every inch of him, and a seaman, too. Put lots
+of him into this hero of yours, and you won't go fur wrong. And when it
+comes to handlin' a ship, why--well, if you _want_ to come to me, I'll
+try and help you out best I can."
+
+Pearson was delighted.
+
+"You _will_?" he cried. "Splendid! It's mighty good of you. May I spring
+some of my stuff on you as I write it?"
+
+"Sartin you may. Any time, I'll be tickled to death. I'll be tickled to
+have you call, too; that is, if callin' on an old salt like me won't be
+too tirin'."
+
+The answer was emphatic and reassuring.
+
+"Thank you," said Captain Elisha. "I'm much obliged. Come often, do.
+I--well, the fact is, I'm likely to get sort of lonesome myself, I'm
+afraid. Yes, I shouldn't wonder if I did."
+
+He sighed, tossed away the stump of his cigar, and added,
+
+"Now, I want to ask you somethin'. You newspaper fellers are supposed to
+know about all there is to know of everything under the sun. Do you know
+much about the Stock Exchange?"
+
+Pearson smiled.
+
+"All I can afford to know," he said.
+
+"Humph! That's a pretty good answer. Knowledge is power, they say,
+but--but I cal'late knowledge of the Stock Exchange is poverty, with a
+good many folks."
+
+"I think you're right, Captain. It's none of my business, but--were you
+planning to tackle Wall Street?"
+
+Captain Elisha glanced, under his brows, at his new friend, and his eyes
+twinkled.
+
+"Didn't know but I might," he replied, solemnly. "Ain't got
+any--er--tips, any sure things you want to put me on to, have you?"
+
+"I have not. My experience of Wall Street 'sure things' leads me to
+believe that they're sure--but only for the other fellow."
+
+"Hum! I know a chap down home that made money in stocks. He made it so
+easy that, as the boys say, 'twas almost a shame to take the money. And
+'twas the makin' of him, too."
+
+Pearson was embarrassed and troubled. If this big-hearted, simple-minded
+countryman had come to New York to buck the stock market, it was time
+to sound a warning. But had he, on such short acquaintance, the right to
+warn? The captain was shrewd in his own way. Might not the warning seem
+presumptuous?
+
+"So--this--this friend of yours was a successful speculator, was he?" he
+asked. "He was lucky."
+
+"Think so? Well, maybe. His name was Elkanah Chase, and his dad was old
+man 'Rastus Chase, who made consider'ble in cranberries and one thing
+or 'nother. The old man brought Elkanah up to be what he called a
+gentleman. Ho! ho! Hi hum! I ain't sure what 'Rastus's idea of
+a gentleman was, but if he cal'lated to have his son a tramp in
+go-to-meetin' clothes, he got his wish. When the old man died, he willed
+the boy fifteen thousand dollars. Well, fifteen thousand dollars is a
+fortune to some folks--if they ain't economizin' in New York--but to
+Elkanah 'twas just about enough to make him realize his poverty. So,
+to make it bigger, he got one of them 'tips' from a college friend down
+here in Wall Street, and put the heft of ten thousand into it. _And_, I
+swan, if it didn't double his money!"
+
+Captain Elisha's visitor shook his head. He did not even smile.
+
+"He was extremely fortunate," he said. "I give you my word, Captain
+Warren, that the majority of first speculators don't turn out that way.
+I hope he was wise enough to keep his profits."
+
+The captain rubbed his chin.
+
+"Jim--" he began. "Excuse me, I should have said Mr. Pearson, but I've
+got sort of in the habit of callin' folks by their first names. Livin'
+where you know everybody so well gets you into those habits."
+
+"Jim suits me. I hope you'll cultivate the habit."
+
+"Do you? Well, I will. Now, Jim, referrin' to what I was goin' to say,
+you, bein' a newspaper man, ought to know everything, but it's pretty
+plain you don't know Elkanah Chase. Keep his profits! Why, when a feller
+is all but convinced that he knows it all, one little bit of evidence
+like that speculation settles it for him conclusive. Elkanah, realizin'
+that Wall Street was his apple pie, opened his mouth to swaller it at
+one gulp. He put his profits and every other cent he had into another
+sure thing tip."
+
+"And won again?"
+
+"No. He lost all that and some more that he borrowed."
+
+"But I thought you said it was the making of him!"
+
+"It was. He had to take a job over at the overalls factory in Ostable.
+As a fifteen thousand dollar gentleman, he was pretty average of a mess,
+but they tell me he makes middlin' good overalls. Elkanah convinced me
+that Wall Street has its good points."
+
+He chuckled. Pearson, relieved, laughed in sympathy. "Has he paid back
+the money he borrowed?" he inquired.
+
+"No-o! I guess the creditors'll have to take it out in overalls.
+However, it's a satisfaction to some of 'em to watch Chase really work.
+I know that gives me _my_ money's worth."
+
+"Oh, ho! You are one of the creditors! Captain Warren, I'm surprised. I
+sized you up as a shrewder judge of investments."
+
+Captain Elisha colored. "I judged that one correct," he answered. "If
+I hadn't thought 'twould have turned out that way I never would have
+plunged. You see, old man Chase was a friend of mine, and--However," he
+added, hastily changing the subject, "we've strayed some off the course.
+When I mentioned the Stock Exchange I did it because my brother was a
+member of it, and I cal'late you might have known him."
+
+Pearson was astonished. "Your brother was a member of the Exchange?" he
+repeated.
+
+"Um-hm. Never would have guessed it, would you? I s'pose you cal'late
+all the stock I knew about was on the hoof. Well, I have been acquainted
+with other breeds in my time. My brother's name was Abijah Warren--A.
+Rodgers Warren, he called himself."
+
+The effect of this announcement was instantaneous and electric. The
+young man sat back in his chair.
+
+"A. Rodgers Warren was your brother?" he cried.
+
+"Um-hm. Seems to stagger you some. Contrast between us as big as all
+that comes to?"
+
+"But--but, Captain Warren--Your brother--Tell me, is Miss Caroline
+Warren your niece?"
+
+"She is. And Steve is my nephew. 'Tain't possible you're acquainted with
+them?"
+
+Pearson rose to his feet. "Is--They used to live on the Avenue," he
+said. "But you said you were visiting. Captain Warren, is this your
+niece's apartment?"
+
+"Yes, hers and Steve's. Why, what's the matter? Ain't goin', are you?"
+
+"I think perhaps I had better. It is getting late."
+
+"Late! It's only the shank of the evenin'. Jim, I ain't so blind that I
+can't see through an open window. It ain't the lateness that makes you
+want to leave so sudden. Is there some trouble between you and Caroline?
+Course, it's none of my business, and you needn't tell me unless you
+want to."
+
+The answer was prompt enough.
+
+"No," replied Pearson. "No. I assure you there is nothing of that kind.
+I--I met Miss Warren. In fact, at one time we were well acquainted. I
+have the very highest opinion of her. But I think it is best to--"
+
+"Just a minute now. No trouble with Steve? He's a boy and at an age when
+he's pretty well satisfied with himself and you have to make allowance."
+
+"No. Steve and I were quite friendly. I'm sorry to cut my visit short,
+but it is late and I _must_ go."
+
+He was moving toward the door. Captain Elisha looked at him intently.
+
+"Well, if you must," he said. "But I hope you'll come again soon. Will
+you?"
+
+"I hope I may. I give you my word, Captain, that I appreciate your
+invitation, and I do want to know you better."
+
+"Same here. I don't often take sudden fancies, Jim, but I knew your
+uncle, and I'd bet consider'ble on any member of his family. And I _was_
+kind of interested in that novel of yours. You haven't said you'd come
+again. Will you?"
+
+Pearson was much embarrassed.
+
+"I should like to come, immensely," he said, with an earnestness
+unmistakable; "but--but, to be honest, Captain Warren, there is a
+reason, one which I may tell you sometime, but can't now--neither Miss
+Warren nor her brother have any part in it--which makes me reluctant to
+visit you here. Won't you come and see me at the boarding house? Here's
+the address. _Will_ you come?"
+
+"Sartin! I figured on doin' it, if you gave me the chance."
+
+"Thank you, you'll be welcome. Of course it is _only_ a boarding house,
+and not a very good one. My own room is--well, different from this."
+
+"Yup. Maybe that's why I expect to feel at home in it. Good night, Jim.
+Thank you for callin'. Shall I ring for the Commodore to pilot you out?"
+
+"No, I can find my way. I--Someone is coming."
+
+From the hall came the clang of the elevator door and the sound of
+voices. Before the captain or his friend could move, Caroline, Stephen,
+Mrs. Corcoran Dunn, and Malcolm entered. Caroline was the first to reach
+the library. Her entrance brought her face to face with Pearson.
+
+"I beg your pardon," she began. "I did not know there was anyone here."
+
+"It's only a friend of mine, Caroline," explained her uncle, quickly.
+"Just callin' on me, he was."
+
+"Good evening, Miss Warren," said Pearson, quietly.
+
+The girl looked at him for an instant. Then her expression changed, and,
+with a smile, she extended her hand.
+
+"Why, Mr. Pearson!" she exclaimed. "I'm very glad to see you. You must
+excuse me for not recognizing you at once. Steve, you remember Mr.
+Pearson."
+
+Stephen also extended a hand.
+
+"Sure!" he said. "Glad to see you again, Pearson. Haven't met you for an
+age. How are you?"
+
+Pearson shook both the hands. He was embarrassed and hesitated in his
+reply.
+
+"It _has_ been some time since we met," he said. "This is an unexpected
+pleasure. Ah, Mr. Dunn, good evening."
+
+"It is Mr. Pearson, the financial writer of the _Planet_, Malcolm,"
+said Caroline. "You used to know him, I think."
+
+"Don't remember, I'm sure. Yes, I do. Met you at the University Club,
+didn't I?"
+
+"Yes. I was formerly a member."
+
+"And let me present you to Mrs. Corcoran Dunn," went on the girl. "Mr.
+Pearson used to know father well."
+
+Mrs. Dunn inspected the visitor through her lorgnette, and condescended
+to admit that she was "delighted."
+
+"I'm very glad you called," continued Caroline. "We were just in time,
+weren't we? Do sit down. And if you will wait a minute until we remove
+our wraps--Steve ring for Edwards, please."
+
+"I'm afraid I can't wait, Miss Warren. I dropped in to see your uncle,
+at his invitation, and, as a matter of fact, I didn't know--"
+
+"To see our _uncle_!" interrupted Stephen, in amazement. "Who?"
+
+"Your uncle, Captain Warren here," explained Pearson, surprised in his
+turn. "He and I made each other's acquaintance yesterday, and he asked
+me to call."
+
+"You--you called to see _him_?" repeated Stephen. "Why, what in the
+world--?"
+
+"I took the liberty of askin' him, Caroline," observed Captain Elisha
+quietly, and ignoring the last speaker. "I didn't know you knew him,
+and I used to sail along with _his_ uncle, so he seemed almost like own
+folks."
+
+"Oh!" Caroline's manner changed. "I presume it was a business call," she
+said slowly. "I beg pardon for interrupting. We had not seen you since
+father's death, Mr. Pearson, and I assumed that you had called upon my
+brother and me. Excuse me. Mrs. Dunn, we will go into the drawing-room."
+
+She led the way toward the apartment. Captain Elisha was about to speak.
+Pearson, however, explained for him.
+
+"Miss Warren," he said, "if by a business call you mean one in the
+interest of the _Planet_, I assure you that you are mistaken. I am no
+longer connected with any paper. I met Captain Warren, under rather
+unusual circumstances. We discovered that we had mutual friends and
+mutual interests. He asked me to call on him, and I did so. I did not
+know, until five minutes ago, that he was your uncle or that you and
+your brother lived here. I beg you won't leave the room on my account. I
+was about to go when you came. Good evening."
+
+He bowed and stepped toward the hall. Captain Elisha laid a hand on his
+arm and detained him.
+
+"Just a minute," he said. "Caroline, I want you and Steve to know that
+what Mr. Pearson says is exactly true. I ain't the kind to talk to the
+newspapers about the private affairs of my relations, and, if I'm
+any judge of character, Mr. Pearson, knowin' you as it seems he does,
+wouldn't be the kind to listen. That's all. Now, Jim, if you must go."
+
+He and his guest were at the door. Caroline and Mrs. Dunn were at the
+opposite side of the room. Suddenly the girl halted, turned, and, moving
+across to where her uncle and the young man were standing, once more
+extended her hand.
+
+"Mr. Pearson," she said, impulsively, "again I ask your pardon. I should
+have known. I am very sorry I spoke as I did. Will you forgive me?"
+
+Pearson colored. His embarrassment was more evident than before.
+
+"There is no occasion for apology, Miss Warren," he said. "I don't
+wonder you thought I had come in my former capacity as reporter."
+
+"Yes, you do. You _must_ have wondered. I am very glad you called to see
+my--my guardian, and I hope you will continue to do so. Father used to
+speak so highly of you, and I'm sure he valued your friendship. Stephen
+and I wish to consider his friends ours. Please believe that you are
+welcome here at any time."
+
+Pearson's reply was brief.
+
+"Thank you, Miss Warren," he said. "You are very kind. Good evening."
+
+In the hall, as they waited for the elevator, Captain Elisha, happier
+than at any time since his arrival in New York, clapped his friend on
+the shoulder.
+
+"Jim," he said, "I was beginnin' to doubt my judgment of things and
+folks. Now I feel better. That niece of mine has got the right stuff in
+her. After _that_ invitation, you will come and see us once in a while.
+That makes it easier, hey?"
+
+Pearson shook his head. "I'm not sure, Captain," he observed, slowly,
+"that it doesn't make it harder. I shall look for you at the boarding
+house very soon. Don't disappoint me. Good night."
+
+The captain's last remark that evening was made to Edwards, whom he met
+just outside the door of his bedroom.
+
+"Commodore," he said, "a barn full of rats is a nuisance, ain't it?"
+
+"Sir?" stammered the astonished butler.
+
+"I say a barn full of rats is a nuisance."
+
+"Why--why, yes, sir. I should think it might be, sir."
+
+"Yup. Well, I know a worse one. It's a house full of mysteries. By, by,
+Son. Pleasant dreams."
+
+He sat up until late, meditating profoundly. Then, taking from its
+envelope the letter yet unsealed, which he had written to Miss Abigail
+Baker, he added this postscript:
+
+    "Eleven o'clock. I have decided, Abbie, to accept the
+    guardianship and the rest of it, for a spell, anyhow. Shall
+    notify the lawyers in the morning. Necessity is one thing,
+    and pleasure is another. I doubt if I find the job pleasant,
+    but I guess it is necessary. Anyhow, it looks that way to
+    me."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+
+Announcement of Captain Elisha's decision followed quickly. Sylvester,
+Kuhn, and Graves received the telephone message stating it, and
+the senior partner was unqualifiedly delighted. Kuhn accepted his
+associate's opinion with some reservation. "It is an odd piece of
+business, the whole of it," he declared. "I shall be curious to see how
+it works out." As for Mr. Graves, when the information was conveyed
+to him by messenger, he expressed disgust and dismay. "Ridiculous!" he
+said. "Doctor, I simply must be up and about within the next few days.
+It is necessary that a sane, conservative man be at the office. Far
+be it from me to say a word against Sylvester, as a lawyer, but he is
+subject to impressions. I imagine this Cape Codder made him laugh, and,
+therefore, in his opinion, is all right. I'm glad I'm not a joker."
+
+The captain said that he would be down later on to talk things over.
+Meanwhile, if the "papers and such" could be gotten together, it would
+"sort of help along." Sylvester explained that there were certain legal
+and formal ceremonies pertaining to the acceptance of the trust to be
+gone through with, and these must have precedence. "All right," answered
+the captain. "Let's have 'em all out at once and get the ache and agony
+over. I'll see you by and by."
+
+When Mrs. Corcoran Dunn made her daily visit to the Warren apartment
+that afternoon, she found Caroline alone and almost in tears. Captain
+Elisha had broken the news at the table during luncheon, after which
+he went downtown. Stephen, having raved, protested, and made himself
+generally disagreeable and his sister correspondingly miserable, had
+departed for the club. It was a time for confidences, and the wily Mrs.
+Dunn realized that fact. She soothed, comforted, and within half an
+hour, had learned the whole story. Caroline told her all, the strange
+will, the disclosure concerning the country uncle, and the inexplicable
+clauses begging the latter to accept the executorship, the trust, and
+the charge of her brother and herself. Incidentally she mentioned that
+a possible five hundred thousand was the extreme limit of the family's
+pecuniary resources.
+
+"Now you know everything," sobbed Caroline. "Oh, Mrs. Dunn, _you_ won't
+desert us, will you?"
+
+The widow's reply was a triumph, of its kind. In it were expressed
+sorrow, indignation, pity, and unswerving loyalty. Desert them? Desert
+the young people, toward whom she had come to feel almost like a mother?
+Never!
+
+"You may depend on Malcolm and me, my dear," she declared. "We are not
+fair-weather friends. And, after all, it is not so very bad. Affairs
+might be very much worse."
+
+"Worse! Oh, Mrs. Dunn, how could they be? Think of it! Stephen and I are
+dependent upon him for everything. We must ask him for every penny. And
+whatever he says to do we _must_ do. We're obliged to. Just think! if he
+decides to take us back with him to--South Denboro, or whatever dreadful
+place he comes from, we shall have to go--and live there."
+
+"But he won't, my dear. He won't. It will take some time to settle your
+father's affairs, and the business will have to be transacted here in
+New York."
+
+"I know. I suppose that's true. But that doesn't make it any easier.
+If he stops here he will stay with us. And what shall we do? We can't
+introduce him to our friends, or, at least, to any except our best, our
+understanding friends, like you and Malcolm."
+
+"Why, I'm not sure. He is rather--well--er--countryfied, but I believe
+he has a good heart. He is not rude or unkind or anything of that sort,
+is he?"
+
+"No. No-o. He's not that, at all. In fact, he means to be kind in his
+way. But it's such a different way from ours. He is not used to society;
+he wouldn't understand that certain things and ways were absolutely
+essential. I suppose it isn't his fault exactly, but that doesn't help.
+And how can we tell him?"
+
+"I don't know that you can tell him, but you might hint. Diplomacy, my
+dear, is one of the necessary elements of life. Whatever else you
+do remember to be diplomatic. My poor husband used to have a pet
+proverb--he was interested in politics, my dear, and some of his sayings
+were a trifle grotesque but very much to the point. He used to say that
+one could get rid of more flies with molasses than with a club. And I
+think he was right. Now let me consider. Let's look the situation right
+in the face. Of course your guardian, as a companion, as an associate
+for us, for our kind of people, is, to be quite frank, impossible."
+
+"Yes. Yes, I'm sure he is."
+
+"Yes. But he _is_ your guardian. Therefore, we can't get rid of him
+with--well, with a club. He must be endured and made as endurable as
+possible. And it certainly will not do to offend him."
+
+"Steve says we must do what he calls freezing him out--make him feel
+that we do not want him here."
+
+"Hum! Well, Stephen is a nice boy--Malcolm adores him--but he isn't a
+diplomat. If we should--what is it?--freeze out your uncle--"
+
+"Please call him something else."
+
+"Well, we'll call him the encumbrance on the estate; that's legal,
+I believe, and expresses it nicely. If we should freeze out the
+encumbrance, we _might_ freeze him to his village, and he _might_ insist
+on your going with him, which wouldn't do at _all_, my dear. For one
+thing, Malcolm would probably insist on going, also, and I, for one,
+don't yearn for rural simplicity. Ha! ha! Oh, you mustn't mind me. I'm
+only a doting mamma, dearie, and I have my air castles like everyone
+else. So, freezing out won't do. No, you and Steve must be polite to our
+encumbrance."
+
+"I shall not get on my knees to him and beg. That I sha'n't do."
+
+"No one expects you to. If anyone begs it should be he. Condescend to
+just a little. Make him feel his place. Correct him when he goes too far
+wrong, and ignore him when he gets assertive. As for getting rid of him
+at times when it may be necessary--well, I think you may safely leave
+that to me."
+
+"To you? Oh, Mrs. Dunn, we couldn't think of dragging you into it. It is
+bad enough that we should be disgraced; but you must not be."
+
+"My dear child, I _think_ my position in society is sufficiently
+established to warrant a risk or two. If _I_ am seen in company
+with--with the encumbrance, people will merely say, 'Oh, it's another
+of her eccentricities!' that's all. Now, don't worry, and don't fret all
+that pretty color from your cheeks. Always remember this: it is but
+for a year or a trifle over. Then you will be of age and can send your
+encumbrance to the right-about in a hurry."
+
+Caroline, under the spell of this convincing eloquence, began to cheer
+up. She even smiled.
+
+"Well," she said, "I will try to be diplomatic. I really will. But
+Stephen--I'm not sure what dreadful thing _he_ will do."
+
+"He will return to college soon. I will take upon myself the convincing
+of the encumbrance to that effect. And while he is at home, Malcolm will
+take charge of him. He will be delighted to do it."
+
+"Mrs. Dunn, how can we ever thank you sufficiently? What should we do
+without you and Malcolm?"
+
+"I _hope_, my dear, that you will never have to do without me; not for
+many years, at any rate. Of course, there is always my poor heart,
+but--we won't worry, will we?"
+
+So, with a kiss and an embrace, this affecting interview ended.
+
+There was another that evening between Mrs. Dunn and her son, which was
+not devoid of interest. Malcolm listened to the information which his
+mother gave him, and commented upon it in characteristic fashion.
+
+"Humph!" he observed, "two hundred and fifty thousand, instead of the
+two million you figured on, Mater! Two hundred and fifty thousand isn't
+so much, in these days."
+
+"No," replied his parent, sharply, "it isn't so much, but it isn't so
+little, either."
+
+"I suppose one can get along on it."
+
+"Yes, one can. In fact, I know of two who are managing with a good deal
+less. Don't be any more of a fool than you can help, Malcolm. The sum
+itself isn't small, and, besides, the Warrens are a family of standing.
+To be connected with them is worth a good deal. There are infinite
+possibilities in it. Oh, if only I might live to see the day when
+tradespeople meant something other than nuisances to be dodged, I
+_think_ I could die contented."
+
+"Caro's a decent sort of a girl," commented Malcolm, reflectively.
+
+"She's a bright girl and an attractive one. Just now she is in a mood to
+turn to us, to you. But, for Heaven's sake, be careful! She is delicate
+and sensitive and requires managing. She likes you. If only you weren't
+such a blunderer!"
+
+"Much obliged, Mater. You're free with your compliments this evening.
+What's the trouble? Another 'heart'?"
+
+"No. My heart I can trust, up to certain limits. But I'm afraid of your
+head, just as I always was of your father's. And here's one more bit of
+advice: Be careful how you treat that country uncle."
+
+"The Admiral! Ho! ho! He's a card."
+
+"He may be the trump that will lose us the trick. Treat him civilly;
+yes, even cordially, if you can. And _don't_ insult him as you did the
+first time you and he met."
+
+The young man crossed his legs, and grunted in resignation.
+
+"Well," he said, "it's going to be a confounded bore, but, at the very
+longest, it'll last but a year. Then Caro will be her own mistress."
+
+"Yes. But there are three hundred and sixty-five days in a year;
+remember that."
+
+"All right, Mater. You can bet on me. The old hayseed and I will be
+bosom pals. Wait and see."
+
+The formalities at the lawyers' took some time. Captain Elisha was
+absent from the apartment the better part of the following two days. The
+evenings, however, he spent with his niece and nephew, and, if at all
+sensitive to sudden changes of the temperature, he must have noticed
+that the atmosphere of the library was less frigid. Caroline was not
+communicative, did not make conversation, nor was she in the least
+familiar; but she answered his questions, did not leave the room when he
+entered, and seemed inclined to accept his society with resignation,
+if not with enthusiasm. Even Stephen was less sarcastic and bitter. At
+times, when his new guardian did or said something which offended his
+highly cultivated sense of the proprieties, he seemed inclined to burst
+out with a sneer; but a quick "ahem!" or a warning glance from his
+sister caused him to remain silent and vent his indignation by kicking
+a footstool or barking a violent order at the unresisting Edwards.
+Caroline and her brother had had a heart to heart talk, and, as a
+result, the all-wise young gentleman promised to make no more trouble
+than he could help.
+
+"Though, by gad, Caro," he declared, "it's only for you I do it! If I
+had my way the old butt-in should understand exactly what I think of
+him."
+
+On Thursday, after luncheon, as Captain Elisha sat in his own room,
+reading a book he had taken from the library, there came a knock at the
+door.
+
+"Come ahead in!" ordered the captain. Caroline entered. Her uncle rose
+and put down the book.
+
+"Oh!" he exclaimed, "is it you? Excuse me. I thought 'twas the
+Commodore--Edwards, I mean. If I'd known you was comin' callin',
+Caroline, I shouldn't have been quite so bossy. Guess I'd have opened
+the door for you, instead of lettin' you do it yourself."
+
+"Thank you," answered his niece. "I came to see you on--I suppose you
+might call it business. At any rate, it is a financial matter. I sha'n't
+detain you long."
+
+Captain Elisha was a trifle disappointed.
+
+"Oh," he said, "on business, was it? I hoped--I didn't know but you'd
+come just out of sociability. However, I'm mighty glad to see you,
+Caroline, no matter what it's for. That's a real becomin' dress you've
+got on," he added, inspecting her admiringly. "I declare, you look
+prettier every time I see you. You favor your pa consider'ble; I can see
+it more and more. 'Bije had about all the good looks there was in our
+family," with a chuckle. "Set down, do."
+
+The girl seated herself in a rocker, and looked at him for a moment
+without speaking. She seemed to have something on her mind, and not to
+know exactly how to express it.
+
+"Captain Warren," she began, "I--I came to ask a favor. I am obliged
+to ask it, because you are our--" she almost choked over the hated
+word--"our guardian, and I can no longer act on my own responsibility. I
+wish to ask you for some money."
+
+Captain Elisha nodded gravely.
+
+"I see," he said. "Well, Caroline, I don't believe you'll find me very
+close-fisted. I think I told you and Steve that you was to do just as
+you'd been in the habit of doin'. Of course I _am_ your guardian now,
+and I shall be held responsible for whatever expense comes to the
+estate. Itvis quite a responsibility, and I so understand it. As I said
+to you when I told you I'd decided to take the job on trial, _while_ I
+have it it'll be my pride to see that you or your brother don't lose
+anything. I intend, if the Almighty spares me so long and I keep on with
+the trust, to turn over, when my term's out, at least as much to you and
+Steve as your father left. That's all. Excuse me for mentioning it
+again. Now, how much do you want? Is your reg'lar allowance too small?
+Remember, I don't know much about such things here in New York, and you
+must be frank and aboveboard and tell me if you have any complaints."
+
+"I have no complaints. My allowance is sufficient. It is the same that
+father used to give me, and it is all I need. But this is a matter
+outside my personal needs."
+
+"Um-hm. Somethin' to do with the household expenses, hey?"
+
+"No. It is--is a matter of--well, of charity. It may amount to several
+hundred dollars."
+
+"Yes, yes. I see. Charity, hey? Church?"
+
+"No. One of the maids, Annie, has trouble at home, and I wanted to help
+her."
+
+The captain nodded once more.
+
+"Annie," he repeated, "that's the rosy-faced one? The Irish one?"
+
+"Yes. Her father was seriously injured the other day and cannot work.
+His hip is broken, and the doctor's bill will be large. They are very
+poor, and I thought perhaps--" She hesitated, faltered, and then said
+haughtily: "Father was very sympathetic and liked to have me do such
+things."
+
+"Sho! sho! Sartin! Course he did. I like it, too. I'm glad you came to
+me just as you did, Caroline. How much do you want to start with?"
+
+"I don't know, exactly. I thought I might ask our own doctor to attend
+to the case, and might send them some delicacies and food."
+
+"Good idea! Go right ahead, Caroline."
+
+"Thank you. I have been over to see them, and they need help--they
+really do."
+
+"I presume likely. How'd the accident happen? Anybody's fault, was it?"
+
+Caroline's eyes snapped. "Indeed it was!" she said, indignantly. "It
+was a wet morning, after a rain, and the pavement was slippery. Mr.
+Moriarty, Annie's father, was not working that day--they were making
+some repairs at the factory where he is employed, I believe--and he had
+gone out to do the family marketing. He was crossing the street when an
+automobile, recklessly driven, so everyone says, drove directly down on
+him. He tried to jump out of the way and succeeded--otherwise he might
+have been killed; but he fell and broke his hip. He is an old man, and
+the case is serious."
+
+"Dear! dear! you don't tell me! Poor old chap! The auto feller--did he
+help? Seems to me he ought to be the one to be spendin' the money. 'Twas
+his fault."
+
+"Help! Indeed he didn't! He and the man with him merely laughed, as
+if it was a good joke, put on speed, and disappeared as quickly as
+possible."
+
+"Why, the mean swab! Did this Mr. Moriarty or the folks around get the
+license number of the auto?"
+
+"No. All they know is that it was a big yellow car with two men in it."
+
+"Hey? A yellow car?"
+
+"Yes. Somewhat similar to the one Malcolm--Mr. Dunn drives."
+
+"So, so! Hum! Where did it happen?"
+
+"On Saint Nicholas Avenue, near One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Street."
+
+"Eh? Saint Nicholas Avenue, you say?"
+
+"Yes." Caroline rose and turned to go. "Thank you, Captain Warren," she
+said. "I will tell Doctor Henry to take the case at once."
+
+The captain did not answer immediately. With his chin in his hand he was
+gazing at the floor.
+
+"Good afternoon," said Caroline.
+
+Her uncle looked up.
+
+"Er--Wait just a minute, Caroline," he said. "I guess maybe, if you
+don't mind, I'd like to think this over a little afore you go too far.
+You have your doctor go right ahead and see to the old man, and you
+order the things to eat and whatever's necessary. But afore you give
+Annie or her father any money, I'd kind of like to figger a little
+mite."
+
+His niece stopped short, turned and stared at him.
+
+"Oh!" she said, slowly and icily, "I see. Please don't trouble yourself.
+I should have known. However, my allowance is my own, and I presume I am
+permitted to do what I please with that."
+
+"Caroline, don't be hasty. I ain't sayin' no about the money. Far from
+it. I only--"
+
+"I understand--thoroughly. Don't trouble to 'figure,' as you call it.
+Oh! _Why_ did I humiliate myself? I should have known!"
+
+"Caroline, please--"
+
+But the girl had gone, closing the door after her. Captain Elisha shook
+his head, heaved a deep sigh, and then, sinking back into his chair,
+relapsed into meditation. Soon afterward he put on his hat and coat and
+went out.
+
+Half an hour later he entered the office of a firm of commission brokers
+on lower Broad Street, and inquired if a gentleman by the name of Mr.
+Malcolm Dunn was connected with that establishment. On being answered in
+the affirmative, he asked if Mr. Dunn were in. Yes, he was.
+
+"Well," said Captain Elisha, "I'd like to speak to him a minute or so.
+Just tell him my name's Warren, if you don't mind, young feller."
+
+The clerk objected to being addressed as "young feller," and showed his
+disapproval by the haughty and indifferent manner in which he departed
+on the errand. However, he did so depart, and returned followed by
+Malcolm himself. The latter, who had been misled by the name into
+supposing his caller to be Stephen Warren, was much astonished when he
+saw the captain seated outside the railing.
+
+"Good afternoon," said Captain Elisha, rising and extending his hand:
+"How are you to-day, sir? Pretty smart?"
+
+The young man answered briefly that he was all right. He added he was
+glad to see his visitor, a statement more polite than truthful.
+
+"Well, what's up?" he inquired, condescendingly. "Nothing wrong with
+Caro or Steve, I hope."
+
+"No, they're fust-rate, thank you."
+
+"What's doing, then? Is it pleasure or business?"
+
+"Well, a little of both, maybe. It's always a pleasure to see you, of
+course; and I have got a little mite of business on hand."
+
+Malcolm smiled, in his languid fashion. If he suspected sarcasm in
+the first part of the captain's reply, it did not trouble him. His
+self-sufficiency was proof against anything of that sort.
+
+"Business," he repeated. "Well, that's what I'm here for. Thinking of
+cornering the--er--potato market, were you?"
+
+"No-o. Cranberries would be more in my line, and I cal'late you fellers
+don't deal in that kind of sass. I had a private matter I wanted to talk
+over with you, Mr. Dunn; that is, if you ain't too busy."
+
+Malcolm looked at him with an amused curiosity. As he had expressed it
+in the conversation with his mother, this old fellow certainly was a
+"card." He seated himself on the arm of the oak settle from which the
+captain had risen and, lazily swinging a polished shoe, admitted that he
+was always busy but never too busy to oblige.
+
+"What's on your mind, Captain?" he drawled.
+
+Captain Elisha glanced about him somewhat uneasily.
+
+"I--I don't know as I made it quite clear," he said, "that it was sort
+of private; somethin' just between us, you understand."
+
+Malcolm hesitated. Sliding from the settle, and impatiently commanding
+the clerk to open the gate in the railing, he led his caller through the
+main office and into a small room beyond. On the glass pane of the door
+was lettered, "Mr. Dunn--Private." A roll-top desk in the corner and
+three chairs were the furniture. Malcolm, after closing the door,
+sprawled in the swing chair before the desk, threw one leg over a
+drawer, which he pulled out for that purpose, and motioned his companion
+to occupy one of the other chairs.
+
+Captain Elisha took the offered chair and dropped his hat on the floor
+beside it. Then he inspected the room and its furnishings with interest.
+Dunn drew out a pocket case, extracted a cigarette, lit it, and waited
+for him to speak.
+
+"Well," observed the young man, after a moment, "what's the trouble,
+Admiral? Better get it off your chest, hadn't you? We're private enough
+here."
+
+The captain answered the last question. "Yes," he said, "this is nice
+and private. Got a stateroom all to yourself; name on the door, and
+everything complete. You must be one of the officers of the craft."
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Um-hm. I sort of expected to find your name on the door outside, but
+there 'twas, 'Smith, Haynes & Co.' I presume likely you're the 'Co.'"
+
+"_I_ 'presume likely,'" with mocking impatience. "What about that
+private matter?"
+
+Captain Elisha did not appear to hear him. His eyes were fixed on
+several photographs stuck in the rail of Mr. Dunn's desk. The photos
+were those of young ladies.
+
+"Friends of yours?" inquired the captain, nodding toward the
+photographs.
+
+"No." Dunn took the photos from the rack and threw them into a pigeon
+hole. "Look here," he said, pointedly, "I wouldn't hurry you for the
+world, but--"
+
+He paused. Captain Elisha did not take the hint. His mind was evidently
+still busy with the vanished photographs.
+
+"Just fancy pictures, I s'pose, hey?" he commented.
+
+"Doubtless. Any other little points I can give you?"
+
+"I guess not. I thought they was fancy; looked so to me. Well, about
+that private matter. Mr. Dunn, I come to see you about an automobile."
+
+"An automobile!" The young man was so astonished that he actually
+removed his feet from the desk. Then he burst into a laugh. "An
+automobile?" he repeated. "Captain, has the influence of the metropolis
+made you a sport already? Do you want to buy a car?"
+
+"Buy one?" It was Captain Elisha's turn to show irritation. "Buy one
+of them things? Me? I wouldn't buy one of 'em, or run one of 'em, for
+somethin', _I_ tell you! No, I don't want to buy one."
+
+"Why not? Sell you mine for a price."
+
+"Not if I see you fust, thank you. No, Mr. Dunn, 'tain't that. But
+one of the hired help up to our place--Caroline's place, I mean--is in
+trouble on account of one of the dratted machines. They're poor folks,
+of course, and they need money to help 'em through the doctorin' and
+nursin' and while the old man's out of work. Caroline was for givin' it
+to 'em right off, she's a good-hearted girl; but I said--that is, I kind
+of coaxed her out of it. I thought I'd ask some questions first."
+
+"So you came to me to ask them?" Malcolm smiled contentedly. Evidently
+the cares and complications of guardianship were already proving too
+intricate for the unsophisticated countryman. He wished advice, and
+had come to him for it, possibly at Caroline's suggestion. Affairs
+were shaping themselves well. Here was an opportunity to act the
+disinterested friend, as per maternal instructions.
+
+"So you wanted to ask questions, did you, Captain?" he repeated. "Well,
+fire away. Anything I can do to help you or Caroline will be a pleasure,
+of course. Smoke?"
+
+He offered the cigarette case. The captain eyed it dubiously and shook
+his head.
+
+"No," he said; "no, thank you, I commenced smokin' at the butt end,
+I guess. Begun with a pipe, and them things would seem sort of
+kindergarten, I'm afraid. No offense meant, you understand. It's all
+accordin' to what you've been used to. Well, about the questions. Here's
+the first one: Don't it seem to you that the right one to pay for the
+doctorin' and nursin' and such of Mr. Moriarty--that's Annie's pa--ought
+to be the feller who hurt him? That feller, instead of Caroline?"
+
+"Sure thing! If you know who did it, he's your mark."
+
+"He could be held responsible, couldn't he?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"Um-hm. So I thought. And if he was a right-minded chap, he'd be glad to
+help the poor critter, providin' he knew what damage he'd done; wouldn't
+you think so?"
+
+Malcolm nodded sagely, opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it
+again. A sudden recollection came to him, an alarming recollection. He
+turned in his chair and looked at his visitor. Captain Elisha met his
+gaze frankly.
+
+"Where did this accident happen?" asked Mr. Dunn, his condescending
+smile absent.
+
+"At the corner of Saint Nicholas Avenue and One Hundred and
+Twenty-Eighth Street. It happened last Friday mornin', a week ago.
+And the car that hit him was a yellow one."
+
+Malcolm did not answer. His pale face grew paler, and then flushed a
+brilliant red. The captain seemed to feel sorry for him.
+
+"Naturally," he went on, "when I heard about it, I remembered what you
+told Mr. Sylvester and me at the club that afternoon. I understand how
+'twas, of course. You never thought you'd done any real harm and just
+went on, thinkin' 'twas a good joke, much as anything. If you'd known
+you'd really hurt the poor old man, you'd have stopped to see him. I
+understand that. But--"
+
+"Look here!" interrupted Dunn, sharply, "did Caroline send you to me?"
+
+"Caroline? No, no! She don't know 'twas your automobile at all. I never
+said a word to her, 'tain't likely. But afore she spent any of her
+money, I thought you'd ought to know, because I was sure you wouldn't
+let her. That's the way I'd feel, and I felt 'twas no more'n honest to
+give you the chance. I come on my own hook; she didn't know anything
+about it."
+
+Malcolm drummed on the desk with nervous fingers. The flush remained on
+his face, his cigarette had gone out, and he threw the stump savagely
+into the wastepaper basket. Captain Elisha remained silent. At length
+the young man spoke.
+
+"Well," he growled, pettishly, "how much will it take to square things
+with the gang? How much damages do they want?"
+
+"Damages? Oh, there won't be any claim for damages, I guess. That is, no
+lawsuit, or anything of that kind. The Moriartys don't know you did it,
+and there's no reason why they should. I thought maybe I'd see to 'em
+and do whatever was necessary; then you could settle with me, and the
+whole business would be just between us two. Outside the doctor's bills
+and food and nursin' and such, all the extry will be just the old man's
+wages for the time he's away from the factory. 'Twon't be very heavy."
+
+More reflection and finger tattoo by his companion. Then:
+
+"All right! I'm in it, I can see that; and it's up to me to get out as
+easy as I can. I don't want any newspaper publicity. Go ahead! I'll pay
+the freight."
+
+Captain Elisha arose and picked up his hat.
+
+"That's fust-rate," he said, with emphasis. "I felt sure you'd see it
+just as I did. There's one thing I would like to say," he added: "that
+is, that you mustn't think I was stingy about helpin' 'em myself. But it
+wa'n't really my affair; and when Caroline spoke of spendin' her money
+and Steve's, I didn't feel I'd ought to let her. You see, I don't know
+as you know it yet, Mr. Dunn, but my brother 'Bije left me in charge of
+his whole estate, and, now that I've decided to take the responsibility,
+I've got a sort of pride in not wastin' any of his children's
+inheritance. Good day, Mr. Dunn. I'm much obliged to you."
+
+He opened the office door. Malcolm, frowning heavily, suddenly asked a
+final question.
+
+"Say!" he demanded, "you'll not tell Caroline or Steve a word of this,
+mind!"
+
+The captain seemed surprised.
+
+"I guess you didn't catch what I said, Mr. Dunn," he observed, mildly.
+"I told you this whole business would be just between you and me."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+
+Captain Elisha was very far from considering himself a Solomon. As he
+would have said he had lived long enough with himself to know what a lot
+he didn't know. Nevertheless, deep down in his inner consciousness, he
+cherished a belief in his judgment of human nature. This judgment was
+not of the snap variety; he took his time in forming it. People and
+their habits, their opinions and characters, were to him interesting
+problems. He liked to study them and to reach conclusions founded upon
+reason, observation, and common sense. Having reached such a conclusion,
+it disturbed him when the subjects of the problem suddenly upset the
+whole process of reasoning and apparently proved him wrong by behavior
+exactly contrary to that which he had expected.
+
+He had been pretty well satisfied with the result of his visit to
+young Dunn at the latter's office. Malcolm had surrendered, perhaps
+not gracefully or unconditionally, but he had surrendered, and the
+condition--secrecy--was one which the captain himself had suggested.
+Captain Elisha's mental attitude toward the son of the late Tammany
+leader had been a sort of good-natured but alert tolerance. He judged
+the young man to be a product of rearing and environment. He had known
+spoiled youths at the Cape and, in their surroundings, they behaved much
+as Malcolm did in his. The same disrespect to their elders, the same
+cock-sureness, and the same careless indifference concerning the effect
+which their actions might have upon other people--these were natural and
+nothing but years and the hard knocks of experience could bring about a
+change. Elkanah Chase, country swell and pampered heir to the cranberry
+grower's few thousands, and Malcolm Dunn, idol of his set at the
+Metropolitan Club, were not so very different, except in externals. The
+similarity confirmed his opinion that New York was merely South Denboro
+many thousand times magnified.
+
+He knew how young Chase had behaved after an interview not unlike that
+just described. In Elkanah's case several broken windows and property
+destroyed on a revel the night before the Fourth had caused the trouble.
+In Malcolm's it was an automobile. Both had listened to reason and had
+knuckled under rather than face possible lawsuits and certain publicity.
+Chase, however, had sulkily refused to speak to him for a month, and
+regained affability merely because he wished to borrow money. According
+to the captain's deduction, Dunn should have acted in similar fashion.
+But he didn't; that was the odd part of it.
+
+For Malcolm, when he next called, in company with his mother, at the
+Warren apartment, was not in the least sulky. Neither was he over
+effusive, which would have argued fear and a desire to conciliate.
+Possibly there was a bit more respect in his greeting of the new
+guardian and a trifle less condescension, but not much. He still hailed
+Captain Elisha as "Admiral," and was as mockingly careless as ever in
+his remarks concerning the latter's newness in the big city. In fact, he
+was so little changed that the captain was perplexed. A chap who could
+take a licking when he deserved it, and not hold malice, must have good
+in him, unless, of course, he was hiding the malice for a purpose. And
+if that purpose was the wish to appear friendly, then the manner of
+hiding it proved Malcolm Dunn to possess more brains than Captain Elisha
+had given him credit for.
+
+One thing seemed sure, the Dunns were not openly hostile. And Caroline
+was. Since the interview in the library, when the girl had, as she
+considered it, humiliated herself by asking her guardian for money to
+help the Moriartys, she had scarcely spoken to him. Stephen, taking his
+cue from his sister, was morose and silent, also. Captain Elisha found
+it hard to forgive his dead brother for bringing all this trouble upon
+him.
+
+His lawyers, so Sylvester informed him, were setting about getting
+Rodgers Warren's tangible assets together. The task was likely to be a
+long one. The late broker's affairs were in a muddled state, the books
+were anything but clear, some of the investments were foreign, and, at
+the very earliest, months must elapse before the executor and trustee
+could know, for certain, just how large a property he was in charge of.
+
+He found some solace and forgetfulness of the unpleasant life he was
+leading in helping the stricken Moriarty family. Annie, the maid at the
+apartment, he swore to secrecy. She must not tell Miss Caroline of his
+visits to her parents' home. Doctor Henry, also, though he could not
+understand why, promised silence. Caroline herself had engaged his
+services in the case, and he was faithful. But the patient was more
+seriously hurt than at first appeared, and consultations with a
+specialist were necessary.
+
+"Goin' to be a pretty expensive job, ain't it, Doctor?" asked the
+captain of the physician.
+
+"Rather, I'm afraid."
+
+"All right. If expense is necessary, don't be afraid of it. You do just
+what you'd ought to, and send the bill to me."
+
+"But Miss Warren insisted upon my sending it to her. She said it was a
+private matter, and one with which you, as her guardian, had nothing to
+do."
+
+"I know. Caroline intends to use her own allowance, I s'pose. Well,
+let her think she will, if 'twill please her. But when it comes to
+the settlement, call on me. Give her any reason you want to; say
+a--er--wealthy friend of the family come to life all at once and
+couldn't sleep nights unless he paid the costs."
+
+"But there isn't any such friend, is there, Captain Warren? Other than
+yourself, I mean?"
+
+Captain Elisha grinned in appreciation of a private joke. "There is
+somebody else," he admitted, "who'll pay a share, anyhow. I don't
+know's he's what you call a bosom friend, and, as for his sleepin'
+nights--well, I never heard he couldn't do that, after he went to bed.
+But, anyhow, you saw wood, or bones, or whatever you have to do, and
+leave the rest to me. And don't tell Caroline or anybody else a word."
+
+The Moriartys lived in a four-room flat on the East Side, uptown, and
+his visits there gave the captain a glimpse of another sort of New
+York life, as different from that of Central Park West as could well be
+imagined. The old man, Patrick, his wife, Margaret, the unmarried son,
+Dennis, who worked in the gas house, and five other children of various
+ages were hived somehow in those four small rooms and Captain Elisha
+marveled greatly thereat.
+
+"For the land sakes, ma'am," he asked of the nurse, "how do they do it?
+Where do they put 'em nights? That--that closet in there's the pantry
+and woodshed and kitchen and dinin' room; and that one's the settin'
+room and parlor; and them two dry-goods boxes with doors to 'em are
+bedrooms. There's eight livin' critters to stow away when it's time to
+turn in, and one whole bed's took up by the patient. _Where_ do they
+put the rest? Hang 'em up on nails?"
+
+The nurse laughed. "Goodness knows!" she said. "He should have been
+taken to the hospital. In fact, the doctor and I at first insisted upon
+his removal there. He would have been much better off. But neither he
+nor his wife would hear of it. She said he would die sure without his
+home comforts."
+
+"Humph! I should think more likely he'd die with 'em, or under 'em. I
+watch that fleshy wife of his with fear and tremblin'. Every time she
+goes nigh the bed I expect her to trip over a young one and fall. And if
+she fell on that poor rack-o'-bones," with a wave of the hand toward the
+invalid, "'twould be the final smash--like a brick chimney fallin' on a
+lath hencoop."
+
+At that moment the "brick chimney" herself entered the rooms and the
+nurse accosted her.
+
+"Captain Warren here," she said, "was asking where you all found
+sleeping quarters."
+
+Mrs. Moriarty smiled broadly. "Sure, 'tis aisy," she explained. "When
+the ould man is laid up we're all happy to be a bit uncomfortable. Not
+that we are, neither. You see, sor, me and Nora and Rosy sleep in the
+other bed; and Dinnie has a bit of a shakedown in the parlor; and Honora
+is in the kitchen; and--"
+
+"There! there!" Captain Elisha interrupted hastily, "don't tell me any
+more. I'd rather _guess_ that the baby bunks in the cookstove oven than
+know it for sartin. How did the grapes I sent you go?" turning to the
+sick man.
+
+"Aw, sor! they were foine. God bless you, sor! Mary be kind to you, sor!
+Sure the angels'll watch over you every day you live and breathe!"
+
+Captain Elisha bolted for the parlor, the sufferer firing a gatling
+fusillade of blessings after him. Mrs. Moriarty continued the
+bombardment, as she escorted him to the door of the flat.
+
+"There! there!" protested the captain. "Just belay! cut it short,
+there's a good woman! I'll admit I'm a saint and would wear a halo
+instead of a hat if 'twa'n't so unfashionable. Good day. If you need
+anything you ain't got, tell the nurse."
+
+The grateful Irish woman did not intend to let him escape so easily.
+
+"Aw, sor," she went on, "it's all right for you to make fun. I'm the
+jokin' kind, sor, meself. Whin the flats where we used to be got afire
+and Pat had to lug me down the fire escape in his arms, they tell me
+I was laughin' fit to kill; that is, when I wasn't screechin' for fear
+he'd drop me. And him, poor soul, never seein' the joke, but puffin' and
+groanin' that his back was in two pieces. Ha, ha! Oh, dear! And him
+in two pieces now for sure and all! Aw, sor, it's all right for you to
+laugh it off, but what would we do without you? You and Miss Caroline,
+God bless her!"
+
+"Caroline? She doesn't come here, does she?"
+
+"Indade she does. Sure, she's the perfect little lady! Hardly a day
+passes--or a week, anyhow--that she doesn't drop in to see how the ould
+man's gettin' on."
+
+"Humph! Well, see that you don't tell her about me."
+
+Mrs. Moriarty held up both hands in righteous protestation. _She_ tell?
+Might the tongue of her wither between her teeth before it let slip a
+word, and so on. Captain Elisha waved her to silence.
+
+"All right! all right!" he exclaimed. "So long! Take good care of your
+husband, and, and--for Heaven's sake, walk careful and don't step on any
+of the children."
+
+Mrs. Moriarty's tongue did not wither; at all events, it was lively
+enough when he next met her. The captain's secret was not divulged, and
+he continued his visits to the flat, taking care, however, to ascertain
+his niece's whereabouts beforehand. It was not altogether a desire to
+avoid making his charitable deeds public which influenced him. He had a
+habit of not letting his right hand know what his left was about in
+such cases, and he detested a Pharisaical philanthropist. But there
+was another reason why Caroline must not learn of his interest in the
+Moriartys. If she did learn it, she would believe him to be helping them
+on his own responsibility; or, if not, that he was using money belonging
+to the estate. Of course he would, and honestly must, deny the latter
+charge, and, therefore, the first would, to her mind, be proven. He
+intended that Malcolm Dunn should pay the larger share of the bills, as
+was right and proper. But he could not tell Caroline that, because she
+must not know of the young man's responsibility for the accident. He
+could not give Malcolm the credit, and he felt that he ought not to take
+it himself. It was a delicate situation.
+
+He was lonely, and the days seemed long. Reading the paper, walking in
+the park, occasionally dropping in at the lawyers' offices, or visiting
+the shops and other places of interest about town made up the monotonous
+routine. He breakfasted early, waited upon by Edwards, got lunch at the
+restaurant nearest to wherever he happened to be at noon, and returned
+to the apartment for dinner. His niece and nephew dined with him, but
+when he attempted conversation they answered in monosyllables or not at
+all. Every evening he wrote a letter to Abbie, and the mail each morning
+brought him one from her. The Dunns came frequently and seemed disposed
+to be friendly, but he kept out of their way as much as possible.
+
+Pearson he had not seen since the latter's call. This was a
+disappointment, for he fancied the young fellow and believed he should
+like him even better on closer acquaintance. He would have returned the
+visit, but somehow or other the card with the boarding-house street and
+number had been lost or mislaid, and the long list of "James Pearsons"
+in the directory discouraged him. He speculated much concerning
+the mystery at which the would-be novelist hinted as preventing his
+accepting Caroline's invitation. Evidently Pearson had once known
+Rodgers Warren well, and had been esteemed and respected by the latter.
+Caroline, too, had known him, and was frankly pleased to meet him again.
+Whatever the trouble might be, she, evidently, was ignorant of it. The
+captain wondered and pondered, but reached no satisfactory conclusion.
+It seemed the irony of fate that the one congenial person--Sylvester
+excepted--whom he had met during his stay in the big city should be
+scratched from his small list of acquaintances.
+
+With Sylvester he held many familiar and enjoyable chats. The
+good-natured, democratic senior member of the law firm liked to have
+Captain Elisha drop in for advice or to spin yarns. Graves, who was
+well again, regarded the new guardian with respect of a kind, but with
+distinct disapproval. The captain was, in his opinion, altogether too
+flippant and jolly. There was nothing humorous in the situation, as
+Graves saw it, and to laugh when one's brother's estate is in a tangle,
+indicated unfitness, if nothing worse. Kuhn was a sharp, quick-moving
+man, who had no time for frivolity if it delayed business.
+
+It was after a long interview with Sylvester that Captain Elisha decided
+to send Stephen back to college. When he broke the news there was
+rebellion, brief but lively. Stephen had no desire to continue his
+studies; he wished to become a stock broker at once, and, as soon as he
+was of age, take his father's seat on the Exchange.
+
+"Stevie," said Captain Elisha, "one of these days, when you get to be
+as old as I am or before, you'll realize that an education is worth
+somethin'."
+
+"Ugh!" grunted the boy, in supreme disgust. "What do you know about
+that?"
+
+"Why, not much, maybe, but enough."
+
+"Yes?" sarcastically. "What college did you attend?"
+
+"Me? Why, none, more's the pity. What learnin' there was in our family
+your dad had. Maybe that's why he was what he was, so fur as money and
+position and society and so on went, and I'm what _I_ am."
+
+"Oh, rubbish! What difference does it make to Malcolm Dunn--now--his
+going through college?"
+
+"Well, he went, didn't he?"
+
+Stephen grinned. Malcolm had told him some particulars concerning his
+university career and its termination.
+
+"He went--part way," he answered.
+
+"Ya-as. Well, you've gone part way, so fur. And now you'll go the rest."
+
+"I'd like to know why."
+
+"For one reason, because I'm your guardian and I say so."
+
+Stephen was furiously angry. His father's indulgence and his sister's
+tolerance had, in most cases, made his will law in the household. To be
+ordered about in this way by an ignorant interloper, as he considered
+his uncle, was too much.
+
+"By gad," he shouted, "we'll see!"
+
+"No, we've seen. You run along now and pack your trunk. And take
+my advice and study hard. You'll be behindhand in your work, so Mr.
+Sylvester tells me, but you're smart, and you can catch up. Make us
+proud of you; that's what you can do."
+
+His nephew glanced at him. Captain Elisha was smiling kindly, but there
+was no sign of change of purpose in his look.
+
+Stephen ground his teeth.
+
+"Oh," he snarled, "if it wasn't for the disgrace! If things weren't as
+they are, I'd--"
+
+"S-s-s-h! I know; but they are. Maybe I wish they wa'n't 'most as much
+as you do, but they are. I don't blame you for feelin' mad now; but I'm
+right and I know it. And some day you'll know it, and thank me."
+
+"When I do, I'll be insane."
+
+"No, you'll be older, that's all. Now pack your trunk--or get the
+Commodore to pack it for you."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+News from the Moriarty sick room continued favorable for a time. Then,
+with alarming suddenness, a change came. The broken hip was mending
+slowly, but poor Pat's age was against him, and the shock and long
+illness were too much for his system to fight. Dr. Henry shook his
+head dubiously when the captain asked questions. And, one morning at
+breakfast, Edwards informed him that the old man was dead. Annie had
+been summoned by telephone at midnight and had gone home.
+
+Captain Elisha, though not greatly surprised, was shocked and grieved.
+It seemed such a needless tragedy, almost like murder, although there
+was no malice in it. And the thought of the fatherless children and the
+poverty of the stricken family made him shudder. Death at any time, amid
+any surroundings, is terrible; when the dead hands have earned the bread
+for many mouths it is appalling.
+
+The captain dreaded visiting the flat, but because he felt it to be a
+duty he went immediately. And the misery and wailing and dismay he found
+there were worse than his anticipations. He did his best to comfort and
+cheer. Mrs. Moriarty alternately called upon the saints to bless him and
+begged to know what she would do now that they were all sure to starve.
+Luckily, the family priest, a kind-hearted, quiet man who faced similar
+scenes almost every day of his life, was there, and Captain Elisha had a
+long talk with him. With Dennis, the oldest son, and Annie, the maid
+at the Warrens', he also consulted. Money for their immediate needs,
+he told them, he would provide. And the funeral expenses must not
+worry them. Afterward--well, plans for the future could be discussed at
+another time. But upon Dennis and Annie he tried to impress a sense of
+their responsibility.
+
+"It's up to you, Boy," he said to the former. "Annie's job's sure, I
+guess, as long as she wants it, and she can give her mother somethin'
+every month. But you're the man of the house now, and you've got to
+steer the ship and keep it afloat. That means work, and hard work,
+lots of it, too. You can do it, if you've got the grit. If I can find
+a better place and more pay for you, I will, but you mustn't depend on
+that. It's up to you, I tell you, and you've got to show what's in you.
+If you get stuck and need advice, come to me."
+
+He handed the priest a sum of money to cover immediate contingencies,
+and departed. His letter to Abbie that afternoon was so blue that the
+housekeeper felt sure he was "coming down" with some disease or other.
+He had been riding in that awful subway, where the air--so the papers
+said--was not fit to breathe, and just as like as not he'd caught
+consumption. His great-uncle on his mother's side died of it, so it "run
+in the family." Either he must come home or she should come to him, one
+or the other.
+
+But before evening his blueness had disappeared. He had just returned
+to his room, after stepping into the hall to drop his letter in the mail
+chute, when his niece knocked at the door. He was surprised to see her,
+for she had not spoken to him, except in brief reply to questions, since
+their misunderstanding in that very room. He looked at her wonderingly,
+not knowing what to say or what to expect; but she spoke first.
+
+"Captain Warren," she began, hurriedly, "the last time I came to
+you--the last time I came here, I came to ask a favor, and you--I
+thought you--"
+
+She was evidently embarrassed and confused. Her guardian was
+embarrassed, also, but he tried to be hospitable.
+
+"Yes, Caroline," he said, gravely, "I know what you mean. Won't
+you--won't you sit down?"
+
+To his surprise, she accepted the invitation, taking the same chair she
+had taken on the occasion of their former interview. But there was a
+look in her eyes he had never seen there before; at least, not when she
+was addressing him.
+
+She went on, speaking hastily, as though determined to head off any
+questioning on his part.
+
+"Captain Warren," she began once more, "the time I came to you in this
+room you were, so I thought, unreasonable and unkind. I asked you for
+money to help a poor family in trouble, and you refused to give it to
+me."
+
+"No, Caroline," he interrupted, "I didn't refuse, you only thought I
+did."
+
+She held up her hand. "Please let me go on," she begged. "I thought you
+refused, and I couldn't understand why. I was hurt and angry. I knew
+that father never would have refused me under such circumstances, and
+you were his brother. But since then, only to-day, I have learned that I
+was wrong. I have learned--"
+
+She paused. The captain was silent. He was beginning to hope, to believe
+once more in his judgment of character; and yet, with his hope and
+growing joy, there was a trifle of anxiety.
+
+"I have learned," went on his niece, "that I was mistaken. I can't
+understand yet why you wished to wait before saying yes, but I do know
+that it must have been neither because you were unkind nor ungenerous.
+I have just come from those poor people, and they have told me
+everything."
+
+Captain Elisha started. "What did they tell you?" he asked, quickly.
+"Who told you?"
+
+"Annie and her mother. They told me what you had done and were doing for
+them. How kind you had been all through the illness and to-day. Oh, I
+know you made them promise not to tell me; and you made the doctor and
+nurse promise, too. But I knew _someone_ had helped, and Annie dropped
+a hint. Then I suspected, and now I know. Those poor people!"
+
+The captain, who had been looking at the floor, and frowning a bit,
+suddenly glanced up to find his niece's eyes fixed upon him, and they
+were filled with tears.
+
+"Will you forgive me?" she asked, rising from her chair, and coming
+impulsively toward him. "I'm sorry I misjudged you and treated you so.
+You must be a very good man. Please forgive me."
+
+He took her hand, which was swallowed up in his big one. His eyes were
+moist, also.
+
+"Lord love you, dearie," he said, "there's nothin' to forgive. I
+realized that I must have seemed like a mean, stingy old scamp. Yet I
+didn't mean to be. I only wanted to look into this thing just a little.
+Just as a matter of business, you know. And I.... Caroline, did that
+doctor tell you anything more?"
+
+"Any more?" she repeated in bewilderment. "He told me that you were the
+kindest man he had ever seen."
+
+"Yes, yes. Well, maybe his eyesight's poor. What I mean is did he tell
+you anything about anybody else bein' in this with me?"
+
+"Anybody else? What do you mean?"
+
+"Oh, nothin', nothin'. I joked with him a spell ago about a wealthy
+relation of the Moriarty tribe turnin' up. 'Twas only a joke, of course.
+And yet, Caroline, I--I think I'd ought to say--"
+
+He hesitated. What could he say? Even a hint might lead to embarrassing
+questions and he had promised Dunn.
+
+"What ought you to say?" asked his niece.
+
+"Why, nothin', I guess. I'm glad you understand matters a little better
+and I don't intend for the estate nor you to pay these Moriarty bills.
+Just get 'em off your mind. Forget 'em. I'll see that everything's
+attended to. And, later on, if you and me can, by puttin' our heads
+together, help those folks to earnin' a better livin', why, we will,
+hey?"
+
+The girl smiled up at him. "I think," she said, "that you must be one
+who likes to hide his light under a bushel."
+
+"I guess likely a two-quart measure'd be plenty big enough to hide mine.
+There! there! We won't have any more misunderstandin's, will we? I'm a
+pretty green vegetable and about as out of place here as a lobster in
+a balloon, but, as I said to you and Steve once before, if you'll
+just remember I _am_ green and sort of rough, and maybe make allowances
+accordin', this cruise of ours may not be so unpleasant. Now you
+run along and get ready for dinner, or the Commodore'll petrify from
+standin' so long behind your chair."
+
+She laughed, as she turned to go. "I should hate to have him do that,"
+she said. "He would make a depressing statue. I shall see you again in a
+few minutes, at dinner. Thank you--Uncle."
+
+She left Captain Elisha in a curious state of mind. Against his will he
+had been forced to accept thanks and credit which, he believed, did not
+rightfully belong to him. It was the only thing to do, and yet it seemed
+almost like disloyalty to Malcolm Dunn. This troubled him, but the
+trouble was, just then, a mere pinhead of blackness against the radiance
+of his spirit.
+
+His brother's daughter had, for the first time, called him uncle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+
+"Captain Warren," asked Caroline, as they were seated at the breakfast
+table next morning, "what are your plans for to-day?"
+
+Captain Elisha put down his coffee cup and pulled his beard
+reflectively. Contrary to his usual desire since he came to the
+apartment to live, he was in no hurry to finish the meal. This breakfast
+and the dinner of the previous evening had been really pleasant. He had
+enjoyed them. His niece had not called him uncle again, it is true, and
+perhaps that was too much to be expected as yet, but she was cheerful
+and even familiar. They talked as they ate, and he had not been made to
+feel that he was the death's head at the feast. The change was marked
+and very welcome. The bright winter sunshine streaming through the
+window indicated that the conditions outside were also just what they
+should be.
+
+"Well," he replied, with a smile, "I don't know, Caroline, as I've made
+any definite plans. Let's see, to-day's Sunday, ain't it? Last letter I
+got from Abbie she sailed into me because, as she said, I seemed to
+have been 'most everywheres except to meetin'. She figgers New York's a
+heathen place, anyhow, and she cal'lates I'm gettin' to be a backslider
+like the rest. I didn't know but I might go to church."
+
+Caroline nodded. "I wondered if you wouldn't like to go," she said. "I
+am going, and I thought perhaps you would go with me."
+
+Her uncle had again raised his cup to his lips. Now he set it down with
+a suddenness which caused the statuesque Edwards to bend forward in
+anticipation of a smash. The captain started to speak, thought better of
+it, and stared at his niece so intently that she colored and dropped her
+eyes.
+
+"I know," she faltered, "that I haven't asked you before, but--but--"
+then, with the impulsiveness which was one of her characteristics, and
+to her guardian her great charm, she looked him full in the face and
+added, "but I hoped you would understand that--that _I_ understood a
+little better. I should like to have your company very much."
+
+Captain Elisha drew a long breath.
+
+"Thank you, Caroline," he answered. "I appreciate your askin' me, I
+sartinly do. And I'd rather go with you than anybody else on earth.
+But I was cal'latin' to hunt up some little round-the-corner chapel, or
+Bethel, where I'd feel a little bit at home. I guess likely your church
+is a pretty big one, ain't it?"
+
+"We attend Saint Denis. It IS a large church, but we have always been
+connected with it. Stephen and I were christened there. But, of course,
+if you had rather go somewhere else--"
+
+"No, no! I hadn't anywhere in particular to go. I'm a Congregationalist
+to home, but Abbie says I've spread my creed so wide that it ain't
+more'n an inch deep anywhere, and she shouldn't think 'twould keep me
+afloat. I tell her I'd rather navigate a broad and shallow channel,
+where everybody stands by to keep his neighbor off the shoals, than I
+would a narrow and crooked one with self-righteousness off both beams
+and perdition underneath.
+
+"You see," he added, reflectively, "the way I look at it, it's a pretty
+uncertain cruise at the best. Course there's all sorts of charts, and
+every fleet is sartin it's got the only right one. But I don't know.
+We're afloat--that much we are sure of--but the port we left and the
+harbor we're bound for, they're always out of sight in the fog astern
+and ahead. I know lots of folks who claim to see the harbor, and see it
+plain; but they don't exactly agree as to what they see. As for me, I've
+come to the conclusion that we must steer as straight a course as we
+can, and when we meet a craft in distress, why, do our best to help
+her. The rest of it I guess we must leave to the Owner, to the One that
+launched us. I.... Good land!" he exclaimed, coming out of his
+meditation with a start, "I'm preachin' a sermon ahead of time. And
+the Commodore's goin' to sleep over it, I do believe."
+
+The butler, who had been staring vacantly out of the window during the
+captain's soliloquy, straightened at the sound of his nickname, and
+asked hastily, "Yes, sir? What will you have, sir?" Captain Elisha
+laughed in huge enjoyment, and his niece joined him.
+
+"Well," she said, "will you go with me?"
+
+"I'd like to fust-rate--if you won't be too much ashamed of me."
+
+"Then it's settled, isn't it? The service begins at a quarter to eleven.
+We will leave here at half-past ten."
+
+The captain shaved with extra care that morning, donned spotless linen,
+including a "stand-up" collar--which he detested--brushed his frock-coat
+and his hair with great particularity, and gave Edwards his shoes to
+clean. He would have shined them himself, as he always did at home, but
+on a former occasion when he asked for the "blackin' kit," the
+butler's shocked and pained expression led to questions and consequent
+enlightenment.
+
+He was ready by a quarter after ten, but when his niece knocked at his
+door she bore a message which surprised and troubled him.
+
+"Mrs. Dunn called," she said, "to ask me to go to church with her. I
+told her I had invited you to accompany me. Would you mind if she joined
+us?"
+
+Her guardian hesitated. "I guess," he answered, slowly, "it ain't so
+much a question of my mindin' her as she mindin' me. Does _she_ want me
+to go along?"
+
+"She said she should be delighted."
+
+"I want to know! Now, Caroline, don't you think I'd be sort of in the
+way? Don't you believe she'd manage to live down her disappointment if
+I didn't tag on? You mustn't feel that you've got to be bothered with me
+because you suggested my goin', you know."
+
+"If I had considered it a bother I should not have invited you. If you
+don't wish Mrs. Dunn's company, then you and I will go alone."
+
+"Oh, land sakes! I wouldn't have you do that for the world! All right,
+I'll be out in a jiffy."
+
+He gave his hair a final brush, straightened his tie, turned around once
+more before the mirror, and walked fearfully forth to meet the visitor.
+For him, the anticipated pleasure of the forenoon had been replaced by
+uneasy foreboding.
+
+But Mrs. Corcoran Dunn, as she rose creakingly to greet him, was
+extremely gracious. She was gowned and furred and hatted in a manner
+which caused the captain to make hasty mental estimate as to cost, but
+she extended a plump hand, buttoned in a very tight glove, and murmured
+her gratification.
+
+"I'm so glad you are to accompany us, Captain Warren," she gushed. "It
+is a charming winter morning, isn't it?"
+
+Captain Elisha touched the plump glove with his own big finger tips,
+and admitted that the morning was "fust-rate." He was relieved from the
+embarrassment of further conversation just then by Caroline's appearance
+in the library. She, too, was richly dressed.
+
+"Are we all ready?" she asked, brightly. "Then we may as well start."
+
+"I'm afraid we're a trifle early, my dear," said Mrs. Dunn, "but we can
+stroll about a bit before we go in."
+
+The captain looked at the library clock. The time was a quarter to
+eleven.
+
+"Early?" he exclaimed, involuntarily. "Why, I thought Caroline said--"
+
+He stopped, suddenly, realizing that he had spoken aloud. His niece
+divined his thought and laughed merrily.
+
+"The service does begin now," she said, "but no one is ever on time."
+
+"Oh!" ejaculated her uncle, and did not speak again until they were at
+the door of the church. Then Caroline asked him what he was thinking.
+
+"Nothin' much," he answered, gazing at the fashionably garbed throng
+pouring under the carved stone arch of the entrance; "I was just
+reorganizin' my ideas, that's all. I've always sort of thought a plug
+hat looked lonesome. Now I've decided that I'm wearin' the lonesome
+kind."
+
+He marched behind his niece and Mrs. Dunn up the center aisle to the
+Warren pew. He wrote his housekeeper afterwards that he estimated
+that aisle to be "upwards of two mile long. And my Sunday shoes had a
+separate squeak for every inch," he added.
+
+Once seated, however, and no longer so conspicuous, his common sense
+and Yankee independence came to his rescue. He had been in much bigger
+churches than this one, while abroad during his seagoing years. He knew
+that his clothes were not fashionably cut, and that, to the people about
+him, he must appear odd and, perhaps, even ridiculous. But he remembered
+how odd certain city people appeared while summering at South Denboro.
+Recollections of pointed comments made by boatmen who had taken these
+summer sojourners on fishing excursions came to his mind. Well, he
+had one advantage over such people, at any rate, he knew when he was
+ridiculous, and they apparently did not.
+
+So, saved from humiliation by his sense of humor, he looked about him
+with interest. When the procession of choir boys came up the aisle,
+and Mrs. Dunn explained in a condescending whisper what they were, his
+answer surprised her a trifle. "Yes," whispered the captain in reply, "I
+know. I've seen the choir in Saint Peter's at Rome."
+
+Only once did he appear greatly astonished. That was when the offering
+was taken and a certain dignified magnate, whose fame as a king of
+finance is world-wide, officiated as one of the collectors.
+
+"Heavens and earth!" murmured Captain Elisha, staring wide-eyed at
+the unmistakable features so often pictured and cartooned in the daily
+papers; "Caroline--Caroline, am I seein' things or is that--is that--"
+
+"That is Mr. ----," whispered his niece. "He is one of the vestrymen
+here."
+
+"My soul!" still gazing after the Emperor of Wall Street; "_Him_ passin'
+the plate! Well," with a grim smile, "whoever picked him out for the job
+has got judgment. If _he_ can't make a body shell out, nobody can."
+
+He listened to the sermon, the text of which was from the Beatitudes,
+with outward solemnity, but with a twinkle in his eye. After the
+benediction, when Caroline asked how he enjoyed it, the cause of the
+twinkle became apparent.
+
+"Fine!" he declared, with enthusiasm. "He's a smart preacher, ain't he!
+And he knew his congregation. You might not guess they was meek perhaps,
+but they certainly did look as if they'd inherited the earth."
+
+He drew a breath of relief as the trio emerged into the open air. He had
+enjoyed the novel experience, in a way, but now he felt rather like one
+let out of jail. The quiet luncheon at home with Caroline was a pleasant
+anticipation.
+
+But Mrs. Corcoran Dunn smashed his anticipation at a blow. She insisted
+that he and his niece lunch with her.
+
+"You really must, you know," she declared. "It will be delightful. Just
+a little family party."
+
+Captain Elisha looked distressed. "Thank you, ma'am," he stammered;
+"it's awful kind of you, but I wouldn't feel right to go puttin' you
+to all that trouble. Just as much obliged, but I--I've got a letter to
+write, you see."
+
+Mrs. Dunn bore his refusal bravely.
+
+"Very well," she said, "but Caroline _must_ come with me. I told Malcolm
+I should bring her."
+
+"Sure! Sartin! Caroline can go, of course."
+
+But Caroline also declined. Having misjudged her guardian in the matter
+of the Moriarty family, she was in a repentant mood, and had marked that
+day on her calendar as one of self-sacrifice.
+
+"No, Captain Warren," she said, "I shall not go unless you do."
+
+"Then the captain will come, of course," declared Mrs. Dunn, with
+decision. "I'm sure he will not be so selfish as to deprive me--and
+Malcolm--of your company."
+
+So, because he did not wish to appear selfish, Captain Elisha admitted
+that his letter might be written later in the afternoon, accepted the
+invitation, and braced his spirit for further martyrdom.
+
+It was not as bad as he expected. The Dunns occupied a small,
+brown-stone house on Fifth Avenue, somewhat old-fashioned, but eminently
+respectable. The paintings and bronzes were as numerous as those in the
+Warren apartment, and if the taste shown in their selection was not that
+of Rodgers Warren, the connoisseur, they made quite as much show, and
+the effect upon Captain Elisha was the same. The various mortgages on
+the property were not visible, and the tradesmen's bills were securely
+locked in Mrs. Dunn's desk.
+
+The luncheon itself was elaborate, and there was a butler whose majestic
+dignity and importance made even Edwards seem plebeian by comparison.
+
+Malcolm was at home when they arrived, irreproachably dressed and
+languidly non-effusive, as usual. Captain Elisha, as he often said,
+did not "set much store" by clothes; but there was something about this
+young man which always made him conscious that his own trousers were a
+little too short, or his boots too heavy, or something. "I wouldn't
+_wear_ a necktie like his," he wrote Abbie, after his first meeting with
+Malcolm, "but blessed if I don't wish I could _if_ I would!"
+
+Caroline, in the course of conversation during the luncheon, mentioned
+the Moriartys and their sorrow. The captain tried to head her off and
+to change the subject, but with little success. He was uncomfortable
+and kept glancing under his brows at Malcolm, with whom, under the
+circumstances, he could not help sympathizing to an extent. But his
+sympathy was wasted. The young man did not appear in the slightest
+degree nervous. The memory of his recent interview with Captain Elisha
+did not embarrass him, outwardly at least, half as much as it did the
+captain. He declared that old Pat's death was beastly hard luck, but
+accidents were bound to happen. It was a shame, and all that. "If
+there's anything the mater and I can do, Caroline, call on us, of
+course."
+
+"Yes, do, Caroline," concurred his mother. "However, one must be
+philosophic in such cases. It is a mercy that people in their station do
+not feel grief and loss as we do. Providence, in its wisdom, has limited
+their susceptibilities as it has their intelligence. Don't you agree
+with me, Captain Warren?"
+
+"Sartin!" was the prompt reply. "It's always a comfort to me, when I go
+fishin', to know that the fish ain't got so much brains as I have. The
+hook hurts, I presume likely, but they ain't got the sense to realize
+what a mean trick's been played on 'em. The one that's caught's dead,
+and them that are left are too busy hustlin' for the next meal to waste
+much time grievin'. That eases my conscience consider'ble."
+
+Caroline seemed to be the only one who appreciated the sarcasm in this
+observation. She frowned slightly. Mrs. Corcoran Dunn tolerantly smiled,
+and her son laughed aloud.
+
+"Say, Admiral," he commented, "when it comes to philosophy you go some
+yourself, don't you?"
+
+"Um-hm. I can be as philosophical about other folk's troubles as anybody
+I ever see." Then, with an involuntary chuckle of admiration at the
+young gentleman's coolness, he added, "That is, anybody I ever see afore
+I come to New York."
+
+Malcolm opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again. The captain,
+noticing his change of purpose and following the direction of his look,
+saw Mrs. Dunn shake her head in sharp disapproval. He ate the remainder
+of his salad in silence, but he thought a good deal.
+
+"And now," said Mrs. Dunn, rising and leading the way to the
+drawing-room, "we must all go for a motor ride. Everyone rides on Sunday
+afternoon," she explained, turning to her male guest.
+
+The distressed look returned to Captain Elisha's face. His niece saw it,
+understood, and came to his rescue.
+
+"I think Captain Warren prefers to be excused," she said, smiling. "He
+has a prejudice against automobiles."
+
+"No!" drawled Malcolm, the irrepressible. "Not really? Admiral, I'm
+surprised! In these days, you know!"
+
+"It ain't so much the automobiles," snapped Captain Elisha, irritation
+getting the better of his discretion, "as 'tis the devilish fools
+that--"
+
+"Yes? Oh, all right, Mater."
+
+"That are careless enough to get in the way of them," finished the
+captain, with surprising presence of mind. "Still, if Caroline wants to
+go--"
+
+"I have it!" exclaimed Mrs. Dunn. "The young people shall go, and the
+others remain at home. Malcolm shall take you for a spin, Caroline, and
+Captain Warren and I will stay here and wait until you return. We'll
+have a family chat, Captain, won't we? Because," with a gay laugh, "in a
+way we _are_ like one family, you see."
+
+And, somewhat to Miss Warren's surprise, her uncle agreed to this
+proposition. He did not answer immediately, but, when he did, it was
+with heartiness.
+
+"Why, yes," he said, "that's a good idea. That's fust-rate. You young
+folks go, and Mrs. Dunn and I'll wait here till you come back. That's
+the way of the world--young folks on the go, and the old folks at home
+by the fire, hey, Mrs. Dunn?"
+
+The lady addressed did not relish being numbered with "old folks," but
+she smiled sweetly, and said she supposed it was. Malcolm telephoned to
+the garage and to Edwards at the Warren apartment, ordering the butler
+to deliver his mistress's auto cap and cloak to the chauffeur, who would
+call for them. A few minutes later the yellow car rolled up to the door.
+
+In the hall Mrs. Dunn whispered a reassuring word to her departing
+guest.
+
+"Now enjoy yourself, dear," she whispered. "Have a nice ride and
+don't worry about me. If he--if our encumbrance bores me too much I
+shall--well, I shall plead a headache and leave him to his own devices.
+Besides, he isn't so _very_ dreadful, is he?"
+
+Caroline shook her head. "No," she answered, "he is a good man. I
+understand him better than I did and--yes, I like him better, too."
+
+"Oh!... Indeed! Well, good-by, dear. Good-by."
+
+The yellow car roared as the chauffeur cranked it, then moved off up
+the crowded avenue. Mrs. Dunn watched it until it was out of sight.
+Her brows were drawn together, and she seemed puzzled and just a bit
+disconcerted. However, when she returned to the drawing-room, her
+gracious smile had returned, and her bland condescension was again in
+evidence.
+
+Captain Elisha had been standing by the window. She begged him to be
+seated. He thanked her, but looked dubiously at the Louis XVI chair
+indicated. She noticed the look.
+
+"Suppose we go into the library," she said. "It is much less formal. And
+there is a fire--for us _old_ folks," with a slight accent on the word.
+
+The library was more homelike. Not as many books as at the Warrens', but
+a great deal of gilt in the bindings and much carving on the cases. The
+fire was cheery, and the pair sat down before it in big easy chairs.
+Mrs. Dunn looked intently at the glowing coals.
+
+Captain Elisha cleared his throat. Mrs. Dunn leaned forward expectantly.
+The captain coughed and sank back in his chair.
+
+"Yes?" purred the lady. "You were about to say?"
+
+"Me? Oh, no, I didn't say anything."
+
+Another period of silence. Mrs. Dunn's foot tapped the rug impatiently.
+She wished him to begin the conversation, and he would not. At length,
+in desperation, she began it herself.
+
+"I suppose you find New York rather different from--er--North--er--"
+
+"From South Denboro? Yes, ma'am."
+
+"Do you like the city life?"
+
+"Well, I don't know, ma'am."
+
+"Not as well as you do that of the country, doubtless."
+
+"Well, you see, I ain't had so much of it."
+
+"No, of course not. It does so depend upon what one is accustomed to.
+Now I fancy I should be perfectly desperate in your village."
+
+One corner of Captain Elisha's mouth curled upward.
+
+"I shouldn't be surprised," he admitted.
+
+"Desperately lonely, I mean."
+
+"Yes'm. I judged that was what you meant. Still, folks can be lonesome
+in New York."
+
+"Perhaps. But really I don't see how. With all the whirl and the crowds
+and the glorious excitement. The feeling that one is at the very heart,
+the center of everything!"
+
+"Yes. If you belong to the machinery, I s'pose it's all right. But
+if you've been leanin' over the rail, lookin' on, and get pushed in
+unexpected, maybe you don't care so much about bein' nigh the center."
+
+"Then why stay there? Why not get out?"
+
+"If you're caught in the wheels, gettin' out's somethin' of a job."
+
+"But, as I understand it, Captain Warren--I may be misinformed, for, of
+course, I haven't been unduly curious concerning your family affairs--as
+_I_ understand it, you were not obliged to remain among the--among
+the wheels, as you call them. You could have gotten out quite easily,
+couldn't you?"
+
+"I presume likely I could. But, you see, ma'am, I had a feelin' that I'd
+ought to stay."
+
+Mrs. Dunn laughed lightly. "Ah me!" she exclaimed; "you felt it your
+duty, I suppose. Oh, you New England Puritans!"
+
+She shook her head in playful mockery. Then she added, "But, at all
+events, it cannot be so very disagreeable--now. I have no doubt it
+was--well, not comfortable for you at first. Steve and Caroline were
+quite impossible--really quite furious. Your sudden appearance in the
+capacity of guardian was too much for them. They were sure you must be
+a perfect ogre, Captain. I had to use all my eloquence to convince them
+they would not be devoured alive. But now--what a change! Why, already
+Caroline accepts you as--well, almost like an old friend, like myself.
+In the last few days this change in her attitude is quite marked. What
+_have_ you done? Are you a wizard? Do tell me!"
+
+This appeal, delivered with eloquence and most engaging play of brow and
+eye, should have been irresistible. Unfortunately the captain did not
+appear to have heard it. Leaning forward, his hands clasped between his
+knees, he was gazing into the fire. And when he spoke, it was as if he
+were thinking aloud.
+
+"I s'pose 'tis a sort of disease, this duty business," he mused. "And
+most diseases ain't cheerful visitations. Still a feller ought not to
+growl about it in public. I always did hate for a man to be goin' about
+forever complainin' of his sufferin's--whether they was from duty or
+rheumatiz."
+
+Mrs. Dunn's lips snapped shut. She pressed them together impatiently.
+Evidently her questions, and their diplomatic prelude, had been
+unheard and wasted. However, she did not intend to be sidetracked or
+discouraged.
+
+"One should not prate of one's duty, of course," she agreed. "Not that
+you do--far from it. But, as I was saying, our dear Caroline has--"
+
+"Thank you, ma'am. I hope I don't groan too loud. Do you know, I believe
+climate has a bearin' on duty, same as it has on rheumatics. I s'pose
+you city folks"--and there was almost contempt in the words--"are sort
+of Christian Science, and figger it's an 'error'--hey? Somethin' to be
+forgot."
+
+The lady resented the interruption, and the contempt nettled her.
+
+"Not at all!" she retorted. "We city dwellers have our duties, also."
+
+"Is that a fact? I want to know!"
+
+"Certainly it is a fact," tartly. "I have my duties and many of them."
+
+"Um! So? Well, I s'pose you do feel you must dress just so, and live
+just so, and do just such and such things. If you call those duties,
+why--"
+
+"I do. What else are they, pray?"
+
+Mrs. Dunn was finding it difficult to keep her temper. To be catechised
+in this contemptuously lofty manner by one to whom she considered
+herself so immensely superior, was too much. She forgot the careful plan
+of campaign which she had intended to follow in this interview, and now
+interrupted in her turn. And Captain Elisha, who also was something of a
+strategist, smiled at the fire.
+
+"We do have our social duties, our duties to society," snapped the
+widow, hotly. "They are necessary ones. Having been born--or risen to--a
+certain circle, we recognize the responsibilities attached to it. We
+_are_ careful with whom we associate; we have to be. As for dress, we
+dress as others of our friends do."
+
+"And maybe a little better, if you can, hey?"
+
+"If we can--yes. I presume--" with crushing irony--"dress in South
+Denboro counts but little."
+
+"You wouldn't say that if you ever went to sewin' circle," with a
+chuckle. "Still, compared to the folks at your meetin'-house this
+morning, our congregation would look like a flock of blackbirds
+alongside of a cage full of Birds of Paradise. But most of us--the women
+folks especial--dress as well as we can."
+
+"As well as you can!" triumphantly. "There! you see? And you live as
+well as you can, don't you?"
+
+"If you mean style, why, we don't set as much store by it as you do."
+
+"Nonsense! We are obliged to be," with a slight shudder at the
+vulgarism, "_stylish_. If we should lapse, if we should become shabby
+and behind the fashion or live in that way, people would wonder and
+believe it was because we could not afford to do otherwise."
+
+"Well, s'pose they did, you'd know better yourselves. Can't you be
+independent?"
+
+"No. Not unless you are very, very rich; then it might be considered an
+eccentricity. Independence is a costly luxury, and few can afford it."
+
+"But suppose you can't afford the other thing?"
+
+"Then we must pretend we can. Oh, you _don't_ understand! So _much_
+depends upon a proper appearance. Everything depends upon it--one's
+future, one's children's future--everything."
+
+"Humph!" with the same irritating smile, "I should think that might mean
+some plannin'. And plans, the best of 'em, are likely to go wrong. You
+talk about the children in your--in what you call your 'circle.' How can
+you plan what they'll do? You might when they was little, perhaps; but
+when they grow up it's different."
+
+"It is not. It _can't_ be! And, if they have been properly reared and
+understand their responsibilities, they plan with you."
+
+"Land sakes! You mean--why, s'pose they take a notion to get married?
+I'm an old bach, of course, but the average young girl or feller is
+subject to that sort of ailment, 'cordin' to the records. S'pose one
+of your circle's daughters gets to keepin' company with a chap who's
+outside the ring? A promisin', nice boy enough, but poor, and a rank
+outsider? Mean to say she sha'n't marry him if she wants to."
+
+"Certainly! That sort of marriage is never a happy one, unless, of
+course, the girl is wealthy enough not to care. And even then it is not
+advisable. All their customs and habits of thought are different. No!
+Emphatically, no! And the girl, if she is sensible and well reared, as I
+have said, will understand it is impossible."
+
+"My soul and body! Then you mean to tell me that she _must_ look out for
+some chap in her crowd? If she ain't got but just enough to keep inside
+the circle--this grand whirlamagig you're tellin' me about--if she's
+pretendin' up to the limit of her income or over, then it's her duty,
+and her ma and pa's duty, to set her cap for a man who's nigher the
+center pole in the tent and go right after him? Do you tell me that?
+That's a note, I must say!"
+
+Mrs. Dunn's foot beat a lively tattoo on the rug. "I don't know what you
+mean by a 'note,'" she commented, with majestic indignation. "I have
+not lived in South Denboro, and perhaps my understanding of English
+is defective. But marriages among cultivated people, _society_ people,
+intelligent, ambitious people are, or should be, the result of thought
+and planning. Others are impossible!"
+
+"How about this thing we read so much about in novels?--Love, I believe
+they call it."
+
+"Love! Love is well enough, but it does not, of itself, pay for proper
+clothes, or a proper establishment, or seats at the opera, or any of
+the practical, necessary things of modern life. You can't keep up a
+presentable appearance on _love_! If I had a daughter who lacked the
+brains to understand what I had taught her, that is, her duty as a
+member of good society, and talked of making a love match, I would....
+But there! You can't understand, I suppose."
+
+She rose and shook the wrinkles from her gown. Captain Elisha
+straightened in his chair. "Why, yes, ma'am," he drawled, quietly; "yes,
+ma'am, I guess I understand fust-rate."
+
+And suddenly Mrs. Dunn also understood. Her face, which had grown almost
+too red for one attached to a member of polite society, grew redder
+still. She turned away and walked to the window.
+
+"What nonsense we've been talking!" she said, after a moment's silence.
+"I don't see what led us into this silly discussion. Malcolm and your
+niece must be having a delightful ride. I almost wish I had gone with
+them."
+
+She did wish it, devoutly. Captain Elisha still remained by the fire.
+
+"Automobiles are great things for hustlin' around in," he observed.
+"Pity they're such dangerous playthings. Yet I s'pose they're one of the
+necessities of up-to-date folks, same as you said, Mrs. Dunn."
+
+"Surely," she asked coldly, "you don't condemn automobiles, Captain
+Warren? What would you--return to stage coaches?"
+
+"Not a mite! But I was thinkin' of that poor Moriarty man."
+
+"His death was due to an accident. And accidents," she turned and looked
+directly at him, "when they involve financial damages, may be paid for."
+
+The captain nodded. "Yes," he said.
+
+"And when arrangements for such payment is made, _honorable_ people--at
+least, in the circle of which you and I have been speaking--consider the
+matter settled and do not refer to it again, either among themselves--or
+elsewhere."
+
+"Yes, ma'am." He nodded again. She did know; Malcolm, evidently, had
+told her. "Yes, ma'am. That's the way any decent person would feel--and
+act--if such a thing happened--even if they hailed from South Denboro."
+
+He pushed back his chair and stood up. She continued to look him over,
+much as if she were taking a mental inventory of his character, or
+revising an old one.
+
+"I hope," she said, lightly, but with deliberation, "our little argument
+and--er--slight disagreement concerning--er--duty will not make us
+enemies, Captain Warren."
+
+"Enemies! Land sakes, no! I respect anybody's havin' opinions and not
+bein' afraid to give 'em. And I think I can understand some of how you
+feel. Maybe if I was anchored here on Fifth Avenue, same as you are,
+instead of bein' blown in by an unexpected no'theaster, I'd be feelin'
+the same way. It's all accordin', as I've said so often. Enemies? No,
+indeed!"
+
+She laughed again. "I'm so glad!" she said. "Malcolm declares he'd
+be quite afraid of me--as an enemy. He seems to think I possess
+some mysterious and quite diabolical talent for making my un-friends
+uncomfortable, and declares he would compromise rather than fight me
+at any time. Of course it's ridiculous--just one of his jokes--and I'm
+really harmless and very much afraid. That's why I want you and me to be
+friends, Captain Warren."
+
+"Sure!" Captain Elisha nodded emphatically. "That's what I want, too."
+
+But that evening, immediately after his return to the apartment,
+when--Caroline having gone to her own room to remove her wraps--he and
+the butler were alone, he characteristically unburdened his mind.
+
+"Mr. Warren, sir," said Edwards, "a young gentleman left a note here for
+you this afternoon. The elevator man gave it to me, sir. It's on your
+dressing table, sir."
+
+The captain's answer had nothing whatever to do with the note. He had
+been thinking of other things.
+
+"Commodore," he said, "I've got the answer."
+
+"To the note? Already, sir? I didn't know you'd seen it."
+
+"I ain't. I've got the answer to the conundrum. It's Mother!"
+
+"Mother, sir? I--I don't know what you mean."
+
+"I do. The answer's Mother. Sonny don't count, though he may think he
+does. But Mother's the whole team and the dog under the wagon. And,
+Commodore, we've got to trot some if we want to keep ahead of that team!
+Don't you forget it!"
+
+He went to his room, leaving the bewildered butler to retire to the
+kitchen, where he informed the cook that the old man was off his head
+worse than common to-night.
+
+"Blessed if he don't think he's a trotting horse!" said Edwards.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+
+The note on the dining room table proved, to the captain's delight, to
+be from James Pearson. It was brief and to the point.
+
+"Why don't you come and see me?" wrote the young man. "I've been
+expecting you, and you promised to come. Have you forgotten my address?
+If so, here it is. I expect to be in all day to-morrow."
+
+The consequence of this was that eleven o'clock the next day found
+Captain Elisha pulling the bell at a brick house in a long brick block
+on a West Side street. The block had evidently been, in its time, the
+homes of well-to-do people, but now it was rather dingy and gone to
+seed. Across the street the first floors were, for the most part, small
+shops, and in the windows above them doctors' signs alternated with
+those of modistes, manicure artists, and milliners.
+
+The captain had come a roundabout way, stopping in at the Moriarty
+flat, where he found Mrs. Moriarty in a curious state of woe and tearful
+pride. "Oh, what will I do, sir?" she moaned. "When I think he's gone,
+it seems as if I'd die, too. But, thanks to you and Miss Warren--Mary
+make it up to her!--my Pat'll have the finest funeral since the Guinny
+saloon man was buried. Ah, if he could have lived to see it, he'd have
+died content!"
+
+The pull at the boarding-house bell was answered by a rather slatternly
+maid, who informed the visitor that she guessed Mr. Pearson was in;
+he 'most always was around lunch time. So Captain Elisha waited in a
+typical boarding-house parlor, before a grate with no fire in it and
+surrounded by walnut and plush furniture, until Pearson himself came
+hurrying downstairs.
+
+"Say, you're a brick, Captain Warren!" he declared, as they shook hands.
+"I hoped you'd come to-day. Why haven't you before?"
+
+The captain explained his having mislaid the address.
+
+"Oh, was that it? Then I'm glad I reminded you. Rather a cheeky thing to
+do, but I've been a reporter, and nerve is necessary in that profession.
+I began to be afraid living among the blue-bloods had had its effect,
+and you were getting finicky as to your acquaintances."
+
+"You didn't believe any such thing."
+
+"Didn't I? Well, perhaps I didn't. Come up to my room. I think we can
+just about squeeze in, if you don't mind sitting close."
+
+Pearson's room was on the third flight, at the front of the house.
+Through the window one saw the upper half of the buildings opposite, and
+above them a stretch of sky. The bed was a small brass and iron affair,
+but the rest of the furniture was of good quality, the chairs were
+easy and comfortable, and the walls were thickly hung with photographs,
+framed drawings, and prints.
+
+"I put those up to cover the wall paper," explained the host. "I don't
+offer them as an art collection, but as a screen. Sit down. Put your
+coat on the bed. Shall I close the window? I usually keep the upper
+half open to let out the pipe smoke. Otherwise I might not be able to
+navigate without fog signals."
+
+His visitor chuckled, followed directions with his coat and hat, and sat
+down. Pearson took the chair by the small flat-topped desk.
+
+"How about that window?" he asked. "Shall I shut it?"
+
+"No, no! We'll be warm enough, I guess. You've got steam heat, I see."
+
+"You mean you hear. Those pipes make noise enough to wake the dead. At
+first I thought I couldn't sleep because of the racket they made. Now I
+doubt if I could without it. Would you consider a cigar, Captain?"
+
+"Hum! I don't usually stop to consider. But I tell you, Jim--just now
+you said something about a pipe. I've got mine aboard, but I ain't dared
+to smoke it since I left South Denboro. If you wouldn't mind--"
+
+"Not a bit. Tobacco in this jar on the desk. I keep a temporary supply
+in my jacket pocket. Matches? Here you are! What do you think of
+my--er--stateroom?"
+
+"Think it makes nice, snug quarters," was the prompt answer.
+
+"Humph! Snug is a good word. Much like living in an omnibus, but it
+answers the purpose. I furnished it myself, except for the bed. The
+original bureau had pictures of cauliflowers painted on each drawer
+front. Mrs. Hepton--my landlady--was convinced that they were roses. I
+told her she might be right, but, at all events, looking at them made
+me hungry. Perhaps she noticed the effect on my appetite and was willing
+for me to substitute."
+
+The captain laughed. Then, pointing, he asked: "What's that handbill?"
+
+The "handbill" was a fair-sized poster announcing the production at the
+"Eureka Opera House" of the "Thrilling Comedy-Drama, The Golden Gods."
+Pearson looked at it, made a face, and shook his head.
+
+"That," he said, "is my combined crusher and comforter. It is the
+announcement of the first, and next to the last, performance of a play
+I wrote in my calf days. The 'Eureka Opera House' is--or was, if the
+'gods' weren't too much for it--located at Daybury, Illinois. I keep
+that bill to prevent my conceit getting away with me. Also, when I get
+discouraged over my novel, it reminds me that, however bad the yarn may
+turn out to be, I have committed worse crimes."
+
+This led to the captain's asking about the novel and how it was
+progressing. His companion admitted having made some progress, more
+in the line of revision than anything else. He had remodeled his hero
+somewhat, in accordance with his new friend's suggestions during their
+interview at the Warren apartment, and had introduced other characters,
+portrait sketches from memory of persons whom he had known in his
+boyhood days in the Maine town. He read a few chapters aloud, and
+Captain Elisha waxed almost enthusiastic over them.
+
+Then followed a long discussion over a point of seamanship, the handling
+of a bark in a gale. It developed that the young author's knowledge
+of saltwater strategy was extensive and correct in the main, though
+somewhat theoretical. That of his critic was based upon practice and
+hard experience. He cited this skipper and that as examples, and carried
+them through no'theasters off Hatteras and typhoons in the Indian Ocean.
+The room, in spite of the open window, grew thick with pipe smoke, and
+the argument was punctuated by thumps on the desk and chair arms, and
+illustrated by diagrams drawn by the captain's forefinger on the side
+of the dresser. The effects of oil on breaking rollers, the use of a
+"sea-anchor" over the side to "hold her to it," whether or not a man
+was justified in abandoning his ship under certain given circumstances,
+these were debated pro and con. Always Pearson's "Uncle Jim" was held
+up as the final authority, the paragon of sea captains, by the visitor,
+and, while his host pretended to agree, with modest reservations, in
+this estimate of his relative, he was more and more certain that
+his hero was bound to become a youthful edition of Elisha Warren
+himself--and he thanked the fates which had brought this fine, able,
+old-school mariner to his door.
+
+At length, Captain Elisha, having worked "Uncle Jim" into a safe harbor
+after a hundred mile cruise under jury jig, with all hands watch and
+watch at the pumps, leaned forward in triumph to refill his pipe. Having
+done so, his eyes remained fixed upon a photograph standing, partially
+hidden by a leather collar box, upon the dresser. He looked at it
+intently, then rose and took it in his hand.
+
+"Well, I swan!" he exclaimed. "Either what my head's been the fullest
+of lately has struck to my eyesight, or else--why, say, Jim, that's
+Caroline, ain't it?"
+
+Pearson colored and seemed embarrassed. "Yes," he answered, "that is
+Miss Warren."
+
+"Humph! Good likeness, too! But what kind of rig has she got on? I've
+seen her wear a good many dresses--seems to have a different one for
+every day, pretty nigh--but I never saw her in anything like that.
+Looks sort of outlandish; like one of them foreign girls at Geneva--or
+Leghorn, say."
+
+"Yes. That is an Italian peasant costume. Miss Warren wore it at a fancy
+dress ball a year ago."
+
+"Want to know! I-talian peasant, hey! Fifth Avenue peasant with diamonds
+in her hair. Becomin' to her, ain't it."
+
+"I thought so."
+
+"Yup. She looks pretty _enough_! But she don't need diamonds nor
+hand-organ clothes to make her pretty."
+
+Then, looking up from the photograph, he asked, "Give you this picture,
+did she?"
+
+His friend's embarrassment increased. "No," he answered shortly. Then,
+after an instant's hesitation. "That ball was given by the Astorbilts
+and was one of the most swagger affairs of the season. The _Planet_--the
+paper with which I was connected--issues a Sunday supplement of
+half-tone reproductions of photographs. One page was given up to
+pictures of the ball and the costumes worn there."
+
+"I see. Astonishin' how folks do like to get their faces into print.
+I used to know an old woman--Aunt Hepsibah Tucker, her name was--she's
+dead now. The pride of Aunt Hepsy's heart was that she took nineteen
+bottles of 'Balm of Burdock Tea' and the tea folks printed her picture
+as a testimonial that she lived through it. Ho, ho! And society big-bugs
+appear to have the same cravin'."
+
+"Some of them do. But that of your niece was obtained by our society
+reporter from the photographer who took it. Bribery and corruption, of
+course. Miss Warren would have been at least surprised to see it in
+our supplement. I fancied she might not care for so much publicity and
+suppressed it."
+
+"Um-hm. Well, I guess you did right. I'll thank you for her. By the
+way, I told Caroline where I was cal'latin' to go this mornin', and she
+wished to be remembered to you."
+
+Pearson seemed pleased, but he made no comment. Captain Elisha blew a
+smoke ring from his pipe.
+
+"And say, Jim," he added, embarrassed in his turn, "I hope you won't
+think I'm interferin' in your affairs, but are you still set against
+comin' up to where I live? I know you said you had a reason, but are you
+sure it's a good one?"
+
+He waited for an answer but none came. Pearson was gazing out of the
+window. The captain looked at his watch and rose.
+
+"I guess I'll have to be goin'," he said. "It's after twelve now."
+
+His host swung around in his chair. "Sit down, Captain," he said. "I've
+been doing a lot of thinking since I saw you, and I'm not sure about
+that reason. I believe I'll ask your advice. It is a delicate matter,
+and it involves your brother. You may see it as he did, and, if so, our
+friendship ends, I suppose. But I'm going to risk it.
+
+"Mr. Rodgers Warren and I," he went on, "were well acquainted during
+the latter part of my newspaper work. I was financial man on the
+_Planet_, and some articles I wrote took your brother's fancy. At all
+events, he wrote me concerning them in highly complimentary terms and
+asked me to call and see him at his office. I did so and--well, we
+became very friendly, so much so that he invited me to his house. I
+dined there several times, was invited to call often, and--I enjoyed
+it. You see, I had few friends in the city, outside my journalistic
+acquaintances, and I suppose I was flattered by Mr. Warren's kindness
+and the fancy he seemed to have taken to me. And I liked Miss
+Warren--no one could help that--and I believed she liked me."
+
+"She does like you," interrupted his companion, with surprise.
+"Caroline's a good girl."
+
+"Yes, she is. However, she isn't in this story, except as a side-issue.
+At this time my ambitions were for a newspaper career, and I thought I
+was succeeding. And her father's marked interest and the things he said
+to me promised more than an ordinary success. He was a well known man on
+the street, and influential. So my head began to swell, and I dreamed--a
+lot of foolishness. And then--"
+
+He paused, put down his empty pipe, and sighed.
+
+"Well, then," he continued, "came the upset. I judged from what you
+said at our previous conversation, Captain, that you were well enough
+acquainted with Wall Street to know that queer operations take place
+there. Did you read about the South Shore Trolley business?"
+
+Captain Elisha considered. "Why, yes," he said, slowly, "seem's if I
+did. One of those consolidations with 'holdin' companies' and franchises
+and extensions and water by the hogshead. Wa'n't that it? I remember
+now; the Boston papers had considerable about it, and I presume likely
+the New York ones had more. One of those all-accordin'-to-law swindles
+that sprout same as toadstools in a dark place, but die out if the
+light's turned on too sudden. This one didn't come to nothin' but a bad
+smell, if I remember right."
+
+"You do. And I suppose I'm responsible for the smell. I got wind of
+the thing, investigated, found out something of what was going on, and
+printed a preliminary story in the _Planet_. It caused a sensation."
+
+He paused once more. Captain Elisha, for the sake of saying something,
+observed, "I shouldn't wonder."
+
+"It certainly did. And the morning on which it appeared, Mr. Rodgers
+Warren 'phoned me. He wished to see me at once. I went down to his
+office. Captain, I dislike to tell you this. Mr. Warren was your
+brother."
+
+"I know he was. And I'm his executor. Both those reasons make me
+'specially anxious to have you tell me the truth. Heave ahead now, to
+oblige me."
+
+"Well, I found him very polite and cordial, at first. He said that a
+ridiculous and sensational story concerning the Trolley Combine had
+appeared in the _Planet_, and he would like to have me contradict it and
+suppress further falsehoods of the kind. I told him I couldn't do that,
+because the story was true. I had written it myself. He was angry, and I
+could see that he was holding himself in by main strength. I went on to
+explain that it was the duty of an honest paper, as I saw it, to expose
+such trespass upon the people's rights. He asked me if I knew who was
+behind the scheme. I said I knew some of the backers. They were pretty
+big men, too. Then he informed me that he himself was deeply interested.
+
+"I was knocked off my feet by that, you can imagine. And, to be frank,
+Captain, if I had known it at first I'm not sure that I, personally,
+would have taken the matter up. Yet I might; I can't tell. But now that
+I had done it and discovered what I had, I couldn't give it up. I must
+go on and learn more. And I knew enough already to be certain that the
+more I learned the more I should write and have published. It was one of
+those things which had to be made public--if a fellow had a conscience
+about him and a pride in the decency of his profession.
+
+"All this was going through my head as I sat there in his private
+office. And he took my surprise and hesitation as symptoms of wavering
+and went at me, hard. Of course I knew, he said, that the operation was
+absolutely within the law. I did, but that didn't make it more honest or
+moral or just. He went on to say that in large financial deals of this
+nature petty scruples must be lost sight of. Good of the business,
+rights of stockholders, all that sort of stuff; he rang the changes. All
+the papers cared for was sensation; to imperil the fortune of widows and
+orphans whose savings were invested in the South Shore Stock, for the
+sake of sensation, was a crime. He should have known better than to say
+that to me; it is such an ancient, worn-out platitude."
+
+"I know. I've been to political meetin's. The widows and orphans
+are always hangin' on the success of the Republican party--or the
+Democratic, whichever way you vote. The amount of tears shed over their
+investments by fellers you wouldn't trust with a brass five-cent piece,
+is somethin' amazin'. Go on; I didn't mean to interrupt."
+
+"Then he switched to a more personal appeal. He said he had taken a
+fancy to me; had liked me from the very beginning. He recognized my
+unusual genius at first sight and had gone as far as to make plans
+bearing directly on my future. He was associated with men of wealth and
+business sagacity. Large deals, of which the Trolley Combine was but
+one, were on foot. He and his friends needed a representative on the
+press--a publicity agent, so to speak. Some of the greatest corporations
+employed men of that kind, and the salaries paid were large and the
+opportunities afforded greater still. Well, that's true enough. I know
+writers who are doing just that thing and getting rich at it. I suppose
+they've squared their consciences somehow and are willing to write lies
+and misleading articles for what there is in it. I can't, that's all;
+I'm not built that way, and I told him so.
+
+"It ended in an open break. He reminded me of the favors he had done me.
+He had treated me almost like a son, had introduced me to his family,
+entertaining me at his table. Where was my gratitude? That was another
+bad break on his part, for it made me mad. I told him I had not asked to
+be adopted or fed by him; if I had supposed his kindness had an ulterior
+motive, I would have seen him at the devil before I accepted a favor. My
+career as a financial visitor was ended. Get out of his office! I got.
+But the Trolley Combine did not go through. The _Planet_ and the other
+papers kept up the fight and--and the widows and orphans are bankrupt, I
+presume."
+
+Captain Elisha's pipe had gone out long since. He absently rubbed the
+warm bowl between his palms.
+
+"Humph!" he muttered. "So 'Bije was deep in that business, was he?"
+
+"He was. Very deep indeed, I found out afterwards. And, I declare, I
+almost pitied him at the time. He acted as if his whole fortune was
+staked on the gamble. His hands shook, and the perspiration stood on his
+forehead as he talked. I felt as if I had been the means of ruining
+him. But of course, I hadn't. He lived for some time after that, and, I
+understand, died a rich man."
+
+"Yes. He left what I'd call a heap of money. My nephew and niece don't
+seem to think so, but I do."
+
+"So you see, Captain, why I stopped calling on the Warrens, and why I
+did not accept Miss Warren's invitation."
+
+"I see.... I see.... And yet I don't know. 'Bije may have took to you
+for business reasons, but the children didn't. They liked you for
+yourself. Caroline as much as said so. And their father never told 'em a
+word about the row, neither. Of course you couldn't have called when he
+was alive, but he's gone, and I'm--well, I'm sort of temporary skipper
+there now. And _I_ want you to come."
+
+"But if Miss Warren did know? She should know, I think."
+
+"I ain't sure that she should. I guess there's consider'ble in her pa's
+life she ain't acquainted with. And she's as straight and honest and
+upright as a schooner's fo'mast. You did nothin' to be 'shamed of. It's
+the other way 'round, 'cordin' to my notion. But leave her out of
+it now. I've sacrificed some few things to take the job I've got at
+present, but I can't afford to sacrifice my friends. I count on you as a
+friend, and I want you to come and see _me_. Will you?"
+
+"I don't know, Captain Warren. I must think it over a while, I guess."
+
+"All right--think. But the invitation stands--_my_ invitation. And, if
+you want to shift responsibility, shift it on to me. Some day, if it'll
+make you feel better, I'll tell Caroline and Stevie the whole story. But
+I want them to know you and the world--and me--a little better first.
+'Cordin' to my notion, they need education just along that line. They've
+got teachers in other branches, but.... There! I've _got_ to be goin'.
+There's the dinner bell now."
+
+The string of Japanese gongs, hung in the lower hall, sounded
+sonorously. Captain Elisha reached for his coat and hat, but Pearson
+caught his arm.
+
+"No, you don't!" he declared. "You're going to stay and have lunch with
+me--here. If you say no, I shall believe it is because you are afraid of
+a boarding-house meal."
+
+His guest protested, but the protests were overruled, and he and
+his host went down to the dining room. The captain whispered as they
+entered, "Land sakes, Jim, this takes me back home. It's pretty nigh a
+twin to the dinin' room at the Centre House in South Denboro."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+All boarding-house dining rooms bear a family likeness, so the comment
+was not far wrong. A long table, rows of chairs on each side, ancient
+and honorable pictures on the walls, the landlady presiding majestically
+over the teapot, the boarders' napkins in rings--all the familiar
+landmarks were present.
+
+Most of the male "regulars" were in business about the city and
+therefore lunched elsewhere, but the females were in evidence. Pearson
+introduced his guest. The captain met Mrs. Hepton, the landlady, plump,
+gray-haired, and graciously hospitable. She did not look at all like
+a business woman, but appearances are not always to be trusted; Mrs.
+Hepton had learned not to trust them--also delinquent boarders, too far.
+He met Miss Sherborne, whose coiffure did not match in spots, but whose
+voice, so he learned afterward, had been "cultivated abroad." Miss
+Sherborne gave music lessons. Mrs. Van Winkle Ruggles also claimed his
+attention and held it, principally because of the faded richness of her
+apparel. Mrs. Ruggles was a widow, suffering from financial reverses;
+the contrast between her present mode of living and the grandeur of the
+past formed her principal topic of conversation.
+
+There were half a dozen others, including an artist whose aversion to
+barbers was proclaimed by the luxuriant length of his locks, a quiet old
+gentleman who kept the second-hand book store two doors below; his wife,
+a neat, trim little body; and Mr. and Mrs. C. Dickens, no less.
+
+Mr. Dickens was bald, an affliction which he tried to conceal by
+brushing the hair at the sides of his head across the desert at the
+top. He shaved his cheeks and wore a beard and mustache. Mrs. Dickens
+addressed him as "C.," and handed him the sauce bottle, the bread, or
+whatever she imagined he desired, as if she were offering sacrifice to
+an idol.
+
+She sat next to Captain Elisha and imparted information concerning her
+lord and master in whispers, during the intervals between offerings.
+
+"My husband will be pleased to meet you, Captain Warren," she murmured.
+"Any friend of Mr. Pearson is certain to be an acquisition. Mr. Pearson
+and my husband are congenial spirits; they are members of the same
+profession."
+
+"I want to know, ma'am."
+
+"Yes. What is it, 'C.' dear? Oh, the butter! Margaret--" to the
+waitress--"Mr. Dickens wishes another butter-ball. Yes, Captain Warren,
+Mr. Dickens is an author. Haven't you noticed the--er--resemblance? It
+is considered quite remarkable."
+
+Captain Elisha looked puzzled. "Why," he said, "I hadn't noticed it
+'special. Jim's--Mr. Pearson's--eyes and his are some the same color,
+but--"
+
+"Oh, no! not the resemblance to Mr. Pearson. I didn't mean _that_. The
+resemblance to his more famous namesake. Surely you notice it _now_."
+
+The captain shook his head. "I--I'm afraid I'm thick-headed, ma'am," he
+admitted. "I'm out of soundin's."
+
+"But the nose, and his beard, and his manner. Don't they remind you of
+the English Dickens?"
+
+"O-oh!" Captain Elisha inspected the great man with interest. He had
+a vague memory of a portrait in a volume of "Pickwick" at home. "Oh, I
+see! Yes, yes."
+
+"Of course you see! Everyone does. Mr. Dickens often says--it is one of
+his favorite jokes--that while other men must choose a profession, his
+was chosen for him by fate. How, with such a name, could he do anything
+except write?"
+
+"I don't know, ma'am. But names are risky pilots, ain't they? I've run
+against a consider'ble number of Solomons, but there wa'n't one of 'em
+that carried more'n a deckload of wisdom. They christened me Elisha, but
+I can't even prophesy the weather with sartinty enough to bet. However,
+I daresay in your husband's case it's all right."
+
+The lady had turned away, and he was afraid he might have offended her.
+The fear was groundless; she was merely offering another sacrifice, the
+sugar this time.
+
+"Yes?" she asked, turning, "you were saying--"
+
+"Why--er--nothin' of account. I cal'late the C. stands for Charles,
+then."
+
+"No-o. Mr. Dickens's Christian name is Cornelius; but don't mention it
+before him, he is very sensitive on that point."
+
+The Dickenses "tickled" the captain exceedingly, and, after the meal was
+over, he spoke of them to Pearson.
+
+"Say," he said, "you're in notorious company, ain't you, Jim? What has
+Cornelius Charles turned out so far, in the way of masterpieces?"
+
+Pearson laughed. "I believe he is employed by a subscription house,"
+he replied. "Doing hack work on an encyclopedia. A great collection of
+freaks, aren't they, Captain Warren?"
+
+"Kind of. But that old book-shop man and his wife seem nice folks. And,
+as for freaks, the average boardin' house, city or country, seems
+to draw 'em like flies. I guess most anybody would get queer if they
+boarded all the time."
+
+"Perhaps so. Or, if they weren't queer, they wouldn't board permanently
+from choice. There are two or three good fellows who dine and breakfast
+here. The food isn't bad, considering the price."
+
+"No, it ain't. Tasted more like home than any meal I've had for a good
+while. I'm afraid I never was cut out for swell livin'."
+
+Mrs. Hepton approached them as they stood in the hall. She wished to
+know if Mr. Pearson's friend was thinking of finding lodgings. Because
+Mr. Saks--the artist's name--was giving up the second floor back in a
+fortnight, and it was a very pleasant room. "We should be delighted to
+add you to our little circle, Captain Warren."
+
+Pearson told her that his companion was already lodged, and she said
+good-by and left them. The captain smiled broadly.
+
+"Everything in New York seems to be circles," he declared. "Well, Jim,
+you come up and circulate with me, first chance you get. I'm dependin'
+on you to call, remember."
+
+The young man was still doubtful.
+
+"I'll see," he said. "I can't promise yet--perhaps I will."
+
+"You will--after you've thought it out to a finish. And come soon. I'm
+gettin' interested in that second edition of your Uncle Jim, and I want
+to keep along with him as fast as you write. Good-by. Much obliged for
+the dinner--there I go again!--luncheon, I mean."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+
+Pearson called. He appeared at the apartment a week after the luncheon
+at the boarding house and was welcomed by the Captain Elisha, who,
+hearing his voice, strode into the hall, sent the shocked Edwards to the
+right-about in a hurry, seized his friend's hand, and ushered him into
+the library. Pearson said nothing concerning his change of mind, the
+course of reasoning which led him to make the visit, and the captain
+asked no questions. He took it for granted that the young fellow's
+common sense had turned the trick, and, the result being what it was,
+that was sufficient.
+
+They spent a pleasant afternoon together. Caroline was out, and they had
+the library to themselves. The newest chapters of the novel were read
+and discussed, and the salty flavor of the talk was as pronounced as
+ever. Pearson left early, but promised to come again very soon.
+
+When Caroline returned her uncle told her of his visitor. She seemed
+unfeignedly pleased, but regretted that she had not been there. "He was
+such a friend of father's," she said, "that seeing him here would be
+almost like the old days. And so many of those whom we thought were his
+friends and ours have left us."
+
+This was true. Rodgers Warren and his children had had many
+acquaintances, had been active in church and charitable work, and their
+former home was a center of entertainment and gayety while he lived. But
+his death and the rumors of shrinkage in the family fortune, the giving
+up of the Fifth Avenue residence, the period of mourning which forbade
+social functions, all these helped to bring about forgetfulness on the
+part of the many; and Caroline's supersensitiveness and her firm resolve
+not to force her society where it might be unwelcome had been the causes
+of misunderstanding in others, whose liking and sympathy were genuine.
+"I don't see what has come over Caroline Warren," declared a former girl
+friend, "she isn't a bit as she used to be. Well, I've done my part. If
+she doesn't wish to return my call, she needn't. _I_ sha'n't annoy her
+again. But I'm sorry, for she was the sweetest girl I knew."
+
+Stephen had never been very popular, and his absence at college still
+further reduced the number of young people who might be inclined to
+call. Their not calling confirmed Caroline's belief that she and
+her brother were deliberately shunned because of their change in
+circumstances, and she grew more sensitive and proudly resentful in
+consequence. Naturally she turned for comfort to those who remained
+faithful, the Dunns in particular. They were loyal to her. Therefore,
+with the intensity of her nature, she became doubly loyal to them. The
+rector of St. Denis dropped in frequently, and others occasionally, but
+she was lonely. She craved the society of those nearer her own age.
+
+Pearson's coming, then, was psychologically apt. When he made his next
+call upon Captain Elisha, to find the latter out but his niece at home,
+she welcomed him cordially and insisted upon his waiting until her
+guardian returned. The conversation was, at first, embarrassing for the
+ex-reporter; she spoke of her father, and Pearson--the memory of his
+last interview with the latter fresh in his mind, and painfully aware
+that she knew nothing of it--felt guilty and like a hypocrite. But soon
+the subject changed, and when the captain entered the library he found
+the pair laughing and chatting like old acquaintances, as, of course,
+they were.
+
+Captain Elisha, paying no attention to his friend's shakes of the head,
+invited his niece to be present at the reading of the latest addition to
+what he called "mine and Jim's record-breakin' sea yarn."
+
+"It's really mine, you understand, Caroline," he observed, with a wink.
+"I'm silent partner in the firm--if you can call the one that does all
+the talkin' silent--and Jim don't do nothin' but make it up and write it
+and get the profits. Course, you mustn't mention this to him, 'cause he
+thinks he's the author, and 'twould hurt his feelin's."
+
+"He's quite right," declared Pearson, emphatically. "If the thing is
+ever finished and published he will deserve all the credit. His advice
+had already remade it. This uncle of yours, Miss Warren," he added,
+turning to her, "is like the admiral Kipling wrote about--he has 'lived
+more stories' than ever I could invent."
+
+The captain, fearful that his niece might take the statement seriously,
+hastened to protest.
+
+"He's just foolin', Caroline," he said. "All I've done is set and talk
+and talk and talk. I've used up more of his time and the surroundin' air
+than you'd believe was possible. When I get next to salt water, even in
+print, it's time to muzzle me, same as a dog in July. The yarn is Jim's
+altogether, and it's mighty interestin'--to me anyhow."
+
+"I'm sure it will be to me, also," declared the young lady. "Captain
+Warren has told me all about it, Mr. Pearson, and I'm very eager to hear
+the new portion."
+
+"There!" Captain Elisha slapped his knee. "There, Jim!" he exclaimed,
+"you hear that? Now you've _got_ to read it. Anchor's apeak! Heave ahead
+and get under way."
+
+So, because he could not well refuse, the author reluctantly began
+to read. And, as usual, his nautical friend to interrupt and comment.
+Caroline listened, her eyes twinkling. When the reading and the
+arguments were at an end, she declared it was all splendid; "Just like
+being at sea one's self," she said. "I positively refuse to permit
+another installment to be submitted unless I am--on deck. That's the
+proper phrase, isn't it, Captain?"
+
+"Aye, aye, ma'am! Jim, we've shipped a new second mate, and she's goin'
+to be wuth her salt. You hear _me_!"
+
+She proved to be worth all of that, at least in Pearson's opinion. His
+calls and the readings and discussions became more and more frequent.
+Each of the trio enjoyed them greatly, Caroline quite as much as the
+others. Here was something new and fresh, something to furnish a real
+interest. The story advanced rapidly, the character of the nautical hero
+shaped itself better and better, and the heroine, also, heretofore a
+somewhat shadowy and vague young woman, began to live and breathe.
+She changed surprisingly, not only in mental but in physical
+characteristics.
+
+Captain Elisha was first to notice the latter peculiarity.
+
+"Say, Jim!" he interrupted, one afternoon, "what was that you just read
+about Mary? Her hat blowin' off to leeward and her brown hair blowin'
+after it? Or somethin' of that sort?"
+
+Caroline laughed merrily. The author turned to the passage mentioned.
+
+"Not exactly, Captain," he replied, smiling. "I said her hat had blown
+away, and her brown curls tossed in the wind. What's wrong with that?
+Hats do blow away in a sou'wester; I've seen them."
+
+"Perhaps he thinks she should have been more careful in pinning it on,"
+suggested the feminine member of the advisory board.
+
+Captain Elisha shook his head. "No," he observed calmly, "but why was
+she wearin' that kind of hair? She's pretty young to use a switch, ain't
+she?"
+
+"Switch?" repeated "Mary's" creator, with some indignation. "What are
+you talking about? When I first described her, I said that her hair was
+luxuriant and one of her chief beauties."
+
+"That's a fact! So you did. What made her dye it?"
+
+"Dye it? What do you think she is--a chorus girl?"
+
+"If I remember right she's a postmaster's daughter. But why is she
+wearin' brown hair, if it ain't neither false or dyed? Back in the third
+chapter 'twas _black_, like her eyes."
+
+Caroline burst into another laugh. Pearson blushed to his forehead.
+"Well, by George!" he admitted, "you're right. I believe I did have it
+black, at first."
+
+"You sartin did! I ain't got any objections to either color, only it
+ought to stay put, hadn't it? In a town of the size she's livin' in, a
+girl with changeable hair is likely to be kind of conspicuous. I tell
+you! maybe it bleached out in the sun. Ho, ho!"
+
+The writer made a note on the margin of his manuscript and declared
+that his heroine's tresses and eyes should be made to correspond at
+all stages. They did, but they remained brown. Captain Elisha chuckled
+inwardly, but offered no further comments. Caroline, whose own hair and
+eyes were brown, did not refer to the matter at all.
+
+She and the young man became better acquainted at each succeeding
+"literary clinic," as the latter called them. When Rodgers Warren first
+introduced him at their former home he had impressed her favorably,
+largely because of her desire to like anyone whom her father fancied.
+She worshiped the dead broker, and his memory to her was sacred. She
+would have forgiven and did forgive any wrong he might have done her,
+even his brother's appointment as guardian, though that she could not
+understand. Unlike Stephen, who fiercely resented the whole affair and
+said bitter things concerning his parent, she believed he had done what
+he considered right. Her feeling against Captain Elisha had been based
+upon the latter's acceptance of that appointment when he should have
+realized his unfitness. And his living with them and disgracing them in
+the eyes of their friends by his uncouth, country ways, made her blind
+to his good qualities. The Moriarty matter touched her conscience,
+and she saw more clearly. But she was very far from considering him
+an equal, or other than what Mrs. Corcoran Dunn termed him, an
+"encumbrance," even yet. She forced herself to be kind and tolerant and
+gave him more of her society, though the church-going experience was
+not repeated, nor did she accompany him on his walks or out-of-door
+excursions.
+
+If Pearson's introductions had been wholly as a friend of her
+guardian, her feeling toward him might have been tinged with the same
+condescension or aversion, even. But, hallowed as he was by association
+with her father, she welcomed him for the latter's sake. And, as she
+became interested in the novel and found that her suggestions concerning
+it were considered valuable, she looked forward to his visits and was
+disappointed if, for any reason, they were deferred. Without being aware
+of it, she began to like the young author, not alone because he wrote
+entertainingly and flattered her by listening respectfully to her
+criticisms, or because her father had liked him, but for himself.
+
+Captain Elisha was much pleased.
+
+"I told you, Jim!" he said. "She's just as glad to see you as I am. Now
+don't you see how foolish it was to stay away 'cause you and 'Bije had
+a spat? Think of all the good times we'd have missed! And we needed a
+female aboard your Uncle Jim's craft, to help with 'Mary' and the rest."
+
+His friend nodded. "She has been a great help, certainly," he answered.
+"But I can't help feeling guilty every time I come here. It is too much
+like obtaining her friendship under false pretenses. She should know the
+whole thing, I believe."
+
+"She shall know it, when I think it's time for her to. But I want her to
+know you first. Then she'll be able to judge without so much prejudice.
+I told you I'd take the responsibility. You leave the ship in my charge
+for a spell."
+
+In spite of this confident assertion, the captain also felt a trifle
+guilty. He realized that selfishness was involved in his keeping
+Pearson's secret from his niece. He was thoroughly enjoying himself with
+these two, and he could not bear to risk the breaking up which might
+follow disclosure.
+
+One evening, while a "clinic" was in progress and the three were deep
+in consultation, Edwards entered to announce Mrs. Corcoran Dunn and
+Mr. Malcolm. The butler's giving the lady precedence in his announcing
+showed that he, too, realized who was ranking officer in that family,
+even though the captain's "conundrum" had puzzled him. Mrs. Dunn and her
+son entered at his heels.
+
+[Illustration: "She and the young man became better acquainted at each
+succeeding 'literary clinic.'"]
+
+The lady took in the group by the table at a glance: Pearson, with
+the manuscript in his hands; Captain Elisha leaning back in his chair,
+frowning at the interruption; Caroline rising to welcome the guests, and
+coloring slightly as she did so. All these details Mrs. Dunn noted, made
+an entry in her mental memorandum-book, and underscored it for future
+reference.
+
+If she discerned unpleasant possibilities in the situation, she did
+not allow them to disturb her outward serenity. She kissed Caroline and
+called her "dear child" as fondly as usual, shook hands graciously with
+Captain Elisha, and bowed condescending recognition of Pearson.
+
+"And how is the novel coming on? Do tell me!" she begged. "I'm sure we
+interrupted a reading. It's too bad of us, really! But Malcolm insisted
+upon coming. He has been very busy of late--some dreadful 'corner' or
+other on the exchange--and has neglected his friends--or thinks he has.
+I told him I had explained it all to you, Caroline, but he _would_ come
+to-night. It is the first call he has made in weeks; so you _see_! But
+there! he doesn't consider running in here a call."
+
+Call or not, it spoiled the evening for at least two of the company.
+Pearson left early. Captain Elisha excused himself soon after and went
+to his room, leaving the Dunns to chat with Caroline for an hour or
+more. Malcolm joked and was languid and cynical. His mother asked a few
+carefully guarded questions.
+
+"Quite a clever person, this young author friend of yours seems to be,
+Caroline," she observed. "Almost brilliant, really."
+
+"He isn't a friend of mine, exactly," replied the girl. "He and Captain
+Warren are friendly, and father used to know and like him, as I have
+told you. The novel is great fun, though! The people in it are coming to
+seem almost real to me."
+
+"I daresay! I was a great reader myself once, before my health--my
+heart, you know--began to trouble me. The doctors now forbid my reading
+anything the least bit exciting. Has this--er--Mr. Pearson means?"
+
+"I know very little of him, personally, but I think not. He used to be
+connected with the _Planet_, and wrote things about Wall Street. That
+was how father came to know him."
+
+"Live in an attic, does he?" inquired Malcolm. "That's what all authors
+do, isn't it? Put up in attics and sleep on pallets--whatever they
+are--and eat crusts, don't they? Jolly life--if you like it! I prefer
+bucking wheat corners, myself."
+
+Mrs. Dunn laughed, and Caroline joined her, though not as heartily.
+
+"How ridiculous you are, Malcolm!" exclaimed his mother. "Mr. Pearson
+isn't that kind of an author, I'm sure. But where does he live,
+Caroline?"
+
+"Somewhere on West 18th Street, I believe. He has rooms there, I think."
+
+"Oh! Really? And how is this wonderful novel of his progressing? When
+does he expect to favor us with it?"
+
+"I don't know. But it is progressing very well at present. He has
+written three chapters since last Wednesday. He was reading them to us
+when you came."
+
+"Indeed! Since last Wednesday? How interesting!"
+
+Malcolm did not seem to find the topic interesting, for he smothered a
+yawn. His mother changed the subject. On their way home, however, she
+again referred to it.
+
+"You must make it a point to see her every day," she declared. "No
+matter what happens, you must do it."
+
+"Oh, Lord!" groaned her son, "I can't. There's the deuce and all on
+'Change just now, and the billiard tournament's begun at the Club. My
+days and nights are full up. Once a week is all she should expect, I
+think."
+
+"No matter what you think or what she expects, you must do as I say."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because I don't like the looks of things."
+
+"Oh, rubbish! You're always seeing bugaboos. Uncle Hayseed is pacified,
+isn't he? I've paid the Moriarty crowd off. Beastly big bills they were,
+too!"
+
+"Humph! Uncle Hayseed, as you call him, is anything but a fool. But he
+isn't the particular trouble at present. He and I understand each other,
+I believe, and he will be reasonable. But--there is this Pearson. I
+don't like his calling so frequently."
+
+Malcolm laughed in huge scorn. "Pearson!" he sneered. "Why, he's
+nothing but a penny-a-liner, without the penny. Surely you're not afraid
+Caroline will take a fancy to him. She isn't an idiot."
+
+"She's a young girl, and more romantic than I wish she was. At her age
+girls do silly things, sometimes. He called on Wednesday--you heard her
+say so--and was there again to-night. I don't like it, I tell you."
+
+"Her uncle is responsible for--"
+
+"It is more than that. She knew him long before she knew her uncle
+existed. Her father introduced him--her _father_. And to her mind,
+whatever her father did was right."
+
+"Witness his brilliant selection of an executor. Oh, Mater, you weary
+me! I used to know this Pearson when he was a reporter downtown,
+and.... Humph!"
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"Why, nothing, I guess. It seemed as if I remember Warren and Pearson in
+some sort of mix-up. Some.... Humph! I wonder."
+
+He was silent, thinking. His mother pressed his arm excitedly.
+
+"If you remember anything that occurred between Rodgers Warren and
+this man, anything to this Pearson's disadvantage, it may pay us to
+investigate. What was it?"
+
+"I don't know. But it seemed as if I remembered Warren's ... or a friend
+of his telling me ... saying something ... but it couldn't be of
+importance, because Caroline doesn't know it."
+
+"I'm not so sure that it may not be important. And, if you recall, on
+that day when we first met him at Caroline's, she seemed hurt because he
+had not visited them since her father died. Perhaps there _was_ a
+reason. At any rate, I should look into the matter."
+
+"All right, Mater, just as you say. Really you ought to join a Don't
+Worry Club."
+
+"One member in the family is quite sufficient. And I expect you to
+devote yourself to Caroline from now on. That girl is lonely, and
+when you get the combination of a lonely romantic young girl and a
+good-looking and interesting young fellow, even though he is as poor
+as a church mouse, _anything_ may happen. Add to that the influence of
+an unpractical but sharp old Yankee relative and guardian--then the
+situation is positively dangerous."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+
+An important event was about to take place. At least, it seemed
+important to Captain Elisha, although the person most intimately
+concerned appeared to have forgotten it entirely. He ventured to remind
+her of it.
+
+"Caroline," he said, "Sunday is your birthday, ain't it?"
+
+His niece looked at him in surprise. "Yes," she answered, "it is. How
+did you know?"
+
+"Why, I remembered, that's all. Graves, the lawyer man, told me how
+old you and Stevie were, fust time I met him. And his partner, Mr.
+Sylvester, gave me the date one day when he was goin' over your pa's
+will. You'll be twenty years old Sunday, won't you?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+It was late in the afternoon, and she had been out since ten o'clock
+shopping with Mrs. Dunn, lunching downtown with the latter and Malcolm,
+and motoring for an hour or two. The weather for the season was mild and
+sunny, and the crisp air had brightened her cheeks, her eyes sparkled,
+her fur coat and cap were very becoming, and Captain Elisha inspected
+her admiringly before making another remark.
+
+"My! My!" he exclaimed, after an instant's pause. "Twenty years old!
+Think of it! 'Bije's girl's a young woman now, ain't she? I cal'late he
+was proud of you, too. He ought to have been. I presume likely _he_
+didn't forget your birthday."
+
+He rose to help her with the heavy coat. As he lifted it from her
+shoulders, he bent forward and caught a glimpse of her face.
+
+"There! there!" he said, hastily. "Don't feel bad, dearie. I didn't mean
+to hurt your feelin's. Excuse me; I was thinkin' out loud, sort of."
+
+She did not answer at once, but turned away to remove her cap. Then she
+answered, without looking at him.
+
+"He never forgot them," she said.
+
+"Course he didn't. Well, you see I didn't forget, either."
+
+It was an unfortunate remark, inasmuch as it drew, in her mind,
+a comparison between her handsome, dignified father and his rude,
+uncultured brother. The contrast was ever present in her thoughts, and
+she did not need to be reminded of it. She made no reply.
+
+"I was thinkin'," continued the captain, conscious of having made a
+mistake, "that maybe we might celebrate somehow, in a quiet way."
+
+"No. I am not in the mood for--celebrations."
+
+"Oh, I didn't mean fireworks and the town band. I just thought--"
+
+"Please don't. I remember other birthdays too well." They had been great
+occasions, those birthdays of hers, ever since she was a little girl. On
+the eighteenth she made her debut in society, and the gown she wore on
+that memorable evening was laid away upstairs, a cherished memento, to
+be kept as long as she lived. Each year Rodgers Warren took infinite
+pains to please and surprise his idolized daughter. She could not bear
+to think of another birthday, now that he had been taken from her.
+
+Her guardian pulled his beard. "Well," he observed ruefully, "then my
+weak head's put my foot in it again, as the feller said. If I ain't
+careful I'll be like poor cracked Philander Baker, who lives with
+his sister over at Denboro Centre. The doctor told Philander he was
+threatened with softenin' of the brain, and the sister thanked him for
+the compliment. You see, Caroline, I wrote on my own hook and asked
+Stevie to come home Saturday and stay till Monday. I kind of thought
+you'd like to have him here."
+
+"Oh, I should like _that_! But will he come? Has he written you?"
+
+"Hey? Yes, I cal'late he'll be on deck. He's--er--yes, he's written me."
+
+He smiled as he answered. As a matter of fact, the correspondence
+between Stephen and himself had been lengthy and voluminous on the part
+of the former, and brief and business-like on his own. The boy, on his
+return to college, had found "conditions" awaiting him, and the amount
+of hard work involved in their clearance was not at all to his taste.
+He wrote his guardian before the first week was over, asserting that the
+whole business was foolishness and a waste of time. He should come
+home at once, he said, and he notified the captain that such was his
+intention. Captain Elisha replied with promptness and decision. If he
+came home he would be sent back, that was all. "I realize you've got a
+job ahead of you, Son," wrote the captain, "but you can do it, if you
+will. Fact is, I guess you've got to. So sail in and show us what you're
+made of."
+
+Stephen's answer was a five page declaration of independence. He refused
+to be bullied by any living man. He had made arrangements to come to New
+York on the following Monday, and he was coming. As to being sent back,
+he wished his uncle to understand that it was one thing to order and
+another to enforce obedience. To which he received the following note:
+
+    "I can't stop you from coming, Steve, except by going to New
+    Haven and holding you by main strength. That I don't propose
+    to do, for two reasons: first, that it is too much trouble,
+    and second that it ain't necessary. You can come home once in
+    a while to see your sister, but you mustn't do it till I say
+    the word. If you do, I shall take the carfare out of your
+    allowance, likewise board while you are here, and stop that
+    allowance for a month as a sort of fine for mutiny. So you
+    better think it over a spell. And, if I was you, I wouldn't
+    write Caroline that I was coming, or thinking of coming, till
+    I had my mind made up. She believes you are working hard at
+    your lessons. I shouldn't disappoint her, especially as it
+    wouldn't be any use.
+
+               "Your affectionate uncle,
+                    "ELISHA WARREN."
+
+The result of all this was that Stephen, whose finances were already in
+a precarious condition, did think it over and decided not to take the
+risk. Also, conscious that his sister sided with their guardian to the
+extent of believing the university the best place for him at present, he
+tore up the long letter of grievance which he had written her, and, in
+that which took its place, mentioned merely that he was "grinding like
+blazes," and the only satisfaction he got from it was his removal from
+the society of the "old tyrant from Cape Cod."
+
+He accepted the tyrant's invitation to return for the week-end and
+his sister's birthday with no hesitation whatever; and his letter of
+acceptance was so politic as to be almost humble.
+
+He arrived on an early train Saturday morning. Caroline met him at the
+station, and the Dunns' car conveyed them to the latter's residence,
+where they were to spend the day. The Dunns and Caroline had been
+together almost constantly since the evening when Malcolm and his mother
+interrupted the reading of the novel. The former, while professing to be
+harassed by business cares, sacrificed them to the extent of devoting at
+least a part of each twenty-four hours to the young lady's society.
+She was rarely allowed to be alone with her uncle, a circumstance which
+troubled her much less than it did him. He missed the evenings which he
+had enjoyed so much, and the next consultation over the adventures
+of Pearson's "Uncle Jim" and his "Mary" seemed flat and uninteresting
+without criticism and advice.
+
+The author himself noticed the difference.
+
+"Rot!" he exclaimed, throwing the manuscript aside in disgust. "It's
+rot, isn't it! If I can't turn out better stuff than that, I'd better
+quit. And I thought it was pretty decent, too, until to-night."
+
+Captain Elisha shook his head. "It don't seem quite so shipshape,
+somehow," he admitted, "but I guess likely it's 'cause my head's full
+of other things just now. I'm puzzled 'most to death to know what to get
+for Caroline's birthday. I want to get her somethin' she'll like, and
+she's got pretty nigh everything under the sun. Say, Jim, you've been
+workin' too hard, yourself. Why don't you take to-morrow off and cruise
+around the stores helpin' me pick out a present. Come ahead--do!"
+
+They spent the next afternoon in that "cruise," visiting department
+stores, jewelers, and art shops innumerable. Captain Elisha was hard to
+please, and his comments characteristic.
+
+"I guess you're right, Jim," he said, "there's no use lookin' at
+pictures. Let alone that the walls are so covered with 'em now a fly
+can't scarcely light without steppin' on some kind of scenery--let
+alone that, my judgment on pictures ain't any good. I cal'late that's
+considered pretty fine, ain't it?" pointing to a painting in the gallery
+where they then were.
+
+"Yes," replied the dealer, much amused. "That is a good specimen of the
+modern impressionist school."
+
+"Humph! Cookin' school, I shouldn't wonder. I'd call it a portrait of a
+plate of scrambled eggs, if 'twa'n't for that green thing that's either
+a cow or a church in the offin'. Out of soundin's again, I am! But I
+knew she liked pictures, and so.... However, let's set sail for a
+jewelry store."
+
+The sixth shop of this variety which they visited happened to be one of
+the largest and most fashionable in the city. Here the captain's fancy
+was taken by a gold chain for the neck, set with tiny emeralds.
+
+"That's pretty--sort of--ain't it, Jim?" he asked.
+
+"Yes," replied his companion, with emphasis, "it is. And I think you'll
+find it is expensive, also."
+
+"That so? How much?" turning to the salesman.
+
+The latter gave the price of the chain. Captain Elisha whistled.
+
+"Whew! Jerushy!" he exclaimed. "And it wouldn't much more than go around
+my wrist, at that. All the same size, are they?"
+
+"No. Some are longer. The longer ones are higher priced, of course."
+
+"Sartin! They're for fleshy folks, I s'pose. Mrs. Thoph Kenney down
+home, she'd have to splice three of 'em together to make the round trip.
+Thoph's always scared he won't get his money's wuth in a trade, but he
+couldn't kick when he got her. To give the minister a dollar and walk
+off with two hundred and eighty pounds of wife is showin' some business
+sagacity, hey? To do him justice, I will say that _he_ seems to be
+satisfied; she's the one that does the complainin'. I guess this is the
+most expensive counter in the store, ain't it, Mister?"
+
+The clerk laughed. "No, indeed," he said. "These are all moderate priced
+goods. I wonder," turning to Pearson, "if your friend wouldn't like to
+see some of our choice pieces. It is a quiet day here, and I shall be
+glad to show them."
+
+He led the way to a set of show cases near the door on the Fifth Avenue
+side. There before Captain Elisha's dazzled eyes were displayed diamond
+necklaces and aigrettes, tiaras and brooches, the figures on their price
+tags running high into the thousands. Pearson and the good-natured clerk
+enjoyed themselves hugely.
+
+"Jim," said the captain after a little of this, "is there a police
+officer lookin' this way?"
+
+Pearson laughed. "I guess not," he answered. "Why? The temptation isn't
+getting too much for your honesty, is it?"
+
+"No," with a sigh, "but I'm carryin' a forty dollar watch and wearin' a
+ring that cost fifteen. I thought they was some punkins till I begun
+to look at this stuff. Now they make me feel so mean and poverty-struck
+that I expect to be took up for a tramp any minute. Mister," to the
+clerk, "you run right along and wrap up that chain I was lookin' at.
+Hurry! or I'll be ashamed to carry anything so cheap."
+
+"Think she'll like it, do you, Jim?" he asked, when they were once more
+out of doors with the purchase in his inside pocket.
+
+"She ought, certainly," replied Pearson. "It's a beautiful thing."
+
+"Yes. Well, you see," apologetically, "I wanted to give her somethin'
+pretty good. 'Bije always did, and I didn't want to fall too fur behind.
+But," with a chuckle, "you needn't mention the price to anybody. If
+Abbie--my second cousin keepin' house for me, she is--if Abbie heard
+of it she'd be for puttin' me in an asylum. Abbie's got a hair
+breastpin and a tortoise shell comb, but she only wears 'em to the
+Congregationalist meetin'-house, where she's reasonably sure there ain't
+likely to be any sneak-thieves. She went to a Unitarian sociable once,
+but she carried 'em in a bag inside her dress."
+
+Captain Elisha planned to surprise his niece with the gift at breakfast
+on the morning of her birthday, but, after reflection, decided to
+postpone the presentation until dinner time. The inevitable Dunns had
+taken upon themselves the duty of caring for the girl and her brother
+during the major part of the day. The yellow car appeared at the door
+at ten o'clock and bore the two away. Caroline assured her guardian,
+however, that they would return in season for the evening meal.
+
+The captain spent lonely but busy hours until dinner time came. He had
+done some scheming on his own hook and, after a long argument with
+the cook, reenforced by a small sum in cash, had prevailed upon that
+haughty domestic to fashion a birthday cake of imposing exterior and
+indigestible make-up. Superintending the icing of this masterpiece
+occupied some time. He then worried Edwards into a respectful but
+stubborn fury by suggesting novelties in the way of table arrangement.
+Another bestowal of small change quelled the disturbance. Then came,
+by messenger, a dozen American Beauty roses with Mr. Pearson's card
+attached. These the captain decided should be placed in the center of
+the festive board. As a center piece had been previously provided, there
+was more argument. The cook took the butler's side in the debate, and
+the pair yielded only when Captain Elisha again dived into his pocket.
+
+"But I warn you, all hands," he observed, "that this is the last time.
+My right fist's got a cramp in it this minute, and you couldn't open it
+again with a cold chisel."
+
+At last, however, everything was as it should be, and he sat down in the
+library to await the coming of the young people. The gold chain in its
+handsome leather case, the latter enclosed in the jeweler's box, was
+carefully laid beside Caroline's place at the table. The dinner was
+ready, the cake, candles and all--the captain had insisted upon twenty
+candles--was ready, also. There was nothing to do but wait--and he
+waited.
+
+Six-thirty was the usual dinner hour. It passed. Seven o'clock struck,
+then eight, and still Captain Elisha sat alone in the library. The cook
+sent word that the dinner was ruined. Edwards respectfully asked, "What
+shall I do, sir?" twice, the second time being sent flying with an order
+to "Go for'ard and keep your hatches closed!" The nautical phraseology
+was lost upon the butler, but the tone and manner of delivery were quite
+understandable.
+
+Several times the captain rose from his chair to telephone the Dunn
+house and ask the reason for delay. Each time he decided not to do so.
+No doubt there were good reasons; Caroline and her brother had been
+detained; perhaps the automobile had broken down--the things were always
+breaking down just at the most inconvenient times; perhaps.... Well, at
+any rate, he would not 'phone just yet; he would wait a little longer.
+
+At last the bell rang. Captain Elisha sprang up, smiling, his impatience
+and worry forgotten, and, pushing the butler aside, hurried to open
+the door himself. He did so and faced, not his niece and nephew, but
+Pearson.
+
+"Good evening, Captain," hailed the young man, cheerily. "Didn't expect
+me, did you? I dropped in for a moment to shake hands with you and to
+offer congratulations to Miss Warren." Then, noticing the expression on
+his friend's face, he added, "What's the matter? Anything wrong? Am I
+intruding?"
+
+"No, no! Course not. You're as welcome as another egg in a poor man's
+hen-house. Come right in and take off your things. I'm glad to see you.
+Only--well, the fact is I thought 'twas Caroline comin' home. She and
+Stevie was to be here over two hours ago, and I can't imagine what's
+keepin' 'em."
+
+He insisted upon his visitor's remaining, although the latter, when he
+understood the situation, was reluctant to do so.
+
+"Caroline'll be real glad to see you, Jim, I know," the captain said.
+"And I want you to stay for my sake. Between pacifyin' the Commodore
+and frettin' over what couldn't possibly happen, I was half dead of the
+fidgets. Stay and cheer me up, there's a good feller. I'd just about
+reached the stage where I had the girl and boy stove to flinders under
+that pesky auto. I'd even begun to figger on notifyin' the undertaker.
+Tell me I'm an old fool and then talk about somethin' else. They'll be
+here any minute."
+
+But a good many minutes passed, and still they did not come. Pearson,
+aware of his companion's growing anxiety, chatted of the novel, of the
+people at the boarding house, of anything and everything he could think
+of likely to divert attention from the one important topic. The answers
+he received were more and more brief and absent. At last, when Edwards
+again appeared, appealingly mute, at the entrance to the dining room,
+Captain Elisha, with a sigh which was almost a groan, surrendered.
+
+"I guess," he said, reluctantly, "I guess, Jim, there ain't any use
+waitin' any longer. Somethin's kept 'em, and they won't be here for
+dinner. You and I'll set down and eat--though I ain't got the appetite I
+cal'lated to have."
+
+Pearson had dined hours before, but he followed his friend, resolved to
+please the latter by going through the form of pretending to eat.
+
+They sat down together. Captain Elisha, with a rueful smile, pointed to
+the floral centerpiece.
+
+"There's your posies, Jim," he observed. "Look pretty, don't they. She
+ain't seen 'em yet, but she'll like 'em when she does. And that over
+there, is her present from me. Stevie gave her a box of gloves, and I
+expect, from what Mrs. Dunn hinted, that she and that son of hers gave
+her somethin' fine. She'll show us when she gets here. What's this,
+Commodore? Oysters, hey? Well, they ought to taste like home. They're
+'Cape Cods'; I wouldn't have anything else."
+
+"We won't touch the birthday cake, Jim," he added, a little later.
+"She's got to cut that herself."
+
+The soup was only lukewarm, but neither of them commented on the fact.
+The captain had scarcely tasted of his, when he paused, his spoon in
+air.
+
+"Hey?" he exclaimed. "Listen! What's that? By the everlastin', it _is_.
+Here they are, at _last_!"
+
+He sprang up with such enthusiasm that his chair tipped backwards
+against the butler's devoted shins. Pearson, almost as much pleased,
+also rose.
+
+Captain Elisha paid scant attention to the chair incident.
+
+"What are you waitin' for?" he demanded, whirling on Edwards, who was
+righting the chair with one hand and rubbing his knee with the other.
+"Don't you hear 'em at the door? Let 'em in!"
+
+He reached the library first, his friend following more leisurely.
+Caroline and Stephen had just entered.
+
+"Well!" he cried, in his quarter-deck voice, his face beaming with
+relief and delight, "you _are_ here, ain't you! I begun to think....
+Why, what's the matter?"
+
+The question was addressed to Stephen, who stood nearest to him. The boy
+did not deign to reply. With a contemptuous grunt, he turned scornfully
+away from his guardian.
+
+"What is it, Caroline?" demanded Captain Elisha. "_Has_ anything
+happened?"
+
+The girl looked coldly at him. A new brooch--Mrs. Corcoran Dunn's
+birthday gift--sparkled at her throat.
+
+"No accident has happened, if that is what you mean," she said.
+
+"But--why, yes, that was what I meant. You was so awful late, and you
+know you said you'd be home for dinner, so--"
+
+"I changed my mind. Come, Steve."
+
+She turned to leave the room. Pearson, at that moment, entered it.
+Stephen saw him first.
+
+"_What_?" he cried. "Well, of all the nerve! Look, Caro!"
+
+"Jim--Mr. Pearson, I mean--ran in a few minutes ago," explained Captain
+Elisha, bewildered and stammering. "He thought of course we'd had dinner
+and--and--he just wanted to wish you many happy returns, Caroline."
+
+Pearson had extended his hand and a "Good evening" was on his lips.
+Stephen's strange behavior and language caused him to halt. He flushed,
+awkward, surprised, and indignant.
+
+Caroline turned and saw him. She started, and her cheeks also grew
+crimson. Then, recovering, she looked him full in the face, and
+deliberately and disdainfully turned her back.
+
+"Come, Steve!" she said again, and walked from the room.
+
+Her brother hesitated, glared at Pearson, and then stalked haughtily
+after her.
+
+Captain Elisha's bewilderment was supreme. He stared, open-mouthed,
+after his nephew and niece, and then turned slowly to his friend.
+
+"What on earth, Jim," he stammered. "What's it _mean_?"
+
+Pearson shrugged his shoulders. "I think I know what it means," he said.
+"I presume that Miss Warren and her brother have learned of my trouble
+with their father."
+
+"Hey? No! you don't think _that's_ it."
+
+"I think there's no doubt of it."
+
+"But how?"
+
+"I don't know how. What I do know is that I should not have come here. I
+felt it and, if you will remember, I said so. I was a fool. Good night,
+Captain."
+
+Hot and furiously angry at his own indecision which had placed him in
+this humiliating situation, he was striding towards the hall. Captain
+Elisha seized his arm.
+
+"Stay where you are, Jim!" he commanded. "If the trouble's what you
+think it is, I'm more to blame than anybody else, and you sha'n't leave
+this house till I've done my best to square you."
+
+"Thank you; but I don't wish to be 'squared.' I've done nothing to be
+ashamed of, and I have borne as many insults as I can stand. I'm going."
+
+"No, you ain't. Not yet. I want you to stay."
+
+At that moment Stephen's voice reached them from the adjoining room.
+
+"I tell you I shall, Caro!" it proclaimed, fiercely. "Do you suppose
+I'm going to permit that fellow to come here again--or to go until he is
+made to understand what we think of him and why? No, by gad! I'm the man
+of this family, and I'll tell him a few things."
+
+Pearson's jaw set grimly.
+
+"You may let go of my wrist, Captain Warren," he said; "I'll stay."
+
+Possibly Stephen's intense desire to prove his manliness made him
+self-conscious. At any rate, he never appeared more ridiculously boyish
+than when, an instant later, he marched into the library and confronted
+his uncle and Pearson.
+
+"I--I want to say--" he began, majestically; "I want to say--"
+
+He paused, choking, and brandished his fist.
+
+"I want to say--" he began again.
+
+"All right, Stevie," interrupted the captain, dryly, "then I'd say it if
+I was you. I guess it's time you did."
+
+"I want to--to tell that fellow _there_," with a vicious stab of his
+forefinger in the direction of Pearson, "that I consider him an--an
+ingrate--and a scoundrel--and a miserable--"
+
+"Steady!" Captain Elisha's interruption was sharp this time. "Steady
+now! Leave out the pet names. What is it you've got to tell?"
+
+"I--my sister and I have found out what a scoundrel he is, that's what!
+We've learned of the lies he wrote about father. We know that he was
+responsible for all that cowardly, lying stuff in the _Planet_--all that
+about the Trolley Combine. And we don't intend that he shall sneak into
+this house again. If he was the least part of a man, he would never have
+come."
+
+"Mr. Warren--" began Pearson, stepping forward. The captain interrupted.
+
+"Hold on, Jim!" he said. "Just a minute now. You've learned somethin',
+you say, Stevie. The Dunns told you, I s'pose."
+
+"Never mind who told me!"
+
+"I don't--much. But I guess we'd better have a clear understandin', all
+of us. Caroline, will you come in here, please?"
+
+He stepped toward the door. Stephen sprang in front of him.
+
+"My sister doesn't intend to cheapen herself by entering that man's
+presence," he declared, hotly. "I'll deal with him, myself!"
+
+"All right. But I guess she'd better be here, just the same. Caroline, I
+want you."
+
+"She sha'n't come!"
+
+"Yes, she shall. Caroline!"
+
+The boy would have detained him, but he pushed him firmly aside and
+walked toward the door. Before he reached it, however, his niece
+appeared.
+
+"Well?" she said, coldly. "What is it you want of me?"
+
+"I want you to hear Mr. Pearson's side of this business--and
+mine--before you do anything you'll be sorry for."
+
+"I think I've heard quite enough of Mr. Pearson already. Nothing he can
+say or do will make me more sorry than I am, or humiliate me more than
+the fact that I have treated him as a friend."
+
+The icy contempt in her tone was cutting. Pearson's face was white, but
+he spoke clearly and with deliberation.
+
+"Miss Warren," he said, "I must insist that you listen for another
+moment. I owe you an apology for--"
+
+"Apology!" broke in Stephen, with a scornful laugh. "Apology! Well, by
+gad! Just hear that, Caro!"
+
+The girl's lip curled. "I do not wish to hear your apology," she said.
+
+"But I wish you to hear it. Not for my attitude in the Trolley
+matter, nor for what I published in the _Planet_. Nor for my part in
+the disagreement with your father. I wrote the truth and nothing more. I
+considered it right then--I told your father so--and I have not changed
+my mind. I should act exactly the same under similar circumstances."
+
+"You blackguard!" shouted Stephen. Pearson ignored him utterly.
+
+"I do owe you an apology," he continued, "for coming here, as I have
+done, knowing that you were ignorant of the affair. I believe now that
+you are misinformed as to the facts, but that is immaterial. You should
+have been told of my trouble with Mr. Warren. I should have insisted
+upon it. That I did not do so is my fault and I apologize; but for that
+only. Good evening."
+
+He shook himself free from the captain's grasp, bowed to the trio, and
+left the room. An instant later the outer door closed behind him.
+
+Caroline turned to her brother. "Come, Steve," she said.
+
+"Stay right where you are!" Captain Elisha did not request now, he
+commanded. "Stevie, stand still. Caroline, I want to talk to you."
+
+The girl hesitated. She had never been spoken to in that tone before.
+Her pride had been already deeply wounded by what she had learned that
+afternoon; she was fiercely resentful, angry, and rebellious. She was
+sure she never hated anyone as she did this man who ordered her to stay
+and listen to him. But--she stayed.
+
+"Caroline," said Captain Elisha, after a moment of silence, "I presume
+likely--of course I don't know for sartin, but I presume likely it's
+Mrs. Dunn and that son of hers who've told you what you think you know."
+
+"It doesn't concern you who told us!" blustered Stephen, pushing
+forward. He might have been a fly buzzing on the wall for all the
+attention his uncle paid him.
+
+"I presume likely the Dunns told you, Caroline," he repeated, calmly.
+
+His niece met his gaze stubbornly.
+
+"Well," she answered, "and if they did? Wasn't it necessary we should
+know it? Oh!" with a shudder of disgust, "I wish I could make you
+understand how ashamed I feel--how _wicked_ and ashamed I feel that
+I--_I_ should have disgraced father's memory by.... Oh, but there! I
+can't! Yes; Mrs. Dunn and Malcolm did tell us--many things. Thank God
+that we _have_ friends to tell us the truth!"
+
+"Amen!" quietly. "I'll say amen to that, Caroline, any time. Only I want
+you to be sure those you call friends are real ones and that the truths
+they tell ain't like the bait on a fishhook, put on _for_ bait and just
+thick enough to cover the barb."
+
+"Do you mean to insinuate--" screamed the irrepressible nephew, wild
+at being so completely ignored. His uncle again paid not the slightest
+attention.
+
+"But that ain't neither here nor there now," he went on. "Caroline, Mr.
+Pearson just told you that his coming to this house without tellin' you
+fust of his quarrel with 'Bije was his fault. That ain't so. The fault
+was mine altogether. He told me the whole story; told me that he hadn't
+called since it happened, on that very account. And I took the whole
+responsibility and _asked_ him to come. I did! Do you know why?"
+
+If he expected an answer none was given. Caroline's lids drooped
+disdainfully. "Steve," she said, "let us go."
+
+"Stop! You'll stay here until I finish. I want to say that I didn't tell
+you about the Trolley fuss because I wanted you to learn some things for
+yourself. I wanted you to know Mr. Pearson--to find out what sort of man
+he was afore you judged him. Then, when you had known him long enough
+to understand he wasn't a liar and a blackguard, and all that Steve has
+called him, I was goin' to tell you the whole truth, not a part of it.
+And, after that, I was goin' to let you decide for yourself what to do.
+I'm a lot older than you are; I've mixed with all sorts of folks; I'm
+past the stage where I can be fooled by--by false hair or soft soap. You
+can't pour sweet oil over a herrin' and make me believe it's a sardine.
+I know the Pearson stock. I've sailed over a heap of salt water with
+one of the family. And I've kept my eyes open since I've run acrost this
+particular member. And I knew your father, too, Caroline Warren. And
+I say to you now that, knowin' Jim Pearson and 'Bije Warren--yes, and
+knowin' the rights and wrongs of that Trolley business quite as well as
+Malcolm Dunn or anybody else--I say to you that, although 'Bije was my
+brother, I'd bet my life that Jim had all the right on his side. There!
+that's the truth, and no hook underneath it. And some day you'll realize
+it, too."
+
+He had spoken with great vehemence. Now he took a handkerchief from his
+pocket and wiped his forehead. When he again looked at his niece, he
+found her staring intently at him; and her eyes blazed.
+
+"Have you quite finished--now?" she demanded. "Steve, be quiet!"
+
+"Why, yes, I guess so, pretty nigh. I s'pose there ain't much use to say
+more. If I was to tell you that I've tried to do for you and Steve in
+this--same as in everything else since I took this job--as if you
+were my own children, you wouldn't believe it. If I was to tell you,
+Caroline, that I'd come to think an awful lot of you, you wouldn't
+believe that, either. I did hope that since our other misunderstandin'
+was cleared up, and you found I wa'n't what you thought I was, you'd
+come to me and ask questions afore passin' judgment; but perhaps--"
+
+And now she interrupted, bursting out at him in a blast of scorn which
+took his breath away.
+
+"Oh, stop! stop!" she cried. "Don't say any more. You have insulted
+father's memory, and defended the man who slandered him. Isn't that
+enough? Why must you go on to prove yourself a greater hypocrite? We
+learned, my brother and I, to-day more than the truth concerning your
+_friend_. We learned that you have lied--yes, lied--and--"
+
+"Steady, Caroline! be careful. I wouldn't say what I might be sorry for
+later."
+
+"Sorry! Captain Warren, you spoke of my misjudging you. I thought I had,
+and I was sorry. To-day I learned that your attitude in that affair was
+a lie like the rest. _You_ did not pay for Mr. Moriarty's accident. Mr.
+Dunn's money paid those bills. And you allowed the family--and me--to
+thank _you_ for your generosity. Oh, I'm ashamed to be near you!"
+
+"There! There! Caroline, be still. I--"
+
+"I shall not be still. I have been still altogether too long. You are
+our guardian. We can't help that, I suppose. Father asked you to be
+that, for some reason; but did he ask you to _live_ here where you are
+not wanted? To shame us before our friends, ladies and gentlemen so far
+above you in every way? And to try to poison our minds against them and
+sneer at them when they are kind to us and even try to be kind to
+you? No, he did not! Oh, I'm sick of it all! your deceit and your
+hypocritical speeches and your pretended love for us. _Love_! Oh, if I
+could say something that would make you understand how thoroughly we
+despise you, and how your presence, ever since you forced it upon Steve
+and me, has disgraced us! If I only could! I--I--"
+
+She had been near to tears ever since Mrs. Corcoran Dunn, in the
+kindness of her heart, told her the "truth" that afternoon. But pride
+and indignation had prevented her giving way. Now, however, she broke
+down.
+
+"Oh--oh, Steve!" she cried, and, turning to her brother, sobbed
+hysterically on his shoulder. "Oh, Steve, what shall we do?"
+
+Stephen put his arm about her waist. "It's all right, Sis," he said
+soothingly. "Don't cry before _him_! I guess," with a glance at his
+uncle, "you've said enough to make even him understand--at last."
+
+Captain Elisha looked gravely at the pair. "I guess you have," he said
+slowly. "I guess you have, Caroline. Anyhow, I can't think offhand of
+anything you've left out. I could explain some things, but what's the
+use? And," with a sigh, "you may be right in a way. Perhaps I shouldn't
+have come here to live. If you'd only told me plain afore just how you
+felt, I'd--maybe I'd--but there! I didn't know--I didn't know. You see,
+I thought.... However, I guess that part of your troubles is over. But,"
+he added, firmly, "wherever I am, or wherever I go, you must understand
+that I'm your guardian, just the same. I considered a long spell afore I
+took the place, and I never abandoned a ship yet, once I took command of
+her. And I'll stick to this one! Yes, sir! I'll stick to it in spite of
+the devil--or the Dunns, either. Till you and your brother are of age
+I'm goin' to look out for you and your interests and your money; and
+nothin' nor nobody shall stop me. As for forcin' my company on you,
+though, that well, that's different. I cal'late you won't have to worry
+any more. Good night."
+
+He thrust his hands into his pockets and walked slowly from the library.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+
+Stephen, the "man of the family," was the only member of the household,
+servants excepted, who slept soundly that night. Conscious of having
+done his duty in the affair with Pearson and his guardian, and somewhat
+fatigued by the disagreeable task of soothing his hysterical sister, he
+was slumbering peacefully at nine the next morning when awakened by a
+series of raps on his bedroom door.
+
+"Ah! What? Well, what is it?" he demanded, testily opening his eyes.
+"Edwards, is that you? What the devil do you mean by making such a row?"
+
+The voice which answered was not the butler's, but Caroline's.
+
+"Steve! Oh, Steve!" she cried. "Do get up and come out! Come, quick!"
+
+"What's the matter?" inquired the young man, sitting up in bed. "Is the
+house afire?"
+
+"No, no! But do come! I want you. Something has happened."
+
+"Happened? What is it?"
+
+"I can't tell you here. Please dress and come to me as quick as you
+can."
+
+Stephen, wondering and somewhat alarmed, dressed with unusual
+promptitude and obeyed. He found his sister standing by the library
+window, a letter in her hand. She looked troubled and anxious.
+
+"Well, Caro," observed the boy, "here I am. What in the world's up now?"
+
+She turned.
+
+"Oh, Steve!" she exclaimed, "he's gone!"
+
+"Gone? Who?"
+
+"Captain Warren. He's gone."
+
+"Gone? Gone where? Caro, you don't mean he's--_dead_?"
+
+"No, he's gone--gone and left us."
+
+Her brother's expression changed to incredulous joy.
+
+"What?" he shouted. "You mean he's quit? Cleared out? Left here for
+good?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Hurrah! Excuse me while I gloat! Hurrah! We got it through his skull
+at last! Is it possible? But--but hold on! Perhaps it's too good to be
+true. Are you sure? How do you know?"
+
+"He says so. See."
+
+She handed him the letter. It was addressed to "My dear Caroline" and
+in it Captain Elisha stated his intentions succinctly. After the plain
+speaking of the previous evening he should not, of course, burden them
+with his society any longer. He was leaving that morning, and, as soon
+as he "located permanent moorings somewhere else" would notify his niece
+and nephew of his whereabouts.
+
+    "For," he added, "as I told you, although I shall not impose
+    my company on you, I am your guardian same as ever. I will
+    see that your allowance comes to you regular, including
+    enough for all household bills and pay for the hired help and
+    so on. If you need any extras at any time let me know and, if
+    they seem to me right and proper, I will send money for them.
+    You will stay where you are, Caroline, and Stevie must go
+    back to college right away. Tell him I say so, and if he does
+    not I shall begin reducing his allowance according as I wrote
+    him. He will understand what I mean. I guess that is all
+    until I send you my address and any other sailing orders that
+    seem necessary to me then. And, Caroline, I want you and
+    Stevie to feel that I am your anchor to windward, and when
+    you get in a tight place, if you ever do, you can depend on
+    me. Last night's talk has no bearing on that whatever.
+    Good-by, then, until my next.
+
+               "ELISHA WARREN."
+
+Stephen read this screed to the end, then crumpled it in his fist and
+threw it angrily on the floor.
+
+"The nerve!" he exclaimed. "He seems to think I'm a sailor on one of his
+ships, to be ordered around as he sees fit. I'll go back to college when
+I'm good and ready--not before."
+
+Caroline shook her head. "Oh, no!" she said. "You must go to-day. He's
+right, Steve; it's the thing for you to do. He and I were agreed as to
+that. And you wouldn't stay and make it harder for me, would you, dear?"
+
+He growled a reluctant assent. "I suppose I shall have to go," he said,
+sullenly. "My allowance is too beastly small to have him cutting it; and
+the old shark would do that very thing; he'd take delight in doing it,
+confound him! Well, he knows what we think of him, that's some comfort."
+
+She did not answer. He looked at her curiously.
+
+"Why, hang it all, Caro!" he exclaimed in disgust; "what ails you?
+Blessed if I sha'n't begin to believe you're sorry he's gone. You act as
+if you were."
+
+"No, I'm not. Of course I'm not. I'm--I'm glad. He couldn't stay, of
+course. But I'm afraid--I can't help feeling that you and I were too
+harsh last night. We said things--dreadful things--"
+
+"Be hanged! We didn't say half enough. Oh, don't be a fool, Caro! I was
+just beginning to be proud of your grit. And now you want to take it all
+back. Honestly, girls are the limit! You don't know your own minds for
+twelve consecutive hours. Answer me now! _Are_ you sorry he's gone?"
+
+"No. No, I'm not, really. But I--I feel somehow as if--as if everything
+was on my shoulders. You're going away, and he's gone, and--What is it,
+Edwards?"
+
+The butler entered, with a small parcel in his hand.
+
+"I beg your pardon, Miss Caroline," he said. "I should have given you
+this last evening. It was by your place at the table. I think Captain
+Warren put it there, miss."
+
+Caroline took the parcel and looked at it wonderingly.
+
+"For me?" she repeated.
+
+"Yes, Miss Caroline. It is marked with your name. And breakfast is
+served, when you and Mr. Stephen are ready."
+
+He bowed and retired. The girl sat turning the little white box in her
+hands.
+
+"_He_ left it for me," she said. "What can it be?"
+
+Her brother snatched it impatiently.
+
+"Why don't you open it and find out?" he demanded. "Perhaps it's his
+latch key. Here! I'll do it myself."
+
+He cut the cord and removed the cover of the little box. Inside was the
+jeweler's leather case. He took it out and pressed the spring. The cover
+flew up.
+
+"Whew!" he whistled. "It's a present. And rather a decent one, too, by
+gad! Look, Caro!"
+
+He handed her the open case. She looked at the chain, spread carefully
+on the white satin lining. Inside the cover was fitted a card. She
+turned it over and read: "To my niece, Caroline. With wishes for many
+happy returns, and much love, from her Uncle Elisha Warren."
+
+She sat gazing at the card. Stephen bent down, read the inscription,
+and then looked up into her face.
+
+"_What_?" he cried. "I believe--You're not _crying_! Well, I'll be
+hanged! Sis, you _are_ a fool!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The weather that morning was fine and clear. James Pearson, standing
+by the window of his rooms at the boarding house, looking out at the
+snow-covered roofs sparkling in the sun, was miserable. When he retired
+the night before it was with a solemn oath to forget Caroline Warren
+altogether; to put her and her father and the young cad, her brother,
+utterly from his mind, never to be thought of again. As a preliminary
+step in this direction, he began, the moment his head touched the
+pillow, to review, for the fiftieth time, the humiliating scene in the
+library, to think of things he should have said, and--worse than all--to
+recall, word for word, the things she had said to him. In this cheerful
+occupation he passed hours before falling asleep. And, when he woke, it
+was to begin all over again.
+
+Why--_why_ had he been so weak as to yield to Captain Elisha's advice?
+Why had he not acted like a sensible, self-respecting man, done what he
+knew was right, and persisted in his refusal to visit the Warrens? Why?
+Because he was an idiot, of course--a hopeless idiot, who had got
+exactly what he deserved! Which bit of philosophy did not help make his
+reflections less bitter.
+
+He went down to breakfast when the bell rang, but his appetite was
+missing, and he replied only in monosyllables to the remarks addressed
+to him by his fellow boarders. Mrs. Hepton, the landlady, noticed the
+change.
+
+"You not ill, Mr. Pearson, I hope?" she queried. "I do hope you haven't
+got cold, sleeping with your windows wide open, as you say you do. Fresh
+air is a good thing, in moderation, but one should be careful. Don't you
+think so, Mr. Carson?"
+
+Mr. Carson was a thin little man, a bachelor, who occupied the smallest
+room on the third story. He was a clerk in a department store, and his
+board was generally in arrears. Therefore, when Mrs. Hepton expressed an
+opinion he made it a point to agree with her. In this instance, however,
+he merely grunted.
+
+"I say fresh air in one's sleeping room is a good thing in moderation.
+Don't you think so, Mr. Carson?" repeated the landlady.
+
+Mr. Carson rolled up his napkin and inserted it in the ring. His board,
+as it happened, was paid in full to date. Also, although he had not yet
+declared his intention, he intended changing lodgings at the end of the
+week.
+
+"Humph!" he sniffed, with sarcasm, "it may be. I couldn't get none in
+_my_ room if I wanted it, so I can't say sure. Morning."
+
+He departed hurriedly. Mrs. Hepton looked disconcerted. Mrs. Van Winkle
+Ruggles smiled meaningly across the table at Miss Sherborne, who smiled
+back.
+
+Mr. Ludlow, the bookseller, quietly observed that he hoped Mr. Pearson
+had not gotten cold. Colds were prevalent at this time of the year.
+"'These are the days when the Genius of the weather sits in mournful
+meditation on the threshold,' as Mr. Dickens tells us," he added. "I
+presume he sits on the sills of open windows, also."
+
+The wife of the Mr. Dickens there present pricked up her ears.
+
+"When did you write that, 'C.' dear?" she asked, turning to her husband.
+"I remember it perfectly, of course, but I have forgotten, for the
+moment, in which of your writings it appears."
+
+The illustrious one's mouth being occupied with a section of scorching
+hot waffle, he was spared the necessity of confession.
+
+"Pardon me," said Mr. Ludlow. "I was not quoting our Mr. Dickens this
+time, but his famous namesake."
+
+The great "C." drowned the waffle with a swallow of water.
+
+"Maria," he snapped, "don't be so foolish. Ludlow quotes
+from--er--'Bleak House.' I have written some things--er--similar, but
+not that. Why don't you pass the syrup?"
+
+The bookseller, who was under the impression that he had quoted from the
+"Christmas Carol," merely smiled and remained silent.
+
+"My father, the Senator," began Mrs. Van Winkle Ruggles, "was troubled
+with colds during his political career. I remember his saying that the
+Senate Chamber at the Capitol was extremely draughty. Possibly Mr.
+Pearson's ailment does come from sleeping in a draught. Not that father
+was accustomed to _sleep_ during the sessions--Oh, dear, no! not that,
+of course. How absurd!"
+
+She laughed gayly. Pearson, who seemed to think it time to say
+something, declared that, so far as he knew, he had no cold or any
+symptoms of one.
+
+"Well," said Mrs. Hepton, with conviction, "something ails you, I know.
+We can all see it; can't we?" turning to the rest of the company. "Why,
+you've scarcely spoken since you sat down at the table. And you've eaten
+next to nothing. Perhaps there is some trouble, something on your mind
+which is worrying you. Oh, I _hope_ not!"
+
+"No doubt it is the preoccupation of genius," remarked Mrs. Dickens.
+"I'm sure it must be that. When 'C.' is engaged with some particularly
+trying literary problem he frequently loses all his appetite and does
+not speak for hours together. Isn't it so, dear?"
+
+"C.," who was painfully conscious that he might have made a miscue in
+the matter of the quotation, answered sharply.
+
+"No," he said. "Not at all. Don't be silly, Maria."
+
+Miss Sherborne clasped her hands. "_I_ know!" she exclaimed in mock
+rapture; "Mr. Pearson is in love!"
+
+This suggestion was received with applause and hilarity. Pearson pushed
+back his chair and rose.
+
+"I'm much obliged for this outburst of sympathy," he observed, dryly.
+"But, as I say, I'm perfectly well, and the other diagnoses are too
+flattering to be true. Good morning."
+
+Back in his room he seated himself at his desk, took the manuscript of
+his novel from the drawer, and sat moodily staring at it. He was in no
+mood for work. The very sight of the typewritten page disgusted him.
+As he now felt, the months spent on the story were time wasted. It was
+ridiculous for him to attempt such a thing; or to believe that he
+could carry it through successfully; or to dream that he would ever be
+anything better than a literary hack, a cheap edition of "C." Dickens,
+minus the latter's colossal self-satisfaction.
+
+He was still sitting there, twirling an idle pencil between his fingers,
+when he heard steps outside his door. Someone knocked.
+
+"Well, what is it?" he asked.
+
+His landlady answered.
+
+"Mr. Pearson," she said, "may I see you?"
+
+He threw down the pencil and, rising, walked to the door and opened it.
+Mrs. Hepton was waiting in the hall. She seemed excited.
+
+"Mr. Pearson," she said, "will you step downstairs with me for a moment?
+I have a surprise for you."
+
+"A surprise? What sort of a surprise?"
+
+"Oh, a pleasant one. At least I think it is going to be pleasant for all
+of us. But I'm not going to tell you what it is. You must come down and
+see for yourself."
+
+She led the way downstairs, the young man following her, wondering what
+the surprise might be, and fairly certain it, nor anything else, could
+be pleasant on that day.
+
+He supposed, of course, that he must descend to the parlor to reach the
+solution of the mystery, but he was mistaken. On the second floor Mrs.
+Hepton stopped and pointed.
+
+"It's in there," she said, pointing.
+
+"There" was the room formerly occupied by Mr. Saks, the long-haired
+artist. Since his departure it had been vacant. Pearson looked at the
+closed door and then at the lady.
+
+"A surprise for me in _there_?" he repeated. "What's the joke, Mrs.
+Hepton?"
+
+By way of answer she took him by the arm, and, leading him to the door,
+threw the latter open.
+
+"Here he is!" she said.
+
+"Hello, Jim!" hailed Captain Elisha Warren, cheerfully. "Ship ahoy! Glad
+to see you."
+
+He was standing in the middle of the room, his hat on the table and his
+hands in his pockets.
+
+Pearson was surprised; there was no doubt of that--not so much at the
+sight of his friend--he had expected to see or hear from the captain
+before the day was over--as at seeing him in that room. He could not
+understand what he was doing there.
+
+Captain Elisha noted his bewildered expression, and chuckled.
+
+"Come aboard, Jim!" he commanded. "Come in and inspect. I'll see you
+later, Mrs. Hepton," he added, "and give you my final word. I want to
+hold officer's council with Mr. Pearson here fust."
+
+The landlady accepted the broad hint and turned to go.
+
+"Very well," she said, "but I do hope for all our sakes that word will
+be _yes_, Mr. Warren--Excuse me, it is Captain Warren, isn't it?"
+
+"It used to be, yes, ma'am. And at home it is yet. 'Round here I've
+learned to be like a barroom poll-parrot, ready to answer to most
+everything. There!" as the door closed after her; "now we can be more
+private. Set down, Jim! How are you, anyway?"
+
+Pearson sat down mechanically. "I'm well enough--everything considered,"
+he replied, slowly. "But what--what are you in here for? I don't
+understand."
+
+"You will in a minute. What do you think of this--er--saloon cabin?"
+with a comprehensive sweep of his arm.
+
+The room was of fair size, furnished in a nondescript, boarding-house
+fashion, and with two windows overlooking the little back yard of
+the house and those of the other adjoining it. Each yard contained an
+assortment of ash cans, and there was an astonishing number of clothes
+lines, each fluttering a variety of garments peculiarly personal to
+their respective owners.
+
+"Pretty snug, ain't it?" continued the captain. "Not exactly up to that
+I've been luxuriatin' in lately, but more fittin' to my build and class
+than that was, I shouldn't wonder. No Corot paintin's nor five thousand
+dollar tintypes of dory codders; but I can manage to worry along without
+them, if I try hard. Neat but not gaudy, I call it--as the architect
+feller said about his plans for the addition to the county jail at
+Ostable. Hey? Ho! Ho!"
+
+Pearson began to get a clue to the situation.
+
+"Captain Warren," he demanded, "have you--Do you mean to say you've
+taken this room to _live_ in?"
+
+"No, I ain't said all that yet. I wanted to talk with you a little afore
+I said it. But that was my idea, if you and I agreed on sartin matters."
+
+"You've come here to live! You've left your--your niece's house?"
+
+"Ya-as, I've left. That is, I left the way the Irishman left the stable
+where they kept the mule. He said there was all out doors in front of
+him and only two feet behind. That's about the way 'twas with me."
+
+"Have your nephew and niece--"
+
+"Um-hm. They hinted that my room was better than my company, and, take
+it by and large, I guess they was right for the present, anyhow. I set
+up till three o'clock thinkin' it over, and then I decided to get out
+afore breakfast this mornin'. I didn't wait for any good-bys. They'd
+been said, or all I cared to hear"--Captain Elisha's smile disappeared
+for an instant--"last evenin'. The dose was sort of bitter, but it had
+the necessary effect. At any rate, I didn't hanker for another one. I
+remembered what your landlady told me when I was here afore, about this
+stateroom bein' vacated, and I come down to look at it. It suits me well
+enough; seems like a decent moorin's for an old salt water derelict like
+me; the price is reasonable, and I guess likely I'll take it. I _guess_
+I will."
+
+"Why do you guess? By George, I hope you will!"
+
+"Do you? I'm much obliged. I didn't know but after last night, after the
+scrape I got you into, you might feel--well, sort of as if you'd seen
+enough of me."
+
+The young man smiled bitterly. "It wasn't your fault," he said. "It was
+mine entirely. I'm quite old enough to decide matters for myself, and I
+should have decided as my reason, and not my inclinations, told me. You
+weren't to blame."
+
+"Yes, I was. If you're old enough, I'm _too_ old, I cal'late. But I did
+think--However, there's no use goin' over that. I ask your pardon, Jim.
+And you don't hold any grudge?"
+
+"Indeed I don't. I may be a fool--I guess I am--but not that kind."
+
+"Thanks. Well, there's one objection out of the way, then, only I don't
+want you to think that I've hove overboard that 'responsibility' I was
+so easy and fresh about takin' on my shoulders. It's there yet; and I'll
+see you squared with Caroline afore this v'yage is over, if I live."
+
+His friend frowned.
+
+"You needn't mind," he said. "I prefer that you drop the whole miserable
+business."
+
+"Well, maybe, but--Jim, you've taken hold of these electric batteries
+that doctors have sometimes? It's awful easy to grab the handles of one
+of those contraptions, but when you want to drop 'em you can't. They
+don't drop easy. I took hold of the handles of 'Bije's affairs, and,
+though it might be pleasanter to drop 'em, I can't--or I won't."
+
+"Then you're leaving your nephew and niece doesn't mean that you've
+given up the guardianship?"
+
+Captain Elisha's jaw set squarely.
+
+"I don't remember sayin' that it did," he answered, with decision.
+Then, his good-nature returning, he added, "And now, Jim, I'd like your
+opinion of these new quarters that I may take. What do you think of 'em?
+Come to the window and take a look at the scenery."
+
+Pearson joined him at the window. The captain waved toward the
+clothes-lines and grinned.
+
+"Looks as if there was some kind of jubilee, don't it," he observed.
+"Every craft in sight has strung the colors."
+
+Pearson laughed. Then he said:
+
+"Captain, I think the room will do. It isn't palatial, but one can live
+in worse quarters, as I know from experience."
+
+"Yup. Well, Jim, there's just one thing more. Have I disgraced you a
+good deal, bein' around with you and chummin' in with you the way I
+have? That is, do you _think_ I've disgraced you? Are you ashamed of
+me?"
+
+"I? Ashamed of _you_? You're joking!"
+
+"No, I'm serious. Understand now, I'm not apologizin'. My ways are my
+ways, and I think they're just as good as the next feller's, whether
+he's from South Denboro or--well, Broad Street. I've got a habit of
+thinkin' for myself and actin' for myself, and when I take off my hat
+it's to a bigger _man_ than I am and not to a more stylish hat. But,
+since I've lived here in New York, I've learned that, with a whole lot
+of folks, hats themselves count more than what's underneath 'em. I
+haven't changed mine, and I ain't goin' to. Now, with that plain and
+understood, do you want me to live here, in the same house with you? I
+ain't fishin' for compliments. I want an honest answer."
+
+He got it. Pearson looked him squarely in the eye.
+
+"I do," he said. "I like you, and I don't care a damn about your hat. Is
+that plain?"
+
+Captain Elisha's reply was delivered over the balusters in the hall.
+
+"Hi!" he called. "Hi, Mrs. Hepton."
+
+The landlady had been anxiously waiting. She ran from the dining room to
+the foot of the stairs.
+
+"Yes?" she cried. "What is it?"
+
+"It's a bargain," said the captain. "I'm ready to engage passage."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+
+Thus Captain Elisha entered another of New York's "circles," that which
+centered at Mrs. Hepton's boarding house. Within a week he was as much
+a part of it as if he had lived there for years. At lunch, on the day
+of his arrival, he made his appearance at the table in company with
+Pearson, and when the landlady exultantly announced that he was to be
+"one of our little party" thereafter, he received and replied to the
+welcoming salutations of his fellow boarders with unruffled serenity.
+
+"How could I help it?" he asked. "Human nature's liable to temptation,
+they tell us. The flavor of that luncheon we had last time I was here
+has been hangin' 'round the edges of my mouth and tantalizin' my memory
+ever since."
+
+"We had a souffle that noon, if I remember correctly, Captain," observed
+the flattered Mrs. Hepton.
+
+"Did you? Well, I declare! I'd have sworn 'twas a biled-dinner hash.
+Knew 'twas better than any I ever ate afore, but I'd have bet 'twas
+hash, just the same. Tut! tut! tut! Now, honest, Mrs. Hepton, ain't
+this--er--whatever-you-call-it a close relation--a sort of hash with its
+city clothes on, hey?"
+
+The landlady admitted that a souffle was something not unlike a hash.
+Captain Elisha nodded.
+
+"I thought so," he declared. "I was sartin sure I couldn't be mistaken.
+What is it used to be in the song book? 'You can smash--you can--' Well,
+I don't remember. Somethin' about your bein' able to smash the vase if
+you wanted to, but the smell of the posies was there yet."
+
+Mr. Ludlow, the bookseller, supplied the quotation.
+
+       "'You may break, you may shatter
+           The vase if you will,
+         But the scent of the roses
+           Will cling to it still,'"
+
+he said, smiling.
+
+"That's it. Much obliged. You can warm up and rechristen the hash if you
+will; but the corned beef and cabbage stay right on deck. Ain't that so,
+Mr. Dickens?"
+
+The illustrious "C." bowed.
+
+"Moore?" he observed, with dignity.
+
+"Yes. That's what _I_ said--'More!' Said it twice, I believe. Glad you
+agree with me. The hymn says that weakness is sin, but there's no sin in
+havin' a weakness for corned-beef hash."
+
+Miss Sherborne and Mrs. Van Winkle Ruggles were at first inclined to
+snub the new boarder, considering him a country boor whose presence in
+their select society was almost an insult. The captain did not seem to
+notice their hints or sneers, although Pearson grew red and wrathful.
+
+"Laura, my dear," said Mrs. Ruggles, addressing the teacher of vocal
+culture, "don't you feel quite rural to-day? Almost as if you were
+visiting the country?"
+
+"I do, indeed," replied Miss Sherborne. "Refreshing, isn't it? Ha! ha!"
+
+"It is if one cares for such things. I am afraid _I_ don't appreciate
+them. They may be well enough in their place, but--"
+
+She finished with a shrug of her shoulders. Captain Elisha smiled.
+
+"Yes, ma'am," he said politely, joining in the conversation; "that's
+what the boy said about the cooky crumbs in the bed. You don't care for
+the country, I take it, ma'am."
+
+"I do _not_!"
+
+"So? Well, it's a mercy we don't think alike; even Heaven would be
+crowded if we did--hey? You didn't come from the country, either?"
+turning to Miss Sherborne.
+
+The young lady would have liked to answer with an uncompromising
+negative. Truth and the fact that some of those present were acquainted
+with it compelled her to forego this pleasure.
+
+"I was born in a--a small town," she answered coldly. "But I came to the
+city as soon as I possibly could."
+
+"Um-hm. Well, I came when I couldn't possibly stay away. We can agree
+on one thing--we're all here. Yes, and on another--that that cake
+is fust-rate. I'll take a second piece, if you've no objection, Mrs.
+Hepton."
+
+When they were alone once more, in the captain's room, Pearson vented
+his indignation.
+
+"Why didn't you give them as good as they sent?" he demanded. "Couldn't
+you see they were doing their best to hurt your feelings?"
+
+"Ya-as. I could see it. Didn't need any specs to see that."
+
+"Then why didn't you answer them as they deserved?"
+
+"Oh, I don't know. What's the use? They've got troubles of their own.
+One of 'em's a used-to-be, and the other's a never-was. Either disease
+is bad enough without addin' complications."
+
+Pearson laughed. "I don't get the whole of that, Captain," he said.
+"Mrs. Van is the used-to-be, I suppose. But what is it that Miss
+Sherborne never was?"
+
+"Married," was the prompt reply. "Old maiditis is creepin' on her fast.
+You want to be careful, Jim; a certain kind of female gets desperate
+about her stage."
+
+Pearson laughed again.
+
+"Oh, get out!" he exclaimed, turning to go.
+
+"All right! I will, when you and she are together and you give me the
+signal. But I tell you honest, I'd hate to do it. Judgin' by the way she
+smiles and looks up under her eye-winkers at you, you're in danger
+of kidnappin'. So long. I'll see you again after I get my dunnage
+unpacked."
+
+The snubbing and sneering came to an abrupt end. Pearson, in
+conversation with Mrs. Ruggles, casually imparted the information that
+Captain Elisha was the brother of A. Rodgers Warren, late society leader
+and wealthy broker. Also, that he had entire charge of the latter's
+estate. Thereafter Mrs. Ruggles treated the captain as one whose rank
+was equal to her own, and, consequently, higher than anyone's else
+in the boarding-house. She made it a point to publicly ask his advice
+concerning "securities" and "investments," and favored him with many
+reminiscences of her distinguished father, the Senator. Miss Sherborne,
+as usual, followed her lead. Captain Elisha, when Pearson joked him on
+the altered behavior of the two ladies, merely grinned.
+
+"You may thank me for that, Captain," said the young man. "When I told
+Mrs. Ruggles who and what you were she almost broke down and sobbed.
+The fact that she had risked offending one so closely connected with the
+real thing on Fifth Avenue and Wall Street was too dreadful. But she's
+yours devotedly now. There's an 18-karat crown on your head."
+
+"Yup. I suppose so. Well, I ain't so sot up with pride over wearin'
+that crown. It used to belong to 'Bije, and I never did care much for
+second-hand things. Rather have a new sou'wester of my own, any day in
+the week. When I buy a sou'wester I know what it's made of."
+
+"Mrs. Ruggles knows what the crown is made of--gold, nicely padded with
+bonds and preferred stock."
+
+"Humph! Sometimes I wonder if the paddin's waterproof. As for the
+gold--well, you can make consider'ble shine with brass when you're
+dealin' with nigh-sighted folks ... and children."
+
+To this indirect reference to Miss Warren and her brother Pearson made
+no reply. The pair conversed freely on other subjects, but each avoided
+this one. The novel, too, was laid on the shelf for the present. Its
+author had not yet mustered sufficient courage to return to it. Captain
+Elisha once or twice suggested a session with "Cap'n Jim," but, finding
+his suggestions received with more or less indifference, did not press
+them. His mind was busy with other things. A hint dropped by Sylvester,
+the lawyer, was one of these. It suggested alarming possibilities, and
+his skepticism concerning the intrinsic worth of his inherited "crown"
+was increased by it.
+
+He paid frequent visits to the offices of Sylvester, Kuhn, and Graves in
+Pine Street. Upon the senior partner, whom he esteemed and trusted not
+only as a business adviser but a friend, he depended for information
+concerning happenings at the Warren apartment.
+
+Caroline sent him regular statements of her weekly expenditures, also
+bills for his approval, but she had written him but once, and then only
+a brief note. The note brought by a messenger, accompanied a
+package containing the chain which he and Pearson selected with such
+deliberation and care at the Fifth Avenue jeweler's. Under the existing
+circumstances, the girl wrote, she felt that she did not wish to accept
+presents from him and therefore returned this one. He was alone when the
+note and package came and sat by the window of his room, looking out at
+the dismal prospect of back yards and clothes-lines, turning the leather
+case over and over in his hands. Perhaps this was the most miserable
+afternoon he had spent since his arrival in the city. He tried to
+comfort himself by the exercise of his usual philosophy, but it was cold
+comfort. He had no right to expect gratitude, so he told himself, and
+the girl undoubtedly felt that she was justified in her treatment of
+him; but it is hard to be misunderstood and misjudged, even by one whose
+youth is, perhaps, an excuse. He forgave Caroline, but he could not
+forgive those who were responsible for her action.
+
+After Pearson had departed, on the morning when the conversation dealing
+with Mrs. Van Winkle Ruggles and her change of attitude took place,
+Captain Elisha put on his hat and coat and started for his lawyer's
+office. Sylvester was glad to see him and invited him to lunch.
+
+"No, thank you," replied the captain. "I just run down to ask if there
+was anything new in the offin'. Last time I see you, you hinted you and
+your mates had sighted somethin' or other through the fog, and it might
+turn out to be a rock or a lighthouse, you couldn't tell which. Made up
+your mind yet?"
+
+Sylvester shook his head. "No," he said, slowly; "it is still foggy.
+We're busy investigating, but we're not ready to report."
+
+"Humph! Well, what's the thing look like? You must be a little nigher to
+it by now."
+
+The lawyer tapped his desk with a pencil. "I don't know what it looks
+like," he answered. "That is to say, I don't--I can't believe it is what
+it appears, at this distance, to be. If it is, it is the most--"
+
+He paused. Captain Elisha waited for him to go on and, when he did not
+do so, asked another question.
+
+"The most what?" he demanded. "Is it likely to be very bad?"
+
+"Why--why--well, I can't say even that yet. But there! as I told you,
+I'm not going to permit it to worry me. And you mustn't worry, either.
+That's why I don't give you any further particulars. There may be
+nothing in it, after all."
+
+His visitor smiled. "Say, Mr. Sylvester," he said, "you're like the
+young-ones used to be when I was a boy. There'd be a gang of 'em waitin'
+by the schoolhouse steps and when the particular victim hove in sight
+they'd hail him with, 'Ah, ha! _you're_ goin' to get it!' 'Wait till
+teacher sees you!' and so on. Course the victim would want to know what
+it meant. All the satisfaction he got from them was, 'That's all right!
+You'll find out! You just wait!' And the poor feller put in the time
+afore the bell rung goin' over all the things he shouldn't have done and
+had, and wonderin' which it was this time. You hinted to me a week ago
+that there was a surprisin' possibility loomin' up in 'Bije's financial
+affairs. And ever since then I've been puzzlin' my brains tryin' to
+guess what could happen. Ain't discovered any more of those Cut Short
+bonds, have you?"
+
+The bonds to which he referred were those of a defunct Short Line
+railroad. A large number of these bonds had been discovered among A.
+Rodgers Warren's effects; part of his "tangled assets," the captain had
+termed them, differentiating from the "tangible" variety.
+
+"Abbie, my housekeeper, has been writin' me," he went on, "about havin'
+the sewin' room papered. She wants my advice concernin' the style of
+paper; says it ought to be pretty and out of the common, but not too
+expensive. I judge what she wants is somethin' that looks like money
+but ain't really wuth more than ten cents a mile. I've been thinkin'
+I'd send her a bale or so of those bonds; they'd fill the bill in those
+respects, wouldn't they?"
+
+Sylvester laughed. "They certainly would, Captain," he replied. "No,
+we haven't unearthed any more of that sort. And, as for this mystery of
+ours, I'll give you the answer--if it's worth giving at all, in a very
+short time. Meanwhile, you go home and forget it."
+
+"Well, I'll try. But I guess it sticks out on my face, like a four days'
+toothache. But I _won't_ worry about that. You know best whether to tell
+me now or not, and--well, I'm carryin' about all the worry my tonnage'll
+stand, as 'tis."
+
+He drew a long breath. Sylvester regarded him sympathetically.
+
+"You mustn't take your nephew's and niece's treatment too much to
+heart," he said.
+
+"Oh, I don't. That is, I pretend I don't. And I do try not to. But I
+keep thinkin', thinkin', and wonderin' if 'twould have been better if I
+hadn't gone there to live at all. Hi hum! a man of my age hadn't ought
+to mind what a twenty-year-old girl says, or does; 'specially when
+her kind, advisin' friends have shown her how she's been deceived and
+hypocrit-ted. By the way, speakin' of hypocrites, I suppose there's just
+as much 'Dunnin'' as ever goin' on up there?"
+
+"Yes. A little more, if anything, I'm afraid. Your niece and Mrs. Dunn
+and her precious son are together now so constantly that people are
+expecting--well, you know what they expect."
+
+"I can guess. I hope they'll be disapp'inted."
+
+"So do I, but I must confess I'm fearful. Malcolm himself isn't so wise,
+but his mother is--"
+
+"A whole Book of Proverbs, hey? I know. She's an able old frigate. I
+did think I had her guns spiked, but she turned 'em on me unexpected. I
+thought I had her and her boy in a clove hitch. I knew somethin' that I
+was sartin sure they wouldn't want Caroline to know, and she and Malcolm
+knew I knew it. Her tellin' Caroline of it, _her_ story of it, when I
+wasn't there to contradict, was as smart a piece of maneuverin' as ever
+was. It took the wind out of my sails, because, though I'm just as right
+as I ever was, Caroline wouldn't listen to me, nor believe me, now."
+
+"She'll learn by experience."
+
+"Yup. But learnin' by experience is a good deal like shippin' green
+afore the mast; it'll make an able seaman of you, if it don't kill you
+fust. When I was a boy there was a man in our town name of Nickerson
+Cummin's. He was mate of a ship and smart as a red pepper poultice on
+a skinned heel. He was a great churchgoer when he was ashore and always
+preachin' brotherly love and kindness and pattin' us little shavers on
+the head, and so on. Most of the grown folks thought he was a sort of
+saint, and I thought he was more than that. I'd have worshiped him,
+I cal'late, if my Methodist trainin' would have allowed me to worship
+anybody who wa'n't named in Scriptur'. If there'd been an apostle or a
+prophet christened Nickerson I'd have fell on my knees to this
+Cummin's man, sure. So, when I went to sea as a cabin boy, a tow-headed
+snub-nosed little chap of fourteen, I was as happy as a clam at
+highwater 'cause I was goin' in the ship he was mate of."
+
+He paused. There was a frown on his face, and his lower jaw was thrust
+forward grimly.
+
+"Well?" inquired Sylvester. "What happened?"
+
+"Hey? Oh, excuse me. When I get to thinkin' of that v'yage I simmer
+inside, like a teakettle on a hot stove. The second day out--seasick and
+homesick and so miserable I wished I could die all at once instead of
+by lingerin' spasms--I dropped a dish on the cabin floor and broke it.
+Cummin's was alone with me, eatin' his dinner; and he jumped out of
+his chair when I stooped to pick up the pieces and kicked me under the
+table. When I crawled out, he kicked me again and kept it up. When his
+foot got tired he used his fist. 'There!' says he between his teeth, 'I
+cal'late that'll learn you that crockery costs money.'
+
+"It did. I never broke anything else aboard that ship. Cummin's was a
+bully and a sneak to everybody but the old man, and a toady to him. He
+never struck me or anybody else when the skipper was around, but there
+was nothin' too mean for him to do when he thought he had a safe chance.
+And he took pains to let me know that if I ever told a soul at home
+he'd kill me. I'd learned by experience, not only about the price
+of crockery, but other things, things that a youngster ought not to
+learn--how to hate a man so that you can wait years to get even with
+him, for one. I'm sorry I learned that, and," dryly, "so was Cummin's,
+later. But I did learn, once and for all, not to take folks on
+trust, nor to size 'em up by their outside, or the noise they make in
+prayer-meetin', nor the way they can spread soft soap when they think
+it's necessary. I'd learned that, and I'd learned it early enough to be
+of use to me, which was a mercy.
+
+"It was a hard lesson for me," he added, reflectively; "but I managed to
+come out of it without lettin' it bitter my whole life. I don't mind so
+much Caroline's bein' down on me. She'll know better some day, I hope;
+and if she don't--well, I'm only a side-issue in her life, anyhow, hove
+in by accident, like the section of dog collar in the sassage. But I do
+hope her learnin' by experience won't come too late to save her from ...
+what she'll be awful sorry for by and by."
+
+"It must," declared the lawyer, with decision. "You must see to it,
+Captain Warren. You are her guardian. She is absolutely under your
+charge. She can do nothing of importance unless you consent."
+
+"Yup. That's so--for one more year; just one, remember! Then she'll
+be of age, and I can't say 'Boo!' And her share of 'Bije's money'll
+be hers, too. And don't you believe that that fact has slipped Sister
+Dunn's memory. I ain't on deck to head her off now; if she puts Malcolm
+up to gettin' Caroline to give her word, and Caroline gives it--well,
+I know my niece. She's honorable, and she'll stick to her promise if it
+runs her on the rocks. And Her Majesty Dunn knows that, too. Therefore,
+the cat bein' away, she cal'lates now's the time to make sure of the
+cheese."
+
+"But the cat can come back. The song says it did, you know."
+
+"Um-hm. And got another kick, I shouldn't wonder. However, my claws'll
+stay sharp for a year or thereabouts, and, if it comes to a shindy,
+there'll be some tall scratchin' afore I climb a tree. Keep a weather
+eye on what goes on, won't you?"
+
+"I will. You can depend on me."
+
+"I do. And say! for goodness' sakes put me out of my misery regardin'
+that rock or lighthouse on 'Bije's chart, soon's ever you settle which
+it is."
+
+"Certainly! And, remember, don't worry. It may be a lighthouse, or
+nothing at all. At all events, I'll report very soon."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+
+But, in spite of his promise, Sylvester did not report during the
+following week or the next. Meanwhile, his client tried his best to
+keep the new mystery from troubling his thoughts, and succeeded only
+partially. The captain's days and evenings were quiet and monotonous. He
+borrowed a book or two from Mrs. Hepton's meager library, read, walked
+a good deal, generally along the water front, and wrote daily letters to
+Miss Baker. He and Pearson were together for at least a portion of each
+day. The author, fighting down his dejection and discouragement, set
+himself resolutely to work once more on the novel, and his nautical
+adviser was called in for frequent consultation. The story, however,
+progressed but slowly. There was something lacking. Each knew what that
+something was, but neither named it.
+
+One evening Pearson entered the room tenanted by his friend to find the
+latter seated beside the table, his shoes partially unlaced, and a pair
+of big slippers ready for putting on.
+
+"Captain," said the visitor, "you look so comfortable I hate to disturb
+you."
+
+Captain Elisha, red-faced and panting, desisted from the unlacing and
+straightened in his chair.
+
+"Whew!" he puffed. "Jim, your remarks prove that your experience of the
+world ain't as big as it ought to be. When you get to my age and waist
+measure you'll realize that stoopin' over and comfort don't go together.
+I hope to be comfortable pretty soon; but I sha'n't be till them boots
+are off. Set down. The agony'll be over in a minute."
+
+Pearson declined to sit. "Not yet," he said. "And you let those shoes
+alone, until you hear what I've got to say. A newspaper friend of mine
+has sent me two tickets for the opera to-night. I want you to go with
+me."
+
+Captain Elisha was surprised.
+
+"To the opera?" he repeated. "Why, that's a--a sort of singin' theater
+ain't it?"
+
+"Yes, you're fond of music; you told me so. And Aida is beautiful. Come
+on! it will do us both good."
+
+"Hum! Well, I don't know."
+
+"I do. Get ready."
+
+The captain looked at his caller's evening clothes.
+
+"What do you mean by gettin' ready?" he asked. "You've got on your
+regimentals, open front and all. My uniform is the huntin' case kind;
+fits in better with church sociables and South Denboro no'theasters.
+If I wore one of those vests like yours Abbie'd make me put on a red
+flannel lung-protector to keep from catchin' pneumonia. And she'd think
+'twas sinful waste besides, runnin' the risk of sp'ilin' a clean biled
+shirt so quick. Won't I look like an undertaker, sittin' alongside of
+you?"
+
+"Not a bit. If it will ease your mind I'll change to a business suit."
+
+"I don't care. You know how I feel; we had a little talk about hats a
+spell ago, you remember. If you're willin' to take me 'just as I am,
+without a plea,' as the hymn-tune says, why, I cal'late I'll say yes and
+go. Set down and wait while I get on my ceremonials."
+
+He retired to the curtain alcove, and Pearson heard him rustling about,
+evidently making a hurried change of raiment. During this process he
+talked continuously.
+
+"Jim," he said, "I ain't been to the theater but once since I landed in
+New York. Then I went to see a play named 'The Heart of a Sailor.' Ha!
+ha! that was a great show! Ever take it in, did you?"
+
+"No. I never did."
+
+"Well, you'd ought to. It's a wonder of it's kind. I learned more
+things about life-savin' and 'longshore life from that drayma than you'd
+believe was possible. You'd have got some p'ints for your Cap'n Jim yarn
+from that play; you sartin would! Yes, indeed! Way I happened to go to
+it was on account of seein' a poster on a fence over nigh where that
+Moriarty tribe lived. The poster pictured a bark ashore, on her beam
+ends, in a sea like those off the Horn. On the beach was a whole parcel
+of life-savers firin' off rockets and blue lights. Keepin' the Fourth of
+July, I judged they was, for I couldn't see any other reason. The bark
+wa'n't more'n a hundred foot from 'em, and if all hands on board didn't
+know they was in trouble by that time, then they deserved to drown.
+Anyhow, they wa'n't likely to appreciate the celebration. Ho! ho! Well,
+when I run afoul of that poster I felt I hadn't ought to let anything
+like that get away; so I hunted up the theater--it wa'n't but a little
+ways off--and got a front seat for that very afternoon."
+
+"Was it up to the advertising?" asked Pearson.
+
+"_Was_ it? Hi hum! I wish you'd been there. More 'special I wished some
+of the folks from home had been there, for the whole business was
+supposed to happen on the Cape, and they'd have realized how ignorant we
+are about the place we live in. The hero was a strappin' six-footer,
+sort of a combination fisherman and parson, seemed so. He wore ileskins
+in fair weather and went around preachin' or defyin' folks that provoked
+him and makin' love to the daughter of a long-haired old relic that
+called himself an inventor.... Oh, consarn it!"
+
+"What's the matter?"
+
+"Dropped my collar button, as usual. Collar buttons are one of the Old
+Harry's pet traps. I'll bet their responsible for 'most as many lapses
+from grace as tangled fishlines. Where.... Ow!... All right; I found it
+with my bare foot, and edge up, of course."
+
+A series of grunts and short-breathed exclamations followed, indicating
+that the sufferer was struggling with a tight collar.
+
+"Go on," commanded Pearson. "Tell me some more about the play."
+
+"Hey? Oh, the play. Where was I?"
+
+"You were saying that the heroine's father was an inventor."
+
+"That's what _he_ said he was, though he never furnished any proof. His
+daughter helped him with his inventions, but if she'd cut his hair
+once in a while 'twould have been a better way of puttin' in the time,
+'cordin' to my notion. And there was a rich squire, who made his money
+by speculatin' in wickedness, and a mortgage, and--I don't know what
+all. And those Cape Cod folks! and the houses they lived in! and the way
+they talked! Oh, dear! oh, dear! I got my money's wuth that afternoon."
+
+"What about the wreck? How did that happen?"
+
+"Don't know. It happened 'cause it had to be in the play, I cal'late.
+The mortgage, or an 'invention' or somethin', was on board the bark and
+just naturally took a short cut for home, way I figgered it out.
+But, Jim, you ought to have seen that hero! He peeled off his
+ileskin-slicker--he'd kept it on all through the sunshine, but now, when
+'twas rainin' and rainin' and wreckin' and thunderin', he shed it--and
+jumped in and saved all hands and the ship's cat. 'Twas great business!
+No wonder the life-savers set off fireworks! And thunder! Why, say, it
+never stopped thunderin' in that storm except when somebody had to make
+a heroic speech; then it let up and give 'em a chance. Most considerate
+thunder ever I heard. And the lightnin'! and the way the dust flew from
+the breakers! I was glad I went.... There!" appearing fully dressed from
+behind the curtains. "I'm ready if you are. Did I talk your head off? I
+ask your pardon; but that 'Heart of a Sailor' touched mine, I guess. I
+know I was afraid I'd laugh until it stopped beatin'. And all around the
+people were cryin'. It was enough sight damper amongst the seats than in
+those cloth waves."
+
+The pair walked over to Broadway, boarded a street car, and alighted
+before the Metropolitan Opera House. Pearson's seats were good ones,
+well down in the orchestra. Captain Elisha turned and surveyed the great
+interior and the brilliantly garbed audience.
+
+"Whew!" he muttered. "This is considerable of a show in itself, Jim.
+They could put our town hall inside here and the folks on the roof
+wouldn't be so high as those in that main skys'l gallery up aloft there.
+Can they see or hear, do you think?"
+
+"Oh, yes. The accepted idea is that they are the real music lovers.
+_they_ come for the opera itself. Some of the others come because--well,
+because it is the proper thing."
+
+"Yes, yes; I see. That's the real article right over our heads, I
+suppose."
+
+"Yes. That's the 'Diamond Horseshoe.'"
+
+"All proper things there, hey?"
+
+"Why--er--yes, I suppose so. What makes you ask?"
+
+"Nothing much. I was thinking 'twas better Abbie wa'n't along on this
+cruise. She'd probably want to put an 'im' in front of that 'proper.'
+I envy those women, Jim; _they_ didn't have to stop to hunt up collar
+buttons, did they."
+
+He was silent during the first act of the opera. When the curtain fell
+his companion asked how he liked it.
+
+"Good singin'," he replied; "best I ever heard. Do you understand what
+they say?"
+
+"No. But I'm familiar with the story of Aida, of course. It's a favorite
+of mine. And the words don't really matter."
+
+"I suppose not. It's the way they say it. I had an Irishman workin'
+round my barn once, and Tim Bailey drove down from Bayport to see me. I
+was out and Tim and the Irishman run afoul of each other. Tim stuttered
+so that he made a noise when he talked like one of these gasoline
+bicycles goin' by. He watched Mike sweepin' out the horse stall and he
+says, 'You're a pup--pup ... I say you're a pup--.' He didn't get any
+further 'cause Mike went for him with the broom. Turned out later that
+he was tryin' to compliment that Irishman by sayin' he was a particular
+sort of feller. These folks on the stage might be sayin' most anythin',
+and I wouldn't know it. But I sha'n't knock 'em down, for I like the
+way it's said. When the Almighty give us music he more than made up for
+makin' us subject to toothache, didn't he."
+
+Pearson bought a copy of the libretto, and the captain followed the
+performance of the next two acts with interest.
+
+"Say, Jim," he whispered, with a broad grin, "it's a good thing this
+opera idea ain't carried into real life. If you had to sing every word
+you said 'twould be sort of distressin', 'specially if you was in a
+hurry. A fust-rate solo when you was orderin' the crew to shorten sail
+would be a high old brimstone anthem, I'll bet you. And think of the
+dinner table at our boardin' house! Mrs. Van and C. Dickens both goin'
+at once, and Marm Hepton serenadin' the waiter girl! Ho! ho! A cat fight
+wouldn't be a circumstance."
+
+Between the third and the fourth acts the pair went out into the foyer,
+where, ascending to the next floor, they made the round of the long
+curve behind the boxes, Pearson pointing out to his friend the names of
+the box lessees on the brass plates.
+
+"There!" he observed, as, the half circle completed, they turned and
+strolled back again, "isn't that an imposing list, Captain? Don't you
+feel as if you were close to the real thing?"
+
+"Godfreys mighty!" was the solemn reply; "I was just thinkin' I felt as
+if I'd been readin' one of those muck-rakin' yarns in the magazines!"
+
+The foyer had its usual animated crowd, and among them Pearson
+recognized a critic of his acquaintance. He offered to introduce the
+captain, but the latter declined the honor, saying that he cal'lated
+he wouldn't shove his bows in this time. "You heave ahead and see your
+friend, Jim," he added. "I'll come to anchor by this pillar and watch
+the fleet go by. I'll have to write Abbie about all this; she'll want to
+know how the female craft was rigged."
+
+Left alone, he leaned against the pillar and watched the people pass and
+repass just behind him. Two young men paused just behind him. He could
+not help overhearing their conversation.
+
+"I presume you've heard the news?" asked one, casually.
+
+"Yes," replied the other, "I have. That is, if you mean the news
+concerning Mal Dunn. The mater learned it this afternoon and sprung it
+at dinner. No one was greatly surprised. Formal announcement made, and
+all that sort of thing, I believe. Mal's to be congratulated."
+
+"His mother is, you mean. She managed the campaign. The old lady is some
+strategist, and I'd back her to win under ordinary circumstances. But
+I understand these were not ordinary; wise owl of a guardian to be
+circumvented, or something of that sort."
+
+"From what I hear the Dunns haven't won so much after all. There was
+a big shrinkage when papa died, so they say. Instead of three or four
+millions it panned out to be a good deal less than one. I don't know
+much about it, because our family and theirs have drifted apart since
+they moved."
+
+"Humph! I imagine whatever the pan-out it will be welcome. The Dunns are
+dangerously close to the ragged edge; everybody has been on to that for
+some time. And it takes a few ducats to keep Mal going. He's no Uncle
+Russell when it comes to putting by for the rainy day."
+
+"Well, on the whole, I'm rather sorry for--the other party. Mal is a
+good enough fellow, and he certainly is a game sport; but--"
+
+They moved on, and Captain Elisha heard no more. But what he had heard
+was quite sufficient. He sat through the remainder of the opera in
+silence and answered all his friend's questions and remarks curtly and
+absently.
+
+As they stepped into the trolley Pearson bought an evening paper, not
+the _Planet_, but a dignified sheet which shunned sensationalism
+and devoted much space to the doings of the safe, sane, and
+ultra-respectable element. Perceiving that his companion, for some
+reason, did not care to talk, he read as the car moved downtown.
+Suddenly Captain Elisha was awakened from his reverie by hearing his
+friend utter an exclamation. Looking up, the captain saw that he was
+leaning back in the seat, the paper lying unheeded in his lap.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked the older man, anxiously.
+
+Pearson started, glanced quickly at his friend, hesitated, and looked
+down again.
+
+"Nothing--now," he answered, brusquely. "We get out here. Come."
+
+He rose, picked up the paper with a hand that shook a little, and led
+the way to the door of the car. Captain Elisha followed, and they
+strode up the deserted side street. Pearson walked so rapidly that
+his companion was hard pushed to keep pace with him. When they stood
+together in the dimly lit hall of the boarding house, the captain spoke
+again.
+
+"Well, Jim," he asked in a low tone, "what is it? You may as well tell
+me. Maybe I can guess, anyhow."
+
+The young man reached up and turned the gas full on. In spite of the
+cold from which they had just come, his face was white. He folded the
+paper in his hand, and with his forefinger pointed to its uppermost
+page.
+
+"There it is," he said. "Read it."
+
+Captain Elisha took the paper, drew his spectacle case from his pocket,
+adjusted his glasses and read. The item was among those under the head
+of "Personal and Social." It was what he expected. "The engagement
+is to-day announced of Miss Caroline Warren, daughter of the late A.
+Rodgers Warren, the well-known broker, to Mr. Malcolm Corcoran Dunn, of
+Fifth Avenue. Miss Warren, it will be remembered, was one of the most
+charming of our season-before-last's debutantes and--" etc.
+
+The captain read the brief item through.
+
+"Yes," he said, slowly, "I see."
+
+Pearson looked at him in amazement.
+
+"You _see_!" he repeated. "You--Why! _Did you know it_?"
+
+"I've been afraid of it for some time. To-night, when you left me alone
+there in the quarter-deck of that opera house, I happened to hear two
+young chaps talkin' about it. So you might say I knew--Yes."
+
+"Good heavens! and you can stand there and--What are you going to do
+about it?"
+
+"I don't know--yet."
+
+"Are you going to permit her to marry that--_that_ fellow?"
+
+"Well, I ain't sartin that I can stop her."
+
+"My God, man! Do you realize--and _she_--your niece--why--"
+
+"There! there! Jim. I realize it all, I cal'late. It's my business to
+realize it."
+
+"And it isn't mine. No, of course it isn't; you're right there."
+
+He turned and strode toward the foot of the stairs.
+
+"Hold on!" commanded the captain. "Hold on, Jim! Don't you go off ha'f
+cocked. When I said 'twas my business to realize this thing, I meant
+just that and nothin' more. I wa'n't hintin', and you ought to know it.
+You do know it, don't you?"
+
+The young man paused. "Yes," he answered, after an instant's struggle
+with his feelings; "yes, I do. I beg your pardon, Captain."
+
+"All right. And here's somethin' else; I just told you I wasn't sartin I
+could stop the marriage. That's the truth. But I don't recollect sayin'
+I'd actually hauled down the colors, not yet. Good night."
+
+"Good night, Captain. I shouldn't have misunderstood you, of course.
+But, as you know, I respected and admired your niece. And this thing
+has--has--"
+
+"Sort of knocked you on your beam ends, I understand. Well, Jim," with a
+sigh, "I ain't exactly on an even keel myself."
+
+They separated, Pearson going to his room. As Captain Elisha was passing
+through the hall on the second floor, he heard someone calling him by
+name. Turning, he saw his landlady's head, bristling with curl papers,
+protruding from behind the door at the other end of the passage.
+
+"Captain Warren," she asked, "is that you?"
+
+"Yes, ma'am," replied the captain, turning back.
+
+"Well, I've got a message for you. A Mr. Sylvester has 'phoned you
+twice this evening. He wishes to see you at his office at the earliest
+possible moment. He says it is _very_ important."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+
+Nine o'clock is an early hour for a New York lawyer of prominence to be
+at his place of business. Yet, when Captain Elisha asked the office boy
+of Sylvester, Kuhn and Graves if the senior partner was in, he received
+an affirmative answer.
+
+"Yes, sir," said Tim, respectfully. His manner toward the captain had
+changed surprisingly since the latter's first call. "Yes, sir; Mr.
+Sylvester's in. He expects you. I'll tell him you're here. Sit down and
+wait, please."
+
+Captain Elisha sat down, but he did not have to wait long. The boy
+returned at once and ushered him into the private office. Sylvester
+welcomed him gravely.
+
+"You got my message, then," he said. "I spent hours last evening chasing
+you by 'phone. And I was prepared to begin again this morning."
+
+"So? That's why you're on deck so early? Didn't sleep here, did you?
+Well, I cal'late I know what you want to talk about. You ain't the only
+one that reads the newspapers."
+
+"The newspapers? Great heavens! it isn't in the newspapers, is it? It
+can't be!"
+
+He seemed much perturbed. Captain Elisha looked puzzled.
+
+"Course it is," he said. "But I heard it afore I saw it. Perhaps you
+think I take it pretty easy. Maybe I act as if I did. But you expected
+it, and so did I, so we ain't exactly surprised. And," seriously, "I
+realize that it's no joke as well as you do. But we've got a year to
+fight in, and now we must plan the campaign. I did cal'late to see
+Caroline this mornin'. Then, if I heard from her own lips that 'twas
+actually so, I didn't know's I wouldn't drop in and give Sister
+Corcoran-Queen-Victoria-Dunn a few plain facts about it not bein' a
+healthy investment to hurry matters. You're wantin' to see me headed me
+off, and I come here instead."
+
+The lawyer looked at him in astonishment.
+
+"See here, Captain Warren," he demanded, "what do you imagine I asked
+you to come here for?"
+
+"Why, to talk about that miserable engagement, sartin. Poor girl! I've
+been awake ha'f the night thinkin' of the mess she's been led into. And
+she believes she's happy, I suppose."
+
+Sylvester shook his head. "I see," he said, slowly. "You would think it
+that, naturally. No, Captain, it isn't the engagement. It's more serious
+than that."
+
+"More serious than--_more_ serious! Why, what on earth? Hey? Mr.
+Sylvester, has that rock-lighthouse business come to somethin' after
+all?"
+
+The lawyer nodded. "It has," he replied.
+
+"I want to know! And I'd almost forgot it, not hearin' from you. It's
+a rock, too, I judge, by the looks of your face. Humph!... Is it very
+bad?"
+
+"I'm afraid so."
+
+The captain pulled his beard. "Well," he said, wearily, after a moment,
+"I guess likely I can bear it. I've had to bear some things in my time.
+Anyhow, I'll try. Heave ahead and get it over with. I'm ready."
+
+Instead of answering, Sylvester pushed an electric button on his desk.
+The office boy answered the ring.
+
+"Have Mr. Kuhn and Mr. Graves arrived?" asked the lawyer.
+
+"Yes, sir. Both of them, sir."
+
+"Tell them Captain Warren is here, and ask them to join us in the inner
+room. Remind Mr. Graves to bring the papers. And, Tim, remember that
+none of us is to be disturbed. Do you understand?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said Tim and departed.
+
+Captain Elisha regarded his friend with some dismay.
+
+"Say!" he exclaimed, "this _must_ be serious, if it takes the skipper
+and both mates to handle it."
+
+Sylvester did not smile. "It is," he answered. "Come."
+
+He led the way into the room opening from the rear of his own. It was
+a large apartment with a long table in the center. Mr. Kuhn, brisk and
+business-like, was already there. He shook hands with his client. As he
+did so, Graves, dignified and precise as ever, entered, carrying a small
+portfolio filled with papers.
+
+"Mornin', Mr. Graves," said the captain; "glad to see you, even under
+such distressin' circumstances, as the undertaker said to the sick man.
+Feelin' all right again, I hope. No more colds or nothin' like that?"
+
+"No. Thank you. I am quite well, at present."
+
+"That's hearty. If you and me don't do any more buggy ridin' in Cape
+Cod typhoons, we'll last a spell yet, hey? What you got there, the death
+warrant?" referring to the portfolio and its contents.
+
+Mr. Graves evidently did not consider this flippancy worth a reply, for
+he made none.
+
+"Sit down, gentlemen," said Sylvester.
+
+The four took chairs at the table. Graves untied and opened the
+portfolio. Captain Elisha looked at his solemn companions, and his lips
+twitched.
+
+"You'll excuse me," he observed, "but I feel as if I was goin' to
+be tried for piracy on the high seas. Has the court any objection to
+tobacco smoke? I'm puttin' the emphasis strong on the 'tobacco,'" he
+added, "because this is a cigar you give me yourself, Mr. Sylvester,
+last time I was down here."
+
+"No, indeed," replied the senior partner. "Smoke, if you wish. No one
+here has any objection, unless it may be Graves."
+
+"Oh, Mr. Graves ain't. He and I fired up together that night we fust
+met. Hot smoke tasted grateful after all the cold water we'd had poured
+onto us in that storm. Graves is all right. He's a sportin' character,
+like myself. Maybe he'll jine us. Got another cigar in my pocket."
+
+But the invitation was declined. The "sporting character" might deign
+to relax amid proper and fitting surroundings, but not in the sacred
+precincts of his office. So the captain smoked alone.
+
+"Well," he observed, after a few preliminary puffs, "go on! Don't keep
+me in suspenders, as the feller said. Where did the lightnin' strike,
+and what's the damage?"
+
+Sylvester took a card from his pocket and referred to a penciled
+memorandum on its back.
+
+"Captain Warren," he began, slowly, "as you know, and as directed by
+you, my partners here and I have been engaged for months in carefully
+going over your brother's effects, estimating values, tabulating and
+sorting his various properties and securities, separating the good from
+the worthless--and there was, as we saw at a glance, a surprising amount
+of the latter--"
+
+"Um-hm," interrupted the captain, "Cut Short bonds and the like of that.
+I know. Excuse me. Go on."
+
+"Yes. Precisely. And there were many just as valueless. But we have been
+gradually getting those out of the way and listing and appraising the
+remainder. It was a tangle. Your brother's business methods, especially
+of late years, were decidedly unsystematic and slipshod. It may have
+been the condition of his health which prevented his attending to them
+as he should. Or," he hesitated slightly, "it may have been that he was
+secretly in great trouble and mental distress. At all events, the task
+has been a hard one for us. But, largely owing to Graves and his patient
+work, our report was practically ready a month ago."
+
+He paused. Captain Elisha, who had been listening attentively, nodded.
+
+"Yes," he said; "you told me 'twas. What does the whole thing tot up to?
+What's the final figger, Mr. Graves?"
+
+The junior partner adjusted his eyeglasses to his thin nose.
+
+"I have them here," he said. "The list of securities, et cetera, is
+rather long, but--"
+
+"Never mind them now, Graves," interrupted Kuhn. "The amount, roughly
+speaking, is close to over our original estimate, half a million."
+
+The captain drew a breath of relief. "Well," he exclaimed, "that's all
+right then, ain't it? That's no poorhouse pension."
+
+Sylvester answered. "Yes," he said, "that's all right, as far as it
+goes."
+
+"Humph! Well, I cal'late _I_ could make it go to the end of the route;
+and then have enough left for a return ticket. Say!" with another look
+at the solemn faces of the three, "what _is_ the row? If the estate is
+wuth ha'f a million, what's the matter with it?"
+
+"That is what we are here this morning to discuss, Captain. A month ago,
+as I said, we considered our report practically ready. Then we suddenly
+happened on the trail of something which, upon investigation, upset all
+our calculations. If true, it threatened, not to mention its effect upon
+the estate, to prove so distressing and painful to us, Rodgers Warren's
+friends and legal advisers, that we decided not to alarm you, his
+brother, by disclosing our suspicions until we were sure there was no
+mistake. I did drop you a hint, you will remember--"
+
+"I remember. _Now_ we're comin' to the rock!"
+
+"Yes. Captain Warren, I think perhaps I ought to warn you that what my
+partners and I are about to say will shock and hurt you. I, personally,
+knew your brother well and respected him as an honorable business man. A
+lawyer learns not to put too much trust in human nature, but, I confess,
+this--this--"
+
+He was evidently greatly disturbed. Captain Elisha, regarding him
+intently, nodded.
+
+"I judge it's sort of hard for you to go on, Mr. Sylvester," he said.
+"I'll help you all I can. You and Mr. Kuhn and Mr. Graves here have
+found out somethin' that ain't exactly straight in 'Bije's doin's? Am I
+right?"
+
+"Yes, Captain Warren, you are."
+
+"Somethin' that don't help his character, hey?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Somethin's he's, done that's--well, to speak plain, that's crooked?"
+
+"I'm afraid there's no doubt of it."
+
+"Humph!" The captain frowned. His cigar had gone out, and he idly
+twisted the stump between his fingers. "Well," he said, with a sigh,
+"our family, gen'rally speakin', has always held its head pretty high.
+Dad was poor, but he prided himself on bein' straight as a plumb line.
+And, as for mother, she...." Then, looking up quickly, he asked, "Does
+anybody outside know about this?"
+
+"No one but ourselves--yet."
+
+"Yet? Is it goin' to be necessary for anybody else to know it?"
+
+"We hope not. But there is a possibility."
+
+"I was thinkin' about the children."
+
+"Of course. So are we all."
+
+"Um-hm. Poor Caroline! she put her father on a sort of altar and bowed
+down afore him, as you might say. Any sort of disgrace to his name
+would about kill her. As for me," with another sigh, "I ain't so much
+surprised as you might think. I know that sounds tough to say about
+your own brother, but I've been afraid all along. You see, 'Bije always
+steered pretty close to the edge of the channel. He had ideas about
+honesty and fair dealin' in business that didn't jibe with mine. We
+split on just that, as I told you, Mr. Graves, when you and I fust met.
+He got some South Denboro folks to invest money along with him; sort of
+savin's account, they figgered it; but I found out he was usin' it to
+speculate with. So that's why we had our row. I took pains to see that
+the money was paid back, but he and I never spoke afterwards. Fur as my
+own money was concerned, I hadn't any kick, but.... However, I'm talkin'
+too much. Go on, Mr. Sylvester, I'm ready to hear whatever you've got to
+say."
+
+"Thank you, Captain. You make it easier for me. It seems that your
+brother's first step toward wealth and success was taken about nineteen
+years ago. Then, somehow or other, probably through a combination
+of luck and shrewdness, he obtained a grant, a concession from the
+Brazilian Government, the long term lease of a good-sized tract of land
+on the upper Amazon. It was very valuable because of its rubber trees."
+
+"Hey?" Captain Elisha leaned forward. "Say that again!" he commanded
+sharply.
+
+Sylvester repeated his statement. "He got the concession by paying
+twenty thousand dollars to the government of Brazil," he continued. "To
+raise the twenty thousand he formed a stock company of two hundred and
+fifty shares at one hundred dollars each. One hundred of these shares
+were in his own name. Fifty were in the name of one 'Thomas A. Craven,'
+a clerk at that time in his office. Craven was only a dummy, however. Do
+you understand what I mean by a dummy?"
+
+"I can guess. Sort of a wooden image that moved when 'Bije pulled the
+strings. Like one of these straw directors that clutter up the insurance
+companies, 'cordin' to the papers. Yes, yes; I understand well enough.
+Go ahead! go ahead!"
+
+"That's it. The fifty shares were in Craven's name, but they were
+transferred in blank and in Mr. Warren's safe. Together with his own
+hundred, they gave him control and a voting majority. That much we know
+by the records."
+
+"I see. But this rubber con--contraption wa'n't really wuth anything,
+was it?"
+
+"Worth anything! Captain Warren, I give you my word that it was worth
+more than all the rest of the investments that your brother made during
+his lifetime."
+
+"_No!_" The exclamation was almost a shout.
+
+"Why, yes, decidedly more. Does that surprise you, Captain?"
+
+Captain Elisha did not answer. He was regarding the lawyer with a dazed
+expression. He breathed heavily.
+
+"What's the matter?" demanded the watchful Kuhn, his gaze fixed upon his
+client's face. "Do you know anything--"
+
+The captain interrupted him. "Go on!" he commanded. "But tell me this
+fust: What was the name of this rubber concern of 'Bije's?"
+
+"The Akrae Rubber Company."
+
+"I see.... Yes, yes.... Akry, hey!... Well, what about it? Tell me the
+rest."
+
+"For the first year or two this company did nothing. Then, in March, of
+the third year, the property was released by Mr. Warren to persons in
+Para, who were to develop and operate. The terms of his new lease were
+very advantageous. Royalties were to be paid on a sliding scale, and,
+from the very first, they were large. The Akrae Company paid enormous
+dividends."
+
+"Did, hey? I want to know!"
+
+"Yes. In fact, for twelve years the company's royalties averaged $50,000
+yearly."
+
+"Whe-e-w!" Captain Elisha whistled. "Fifty thousand a year!" he repeated
+slowly. "'Bije! 'Bije!"
+
+"Yes. And three years ago the Akrae Company sold its lease, sold out
+completely to the Para people, for seven hundred and fifty thousand
+dollars."
+
+"Godfreys mighty! Well," after a moment, "that's what I'd call a
+middlin' fair profit on a twenty thousand dollar investment--not to
+mention the dividends."
+
+"Captain," Sylvester leaned forward now; "Captain," he repeated, "it is
+that sale and the dividends which are troubling us. I told you that the
+Akrae Company was organized with two hundred and fifty shares of stock.
+Your brother held one hundred in his own name and fifty transferred to
+him by his dummy, Craven. What I did not tell you was that there were
+another hundred shares, held by someone, someone who paid ten thousand
+dollars for them--we know that--and was, therefore, entitled to
+two-fifths of every dollar earned by the company during its existence,
+and two-fifths of the amount received for the sale of the lease. So far
+as we can find out, this stockholder has never received one cent."
+
+The effect of this amazing announcement upon the uniniated member of the
+council was not as great as the lawyers expected it to be. "You don't
+tell me!" was his sole comment.
+
+Graves broke in impatiently: "I think, Captain Warren," he declared,
+"that you probably do not realize what this means. Besides proving your
+brother dishonest, it means that this stockholder, whoever he may have
+been--"
+
+"Hey? What's that? Don't you know who he was?"
+
+"No, we do not. The name upon the stub of the transfer book has been
+scratched out."
+
+Captain Elisha looked the speaker in the face, then slowly turned his
+look upon the other two faces.
+
+"Scratched out?" he repeated. "Who scratched it out?"
+
+Graves shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"Yes, yes," said the captain. "You don't know, but we're all entitled to
+guess, hey?... Humph!"
+
+"If this person is living," began Sylvester, "it follows that--"
+
+"Hold on a minute! I don't know much about corporations, of
+course--that's more in your line than 'tis in mine--but I want to
+ask one question. You say this what-d'ye-call-it--this Akrae
+thingamajig--was sold out, hull, canvas and riggin', to a crowd in
+Brazil? It's gone out of business then? It's dead?"
+
+"Yes. But--"
+
+"Wait! Ain't it customary, when a sale like this is made, to turn over
+all the stock, certificates and all? Sometimes you get stock in the new
+company in exchange; I know that. But to complete the trade, wouldn't
+this extry hundred shares be turned in? Or some sharp questionin' done
+if 'twa'n't?"
+
+He addressed the query to Sylvester. The latter seemed more troubled
+than before.
+
+"That," he said with some hesitation, "is one of the delicate points in
+this talk of ours, Captain Warren. A certificate for the missing hundred
+shares _was_ turned in. It was dated at the time of the original issue,
+made out in the name of one Edward Bradley, and transferred on the back
+by him to your brother. That is, it was presumably so transferred."
+
+"Presumably. Pre-sumably? You mean--?"
+
+"I mean that this certificate is--well, let us say, rather queer. To
+begin with, no one knows who this Bradley is, or was. His name appears
+nowhere except on that certificate, unless, of course, it did appear on
+the stub where the scratching has been done; we doubt that, for reasons.
+Nobody ever heard of the man; and his transfer to your brother was made,
+and the certificate signed by him, only three years ago, when the Akrae
+Company sold out. It will take too long to go into details; but thanks
+to the kindness of the Para concern, which has offices in this city--we
+have been able to examine this Bradley certificate. Experts have
+examined it, also. And they tell us--"
+
+He paused.
+
+"Well, what do they tell?" demanded the captain.
+
+"They tell us that--that, in their opinion, the certificate was never
+issued at the time when, by this date, it presumes to have been. It was
+made out no longer ago than five years, probably less. The signature of
+Bradley on the back is--is--well, I hate to say it, Captain Warren, but
+the handwriting on that signature resembles very closely that of your
+brother."
+
+Captain Elisha was silent for some moments. The others did not speak,
+but waited. Even Graves, between whom and his client there was little in
+common, felt the general sympathy.
+
+At length the captain raised his head.
+
+"Well," he said slowly, "we ain't children. We might as well call things
+by their right names. 'Bije forged that certificate."
+
+"I'm afraid there is no doubt of it."
+
+"Dear! dear! dear! Why, they put folks in state's prison for that!"
+
+"Yes. But a dead man is beyond prisons."
+
+"That's so. Then I don't see--"
+
+"You will. You don't grasp the full meaning of this affair even yet. If
+the Bradley certificate is a forgery, a fraud from beginning to end,
+then the presumption is that there was never any such person as Bradley.
+But _someone_ paid ten thousand dollars for one hundred Akrae shares
+when the company was formed. _That_ certificate has never been turned
+in. Some person or persons, somewhere, hold one hundred shares of Akrae
+Rubber Company stock. Think, now! Suppose that someone turns up and
+demands all that he has been cheated out of for the past seventeen
+years! Think of that!"
+
+"Well ... I am thinkin' of it. I got the scent of what you was drivin'
+at five minutes ago. And I don't see that we need to be afraid. He could
+have put 'Bije in jail; but 'Bije is already servin' a longer sentence
+than he could give him. So that disgrace ain't bearin' down on us.
+And, if I understand about such things, his claim is against the Akrae
+Company, and that's dead--dead as the man that started it. Maybe he
+could put in a keeper, or a receiver, or some such critter, but there's
+nothin' left to keep or receive. Ain't I right?"
+
+"You are. Or you would be, but for one thing, the really inexplicable
+thing in this whole miserable affair. Your brother, Captain Warren, was
+dishonest. He took money that didn't belong to him, and he forged that
+certificate. But he must have intended to make restitution. He must have
+been conscience-stricken and more to be pitied, perhaps, than condemned.
+No doubt, when he first began to withhold the dividends and use the
+money which was not his, he intended merely to borrow. He was always
+optimistic and always plunging in desperate and sometimes rather shady
+speculations which, he was sure, would turn out favorably. If they
+had--if, for instance, the South Shore Trolley Combine had been put
+through--You knew of that, did you?"
+
+"I've been told somethin' about it. Go on!"
+
+"Well, it was not put through, so his hopes there were frustrated. And
+that was but one of his schemes. However, when the sale of the Company
+was consummated, he did an extraordinary thing. He made out and signed
+his personal note, payable to the Akrae Company, for every cent he had
+misappropriated. And we found that note in his safe after his death.
+That was what first aroused our suspicions. _Now_, Captain Warren, do
+you understand?"
+
+Captain Elisha did not understand, that was evident. His look of
+wondering amazement traveled from one face to the others about the
+table.
+
+"A _note_!" he repeated. "'Bije put his _note_ in the safe? A note
+promisin' to pay all he'd stole! And left it there where it could be
+found? Why, that's pretty nigh unbelievable, Mr. Sylvester! He might
+just as well have confessed his crookedness and be done with it."
+
+"Yes. It is unbelievable, but it is true. Graves can show you the note."
+
+The junior partner produced a slip of paper from the portfolio and
+regarded it frowningly.
+
+"Of all the pieces of sheer lunacy," he observed, "that ever came under
+my observation, this is the worst. Here it is, Captain Warren."
+
+He extended the paper. Captain Elisha waved it aside.
+
+"I don't want to see it--not yet," he protested. "I want to think. I
+want to get at the reason if I can. Why did he do it?"
+
+"That is what we've been tryin' to find--the reason," remarked Kuhn,
+"and we can only guess. Sylvester has told you the guess. Rodgers Warren
+intended, or hoped, to make restitution before he died."
+
+"Yes. Knowin' 'Bije, I can see that. He was weak, that was his main
+trouble. He didn't mean to be crooked, but his knees wa'n't strong
+enough to keep him straight when it come to a hard push. But he made his
+note payable to a Company that was already sold out, so it ain't good
+for nothin'. Now, why--"
+
+Graves struck the table with his open hand.
+
+"He doesn't understand at all," he exclaimed, impatiently. "Captain
+Warren, listen! That note is made payable to the Akrae Company.
+Against that company some unknown stockholder has an apparent claim
+for two-fifths of all dividends ever paid and two-fifths of the seven
+hundred and fifty thousand received for the sale. With accrued interest,
+that claim amounts to over five hundred thousand dollars."
+
+"Yes, but--"
+
+"That note binds Rodgers Warren's estate to pay that claim. His own
+personal estate! And that estate is not worth over four hundred and
+sixty thousand dollars! If this stockholder should appear and press his
+claim, _your brother's children would be, not only penniless, but thirty
+thousand dollars in debt_! There! I think that is plain enough!"
+
+He leaned back, grimly satisfied with the effect of his statement.
+Captain Elisha stared straight before him, unseeingly, the color fading
+from his cheeks. Then he put both elbows on the table and covered his
+face with his hands.
+
+"You see, Captain," said Sylvester, gently, "how very serious the
+situation is. Graves has put it bluntly, but what he says is literally
+true. If your brother had deliberately planned to hand his children over
+to the mercy of that missing stockholder, he couldn't have done it more
+completely."
+
+Slowly the captain raised his head. His expression was a strange one;
+agitated and shocked, but with a curious look of relief, almost of
+triumph.
+
+"At last!" he said, solemnly. "At last! Now it's _all_ plain!"
+
+"All?" repeated Sylvester. "You mean--?"
+
+"I mean everything, all that's been puzzlin' me and troublin' my head
+since the very beginnin'. All of it! _Now_ I know why! Oh, 'Bije! 'Bije!
+'Bije!"
+
+Kuhn spoke quickly.
+
+"Captain," he said, "I believe you know who the owner of that one
+hundred shares is. Do you?"
+
+Captain Elisha gravely nodded.
+
+"Yes," he answered. "I know him."
+
+"What?"
+
+"You do?"
+
+"Who is it?"
+
+The questions were blurted out together. The captain looked at the three
+excited faces. He hesitated and then, taking the stub of a pencil from
+his pocket, drew toward him a memorandum pad lying on the table and
+wrote a line upon the uppermost sheet. Tearing off the page, he tossed
+it to Sylvester.
+
+"That's the name," he said.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+
+Two more hours passed before the lawyers and their client rose from
+their seats about the long table. Even then the consultation was not at
+an end. Sylvester and the Captain lunched together at the Central Club
+and sat in the smoking room until after four, talking earnestly. When
+they parted, the attorney was grave and troubled.
+
+"All right, Captain Warren," he said; "I'll do it. And you may be right.
+I certainly hope you are. But I must confess I don't look forward to my
+task with pleasure. I think I've got the roughest end."
+
+"It'll be rough, there's no doubt about that. Rough for all hands, I
+guess. And I hope you understand, Mr. Sylvester, that there ain't many
+men I'd trust to do what I ask you to. I appreciate your doin' it more'n
+I can tell you. Be as--as gentle as you can, won't you?"
+
+"I will. You can depend upon that."
+
+"I do. And I sha'n't forget it. Good-by, till the next time."
+
+They shook hands. Captain Elisha returned to the boarding house, where
+he found a letter awaiting him. It was from Caroline, telling him of her
+engagement to Malcolm Dunn. She wrote that, while not recognizing his
+right to interfere in any way, she felt that perhaps he should know
+of her action. He did not go down to supper, and, when Pearson came to
+inquire the reason, excused himself, pleading a late luncheon and no
+appetite. He guessed he would turn in early, so he said. It was a poor
+guess.
+
+Next morning he went uptown. Edwards, opening the door of the Warren
+apartment, was surprised to find who had rung the bell.
+
+"Mornin', Commodore!" hailed the captain, as casually as if he were
+merely returning from a stroll. "Is Miss Caroline aboard ship?"
+
+"Why--why, I don't know, sir. I'll see."
+
+"That's all right. She's aboard or you wouldn't have to see. You and me
+sailed together quite a spell, so I know your little habits. I'll wait
+in the library, Commodore. Tell her there's no particular hurry."
+
+His niece was expecting him. She had anticipated his visit and was
+prepared for it. From the emotion caused by his departure after the
+eventful birthday, she had entirely recovered, or thought she had. The
+surprise and shock of his leaving and the consequent sense of loneliness
+and responsibility overcame her at the time, but Stephen's ridicule and
+Mrs. Corcoran Dunn's congratulations on riddance from the "encumbrance"
+shamed her and stilled the reproaches of her conscience. Mrs. Dunn,
+as always, played the diplomat and mingled just the proper quantity of
+comprehending sympathy with the congratulations.
+
+"I understand exactly how you feel, my dear," she said. "You have a
+tender heart, and it pains you to hurt anyone's feelings, no matter how
+much they deserve to be hurt. Every time I dismiss an incompetent
+or dishonest servant I feel that I have done wrong; sometimes I cry,
+actually shed tears, you know, and yet my reason tells me I am right.
+You feel that you may have been too harsh with that guardian of yours.
+You remember what you said to him and forget how hypocritically he
+behaved toward you. I can't forgive him that. I may forget how he
+misrepresented Malcolm and me to you--that I may even pardon, in
+time--but to deceive his own brother's children and introduce into their
+society a creature who had slandered and maligned their father--_that_
+I never shall forget or forgive. And--you'll excuse my frankness,
+dear--you should never forget or forgive it, either. You have nothing
+with which to reproach yourself. You were a brave girl, and if you are
+not proud of yourself, _I_ am proud of you."
+
+So, when her uncle was announced, Caroline was ready. She entered the
+library and acknowledged his greeting with a distant bow. He regarded
+her kindly, but his manner was grave.
+
+"Well, Caroline," he began, "I got your letter."
+
+"Yes, I presumed you did."
+
+"Um-hm. I got it. It didn't surprise me, what you wrote, because I'd
+seen the news in the papers; but I was hopin' you'd tell me yourself,
+and I'm real glad you did. I'm much obliged to you."
+
+She had not expected him to take this tone, and it embarrassed her.
+
+"I--I gave you my reasons for writing," she said. "Although I do not
+consider that I am, in any sense, duty bound to refer matters, other
+than financial, to you; and, although my feelings toward you have not
+changed--still, you are my guardian, and--and--"
+
+"I understand. So you're really engaged?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Engaged to Mr. Dunn?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And you're cal'latin' to marry him?"
+
+"One might almost take that for granted," impatiently.
+
+"Almost--yes. Not always, but generally, I will give in. You're goin' to
+marry Malcolm Dunn. Why?"
+
+"Why?" she repeated the question as if she doubted his sanity.
+
+"Yes. Be as patient with me as you can, Caroline. I ain't askin' these
+things without what seems to me a good reason. Why are you goin' to
+marry him?"
+
+"Why because I choose, I suppose."
+
+"Um-hm. Are you sure of that?"
+
+"Am I sure?" indignantly. "What do you mean?"
+
+"I mean are you sure that it's because you choose, or because _he_ does,
+or maybe, because his mother does?"
+
+She turned angrily away. "If you came here to insult me--" she began. He
+interrupted her.
+
+"No, no," he protested gently. "Insultin' you is the last thing I want
+to do. But, as your father did put you in my charge, I want you to bear
+with me while we talk this over together. Remember, Caroline, I ain't
+bothered you a great deal lately. I shouldn't now if I hadn't thought
+'twas necessary. So please don't get mad, but answer me this: Do you
+care for this man you've promised to marry?"
+
+This was a plain question. It should have been answered without the
+slightest hesitation. Moreover, the girl had expected him to ask it.
+Yet, for a moment, she did hesitate.
+
+"I mean," continued Captain Elisha, "do you care for him _enough_?
+Enough to live with him all your life, and see him every day, and be to
+him what a true wife ought to be? See him, not with his company manners
+on or in his automobile, but at the breakfast table, and when he comes
+home tired and cross, maybe. When you've got to be forbearin' and
+forgivin' and--"
+
+"He is one of my oldest and best friends--" she interrupted. Her uncle
+went on without waiting for her to end the sentence.
+
+"I know," he said. "One of the oldest, that's sure. But friendship,
+'cordin' to my notion, is somethin' so small in comparison that it
+hardly counts in the manifest. Married folks ought to be friends, sartin
+sure; but they ought to be a whole lot more'n that. I'm an old bach, you
+say, and ain't had no experience. That's true; but I've been young, and
+there was a time when _I_ made plans.... However, she died, and it never
+come to nothin'. But I _know_ what it means to be engaged, the right
+kind of engagement. It means that you don't count yourself at all, not a
+bit. You're ready, each of you, to give up all you've got--your wishes,
+comfort, money and what it'll buy, and your life, if it should come to
+that, for that other one. Do you care for Malcolm Dunn like that,
+Caroline?"
+
+She answered defiantly.
+
+"Yes, I do," she said.
+
+"You do. Well, do you think he feels the same way about you?"
+
+"Yes," with not quite the same promptness, but still defiantly.
+
+"You feel sartin of it, do you?"
+
+She stamped her foot. "Yes! yes! _Yes_!" she cried. "Oh, _do_ say what
+you came to say, and end it!"
+
+Her uncle rose to his feet.
+
+"Why, I guess likely I've said it," he observed. "When two people care
+for each other like that, they _ought_ to be married, and the sooner the
+better. I knew that you'd been lonesome and troubled, maybe; and some
+of the friends you used to have had kind of dropped away--busy with
+other affairs, which is natural enough--and, you needin' sympathy and
+companionship, I was sort of worried for fear all this had influenced
+you more'n it ought to, and you'd been led into sayin' yes without
+realizin' what it meant. But you tell me that ain't so; you do realize.
+So all I can say is that I'm awful glad for you. God bless you, my dear!
+I hope you'll be as happy as the day is long."
+
+His niece gazed at him, bewildered and incredulous. This she had _not_
+expected.
+
+"Thank you," she stammered. "I did not know--I thought--"
+
+"Of course you did--of course. Well, then, Caroline, I guess that's all.
+I won't trouble you any longer. Good-by."
+
+He turned toward the door, but stopped, hesitated, and turned back
+again.
+
+"There is just one thing more," he said solemnly. "I don't know's I
+ought to speak, but--I want to--and I'm goin' to. And I want you to
+believe it! I do want you to!"
+
+He was so earnest, and the look he gave her was so strange, that she
+began to be alarmed.
+
+"What is it?" she demanded.
+
+"Why--why, just this, Caroline. This is a tough old world we live in.
+Things don't always go on in it as we think they'd ought to. Trouble
+comes to everybody, and when it all looks right sometimes it turns out
+to be all wrong. If--if there should come a time like that to you and
+Steve, I want you to remember that you've got me to turn to. No matter
+what you think of me, what folks have made you think of me, just
+remember that I'm waitin' and ready to help you all I can. Any time I'm
+ready--and glad. Just remember that, won't you, because.... Well, there!
+Good-by, Good-by!"
+
+He hurried away. She stood gazing after him, astonished, a little
+frightened, and not a little disturbed and touched. His emotion was so
+evident; his attitude toward her engagement was so different from that
+which she had anticipated; and there was something in his manner which
+she could not understand. He had acted as if he pitied her. Why? It
+could not be because she was to marry Malcolm Dunn. If it were that, she
+resented his pity, of course. But it could not be that, because he had
+given her his blessing. What was it? Was there something else; something
+that she did not know and he did? Why was he so kind and forbearing and
+patient?
+
+All her old doubts and questionings returned. She had resolutely kept
+them from her thoughts, but they had been there, in the background,
+always. When, after the long siege, she had at last yielded and said
+yes to Malcolm, she felt that that question, at least, was settled. She
+would marry him. He was one whom she had known all her life, the son of
+the dearest friend she had; he and his mother had been faithful at the
+time when she needed friends. As her husband, he would protect her and
+give her the affection and companionship she craved. He might appear
+careless and indifferent at times, but that was merely his manner. Had
+not Mrs. Dunn told her over and over again what a good son he was, and
+what a kind heart he had, and how he worshiped her? Oh, she ought to be
+a very happy girl! Of course she was happy. But why had her uncle looked
+at her as he did? And what did he mean by hinting that when things
+looked right they sometimes were all wrong? She wished Malcolm was with
+her then; she needed him.
+
+She heard the clang of the elevator door. Then the bell rang furiously.
+She heard Edwards hasten to answer it. Then, to her amazement, she heard
+her brother's voice.
+
+"Caroline!" demanded Stephen. "Caroline! Where are you?"
+
+He burst into the room, still wearing his coat and hat, and carrying a
+traveling bag in his hand.
+
+"Why, Steve!" she said, going toward him. "Why, Steve! what--"
+
+He was very much excited.
+
+"Oh!" he exclaimed, "you're all right then! You are all right, aren't
+you?"
+
+"All right? Why shouldn't I be all right? What do you mean? And why are
+you here?"
+
+He returned her look of surprise with one of great astonishment.
+
+"Why am I here?" he repeated.
+
+"Yes. Why did you come from New Haven?"
+
+"Why, because I got the telegram, of course! You expected me to come,
+didn't you?"
+
+"_I_ expected you? Telegram? What telegram?"
+
+"Why, the--Good Lord, Caro! what are you talking about? Didn't you know
+they telegraphed me to come home at once? I've pretty nearly broke my
+neck, and the taxicab man's, getting here from the station. I thought
+you must be very ill, or something worse."
+
+"They telegraphed you to come here? Who.... Edwards, you may take Mr.
+Warren's things to his room."
+
+"But, Sis--"
+
+"Just a moment, Steve. Give Edwards your coat and hat. Yes, and your
+bag. That will be all, Edwards. We sha'n't need you."
+
+When they were alone, she turned again to her brother.
+
+"Now, Steve," she said, "sit down and tell me what you mean. Who
+telegraphed you?"
+
+"Why, old Sylvester, father's lawyer. I've got the message here
+somewhere. No, never mind! I've lost it, I guess. He wired me to come
+home as early as possible this morning. Said it was very important. And
+you didn't know anything about it?"
+
+"No, not a thing. What can it mean?"
+
+"_I_ don't know! That's the bell, isn't it? Edwards!"
+
+But the butler was already on his way to the door. A moment later he
+returned.
+
+"Mr. Sylvester," he announced.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Captain Elisha scarcely left his room, except for meals, during the
+remainder of that day and for two days thereafter. He was unusually
+silent at table and avoided conversation even with Pearson, who was
+depressed and gloomy and made no attempt to force his society upon
+his friend. Once, passing the door of the latter's room, he heard the
+captain pacing back and forth as if he were walking the quarter-deck of
+one of his old ships. As Pearson stood listening the footsteps ceased;
+silence, then a deep sigh, and they began again. The young man sighed
+in sympathy and wearily climbed to his den. The prospect of chimneys
+and roofs across the way was never more desolate or more pregnant with
+discouragement.
+
+Several times Captain Elisha descended to the closet where the telephone
+was fastened to the wall and held long conversations with someone. Mrs.
+Hepton, who knew that her newest boarder was anxious and disturbed, and
+was very curious to learn the reason, made it a point to be busy near
+that closet while these conversations took place; but, as the captain
+was always careful to close the door, she was disappointed. Once the
+mysterious Mr. Sylvester called up and asked for "Captain Warren," and
+the landlady hastened with the summons.
+
+"I hope it's nothing serious," she observed, feelingly.
+
+"Yes, ma'am," replied the captain, on his way to the stairs. "Much
+obliged."
+
+"It is the same person who was so very anxious to get you the other
+night," she continued, making desperate efforts not to be left behind in
+the descent. "I declare he quite frightened me! And--you'll excuse
+me, Captain Warren, but I take such a real friendly interest in my
+boarders--you have seemed to me rather--rather upset lately, and I _do_
+hope it isn't bad news."
+
+"Well, I tell you, ma'am," was the unsatisfactory answer, given just
+before the closet door closed; "we'll do the way the poor relation
+did when he got word his uncle had willed him one of his suits of
+clothes--we'll hope for the best."
+
+Sylvester had a report to make.
+
+"The other party has been here," he said. "He has just gone."
+
+"The other party? Why--you don't mean--_him_?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Was he alone? Nobody along to look after him?"
+
+"He was alone, for a wonder. He had heard the news, too. Apparently had
+just learned it."
+
+"He had? I want to know! Who told him?"
+
+"He didn't say. He was very much agitated. Wouldn't say anything except
+to ask if it was true. I think we can guess who told him."
+
+"Maybe. Well, what did you say?"
+
+"Nothing of importance. I refused to discuss my clients' affairs."
+
+"Right you are! How did he take that?"
+
+"He went up like a sky-rocket. Said he had a right to know, under the
+circumstances. I admitted it, but said I could tell him nothing--yet. He
+went away frantic, and I called you."
+
+"Um-hm. Well, Mr. Sylvester, suppose you do see him and his boss. See
+'em and tell 'em some of the truth. Don't tell too much though; not who
+was to blame nor how, but just that it looks pretty bad so fur as the
+estate's concerned. Then say you want to see 'em again and will arrange
+another interview. Don't set any time and place for that until you hear
+from me. Understand?"
+
+"I think so, partially. But--"
+
+"Until you hear from me--that's the important part. And, if you can,
+convenient, I'd have the fust interview right off; this afternoon, if
+it's possible."
+
+"Captain, what have you got up your sleeve? Why don't you come down here
+and talk it over?"
+
+"'Cause I'm stickin' close aboard and waitin' developments. Maybe there
+won't be any, but I'm goin' to wait a spell and see. There ain't much up
+my sleeve just now but goose-flesh; there's plenty of that. So long."
+
+A development came that evening. Mrs. Hepton heralded it.
+
+"Captain," she said, when he answered her knock, "there's a young
+gentleman to see you. I think he must be a relative of yours. His name
+is Warren."
+
+Captain Elisha pulled his beard. "A young _gentleman_?" he repeated.
+
+"Yes. I showed him into the parlor. There will be no one there but you
+and he, and I thought it would be more comfortable."
+
+"Um-hm. I see. Well, I guess you'd better send him up. This is
+comfortable enough, and there won't be nobody but him and me here,
+either--and I'll be more sartin of it."
+
+The landlady, who considered herself snubbed, flounced away. Captain
+Elisha stepped to the head of the stairs.
+
+"Come right up, Steve!" he called.
+
+Stephen came. His uncle ushered him into the room, closed the door, and
+turned the key.
+
+"Stevie," he said, kindly, "I'm glad to see you. Take off your things
+and set down."
+
+The boy accepted the invitation only to the extent of throwing his hat
+on the table. He did not sit or remove his overcoat. He was pale, his
+eyes were swollen and red, his hair was disarranged, and in all respects
+he looked unlike his usual blase and immaculate self. His forehead was
+wet, showing that he had hurried on his way to the boarding house.
+
+The captain regarded him pityingly.
+
+"Set down, Stevie," he urged. "You're all het up and worn out."
+
+His nephew paid no attention. Instead he asked a question.
+
+"You know about it?" he demanded.
+
+"Yes, Stevie; I know."
+
+"You do? I--I mean about the--the Akrae Company and--and all?"
+
+"Yes. I know all about all of it. Do set down!"
+
+Stephen struck his closed fist into the palm of his other hand. He wore
+one glove. What had become of the other he could not have told.
+
+"You do?" he shouted. "You do? By gad! Then do you know what it means?"
+
+"Yes, I know that, too. Now, Stevie, be a good boy and set down and keep
+cool. Yes, I want you to."
+
+He put his hands on his nephew's shoulders and forced him into a chair.
+
+"Now, just calm yourself," urged the captain. "There ain't a mite of
+use workin' yourself up this way. I know the whole business, and I can't
+tell you--I can't begin to tell you how sorry I feel for you. Yet you
+mustn't give up the ship because--"
+
+"Mustn't give up!" Stephen was on his feet again. "Why, what are you
+talking about? I thought you said you knew! Do you think that losing
+every cent you've got in the world is a _joke_? Do you think that--See
+here, do you know who this shareholder is; this fellow who's going to
+rob us of all we own? Who is he?"
+
+"Didn't Mr. Sylvester tell you?"
+
+"He said that there was such a man and that he had the estate cinched.
+He told us about that note and all the rest. But he wouldn't tell the
+man's name. Said he had been forbidden to mention it. Do you know him?
+What sort of fellow is he? Don't you think he could be reasoned with?
+Hasn't he got any decency--or pity--or--"
+
+He choked, and the tears rushed to his eyes. He wiped them angrily away
+with the back of his glove.
+
+"It's a crime!" he cried. "Can't he be held off somehow? Who _is_ he? I
+want to know his name."
+
+Captain Elisha sadly shook his head. "I'm afraid he can't, Stevie," he
+said. "He's got a legal right to all 'Bije left, and more, too. It
+may be he won't be too hard; perhaps he'll ... but there," hastily. "I
+mustn't say that. We've got to face the situation as 'tis. And I
+can't tell you his name because he don't want it mentioned unless it's
+absolutely necessary. And we don't, either. We don't want--any of us--to
+have this get into the papers. We mustn't have any disgrace."
+
+"Disgrace! Good heavens! Isn't there disgrace enough already? Isn't
+it enough to know father was a crook as well as an idiot? I've always
+thought he was insane ever since that crazy will of his came to light;
+but to steal! and then to leave a paper proving it, so that we've got to
+lose everything! His children! It's--"
+
+"Now hold on, boy! Your dad didn't mean to take what didn't belong to
+him--for good, that is; the note proves that. He did do wrong and used
+another man's money, but--"
+
+"Then why didn't he keep it? If you're going to steal, steal like a man,
+I say!"
+
+"Steve, Steve! steady now!" The captain's tone was sterner. "Don't speak
+that way. You'll be sorry for it later. I tell you I don't condemn your
+father ha'f so much as I pity him."
+
+"Oh, shut up! You make me sick. You talk just as Caro does. I'll never
+forgive him, no matter how much she preaches, and I told her so. Pity!
+Pity him! How about pity for _me_? I--I--"
+
+His over-wrought nerves gave way, and, throwing himself into the chair,
+he broke down completely and, forgetting the manhood of which he was so
+fond of boasting, cried like a baby. Captain Elisha turned away, to hide
+his own emotion.
+
+"It's hard," he said slowly. "It's awfully hard for you, my boy. I hate
+to see you suffer this way." Then, in a lower tone, he added doubtfully.
+"I wonder if--if--I wonder--"
+
+His nephew heard the word and interrupted.
+
+"You wonder?" he demanded, hysterically; "you wonder what? What are you
+going to do about it? It's up to you, isn't it? You're our guardian,
+aren't you?"
+
+"Yes, Stevie, I'm your guardian."
+
+"Yes, you are! But no one would guess it. When we didn't want you, you
+wouldn't leave us for a minute. Now, when we need you, when there isn't
+a soul for us to turn to, you stay away. You haven't been near us. It's
+up to you, I say! and what are you going to do about it? What are you
+going to _do_?"
+
+His uncle held up his hand.
+
+"S-shh!" he said. "Don't raise your voice like that, son! I can hear you
+without that, and we don't want anybody else to hear. What am I goin' to
+do? Stevie, I don't know exactly. I ain't made up my mind yet."
+
+"Well, it's time you did!"
+
+"Yes, I guess likely 'tis. As for my not comin' to see you, you know the
+reason for that. I'd have come quick enough, but I wa'n't sure I'd
+be welcome. And I told your sister only 'tother day that--by the way,
+Steve, how is she? How is Caroline?"
+
+"She's a fool!" The boy sprang up again and shook his fist. "She's the
+one I've come here to speak about. If we don't stop her she'll ruin us
+altogether. She--she's a damned fool, I tell you!"
+
+"There! there!" the captain's tone was sharp and emphatic. "That's
+enough of that," he said. "I don't want to hear you call your sister
+names. What do you mean by it?"
+
+"I mean what I say. She _is_ a fool. Do you know what she's done? She's
+written Mal Dunn all about it! I'd have stopped her, but I didn't know
+until it was too late. She's told him the whole thing."
+
+"She has? About 'Bije?"
+
+"Well, perhaps she didn't tell him father was a thief, but she did tell
+that the estate was gone--that we were flat broke and worse."
+
+"Hum!" Captain Elisha seemed more gratified than displeased. "Hum!...
+Well, I kind of expected she would. Knowin' her, I kind of expected it."
+
+"You did?" Stephen glared in wrathful amazement. "You expected it?"
+
+"Yes. What of it?"
+
+"What _of_ it? Why, everything! Can't you see? Mal's our only chance. If
+she marries him she'll be looked out for and so will I. She needn't have
+told him until they were married. The wedding could have been hurried
+along; the Dunns were crazy to have it as soon as possible. Now--"
+
+"Hold on, Steve! Belay! What difference does her tellin' him make? Maybe
+she hasn't mentioned it to you, but I had a talk with your sister the
+other mornin'. She thinks the world of Malcolm, and he does of her. She
+told me so herself. Of _course_ she'd go to him in her trouble. And
+he'll be proud--yes, and glad to know that he can help her. As for the
+weddin', I don't see that this'll have any effect except to hurry it up
+a little more, maybe."
+
+Steve looked at him suspiciously, but there was no trace of sarcasm in
+the captain's face or voice. The boy scowled.
+
+"Ugh!" he grunted.
+
+"What's the 'ugh' for? See here, you ain't hintin' that young Dunn was
+cal'latin' to marry Caroline just for her money, are you? Of course you
+ain't! Why, you and he are the thickest sort of chums. You wouldn't chum
+with a feller who would play such a trick as that on your own sister."
+
+Stephen's scowl deepened. He thrust his hands into his pocket, and
+shifted his feet uneasily.
+
+"You don't understand," he said. "People don't do things here as they do
+where you come from."
+
+"I understand that, all right," with dry emphasis. "I've been here long
+enough to understand that. But maybe I don't understand _you_. Heave
+ahead, and make it plain."
+
+"Well--well, then--I mean this: I don't know that Mal was after Caro's
+money, but--but he had a right to expect _some_. If he didn't, why, then
+her not telling him until after they were married wouldn't have made
+any difference. And--and if her tellin' him beforehand _should_ make a
+difference and he wanted to break the engagement, she's just romantic
+fool enough to let him."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"_Well?_ If she doesn't marry him, who's going to take care of her?
+What's going to become of _me_? We haven't a cent. What kind of a
+guardian are you? Do you want us to starve?"
+
+He was shouting again. The captain was calm. "Oh," he said, "I guess
+it won't reach to the starvation point. I'm a pretty tough old critter,
+'cordin' to your estimate, but I shouldn't let my brother's children
+starve. If the wust comes to the wust, there's always a home and plenty
+to eat for you both at South Denboro."
+
+This offer did not appear to comfort the young gentleman greatly. His
+disgust was evident.
+
+"South Denboro!" he repeated, scornfully. "Gad!... South Denboro!"
+
+"Yup. But we'll let South Denboro alone for now and stick to New York.
+What is it you expect me to do? What are you drivin' at?"
+
+Stephen shook a forefinger in his guardian's face.
+
+"I expect you to make her stick to her engagement," he cried. "And make
+her make him stick. She can, can't she? It's been announced, hasn't it?
+Everybody knows of it! She's got the right--the legal right to hold him,
+hasn't she?"
+
+His uncle regarded him with a quizzical smile. "Why, ye-es," he
+answered, "I cal'late she has, maybe. Course, there's no danger of his
+wantin' to do such a thing, but if he should I presume likely we could
+make it uncomfortable for him, anyhow. What are you hankerin' for,
+Steve--a breach-of-promise suit? I've always understood those sort of
+cases were kind of unpleasant--for everybody but the newspapers."
+
+The boy was in deadly earnest. "Pleasant!" he repeated. "Is any of this
+business pleasant? You make her act like a sensible girl! You're her
+guardian, and you make her! And, after that, if he tries to hedge, you
+tell him a few things. You can hold him! Do it! _Do_ it!"
+
+Captain Elisha turned on his heel and began pacing up and down the room.
+His nephew watched him eagerly.
+
+"Well," he demanded, after a moment, "what are we going to do? Are we
+going to make him make good?"
+
+The captain paused. "Steve," he answered, deliberately, "I ain't sure as
+we are. And, as I've said, if he's got a spark of decency, it won't be
+necessary for us to try. If it should be--if it should be--"
+
+"Well, _if_ it should be?"
+
+"Then we can try, that's all. Maybe you run a course a little different
+from me, Stevie; you navigate 'cordin' to your ideas, and I do by mine.
+But in some ways we ain't so fur apart. Son," with a grim nod, "you rest
+easy on one thing--the Corcoran Dunn fleet is goin' to show its colors."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+
+Caroline sat by the library window, her chin in her hand, drearily
+watching the sleet as it beat against the panes, and the tops of the
+Park trees lashing in the wind. Below, in the street, the trolleys
+passed in their never-ending procession, the limousines and cabs whizzed
+forlornly by, and the few pedestrians pushed dripping umbrellas against
+the gale. A wet, depressing afternoon, as hopeless as her thoughts, and
+growing darker and more miserable hourly.
+
+Stephen, standing by the fire, kicked the logs together and sent a
+shower of sparks flying.
+
+"Oh, say something, Caro, do!" he snapped testily. "Don't sit there
+glowering; you give me the horrors."
+
+She roused from her reverie, turned, and tried to smile.
+
+"What shall I say?" she asked.
+
+"I don't know. But say something, for heaven's sake! Talk about the
+weather, if you can't think of anything more original."
+
+"The weather isn't a very bright subject just now."
+
+"I didn't say it was; but it's _a_ subject. I hope to goodness it
+doesn't prevent Sylvester's keeping his appointment. He's late, as it
+is."
+
+"Is he?" wearily. "I hadn't noticed."
+
+"Of course you hadn't. You don't notice anything. It doesn't help
+matters to pull a long face and go moping around wiping your eyes.
+You've got to use philosophy in times like this. It's just as hard for
+me as it is for you; and I try to make the best of it, don't I?"
+
+She might have reminded him that his philosophy was a very recent
+acquisition. When the news of their poverty first came he was the one
+who raved and sobbed and refused to contemplate anything less direful
+than slow starvation or quick suicide. She had soothed and comforted
+then. Since the previous evening, when he had gone out, in spite of her
+protestations, and left her alone, his manner had changed. He was still
+nervous and irritable, but no longer threatened self-destruction, and
+seemed, for some unexplained reason, more hopeful and less desperate.
+Sylvester had 'phoned, saying that he would call at the apartment at
+two, and since Stephen had received the message he had been in a state
+of suppressed excitement, scarcely keeping still for five minutes at a
+time.
+
+"It is just as hard for me as it is for you, isn't it?" he repeated.
+
+"Yes, Steve, I suppose it is."
+
+"You suppose? Don't you know? Oh, do quit thinking about Mal Dunn and
+pay attention to me."
+
+She did not answer. He regarded her with disgust.
+
+"You are thinking of Mal, of course," he declared. "What's the use? You
+know what _I_ think: you were a fool to write him that letter."
+
+"Don't, Steve; please don't."
+
+"Ugh!"
+
+"Don't you know he didn't get the letter? I was so nervous and
+over-wrought that I misdirected it."
+
+"Pooh! Has he ever stayed away from you so long before? Or his precious
+mother, either? Why doesn't she come to see you? She scarcely missed a
+day before this happened. Nonsense! I guess he got it all right."
+
+"Steve, stop! stop! Don't dare speak like that. Do you realize what you
+are insinuating? You don't believe it! You know you don't! Shame on you!
+I'm ashamed of my brother! No! not another word of that kind, or I shall
+leave the room."
+
+She had risen to her feet. He looked at her determined face and turned
+away.
+
+"Oh, well," he muttered, sullenly, "maybe you're right. I don't say
+you're not. Perhaps he didn't get the letter. You sent it to his office,
+and he may have been called out of town. But his mother--"
+
+"Mrs. Dunn was not well when I last saw her. She may be ill."
+
+"Perhaps. But if you're so sure about them, why not let it go at that?
+What's the use of fretting?"
+
+"I was not thinking of them--then."
+
+As a matter of fact, she had been thinking of her uncle, Elisha Warren.
+As the time dragged by, she thought of him more and more--not as the
+uncouth countryman whose unwelcome presence had been forced into her
+life; nor as the hypocrite whose insult to her father's memory she
+never could forgive or whose double-dealing had been, as she thought,
+revealed; but as the man who, with the choke in his voice and the tears
+in his eyes, bade her remember that, whenever she needed help, he was
+ready and glad to give it.
+
+She did not doubt Malcolm's loyalty. Her brother's hints and
+insinuations found no echo in her thoughts. In the note which she had
+written her fiance she told of the loss of their fortune, though not of
+her father's shame. That she could not tell; nor did she ask Malcolm to
+come to her--her pride would not permit that. She wrote simply of her
+great trouble and trusted the rest to him. That he had not come was
+due--so she kept repeating to herself--solely to the fact that he had
+not received her letter. She knew that was it--she knew it. And yet--and
+yet he did not come.
+
+So, in her loneliness and misery, her guardian's words returned again
+and again to her memory: "Sometimes when things look all right they turn
+out to be all wrong. If ever there comes a time like that to you and
+Steve, remember you've got me to turn to." The time had come when she
+must turn to someone.
+
+She would never go to him; she vowed it. She would not accept his help
+if he came to her. But, if he was sincere, if he meant what he said,
+why did he not come again to proffer it? Because he was not sincere,
+of course. That had been proven long before. She despised him. But
+his face, as she last saw it, refused to be banished from her mind.
+It looked so strong, and yet gentle and loving, like the face of a
+protector, one to be trusted through good times and bad. Oh, this
+wicked, wicked world, and the shams and sorrows in it! "Malcolm, why
+don't you come to me?"
+
+Stephen uttered an exclamation. Looking up, she saw him hurrying toward
+the hall.
+
+"Someone's at the door," he explained. "It's Sylvester, of course. I'll
+let him in."
+
+It was not the lawyer but a messenger boy with a note. Stephen returned
+to the library with the missive in his hand.
+
+"He couldn't get here, Caro," he said, excitedly. "Wants us to come
+right down to his office. Hurry up! Get your things on. The cab's
+waiting. Come! Rush! It may be important."
+
+The cab, an electric vehicle, made good time, and they soon reached the
+Pine Street offices, where they were ushered at once into the senior
+partner's presence.
+
+"Step into the other room," said Mr. Sylvester, "and wait there, please.
+I'll join you shortly."
+
+The room was the large one where the momentous conference between
+Captain Elisha and the three lawyers had so recently taken place.
+Caroline seated herself in one of the chairs. Stephen walked the floor.
+
+"Hope he doesn't keep us waiting long," he fumed. "I thought of course
+he was ready or he wouldn't have sent for us."
+
+"Ready?" his sister looked at him, questioningly. "Ready for what?" she
+repeated, with sudden suspicion. "Steve, do you know what Mr. Sylvester
+wishes to see us about?"
+
+Her brother colored and seemed a bit disconcerted. "How should I know?"
+he muttered.
+
+"Is it something new about the estate or that man who owns it? You do
+know something! I can see it in your face. What is it?"
+
+"Nothing. How should I know what it is?"
+
+"But you do. I believe you do. Look at me! What does Mr. Sylvester want
+of us?"
+
+The boy hesitated; then whirled and faced her. "See here, Caro," he
+said, "maybe I do know something--or I can guess. Now, whatever happens,
+you've got to be a sensible girl. Certain things have to be dealt
+with in a practical way, and we're practical people. Sentiment--and
+pride--and all that sort of stuff, are well enough, but business is
+business and an engagement is an engagement. Now it's right up to you
+and--"
+
+"Steve, what are you talking about?"
+
+"That's all right. I know what I'm talking about. Somebody in the
+family must use common sense, and when it comes to holding a person to a
+promise, then--Confound it, Sis, we can't starve, can we?"
+
+"What do you mean?" She rose and advanced toward him. "What do you mean
+by a promise? What have you been doing?"
+
+His confusion increased. He avoided her eyes and moved sullenly toward
+the other side of the table.
+
+"I haven't done anything," he grumbled, "that is, I've done what any
+reasonable fellow would do. I'm not the only one who thinks.... Look
+here! We've got a guardian, haven't we?"
+
+"A guardian! a _guardian_! Stephen Warren, have you been to him? Have
+you--Was _that_ where you were last night?"
+
+"Well, I--"
+
+"Answer me!"
+
+"What if I have? Whom else am I to go to? Isn't he--"
+
+"But why did you go to him? What did you say?"
+
+"I said--I said--Never mind what I said. He agrees with me, I can tell
+you that. You'll thank your stars I did go, before very long. I....
+S-sh! Here's Sylvester."
+
+The door of the room opened. The person who entered, however, was not
+the lawyer, but the very man of whom they had been speaking, Captain
+Elisha himself. He closed the door behind him.
+
+"Hello, Stevie," he said, with a nod to the boy. Then, turning to his
+niece, he stepped forward and held out his hand. "Caroline," he began,
+"I don't doubt you're some surprised to see me here; but I.... Why,
+what's the matter?"
+
+The faces of the pair led him to ask the question. Stephen's was red and
+he looked embarrassed and guilty. Caroline's was white, and she glanced
+from her brother to her guardian and back again, with flashing eyes.
+
+"What's the matter?" repeated the captain. "Steve," sharply, "have you
+been making a fool of yourself again? What is it?"
+
+"Nothing," was the sulky answer; "nothing of consequence. Caro is--well,
+I happened to mention that I called on you last night and--and she
+doesn't seem to like it, that's all. As I told her, somebody in the
+family had to use common sense, and you were our guardian and naturally,
+under the circumstances.... Why, I'll leave it to anyone!" with a burst
+of righteous indignation. "You _are_ our guardian."
+
+He proclaimed it as if he expected a denial. Captain Elisha frowned.
+"Humph!" he grunted. "That ain't exactly news, is it, Steve? Seems to me
+we've taken up that p'int afore; though, as I remember, you didn't used
+to be sot on all hands knowin' it," with dry sarcasm. "I don't need even
+your common sense to remind me of it just at this minute. Caroline, your
+brother did come to see me last night. I was glad he did."
+
+She ignored him. "Steve," she demanded, still facing the young man, "was
+this, too, a part of your plan? Did you bring me here to meet--him?"
+
+"No, I didn't. Sylvester was to come to see us. You know that; he
+telephoned. I didn't know--"
+
+The captain interrupted. "There, there, son!" he exclaimed, "let me say
+a word. No, Caroline, Stevie didn't know I was to meet you here. But
+I thought it was necessary that I should. Set down, please. I know you
+must be worn out, poor girl."
+
+"I don't wish to sit. I want to know what my brother called to see you
+about."
+
+"Well, there was some matters he wanted to talk over."
+
+"What were they? Concerning the estate?"
+
+"Partly that."
+
+"Partly? What else? Captain Warren, my brother has hinted--he has
+said--What does he mean by holding someone to a promise? Answer me
+truthfully."
+
+"I shouldn't answer you any other way, Caroline. Steve seems to be
+worried about--now you mustn't mind my speakin' plain, Caroline; the
+time's come when I've got to--Steve seems to be worried about the young
+man you're engaged to. He seems to cal'late that Mr. Dunn may want to
+slip out of that engagement."
+
+His niece looked at him. Then she turned to her brother. "You went to
+_him_ and.... Oh, how _could_ you!"
+
+Stephen would not meet her gaze. "Well," he muttered rebelliously, "why
+wouldn't I? You know yourself that Mal hasn't been near you since it
+happened. If he wasn't after--if he was straight, he would have come,
+wouldn't he? Mind, I don't say he isn't--perhaps he doesn't know. But,
+at any rate, something must be done. We had to face possibilities, and
+you wouldn't listen to me. I tried--"
+
+"Stop!" she cut him short, imperiously. "Don't make me hate you. And
+you," turning to her uncle, "did _you_ listen and believe such things?
+Did you encourage him to believe them? Oh, I know what you think of my
+friends! I heard it from your own lips. And I know why you think it.
+Because they know what you are; because they exposed you and--"
+
+"There, there! Caroline, you needn't go on. I've heard your opinion
+of my character afore. Never mind me for the minute. And, if you'll
+remember, _I_ ain't said that I doubted your young man. You told me
+that you thought the world and all of him and that he did of you. That's
+enough--or ought to be. But your brother says you wrote him two days ago
+and he ain't been near you."
+
+"I misdirected the letter. He didn't receive it."
+
+"Um-hm. I see. That would explain."
+
+"Of course it would. That _must_ be the reason."
+
+"Yes, seem's if it must."
+
+"It is. What right have you to doubt it? Oh, how can you think such
+things? Can you suppose the man I am to marry is so despicable--so
+_mean_ as to--as to--I'm ashamed to say it. Why do you presume that
+money has any part in our engagement? Such trouble as mine only makes it
+more binding. Do you suppose if _he_ were poor as--as I am, that I would
+desert _him_? You know I wouldn't. I should be glad--yes, almost happy,
+because then I could show him--could--"
+
+Her voice failed her. She put her handkerchief to her eyes for an
+instant and then snatched it away and faced them, her head erect. The
+pride in her face was reflected in Captain Elisha's as he regarded her.
+
+"No, no," he said gently, "I never supposed you'd act but in one way,
+Caroline. I knew _you_. And, as Steve'll tell you, I said to him almost
+the same words you've been sayin'. If Malcolm's what he'd ought to be,
+I said, he'll be glad of the chance to prove how much he cares for your
+sister. But Steve appeared to have some misgivin's, and so--"
+
+He paused, turned toward the door, and seemed to be listening. Caroline
+flashed an indignant glance at her brother.
+
+"And so?" she asked, scornfully.
+
+"And so," continued the captain, with a slight change in his tone, "it
+seemed to me that his doubts ought to be settled. And," rising, as there
+came a tap at the door, "I cal'late they're goin' to be."
+
+He walked briskly over and opened the door. Sylvester was standing
+without.
+
+"Come, have they?" inquired Captain Elisha.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Fetch 'em right in here. Steve, stand over nigher that corner. This
+way, Caroline, if you please."
+
+He took his niece by the arm and led her to the side of the room not
+visible from the doorway. She was too astonished to resist, but asked an
+agitated question.
+
+"What is it?" she cried. "Who is coming?"
+
+"Some friends of yours," was the quiet reply. "Nothin' to be frightened
+about. Steve, stay where you are."
+
+The boy was greatly excited. "Is it they?" he demanded. "Is it? By gad!
+Now, Sis, be a sensible girl. If he should try to hedge, you hold him.
+Hold him! Understand?"
+
+"Steve, be quiet," ordered the captain.... "Ah, Mrs. Dunn, good
+afternoon, ma'am. Mr. Dunn, good afternoon, sir."
+
+For the pair who, followed by Sylvester, now entered the room were Mrs.
+Corcoran Dunn and Malcolm.
+
+They were past the sill before Captain Elisha's greeting caused them to
+turn and see the three already there. Mrs. Dunn, who was in the lead,
+stopped short in her majestic though creaking march of entrance, and her
+florid face turned a brighter crimson. Her son, strolling languidly at
+her heels, started violently and dropped his hat. The lawyer, bringing
+up in the rear, closed the door and remained standing near it. Caroline
+uttered an exclamation of surprise. Her brother drew himself haughtily
+erect. Captain Elisha remained unperturbed and smiling.
+
+"Good afternoon, ma'am," he repeated. "It's been some time since you and
+I run across each other. I hope you're feelin' pretty smart."
+
+Mrs. Dunn had faced some unpleasant situations in her life and
+had proved equal to them. Usually, however, she had been prepared
+beforehand. For this she had not been prepared--as yet. She had come
+to the offices of Sylvester, Kuhn, and Graves, at the senior partner's
+request, to be told, as she supposed, the full and final details of
+the financial disaster threatening the Warren family. If those details
+should prove the disaster as overwhelming as it appeared, then--well,
+then, certain disagreeable duties must be performed. But to meet the
+girl to whom her son was engaged, and whom she and he had carefully
+avoided meeting until the lawyers should acquaint them with the whole
+truth--to meet this girl, and her brother, and her guardian, thus
+unexpectedly and unprepared, was enough to shake the composure and nerve
+of even such a veteran campaigner as Mrs. M. Corcoran Dunn.
+
+But of the three to whom the meeting was an absolute
+surprise,--Caroline, Malcolm and herself--she was characteristically the
+first to regain outward serenity. For a moment she stood nonplused and
+speechless, but only for a moment. Then she hastened, with outstretched
+arms, to Caroline and clasped her in affectionate embrace.
+
+"My dear child!" she cried; "my dear girl! I'm _so_ glad to see you!
+I've thought of you so much! And I pity you so. Poor Malcolm
+has--Malcolm," sharply, "come here! Don't you see Caroline?"
+
+Malcolm was groping nervously for his hat. He picked it up and obeyed
+his mother's summons, though with no great eagerness.
+
+"How d'ye do, Caroline," he stammered, confusedly. "I--I--It's a deuce
+of a surprise to see you down here. The mater and I didn't expect--that
+is, we scarcely hoped to meet anyone but Sylvester. He sent for us, you
+know."
+
+He extended his hand. She did not take it.
+
+"Did you get my letter?" she asked, quickly. Mrs. Dunn answered for him.
+
+"Yes, dear, he got it," she said. "The poor fellow was almost crazy. I
+began to fear for his sanity; I did, indeed. I did not dare trust him
+out of my sight. Oh, if you could but know how we feel for you and pity
+you!"
+
+Pity was not what Caroline wanted just then. The word jarred upon her.
+She avoided the lady's embrace and once more faced the embarrassed
+Malcolm.
+
+"You got my letter?" she cried. "You _did_?"
+
+"Yes--er--yes, I got it, Caroline. I--by Jove, you know--"
+
+He hesitated, stammered, and looked thoroughly uncomfortable. His mother
+regarded him wrathfully.
+
+"Well," she snapped, "why don't you go on? Caroline, dear, you really
+must excuse him. The dear boy is quite overcome."
+
+Captain Elisha stepped forward.
+
+"Excuse me for interruptin', ma'am," he said, addressing the ruffled
+matron; "but I know you're sort of surprised to see us all here and
+maybe I'd better explain. Mr. Sylvester told me you and your son had an
+appointment with him for this afternoon. Now there was something we--or
+I, anyhow--wanted to talk with you about, so I thought we might as well
+make one job of it. Sylvester's a pretty busy man, and I know he has
+other things to attend to; so why not let him go ahead and tell you what
+you come to hear, and then we can take up the other part by ourselves.
+He's told me what you wanted to see him about, and it's somethin' we're
+all interested in, bein' as we're one family--or goin' to be pretty
+soon. So suppose he just tells you now. Ain't that a good idea?"
+
+Mrs. Dunn looked at the speaker, and then at the lawyer, and seemed to
+have caught some of her son's embarrassment.
+
+"I--we did have an appointment with Mr. Sylvester," she admitted,
+reluctantly; "but the business was not important. And," haughtily, "I do
+not care to discuss it here."
+
+The captain opened his eyes. "Hey?" he exclaimed. "Not important? You
+surprise me, ma'am. I judged 'twas mighty important. 'Twas about the
+real size of your father's estate, Caroline," turning to the girl. "I
+thought Mrs. Dunn and Mr. Malcolm must think 'twas important, for I
+understand they've been telephonin' and askin' for appointments for the
+last two days. Why, yes! and they come way down here in all this storm
+on purpose to talk it over with him. Am I wrong? Ain't that so, ma'am?"
+
+It was so, and Mrs. Dunn could not well deny it. Therefore, she took
+refuge in a contemptuous silence. The captain nodded.
+
+"As to discussin' it here," he went on with bland innocence, "why, we're
+all family folks, same as I said, and there ain't any secrets between us
+on _that_ subject. So suppose we all listen while Mr. Sylvester tells
+just what he'd have told you and Mr. Malcolm. It's pretty hard to hear;
+but bad news is soon told. Heave ahead, Mr. Sylvester."
+
+Mrs. Dunn made one more attempt to avoid the crisis she saw was
+approaching.
+
+"Surely, Caroline," she said testily, "you don't wish your private
+affairs treated in this public manner. Come, let us go."
+
+She laid a hand on the girl's arm. Captain Elisha quietly interposed.
+
+"No, no," he said. "We'll all stay here. There's nothin' public about
+it."
+
+Caroline, crimson with mortification, protested indignantly.
+
+"Mr. Sylvester," she said, "it is not necessary to--"
+
+"Excuse me;" her uncle's tone was sharper and more stern; "I think it
+is. Go on, Sylvester."
+
+The lawyer looked far from comfortable, but he spoke at once and to the
+point.
+
+"I should have told you and your son just this, Mrs. Dunn," he said.
+"I intimated it before, and Miss Warren had already written you the
+essential facts. A new and unexpected development, the nature of which I
+am not at liberty to disclose now or later, makes Abijah Warren's estate
+absolutely bankrupt. Not only that, but many thousand dollars in debt.
+His heirs are left penniless. That is the plain truth, I'm very sorry
+to say. There is no hope of anything better. You'll forgive me, Miss
+Warren, I hope, for putting it so bluntly; but I thought it best to
+avoid every possible misunderstanding."
+
+It was blunt, beyond doubt. Even Captain Elisha winced at the word
+"penniless." Stephen muttered under his breath and turned his back.
+Caroline, swaying, put a hand on the table to steady herself. The Dunns
+looked at each other.
+
+"Thank you, Mr. Sylvester," said the captain, quietly. "I'll see you
+again in a few moments."
+
+The lawyer bowed and left the room, evidently glad to escape. Captain
+Elisha turned to Mrs. Dunn.
+
+"And now, ma'am," he observed, "that part of the business is over. The
+next part's even more in the family, so I thought we didn't need legal
+advice. You see just how matters stand. My niece is a poor girl. She
+needs somebody to support her and look out for her. She's got that
+somebody, we're all thankful to say. She's engaged to Mr. Malcolm here.
+And, as you're his ma, Mrs. Dunn, and I'm Caroline's guardian, us old
+folks'll take our affairs in hand; they needn't listen, if they don't
+want to. I understand from Steve that Malcolm's been mighty anxious to
+have the weddin' day hurried along. I can't say as I blame him. And _I_
+think the sooner they're married the better. Now, how soon can we make
+it, Mrs. Dunn?"
+
+This unexpected and matter-of-fact query was variously received. Mrs.
+Dunn frowned and flushed. Malcolm frowned, also. Steve nodded emphatic
+approval. As for Caroline, she gazed at her guardian in horrified
+amazement.
+
+"Why!" she cried. "You--you--What do you mean by such--"
+
+"Don't be an idiot, Caro!" cut in her brother. "I told you to be
+sensible. Captain Warren's dead right."
+
+"Stevie, you stay out of this." There was no misunderstanding the
+captain's tone. "When I want your opinion I'll ask for it. And,
+Caroline, I want you to stay out, too. This is my trick at the wheel.
+Mrs. Dunn, what d'you say? Never mind the young folks. You and me know
+that marriage is business, same as everything else. How soon can we have
+the weddin'?"
+
+Mrs. Dunn had, apparently, nothing to say--to him. She addressed her
+next remark to Caroline.
+
+"My dear," she said, in great agitation, "this is really too dreadful.
+This--er--guardian of yours appears to think he is in some barbarous
+country--ordering the savages about. Come! Malcolm, take her away."
+
+"No," Captain Elisha stepped in front of the door. "She ain't goin'; and
+I'd rather you wouldn't go yet. Let's settle this up now. I ain't askin'
+anything unreasonable. Caroline's under my charge, and I've got to plan
+for her. Your boy's just crazy to marry her; he's been beggin' for her
+to name the day. Let's name it. It needn't be to-morrow. I cal'late
+you'll want to get out invitations and such. It needn't be next week.
+But just say about when it can be; then I'll know how to plan. That
+ain't much to ask, sartin."
+
+Much or little, neither Mrs. Dunn nor her son appeared ready to answer.
+Malcolm fidgeted with his hat and gloves; his mother fanned herself with
+her handkerchief. Caroline, frantic with humiliation and shame, would
+have protested again, but her guardian's stern shake of the head
+silenced her.
+
+"Well, Mr. Dunn," turning to the groom-to-be; "you're one of the
+interested parties--what do you say?"
+
+Malcolm ground his heel into the rug. "I don't consider it your
+business," he declared. "You're butting in where--"
+
+"No, no, I ain't. It's my business, and business is just _what_ it is.
+Your ma knows that. She and I had a real confidential up and down talk
+on love and marriage, and she's the one that proved to me that marryin'
+in high society, like yours and the kind Caroline's been circulatin' in,
+was business and mighty little else. There's a business contract between
+you and my niece. We want to know how soon it can be carried out, that's
+all."
+
+The young man looked desperately at the door; but the captain's broad
+shoulders blocked the way towards it. He hesitated, scowled, and then,
+with a shrug of his shoulders, surrendered.
+
+"How can I marry?" he demanded sullenly. "Confound it! my salary isn't
+large enough to pay my own way, decently."
+
+"Malcolm!" cried his mother, warningly.
+
+"Well, Mater, what the devil's the use of all this? You know.... By
+Jove! you _ought_ to!"
+
+"Hold on, young feller! I don't understand. Your wages ain't large
+enough, you say? What do you mean? You was _goin'_ to be married, wasn't
+you?"
+
+Mrs. Dunn plunged to the rescue, a forlorn hope, but desperate, and
+fighting to the end.
+
+"An outrage!" she blurted. "Malcolm, I forbid you to continue this
+disgusting conversation. Caroline, my poor child, I don't blame you for
+this, but I call on you to stop it at once. My dear, I--"
+
+She advanced toward the girl with outstretched arms. Caroline recoiled.
+
+"Don't! don't!" she gasped. Captain Elisha spoke up sharp and stern.
+
+"Excuse me, ma'am," he said, "but I'll be obliged if you'll wait a
+minute. Caroline, don't you say a word. You say--you--" addressing
+Malcolm, "that you can't support a wife on your wages. You surprise me
+some, considerin' the swath you've been cuttin' on 'em--but never mind
+that. Maybe they won't keep automobiles and--er--other things I've heard
+you was interested in, but if you cut them out and economize a little,
+same as young married folks I've known have been glad to do, you could
+scrape along, couldn't you? Hey? Couldn't you?"
+
+Malcolm's answer was another scornful shrug. "You belong on Cape Cod,"
+he sneered. "Mater, let's get out of this."
+
+"Wait! Put it plain now. Do I understand that you cal'late to break the
+engagement because my niece has lost her money? Is that it?"
+
+Mrs. Dunn realized that the inevitable was upon them. After all, it
+might as well be faced now as later.
+
+"This is ridiculous," she proclaimed. "Every sane person knows--though
+_barbarians_ may not--" with a venomous glare at the captain--"that,
+in engagements of the kind in which my son shared, a certain amount
+of--er--financial--er--that is, the bride is supposed to have some
+money. It is expected. Of course it is! Love in a cottage is--well--a
+bit _passe_. My son and I pity your niece from the bottom of our hearts,
+but--there! under the circumstances the whole affair becomes impossible.
+Caroline, my dear, I'm dreadfully sorry, dreadfully! I love you like my
+own child. And poor Malcolm will be heartbroken--but--you _see_."
+
+She extended her hand in a gesture of utter helplessness. Stephen,
+who had been fuming and repressing his rage with difficulty during the
+scene, leaped forward with brandished fist.
+
+"By gad!" he shouted. "Mal Dunn, you cad--"
+
+His uncle pushed him back with a sweep of his arm.
+
+"Steve," he ordered, "I'm runnin' this ship." He gave a quick glance at
+his niece, and then added, speaking rapidly and addressing the head of
+the Dunn family, "I see, ma'am. Yes, yes, I see. Well, you've forgot one
+thing, I guess. Caroline's lived in high society, too. And I've been in
+it a spell, myself. And Steve's a boy, but he's got a business head. If
+there's nothin' in marriage but business, then an engagement is what I
+just called it, a business contract, and it can't be broke without the
+consent of both sides. You wanted Caroline's money; maybe she wants
+yours now. If she does, and there's such a thing as law, why, perhaps
+she can get it."
+
+"That's the talk!" cried Stephen exultingly.
+
+"Yup; perhaps she can. She may be a business woman, too, you know. If
+money and style and social position's what counts and she wants to force
+you to keep your promise, why, I'm her guardian and she can count on me
+to back her up. What do you say, Caroline? I'm at your service. I--"
+
+But Caroline interrupted him.
+
+"Stop!" she cried wildly. "Oh, stop! Do you think--do you suppose I
+would marry him now? _Now_, after I've seen what he is? Oh," with a
+shudder of disgust, "when I think what I might have done, I.... Thank
+God that the money has gone! I'm glad I'm poor! I'm _glad_!"
+
+"Caro, you fool!" shrieked Stephen. She did not heed him.
+
+"Let me go!" she cried. "Let me get away from him; from this room! I
+never want to see him or think of him again. Please! _Please_ let me go!
+Oh, take me home! Captain Warren, _please_ let me go home!"
+
+Her uncle was at her side in a moment. "Yes, yes, dearie," he said,
+"I'll take you home. Don't give way now! I'll--"
+
+He would have taken her arm, but she shrank from him.
+
+"Not you!" she begged. "Steve!"
+
+The captain's face clouded, but he answered promptly.
+
+"Of course--Steve," he agreed. "Steve, take your sister home. Mr.
+Sylvester's got a carriage waitin', and he'll go with you, I don't
+doubt. Do as I tell you, boy--and behave yourself. Don't wait; go!"
+
+He held the door open until the hysterical girl and her brother had
+departed. Then he turned to the Dunns.
+
+"Well, ma'am," he said, dryly. "I don't know's there's anything more to
+be said. All the questions seem to be settled. Our acquaintance wa'n't
+so awful long, but it was interestin'. Knowin' you has been, as the
+feller said, a liberal education. Don't let me keep you any longer. Good
+afternoon."
+
+He stepped away from the door. Malcolm and his mother remained standing,
+for an instant, where they were when Caroline left.
+
+The young man looked as if he would enjoy choking someone, the captain
+preferably, but said nothing. Then Mrs. Dunn bethought herself of a way
+to make their exit less awkward and embarrassing.
+
+"My heart!" she said, gasping, and with a clutch at her breast. "My
+poor heart! I--I fear I'm going to have one of my attacks. Malcolm, your
+arm--quick!"
+
+With an expression of intense but patient suffering, and leaning heavily
+upon her son's arm, she moved past Captain Elisha and from the room.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That evening the captain stood in the lower hall of the apartment house
+at Central Park West, undecided what to do next. He wished more than
+anything else in the world to go to his niece. He would have gone to her
+before--had been dying to go, to soothe, to comfort, to tell her of his
+love--but he was afraid. His conscience troubled him. Perhaps he had
+been too brutal. Perhaps he shouldn't have acted as he did. Maybe
+forcing the Dunn fleet to show its colors could have been done more
+diplomatically. He had wanted her to see those colors for herself, to
+actually see them. But he might have overdone it. He remembered how she
+shrank from him and turned to her brother. She might hate him more than
+ever now. If so, then the whole scheme under which he was working fell
+to pieces.
+
+He was worried about Steve, too. That young man would, naturally,
+be furious with his sister for what he would consider her romantic
+foolishness. He had been warned to behave himself; but would he? Captain
+Elisha paced up and down the marble floor before the elevator cage and
+wondered whether his visiting the apartment would be a wise move or a
+foolish one.
+
+The elevator descended, the door of the cage opened, and Stephen himself
+darted out. His face was red, he was scowling fiercely, and he strode
+toward the street without looking in his guardian's direction.
+
+The captain caught him as he passed.
+
+"Here, boy!" he exclaimed; "where's the fire? Where are you bound?"
+
+His nephew, brought thus unexpectedly to a halt, stared at him.
+
+"Oh, it's you!" he exclaimed. "Humph! I'm bound--I don't know where I'm
+bound!"
+
+"You don't, hey? Well, you can cruise a long ways on a v'yage like that.
+What do you mean?"
+
+"Aw, let me alone! I'm going to the club, I guess, or somewhere. Anyhow,
+I won't stay with her. I told her so. Silly little idiot! By gad, she
+understands what I think of her conduct. I'll never speak to her again.
+I told her so. She--"
+
+"Here! Belay! Stop! Who are you talking about?"
+
+"Caro, of course. She--"
+
+"You've run off and left her alone--to-night? Where is she?"
+
+"Upstairs--and crying, I suppose. She doesn't do anything else. It's all
+she's good for. Selfish, romantic--"
+
+He got no further, for Captain Elisha sent him reeling with a push and
+ran to the elevator.
+
+"Eighth floor," he commanded.
+
+The door of the apartment was not latched. Stephen, in his rage and
+hurry, had neglected such trifles. The captain opened it quietly and
+walked in. He entered the library. Caroline was lying on the couch,
+her head buried in the pillows. She did not hear him cross the room. He
+leaned over and touched her shoulder. She started, looked, and sat up,
+gazing at him as though not certain whether he was a dream or reality.
+
+And he looked at her, at her pretty face, now so white and careworn, at
+her eyes, at the tear-stains on her cheeks, and his whole heart went out
+to her.
+
+"Caroline, dearie," he faltered, "forgive me for comin' here, won't you?
+I had to come. I couldn't leave you alone; I couldn't rest, thinkin' of
+you alone in your trouble. I know you must feel harder than ever towards
+me for this afternoon's doin's, but I meant it for the best. I _had_ to
+show you--don't you see? Can you forgive me? Won't you try to forgive
+the old feller that loves you more'n all the world? Won't you try?"
+
+She looked at him, wide-eyed, clasping and unclasping her hands.
+
+"_I_ forgive _you_?" she repeated, incredulously.
+
+"Yes. Try to, dearie. Oh, if you would only believe I meant it for your
+good, and nothin' else! If you could only just trust me and come to me
+and let me help you. I want you, my girl, I want you!"
+
+She leaned forward. "Do you really mean it?" she cried. "How can you?
+after all I've done? after the way I've treated you? and the things I've
+said? You must _hate_ me! Everyone does. I hate myself! You can't
+forgive me! You can't!"
+
+His answer was to hold out his arms. Another moment and she was in them,
+clinging to his wet coat, sobbing, holding him fast, and begging him not
+to leave her, to take her away, that she would work, that she would not
+be a burden to him--only take her with him and try to forgive her, for
+he was real and honest and the only friend she had.
+
+And Captain Elisha, soothing her, stroking her hair, and murmuring words
+of love and tenderness, realized that his labor and sacrifice had
+not been in vain, that here was his recompense; she would never
+misunderstand him again; she was his at last.
+
+And yet, in the midst of his joy, his conscience troubled him more than
+ever.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+
+It was April; and May was close at hand. The weather was all that late
+April weather should be, and so often is not. Trees, bushes, and vines
+were in bud; the green of the new grass was showing everywhere above the
+dead brown of the old; a pair of bluebirds were inspecting the hollow of
+the old apple tree, with an eye toward spring housekeeping; the sun was
+warm and bright, and the water of the Sound sparkled in the distance.
+Caroline, sitting by the living-room window, was waiting for her uncle
+to return from the city.
+
+In the kitchen Annie Moriarty was preparing dinner. Annie was now cook
+as well as chamber-maid, for, of all the Warren servants, she was the
+only one remaining. Edwards, the "Commodore," had been dismissed, had
+departed, not without reluctance but philosophically, to seek other
+employment. "Yes, miss," observed Edwards, when notified that his
+services were no longer required; "I understand. I've been expecting
+it. I was in a family before that met with financial difficulties, and
+I know the signs. All I can say is that I hope you and Mr. Stephen will
+get on all right, miss. If there's anything I can do to help you, by way
+of friendship, please let me know. I'd be glad, for old times' sake. And
+the cook wanted me to tell you that, being as she's got another job in
+sight and was paid up to date, she wouldn't wait for notice, but was
+leaving immediate. She's gone already, miss."
+
+The second maid went also. But Annie, Irish and grateful, refused to go.
+Her mother came to back her in the refusal.
+
+"Indeed she'll not leave you, Miss Caroline--you nor Captain Warren
+neither. Lord love him! Sure, d'ye think we'll ever forget what you and
+him done for me and my Pat and the childer? You've got to have somebody,
+ain't you? And Annie's cookin' ain't so bad that it'll kill yez; and
+I'll learn her more. Never mind what the wages is, they're big enough.
+She'll stay! If she didn't, I'd break her back."
+
+So, when the apartment was given up, and Captain Elisha and his wards
+moved to the little house in Westchester County, Annie came with them.
+And her cooking, though not by any means equal to that at Delmonico's,
+had not killed them yet. Mrs. Moriarty came once a week to do the
+laundry work. Caroline acted as a sort of inexperienced but willing
+supervising housekeeper.
+
+The house itself had been procured through the kind interest of
+Sylvester. Keeping the apartment was, under the circumstances, out of
+the question, and Caroline hated it and was only too anxious to give it
+up. She had no suggestions to make. She would go anywhere, anywhere
+that her guardian deemed best; but might they not please go at once? She
+expected that he would suggest South Denboro, and she would have gone
+there without a complaint. To get away from the place where she had been
+so miserable was her sole wish. And trusting and believing in her uncle
+as she now did, realizing that he had been right always and had worked
+for her interest throughout, and having been shown the falseness and
+insincerity of the others whom she had once trusted implicitly, she
+clung to him with an appeal almost piteous. Her pride was, for the
+time, broken. She was humble and grateful. She surrendered to him
+unconditionally, and hoped only for his forgiveness and love.
+
+The captain did not suggest South Denboro. He did, however, tell
+Sylvester that he believed a little place out of the city would be the
+better refuge for the present.
+
+"Poor Caroline's switched clear around," he said to the lawyer, "and you
+can't blame her much. She cal'lates New York's nothin' but a sham from
+stern to stern, manned by liars and swindlers and hypocrites and
+officered by thieves. 'Tain't no use to tell her 'tain't, though she
+might pretend to believe it, if _I_ told her, for just now the poor girl
+thinks I'm Solomon and Saint Peter rolled into one. The way she agrees
+to whatever I say and the way she looks at me and sort of holds on to
+me, as if I was her only anchor in a gale, I declare it makes me feel
+meaner than poorhouse tea--and that's made of blackberry leaves steeped
+in memories of better things, so I've heard say. _Am_ I a low down
+scamp, playin' a dirty mean trick on a couple of orphans? What do you
+think, Sylvester?"
+
+"You know what I think, Captain Warren," replied the lawyer. "You're
+handling the whole matter better than any other man could handle it. No
+one else would have thought of it, to begin with; and the results so far
+prove that you're right."
+
+"Yup. Maybe. I wish you was around to say that to me when I wake up
+nights and get to thinkin'. However, as I said, Caroline believes New
+York is like a sailors' dance hall, a place for decent folks to steer
+clear of. And when the feller you've been engaged to is shown up as a
+sneak and your own dad as a crook--well, you can't blame a green hand
+for holdin' prejudice against the town that raised 'em. She'll get over
+it; but just now I cal'late some little flat, or, better still, a
+little home out where the back yards ain't made of concrete, would be
+a first-class port for us to make for. Don't know of such a place at a
+reasonable rent, do you?"
+
+"I might find one. And you may be right; your niece might like it
+better, though it will be somewhat of a change. But how about your
+nephew? He has no objection to the metropolis, I should judge. What will
+he say?"
+
+"Nothin', I guess--unless he says it to himself. Steve's goin' back to
+New Haven with things on his mind. He and I had a mornin' service, and
+I was the parson. He listened, because when you ain't got a cent except
+what the society allows you, it ain't good orthodoxy to dodge the
+charity sermon. Steve'll behave, and what he don't like he'll lump. If
+he starts to open his mouth his ear'll ache, I cal'late. I talked turkey
+to that young man. Ye-es," with a slight smile, "I'm sort of afraid I
+lost patience with Stevie."
+
+When Caroline first saw the little house, with its shingled sides, the
+dead vines over the porch, and the dry stalks of last year's flowers in
+the yard, her heart sank. With the wind blowing and the bare branches
+of the old apple tree scraping the roof and whining dolefully, it looked
+bleak and forsaken. It was so different, so unhomelike, and so, to her
+eyes, small and poverty-stricken. She made believe that she liked it,
+exclaimed over the view--which, on the particular day, was desolate
+enough--and declared the Dutch front door was "old-fashioned and dear."
+But Captain Elisha, watching her closely, knew that she was only waiting
+to be alone to give way to wretchedness and tears. He understood,
+had expected that she would feel thus, but he was disappointed,
+nevertheless. However, after the front door was passed and they were
+inside the house, Caroline looked about her in delighted amazement. The
+living room was small, but bright and warm and cheery. On its walls,
+hiding the rather vivid paper, were hung some of the best of Rodgers
+Warren's pictures--the Corot, the codfisher, and others. The furniture
+and rugs were those which had been in the library of the apartment,
+those she had been familiar with all her life. The books, many of them,
+were there, also. And the dining room, except for size, looked like
+home. So did the bedrooms; and, in the kitchen, Annie grinned a welcome.
+
+"But how could you?" asked Caroline. "How could you keep all these
+things, Uncle Elisha? I thought, of course, they must all be sold. I
+cried when they took them away that day when we were leaving to go to
+the hotel. I was sure I should never see them again. And here they all
+are! How could you do it?"
+
+The captain's grin was as wide as Annie's. "Oh," he explained, "I
+couldn't let 'em all go. Never intended to. That five thousand dollar
+codder up there seemed like own folks, pretty nigh. I'd have kept
+_him_, if we had to live in one room and a trunk. And we ain't got to
+that--yet. I tell you, dearie, I thought they'd make you feel more to
+home. And they do, don't they?"
+
+The look she gave him was answer sufficient.
+
+"But the creditors?" she asked. "That man who--they belong to him, don't
+they? I supposed of course they must go with the rest."
+
+Captain Elisha winked. "There's times," he answered, "when I believe in
+cheatin' my creditors. This is one of 'em. Never you mind that feller
+you mentioned. He's got enough, confound him! He didn't have the face to
+ask for any more. Sylvester looked out for that. Five hundred thousand,
+droppin' in, as you might say, unexpected, ought to soften anybody's
+heart; and I judge even that feller's got some bowels of mercy."
+
+He changed the subject hastily, but Caroline asked no more questions.
+She never alluded to the lost estate, never expressed any regrets,
+nor asked to know who it was that had seized her all. The captain had
+expected her to ask, had been ready with the same answer he had given
+Stephen, but when he hinted she herself had forbade his continuing.
+"Don't tell me about it," she begged. "I don't want to know any more.
+Father did wrong, but--but I know he did not mean to. He was a good,
+kind father to me, and I loved him. This man whose money he took had a
+right to it, and now it is his. He doesn't wish us to know who he is, so
+Steve says, and I'm glad. I don't want to know, because if I did I
+might hate him. And," with a shudder, "I am trying so hard not to hate
+anybody."
+
+Her make-believe liking for the little home became more and more real
+as spring drew near. She began to take an interest in it, in the flower
+garden, in the beds beside the porch, where the peonies and daffodils
+were beginning to show green heads above the loam, and in the household
+affairs. And she had plans of her own, not connected with these. She
+broached them to her uncle, and they surprised and delighted him,
+although he would not give his consent to them entirely.
+
+"You mustn't think," she said, "that, because I have been willing to
+live on your money since mine went, that I mean to continue doing it. I
+don't. I've been thinking a great deal, and I realize that I must earn
+my own way just as soon as I can. I'm not fitted for anything now; but
+I can be and I shall. I've thought perhaps I might learn stenography
+or--or something like that. Girls do."
+
+He looked at her serious face and choked back his laugh.
+
+"Why, yes," he admitted, "they do, that's a fact. About four hundred
+thousand of 'em do, and four hundred thousand more try to and then try
+to make business men think that they have. I heard Sylvester sputterin'
+about a couple in his office t'other day; said they was no good and not
+worth the seven dollars a week he paid 'em."
+
+"Seven dollars a _week_!" she repeated.
+
+"Yes. Course some make three times that and more; but they're the
+experienced ones, the good ones. And there's heaps that don't. What
+makes you so sot on earnin' a livin', Caroline? Ain't you satisfied with
+the kind I'm tryin' to give you?"
+
+She regarded him reproachfully. "Please don't say that," she protested.
+"You always treat your kindness as a joke, but to me it--it--"
+
+"There! there!" quickly. "Don't let's talk foolish. I see what you
+mean, dearie. It ain't the livin' but because I'm givin' it to you that
+troubles you. I know. Well, _I_ ain't complainin' but I understand your
+feelin's and respect 'em. However, I shouldn't study type-writin', if
+I was you. There's too much competition in it to be comfortable, as the
+fat man said about runnin' races. I've got a suggestion, if you want to
+listen to it."
+
+"I do, indeed. What is it?"
+
+"Why, just this. I've been about everythin' aboard ship, but I've never
+been a steward. Now I'll say this much for Annie, she tried hard. She
+tumbled into general housekeepin' the way Asa Foster said he fell into
+the cucumber frame--with a jolt and a jingle; and she's doin' her best
+accordin' to her lights. But sometimes her lights need ile or trimmin'
+or somethin'. I've had the feelin' that we need a good housekeeper
+here. If Annie's intelligence was as broad and liberal as her shoes, we
+wouldn't; as 'tis, we do. I'll hire you, Caroline, for that job, if you
+say so."
+
+"I? Uncle Elisha, you're joking!"
+
+"No, I ain't. Course I realize you ain't had much experience in runnin'
+a house, and I hope you understand I don't want to hire you as a cook.
+But I've had a scheme in the back of my head for a fortni't or more.
+Somethin' Sylvester said about a young lady cousin of his made me
+think of it. Seems over here at the female college--you know where I
+mean--they're teachin' a new course that they've christened Domestic
+Science. Nigh's I can find out it is about what our great gran'marms
+larned at home; that, with up-to-date trimmin's. All about runnin' a
+house, it is; how to superintend servants, and what kind of things
+to have to eat, and how they ought to be cooked, and takin' care of
+children--Humph! we don't need that, do we?--and, well, everything
+that a home woman, rich or poor, ought to know. At least, she ought to
+'cordin' to my old-fashioned notions. Sylvester's cousin goes there, and
+likes it; and I judge she ain't figgerin' to be anybody's hired help,
+either. My idea was about this: If you'd like to take this course,
+Caroline, you could do it afternoons. Mornin's and the days you had off,
+you could apply your science here at home, on Annie. Truly it would
+save me hirin' somebody else, and--well, maybe you'd enjoy it, you can't
+tell."
+
+His niece seemed interested.
+
+"I know of the Domestic Science course," she said. "Several of my
+friends--my former friends, were studying it. But I'm afraid, Uncle,
+that I don't see where earning my living has any part in it. It seems to
+me that it means your spending more money for me, paying my tuition."
+
+"No more'n I'd spend for a competent housekeeper. Honest, Caroline, I'd
+like to do it. You think it over a spell."
+
+She did, visiting the University and making inquiries. What she was told
+there decided her. She took up the course and enjoyed it. It occupied
+her mind and prevented her brooding over the past. She might have made
+many friends among the other students, but she was careful to treat
+them only as acquaintances. Her recent experience with "friends" was too
+fresh in her mind. She studied hard and applied her knowledge at home.
+She and Annie made some odd and funny mistakes at first, but they were
+not made twice, and Captain Elisha noticed a great improvement in the
+housekeeping. Also, Caroline's spirits improved, though more slowly.
+
+Most evenings they spent together in the living room. She read aloud to
+her uncle, who smoked his cigar and listened, commenting on the doings
+of the story folk with characteristic originality and aptitude. Each
+night, after the reading was over, he wrote his customary note to Abbie
+Baker at South Denboro. He made one flying trip to that village: "Just
+to prove to 'em that I'm still alive," as he explained it. "Some of
+those folks down there at the postoffice must have pretty nigh forgot
+to gossip about me by this time. They've had me eloped and married and
+a millionaire and a pauper long ago, I don't doubt. And now they've
+probably forgot me altogether. I'll just run down and stir 'em up. Good
+subjects for yarns are scurce at that postoffice, and they ought to be
+thankful."
+
+On his return he told his niece that he found everything much as usual.
+"Thoph Kenney's raised a beard 'cause shavin's so expensive; and the
+Come-Outer minister called the place the other denominations are bound
+for 'Hades,' and his congregation are thinkin' of firin' him for turnin'
+Free-Thinker. That's about all the sensations," he said. "I couldn't
+get around town much on account of Abbie. She kept me in bed most of the
+time, while she sewed on buttons and mended. Said she never saw a body's
+clothes in such a state in _her_ life."
+
+A few of the neighbors called occasionally. And there were other
+callers. Captain Elisha's unexpected departure from Mrs. Hepton's
+boarding house had caused a sensation and much regret to that select
+establishment. The landlady, aided and abetted by Mrs. Van Winkle
+Ruggles, would have given a farewell tea in his honor, but he declined.
+"Don't you do it," he said. "I like my tea pretty strong, and farewells
+are watery sort of things, the best of 'em. And this ain't a real
+farewell, anyhow."
+
+"'Say _au revoir_, but not good-by,'" sang Miss Sherborne sentimentally.
+
+"That's it. Everybody knows what good-by means. We'll say the other
+thing--as well as we can--and change it to 'Hello' the very first time
+any of you come out to see us."
+
+They were curious to know his reason for leaving. He explained that his
+niece was sort of lonesome and needed country air; he was going to live
+with her, for the present. Consequently Mrs. Ruggles, on the trail of
+aristocracy, was the first to call. Hers was a stately and ceremonious
+visit. They were glad when it was over. Lawton, the bookseller and his
+wife, came and were persuaded to remain and dine. Caroline liked them at
+sight. The most impressive call, however, was that of Mr. and Mrs. "C."
+Dickens. The great man made it a point to dress in the style of bygone
+years, and his conversation was a treat. His literary labors were
+fatiguing and confining, he admitted, and the "little breath of rural
+ozone" which this trip to Westchester County gave him, was like a
+tonic--yes, as one might say, a tonic prescribed and administered by
+Dame Nature herself.
+
+"I formerly resided in the country," he told Caroline.
+
+"Yes," put in his wife, "we used to live at Bayonne, New Jersey. We
+had such a pretty house there, that is, half a house; you see it was a
+double one, and--"
+
+"Maria," her husband waved his hand, "why trouble our friends with
+unnecessary details."
+
+"But it _was_ a pretty house, 'C.,' dear," with a pathetic little sigh.
+"I've missed it a great deal since, Miss Warren. 'C.' had a joke about
+it--he's such a joker! He used to call it 'Gad's Hill, Junior.'"
+
+"Named after some of David B.'s folks?" asked Captain Elisha innocently.
+The answer, delivered by Mr. Dickens, was condescending and explanatory.
+
+Caroline laughed, actually laughed aloud, when the visit was over. Her
+uncle was immensely pleased.
+
+"Hooray!" he cried. "I'll invite 'em up to stay a week. That's the fust
+time I've heard you laugh for I don't know when."
+
+She laughed again. "I can't help it," she said; "they are so funny."
+
+The captain chuckled. "Yes," he said, "and they don't know it. I
+cal'late a person's skull has got room for just about so much in it and
+no more. Cornelius Charles's head is so jammed with self-satisfaction
+that his sense of humor was crowded out of door long ago."
+
+One boarder at Mrs. Hepton's did not call, nor did Captain Elisha allude
+to him. Caroline noticed the latter fact and understood the reason.
+Also, when the captain went to the city, as he frequently did, and
+remained longer than usual, she noticed that his explanations of the
+way in which he spent his time were sometimes vague and hurried. She
+understood and was troubled. Yet she thought a great deal on the subject
+before she mentioned it.
+
+On the April afternoon when Caroline sat at the window of the living
+room awaiting her uncle's return she was thinking of that subject.
+But, at last, her mind was made up. It was a hard thing to do; it was
+humiliating, in a way; it might--though she sincerely hoped not--be
+misconstrued as to motive; but it was right. Captain Elisha had been
+so unselfish, so glad to give up every personal inclination in order to
+please her, that she would no longer permit her pride to stand in the
+way of his gratification, even in little things. At least, she would
+speak to him on the matter.
+
+He came on a later than his usual train, and at dinner, when she asked
+where he had been, replied, "Oh, to see Sylvester, and--er--around." She
+asked him no more, but, when they were together in the living room, she
+moved her chair over beside his and said without looking at him:
+
+"Uncle Elisha, I know where you've been this afternoon. You've been to
+see Mr. Pearson."
+
+"Hey?" He started, leaned back and regarded her with astonishment and
+some alarm.
+
+"You've been to see Mr. Pearson," she repeated, "haven't you?"
+
+"Why--why, yes, Caroline, I have--to tell you the truth. I don't see how
+you knew, but," nervously, "I hope you don't feel bad 'cause I did. I
+go to see him pretty often. You see, I think a good deal of him--a whole
+lot of him. _I_ think he's a fine young feller. Course I know you don't,
+and so I never mention him to you. But I do hope you ain't goin' to ask
+me not to see him."
+
+She shook her head. "No," she said. "I would have no right to ask that,
+even if I wished to. And I do not wish it. Uncle Elisha, if you were
+alone here, he would come to see you; I know he would. Invite him to
+come, please."
+
+His astonishment was greater than ever.
+
+"Invite him to come _here_?" he asked. "To see you?"
+
+"No," hastily; "to see you. This is your home. I have no right to keep
+your friends from visiting it. I know you would sacrifice everything
+for me, even them; but I will not be so selfish as to allow it. Ask him
+here, please. I really want you to."
+
+He pulled his beard. "Caroline," he answered slowly, "I'm much obliged
+to you. I understand why you're doin' this, and I thank you. But it
+ain't likely that I'll say yes, is it? And do you suppose Jim would come
+if I did ask him? He knows you believe he's a--well, all that's bad. You
+told him so, and you sent him away. I will give in that I'd like to have
+him here. He's one of the few men friends I've made since I landed
+in New York. But, under the circumstances--you feelin' as you do--I
+couldn't ask him, and he wouldn't come if I did."
+
+She remained silent for a time. Then she said: "Uncle, I want you to
+tell me the truth about Mr. Pearson and father--just why they
+quarreled and the real truth of the whole affair. Don't spare my
+feelings; tell me what you believe is the true story. I know you think
+Mr. Pearson was right, for you said so."
+
+The captain was much troubled.
+
+"I--I don't know's I'd better, dearie," he answered. "I think I do know
+the truth, but you might think I was hard on 'Bije--on your father. I
+ain't. And I sympathize with the way he felt, too. But Jim did right, as
+I see it. He acted just as I'd want a son of mine to do. And.... Well, I
+cal'late we'd better not rake up old times, had we?"
+
+"I want you to tell me. Please do."
+
+"I don't know's I'd better. You have been told the story different,
+and--"
+
+"I know I have. That is the reason why I ask you to tell it. Oh," with
+a flash of scorn, "I was told many stories, and I want to forget them.
+And," sadly, "I can bear whatever you may tell me, even about father.
+Since I learned that he was a--a--"
+
+"S-sh, Caroline; don't!"
+
+"After that, I can bear anything, I think. This cannot be worse."
+
+"Worse! No, not! This ain't very bad. I will tell you, dearie. This is
+just what happened."
+
+He told her the exact truth concerning the Trolley Combine, his
+brother's part in it, and Pearson's. She listened without comment.
+
+"I see," she said when he had finished. "I think I see. Mr. Pearson felt
+that, as a newspaper man, an honest one, he must go on. He knew that the
+thing was wrong and that innocent people might lose money in it. It was
+his duty to expose it, and he did it, even though it meant the loss of
+influence and of father's friendship. I see."
+
+"That was about it, Caroline. I think the hardest part for him was when
+'Bije called him ungrateful. 'Bije had been mighty kind to him, that's a
+fact."
+
+"Yes. Father was kind; I know that better than anyone else. But Mr.
+Pearson was right. Yes, he was right, and brave."
+
+"So I size it up. And I do sympathize with your father, too. This wa'n't
+such an awful lot worse than a good many stock deals. And poor 'Bije was
+perfectly desp'rate, I guess. If it had gone through he'd have been able
+to square accounts with the Rubber Company; and just think what that
+would have meant to him. Poor feller! poor feller!" He sighed. She
+reached for his hand and stroked it gently with her own.
+
+After another interval she said: "How I insulted and wronged him! How he
+must despise me!"
+
+"Who? Jim? No, no! he don't do any such thing. He knows you didn't
+understand, and who was responsible. Jim's got sense, lots of it."
+
+"But it is my misunderstanding and my insulting treatment of him which
+have kept you two apart--here, at any rate."
+
+"Don't let that worry you, Caroline. I see him every once in a while, up
+to the city."
+
+"It does worry me; and it will, until it is made right. And," in a lower
+tone, but with decision, "it shall be."
+
+She rose and, bending over, kissed him on the forehead. "Good night,
+Uncle," she said.
+
+Captain Elisha was disappointed. "What!" he exclaimed. "Goin' aloft so
+soon? We ain't had our readin' yet. Pretty early to turn in, seems to
+me. Stay a little longer, do."
+
+"Not to-night, dear. I'm going to my room. Please excuse me this time."
+She turned to go and then, turning back again, asked a final question.
+
+"You're sure," she said, hesitatingly; "you're quite sure he will not
+come here--to you--if you tell him I understand, and--and you ask him?"
+
+"Well, Caroline, I don't know. You see, I was responsible for his comin'
+before. He had some scruples against it then, but I talked him down.
+He's sort of proud, Jim is, and he might--might not want to--to--"
+
+"I see. Good night, Uncle."
+
+The next morning, after breakfast, she came to him again.
+
+"Uncle Elisha," she said, "I have written him."
+
+"What? You've written? Written who?"
+
+"Mr. Pearson. I wrote him, telling him I had learned the true story of
+his disagreement with father and that he was right and I was wrong. I
+apologized for my behavior toward him. Now, I think, perhaps, if you ask
+him, he will come."
+
+The captain looked at her. He realized the sacrifice of her pride which
+writing that letter must have meant, and that she had done it for him.
+He was touched and almost sorry she had done it. He took both her hands
+in his.
+
+"Dearie," he said, "you shouldn't have done that. I didn't expect you
+to. I know you did it just for my sake. I won't say I ain't glad; I am,
+in one way. But 'twa'n't necessary, and 'twas too much, too hard for you
+altogether."
+
+"Don't say that," she begged. "Too much! I never can do enough. Compared
+to what you have done for me it--it.... Oh, please let me do what little
+I can. But, Uncle Elisha, promise me one thing; promise that you will
+not ask me to meet him, if he should come. That I couldn't do, even for
+you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+
+Promises of that kind are easier to make than to keep. The captain
+promised promptly enough, but the Fates were against him. He made it his
+business to go to town the very next day and called upon his friend. He
+found the young man in a curiously excited and optimistic frame of mind,
+radically different from that of the past few months. The manuscript of
+the novel was before him on the desk, also plenty of blank paper.
+His fountain-pen was in his hand, although apparently, he had written
+nothing that morning. But he was going to--oh, yes, he was going to! He
+was feeling just in the mood. He had read his manuscript, and it was not
+so bad; by George, some of the stuff was pretty good! And the end
+was not so far off. Five or six chapters more and the thing would be
+finished. He would have to secure a publisher, of course, but two had
+already expressed an interest; and so on.
+
+Captain Elisha drew his own conclusions. He judged that his niece's
+letter had reached its destination. He did not mention it, however, nor
+did Pearson. But when the captain hinted at the latter's running out to
+the house to see him some time or other, the invitation was accepted.
+
+"That's fine, Jim," declared the visitor. "Come any time. I want you
+to see what a nice little place I've got out there. Don't stand on
+ceremony, come--er--next week, say." Then, mindful of his promise, he
+added, "You and I'll have it all to ourselves. I've been cal'latin' to
+hire a sail-boat for the summer; got my eye on a capable little sloop
+belongin' to a feller on the Sound shore. If all goes well I'll close
+the deal in a few days. I'll meet you at the depot and we'll have a sail
+and get dinner at a hotel or somewheres, and then we'll come up to the
+house and take a whack at Cap'n Jim's doin's in the new chapters. Just
+you and I together in the settin' room; hey?"
+
+Pearson did not seem so enthusiastic over this programme, although he
+admitted that it sounded tip-top.
+
+"How is Miss Warren?" he asked, mentioning the name with a nonchalance
+remarkable, considering that he had not done so before for weeks. "She
+is well, I hope?"
+
+"Yes, she's fust-rate, thank you. Very well, everything considered. She
+keeps to herself a good deal. Don't care to meet many folks, and you
+can't hardly blame her."
+
+Pearson admitted that, and the remainder of the call was largely a
+monologue by Captain Elisha.
+
+"Well, then, Jim," said the latter, when he rose to go, "you come up
+Monday or Tuesday of next week. Will you?"
+
+"Yes. I--I think so."
+
+"Don't think, do it. Let me know what train you're comin' on, and I'll
+meet you at the depot."
+
+This last remark was what upset calculations. Pearson came on Monday,
+having written the day before. He did not mail the note himself, but
+trusted it to Mrs. Hepton, who was going out to attend evening service.
+She forgot it until the next day. So it happened that when he alighted
+from the train at the suburban station the captain was not there to
+meet him. He waited a while, and then, inquiring the way of the station
+agent, walked up to the house by himself. As he turned in at the front
+walk, Caroline came out of the door. They met, face to face.
+
+It was a most embarrassing situation, particularly for Caroline; yet,
+with feminine resourcefulness, she dissembled her embarrassment to some
+extent and acknowledged his stammered, "Good afternoon, Miss Warren,"
+with a cool, almost cold, "How do you do, Mr. Pearson?" which chilled
+his pleasure at seeing her and made him wish devoutly that he had not
+been such a fool as to come. However, there he was, and he hastily
+explained his presence by telling her of the captain's invitation for
+that day, how he had expected to meet him at the station, and, not
+meeting him, had walked up to the house.
+
+"Is he in?" he asked.
+
+No, Captain Elisha was not in. He had gone to see the sail-boat man. Not
+hearing from his friend, he concluded the latter would not come until
+the next day.
+
+"He will be so sorry," said Caroline.
+
+Pearson was rather thankful than otherwise. The captain's absence
+afforded him an opportunity to escape from a place where he was plainly
+unwelcome.
+
+"Oh, never mind," he said. "It is not important. I can run out
+another day. Just tell him I called, Miss Warren, please; that I wrote
+yesterday, but my letter must have gone astray. Good afternoon."
+
+He was turning to go, but she stopped him. She had fully made up her
+mind that, when he came, she would not meet him--remembering how she had
+treated him on the evening of her birthday, she would be ashamed to
+look him in the face. Besides, she could not meet him after writing that
+letter; it would be too brazen; he would think--all sorts of things.
+When he visited her uncle she would remain in her room, or go to the
+city or somewhere.
+
+But now she had met him. And he had come in response to her uncle's
+invitation, given because she herself had pleaded that it should be. To
+let him go away would be rude and ridiculous; and how could she explain
+to the captain?
+
+"You mustn't go, Mr. Pearson," she said. "You must come in and wait;
+Captain Warren will be back soon, I'm sure."
+
+"Thank you; but I think I won't wait. I can come another time."
+
+"But you must wait. I insist. Uncle Elisha will be dreadfully
+disappointed if you don't. There isn't a train for an hour, and he will
+return before that, I am sure. Please come in."
+
+Pearson was reluctant, but he could think of no reasonable excuse. So he
+entered the house, removed his overcoat and hat, and seated himself in
+the living room to await the captain's return. Caroline excused herself,
+saying that she had an errand at the shop in the village. She made that
+errand as long as she could, but when she returned he was still there,
+and Captain Elisha had not appeared.
+
+The conversation was forced, for a time. Each felt the embarrassment,
+and Pearson was still resentful of the manner in which she had greeted
+him on his arrival. But, as he looked at her, the resentment vanished,
+and the other feeling, that which he had determined to forget, returned.
+Captain Elisha had told him how brave she had been through it all, and,
+contrasting the little house with the former home, remembering the loss
+of friends and fortune, to say nothing of the unmasking of those whom
+she believed were her nearest and dearest, he wondered and admired more
+than ever. He understood how very hard it must have been for her to
+write that letter to him, a letter in which she justified his course
+at the cost of her own father's honor. He longed to tell her that he
+understood and appreciated.
+
+At last he could not resist the temptation.
+
+"Miss Warren," he said, "please excuse my speaking of this, but I must;
+I must thank you for writing me as you did. It was not necessary, it
+was too much to expect, too hard a thing for you to do. It makes me feel
+guilty. I--"
+
+"Please don't!" she interrupted. "Don't speak in that way. It was right.
+It was what I should have done long ago."
+
+"But it was not necessary; I understood. I knew you had heard another
+version of the story and that you felt I had been ungrateful and mean,
+to say the least, in my conduct toward your father. I knew that; I have
+never blamed you. And you writing as you did--"
+
+"I did it for my uncle's sake," she broke in, quickly. "You are his
+closest friend."
+
+"I know, but I appreciate it, nevertheless. I--I wish you would consider
+me your friend as well as his. I do, sincerely."
+
+"Thank you. I need friends, I know. I have few now, which is not
+strange," rather bitterly.
+
+He protested earnestly. "I did not mean it in that way," he said. "It
+is an honor and a great privilege to be one of your friends. I had that
+honor and privilege once. May I have it again?"
+
+"Thank you, Mr. Pearson.... Now tell me about your novel. I remember
+it all so well. And I am very much interested. You must have it nearly
+completed. Tell me about it, please."
+
+They were deep in the discussion of the novel when Captain Elisha walked
+into the living room. He was surprised, stating his feelings at their
+mildest, to find them together, but he did not express his astonishment.
+Instead, he hailed Pearson delightedly, demanded to know if they had
+dared tackle Cap'n Jim without the "head doctor's" being on the scene;
+and insisted upon the author's admitting him to the "clinic" forthwith.
+Pearson did not take the next train, nor the next. Instead, he stayed
+for dinner and well into the evening, and when he did go it was after a
+prompt acceptance of the captain's invitation to "come again in a mighty
+little while."
+
+Caroline, when she and her uncle were alone after their visitor's
+departure, made no protest against the invitation having been given.
+She did not speak of Pearson at all. Captain Elisha also talked of other
+things, principally about the sail-boat, the summer lease of which he
+had arranged that afternoon. He declared the sloop to be an "able craft
+of her tonnage" and that they would have some good times aboard her or
+he missed his guess. In his own room, when ready for bed, he favored his
+reflection in the glass with a broad smile and a satisfied wink, from
+which proceeding it may be surmised that the day had not been a bad one,
+according to his estimate.
+
+Pearson came again a week later, and thereafter frequently. The sessions
+with Cap'n Jim and his associates were once more regular happenings
+to be looked forward to and enjoyed by the three. As the weather grew
+warmer, the sloop--Captain Elisha had the name she formerly bore painted
+out and Caroline substituted--proved to be as great a source of pleasure
+as her new skipper had prophesied. He and his niece--and occasionally
+Pearson--sailed and picnicked on the Sound, and Caroline's pallor
+disappeared under the influence of breeze and sunshine. Her health
+improved, and her spirits, also. She seemed, at times, almost happy,
+and her uncle seldom saw her, as after the removal to the suburb he
+so frequently used, with tears in her eyes and the sadness of bitter
+memories in her expression and manner. Her work at the University grew
+steadily more difficult, but she enjoyed it thoroughly and declared that
+she would not give it up for worlds.
+
+In June two very important events took place. The novel was finished,
+and Stephen, his Sophomore year at an end, came home from college. He
+had been invited by some classmates to spend a part of his vacation with
+them on the Maine coast, and his guardian had consented to his doing so;
+but the boy himself had something else to propose. On an evening soon
+after his return, when, his sister having retired, he was alone with the
+captain, he broached the idea.
+
+"Say," he said, "I've been thinking a good deal while I've been away
+this last time."
+
+"Glad to hear it, I'm sure," replied his uncle, dryly.
+
+"Yes. I've been thinking--about a good many things. I'm flat broke; down
+and out, so far as money is concerned. That's so, isn't it?"
+
+Captain Elisha looked at him keenly for an instant. Then:
+
+"It appears that way, I'm afraid," he answered. "What made you ask?"
+
+"Nothing. I wasn't asking, really; I was just stating the case. Now, the
+way I look at it, this college course of mine isn't worth while. You're
+putting up for it, and I ought to be much obliged; I am, of course."
+
+"You're welcome, Stevie."
+
+"I know; but what's the use of it? I've got to go to work when it's
+over. And the kind of work I want to do doesn't need university
+training. I'm just wasting time; that's what I'm doing."
+
+"Humph! I ain't so sure about that. But what sort of work do you want to
+do?"
+
+"I want to be down on the Street, as the governor was. If this Rubber
+Company business hadn't knocked us out, I intended, as soon as I was of
+age, to take that seat of his and start in for myself. Well, that chance
+has gone, but I mean to get in some way, though I have to start at the
+foot of the ladder. Now why can't I leave college and start now? It will
+be two years gained, won't it?"
+
+Captain Elisha seemed pleased, but he shook his head.
+
+"How do you know you'd like it?" he asked. "You've never tried."
+
+"No, I never have; but I'll like it all right. I know I shall. It's what
+I've wanted to do ever since I was old enough to think of such things.
+Just let me start in now, right away, and I'll show you. I'll make good;
+you see if I don't."
+
+He was very earnest. The captain deliberated before answering.
+
+"Stevie," he said, doubtfully, "I rather like to hear you talk that
+way; I own up it pleases me. But, as to your givin' up college--that's
+different. Let me think it over for a day or two; that is, if you can
+put off the Maine trip so long as that."
+
+"Hang the Maine trip! You let me get into business, the business I want
+to get into, and I won't ask for a vacation; you can bet on that!"
+
+"All right then. I'll think, and do some questionin' around, and report
+soon's I've decided what's best."
+
+He laid the stump of his cigar in the ash receiver and rose from his
+chair. But his nephew had not finished.
+
+"There was something else I intended to say," he announced, but with
+less eagerness.
+
+"That so? What?"
+
+"Why--why, just this." He fidgeted with his watch chain, colored and
+was evidently uneasy. "I guess--" he hesitated--"I guess that I haven't
+treated you as I ought."
+
+"I want to know! You guess that, hey? Why?"
+
+"Oh, you know why. I've been thinking since I went back to New Haven.
+I've had a chance to think. Some of the fellows in the set I used to be
+thick with up there have learned that I'm broke, and they--they aren't
+as friendly as they were. Not all of them, of course, but some. And
+I wouldn't chase after them; not much! If they wanted to drop me they
+could. You bet I didn't try to hang on! I was pretty sore for a while
+and kept to myself and--well, I did a lot of thinking. I guess Caro is
+right; you've been mighty decent to her and me."
+
+He paused, but Captain Elisha made no comment.
+
+"I guess you have," continued Stephen, soberly. "When you first came,
+you know, Caroline and I couldn't understand. We thought you were
+butting in and weren't our sort, and--and--"
+
+"And a hayseed nuisance generally; I know. Heave ahead, son; you
+interest me."
+
+"Well, we didn't like it. And Mal Dunn and his mother were always
+sympathizing and insinuating, and we believed they were our best
+friends, and all that. So we didn't try to understand you or--or even
+make it livable for you. Then, after the news came that the money had
+gone, I acted like a kid, I guess. That business of making Mal stick
+to the engagement was pretty silly. I was nearly desperate, you see,
+and--and--you knew it was silly. You never took any stock in it, did
+you?"
+
+The captain smiled.
+
+"Not a heap," he admitted.
+
+"No. All you wanted was to show them up. Well, you did it, and I'm glad
+you did. But Caro and I have talked it over since I've been home, and
+we agree that you've been a great deal better to us than we deserve. You
+didn't _have_ to take care of us at all, any more, after the money went.
+By gad! considering how we treated you, I don't see why you did. _I_
+wouldn't. But you did--and you are. You've given us a home, and you're
+putting me through college and--and--"
+
+"That's all right, son. Good night."
+
+"Just a minute. I--I--well, if you let me, I'd like to thank you
+and--and ask your pardon."
+
+"Granted, my boy. And never mind the thanks, either. Just keep on
+thinkin' and actin' as you have to-night, and I'll be satisfied. I want
+to see my nephew makin' a man of himself--a real man; and, Steve, you
+talk more like a man to-night than I've ever heard you. Stick to it, and
+you'll do yet. As for goin' to work, you let me chew on that for a few
+days."
+
+The next morning he called on Sylvester, who in turn took him to a
+friend of his, a broker--employing a good-sized staff of clerks. The
+three had a consultation, followed, the day after, by another. That
+evening the captain made a definite proposal to Stephen. It was,
+briefly, that, while not consenting to the latter's leaving college, he
+did consider that a trial of the work in a broker's office might be
+a good thing. Therefore, if the young man wished, he could enter the
+employ of Sylvester's friend and remain during July and August.
+
+"You'll leave about the first of September, Steve," he said, "and
+that'll give you time for the two weeks vacation that you ought to have.
+Then you can go back to Yale and pitch in till the next summer, when the
+same job'll be ready for you. After you're through college for good, if
+what you've learned about brokerin' ain't cured you of your likin' for
+it--if you still want to go ahead with it for your life job, then--well,
+then we'll see. What do you say?"
+
+Stephen had a good deal to say, principally in the line of objection to
+continuing his studies. Finding these objections unavailing, he agreed
+to his guardian's proposition.
+
+"All right," said the captain; "then you can go to work next Monday. But
+you'll _have_ to work, and be just the same as any other beginner, no
+better and no worse. There'll be no favoritism, and, if you're really
+wuth your salt, you won't want any. Show 'em, and me, that you're wuth
+it."
+
+The novel, the wonderful tale which Captain Elisha was certain would
+make its author famous, was finished that very day in June when Stephen
+came back from New Haven. The question of title remained, and the
+"clinic," now reenforced by Steve--whose dislike for Pearson
+had apparently vanished with others of his former likes and
+dislikes--considered that at several sessions. At last "The Man at the
+Wheel" was selected, as indicating something of the hero's profession
+and implying, perhaps, a hint of his character. Then came the
+fateful task of securing a publisher. And the first to whom it was
+submitted--one of the two firms which had already expressed a desire to
+read the manuscript--accepted it, at what, for a first novel, were
+very fair terms. During the summer there was proof to be read and
+illustrations to be criticized. Captain Elisha did not wholly approve of
+the artist's productions.
+
+"Jerushy!" he exclaimed, "look at that mainmast! Look at the rake of it!
+More like a yacht than a deep-water bark, she is enough sight. And the
+fust mate's got a uniform cap on, like a purser on a steamboat. Make
+that artist feller take that cap off him, Jim. He's got to. I wish he
+could have seen some of my mates. They wa'n't Cunarder dudes, but they
+could make a crew hop 'round like a sand-flea in a clam bake."
+
+Or, when the picture happened to be a shore view:
+
+"What kind of a house is that? Did you ever see a house like that
+Down-East? I'll leave it to anybody if it don't look like a sugar man's
+plantation I used to know down Mobile way. All that feller standin'
+by the door needs is to have his face blacked; then he'd start singin'
+'S'wanee River.' This ain't 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.' Bah!"
+
+The advance copy, the first one, was ready early in September, and the
+author, of course, brought it immediately to his friends. They found
+the dedication especially interesting: "To C. W. and E. W., consulting
+specialists at the literary clinics, with grateful acknowledgments."
+Probably Captain Elisha was never prouder of anything, even his first
+command, than of that dedication.
+
+And the story, when at last it appeared for sale, was almost from the
+beginning a success. The reviewers praised it, the reading public--that
+final court of appeal which makes or unmakes novels--took kindly to it,
+and discussed and recommended it; and, most important of all, perhaps,
+it sold and continued to sell. There was something in it, its humanity,
+its simplicity, its clearly marked characters, which made a hit. Pearson
+no longer needed to seek publishers; they sought him. His short stories
+were bid for by the magazines, and his prices climbed and climbed.
+He found himself suddenly planted in the middle of the highway to
+prosperity, with a clear road ahead of him, provided he continued to do
+his best.
+
+In September Stephen gave up his work at the broker's office, spent the
+weeks with his friends in Maine, and then returned to Yale. He gave up
+the position on the Street with reluctance. He was sure he liked it
+now, he declared. It was what he was fitted for, and he meant, more than
+ever, to take it up permanently as soon as he was free. And his employer
+told Captain Elisha that the youngster was bright, clever, and apt. "A
+little conceited, needs taking down occasionally, but that is the only
+trouble. He has been spoiled, I should imagine," he said.
+
+"Yup," replied the captain, with emphasis; "your imagination's a good
+one. It don't need cultivatin' any."
+
+The novel being out of the way, and its successor not yet far enough
+advanced in plot or general plan for much discussion, the "literary
+clinics" were no longer as frequent. But Pearson's visits to the Warren
+house were not discontinued. All summer long he had been coming out,
+once, and usually twice, a week. Captain Elisha had told him not to
+stand on formality, to come any time, and he did. On most of these
+occasions he found the captain at home; but, if only Caroline was there,
+he seemed quite contented. She did not remark on the frequency of his
+visits. In fact, she mentioned him less and less in conversation with
+her uncle. But, as the autumn came and moved towards its prime she
+seemed, to the captain's noticing eye, a trifle more grave, a little
+more desirous of being by herself. Sometimes he found her sitting by
+the open fire--pleasant in the cool October evenings--and gazing very
+soberly at the blaze. She had been in good spirits, more merry and
+light-hearted than he had ever seen her, during the latter part of
+the summer; now her old sadness seemed to be returning. It would have
+troubled him, this change in her mood, if he had not believed he knew
+the cause.
+
+He was planning a glorious Thanksgiving. At least, it would be glorious
+to him, for he intended spending the day, and several days, at his own
+home in South Denboro. Abbie Baker had made him promise to do it, and he
+had agreed. He would not leave Caroline, of course; she was going with
+him. Steve would be there, though he would not come until Thanksgiving
+Day itself. Sylvester, also, would be of the party; he seemed delighted
+at the opportunity.
+
+"I'm curious to see the place where they raise fellows like you," the
+lawyer said. "It must be worth looking at."
+
+"Graves don't think so," chuckled the captain. "I invited him, and
+he said, 'No, thank you' so quick that the words was all telescoped
+together. And he shivered, too, when he said it; just as if he felt
+that sou'west gale whistlin' between his bones even now. I told him
+I'd pretty nigh guarantee that no more trees would fall on him, but it
+didn't have any effect."
+
+Pearson was asked and had accepted. His going was so far a settled thing
+that he had commissioned Captain Elisha to purchase a stateroom for him
+on the Fall River boat; for of course the captain would not consider
+their traveling the entire distance by train. At an interview in the
+young man's room in the boarding house, only three days before the date
+set for the start, he had been almost as enthusiastic as the Cape Codder
+himself. The pair had planned several side excursions, time and weather
+permitting, among them a trip across the Sound to Setuckit Point, with
+the possibility of some late sea-fowl shooting and a long tramp to one
+of the life-saving stations, where Pearson hoped to pick up material for
+his new book. He was all anticipation and enthusiasm when the captain
+left him, and said he would run out to the house the following day, to
+make final arrangements.
+
+That day Sylvester 'phoned, asking Captain Elisha to come to his office
+on a matter of business. When, having done so, the captain, returning,
+alighted at his home station, he was surprised to see Pearson standing
+on the platform.
+
+"Why, hello, Jim!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Just come,
+have you?"
+
+His friend shook his head. "No, Captain Warren," he said; "I'm just
+going."
+
+"Goin'? What for? Been up to the house, of course? Caroline told you
+where I'd gone and that I was cal'latin' to hurry back, didn't she?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well, then, course you ain't goin'! You're goin' to stay to dinner.
+I've got some things to tell you about that life-savin' station cruise.
+I've been thinkin' that I know the cap'n and most of the crew on the
+lightship off back of the Point. How'd you like to go aboard of her? You
+could get some yarns from those fellers that might be wuth hearin'."
+
+"I have no doubt I should. But I'm afraid I can't go. The fact is,
+Captain, I've decided not to spend Thanksgiving with you, after all."
+
+"Hey?" Captain Elisha could scarcely believe he had heard correctly.
+"You can't go--to South Denboro?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Why not, for the land sakes?"
+
+"Well, I've decided--I've decided not to."
+
+"But, Jim! Why, I can't have it so! I'm dreadful disappointed. I've
+counted on your goin'. So has Abbie. She's read your book, and she says
+she's crazy to see the feller that wrote it. She's told the minister
+and a whole lot more, and they're all comin' in to look at you. 'Tain't
+often we have a celebrated character in our town. You've _got_ to go."
+
+"Thank you, Captain. I appreciate the invitation and your kindness,
+but," with decision, "I can't accept."
+
+"Can't you come later? Say Thanksgivin' mornin'? Or even the day after?"
+
+"No."
+
+"But why not? What's the matter with you all of a sudden? Come here! let
+me look at you."
+
+He took the young man by the arm and led him, almost by main strength,
+close to the lighted window of the station. It was late, and the
+afternoon was gloomy. Here, by the lamplight streaming through the
+window, he could see his face more clearly. He looked at it.
+
+"Humph!" he grunted, after a moment's scrutiny. "You've made up your
+mind; I can see that. Have you told Caroline? Does she know?"
+
+"Yes. You'll have to excuse me, Captain Warren; my train is coming."
+
+"What did she say?"
+
+Pearson smiled, but there was little mirth in the smile. "I think she
+agrees with me that it is best," he observed.
+
+"Humph! She does, hey? I want to know! Look here, Jim! have you and
+she--"
+
+He got no further, for Pearson broke away, and, with a hurried "Good
+night," strode up the platform to meet the city-bound train. Captain
+Elisha watched it go and then walked slowly homeward, his hands in his
+pockets, troubled and wondering.
+
+He entered the house by the back door, a remnant of South Denboro habit,
+and found Annie in the kitchen.
+
+"Where's Caroline?" he asked.
+
+"She's in the living room, sir, I think. Mr. Pearson has been here and
+just gone."
+
+"Um-hm. So I heard. Say, Annie, you needn't hurry dinner; I ain't ready
+for it yet awhile."
+
+He hung his coat and hat in the back hall and quietly entered the living
+room. The lamp was not lighted, and the room was dark, but he saw his
+niece, a shadowy figure, seated by the window. He crossed to her side.
+
+"Well, Caroline," he said, cheerfully, "I'm home again."
+
+She turned. "I see you are," she answered.
+
+"Humph! your eyes must be better than mine then. I can't see anything in
+here. It's darker than a nigger's pocket. Suppose we turn on the glim."
+
+He struck a match as he said it. By its light he saw her face. The match
+burned down to his finger tips and then he extinguished it.
+
+"I don't know but the dark is just as good and more economical," he
+observed. "No use of encouragin' the graspin' ile trust unless it's
+necessary. Let's you and me sit here in the dark and talk. No objection
+to talkin' to your back country relation, have you?"
+
+"No."
+
+"That's good. Well, Caroline, I'm goin' to talk plain again. You can
+order me to close my hatch any time you feel like it; that's skipper's
+privilege, and you're boss of this craft, you know. Dearie, I just met
+Jim Pearson. He tells me he's decided not to go on this Cape cruise of
+ours. He said you agreed with him 'twas best he shouldn't go. Do you
+mind tellin' me why?"
+
+She did not answer. He waited a minute and then continued.
+
+"Course, I know I ain't got any real right to ask," he went on; "but I
+think more of you and Jim than I do of anybody else, and so maybe you'll
+excuse me. Have you and he had a fallin' out?"
+
+Still she was silent. He sighed. "Well," he observed, "I see you have,
+and I don't blame you for not wantin' to talk about it. I'm awful sorry.
+I'd begun to hope that.... However, we'll change the subject. Or we
+won't talk at all, if you'd rather not."
+
+Another pause. Then she laid her hand on his.
+
+"Uncle," she said, "you know I always want to talk to you. And, as for
+the right to ask, you have the right to ask anything of me at any time.
+And I should have told you, of my own accord, by and by. Mr. Pearson and
+I have not quarreled; but I think--I think it best that I should not see
+him again."
+
+"You do? Not see him--any more--at all? Why, Caroline!"
+
+"Not for a long, long time, at least. It would only make it harder--for
+him; and it's of no use."
+
+Captain Elisha sighed again. "I guess I understand, Caroline. I presume
+likely I do. He--he asked somethin' of you--and you couldn't say yes to
+him. That was it, I suppose. Needn't tell me unless you really want to,
+you understand," he added, hastily.
+
+"But I do. I ought to tell you. I should have told you before, and
+perhaps, if I had, he would not have ... Uncle Elisha, Mr. Pearson asked
+me to be his wife."
+
+The captain gave no evidence of surprise.
+
+"Yes," he replied, gravely, "I judged that was it. And you told him you
+couldn't, I suppose. Well, dearie, that's a question nobody ought to
+answer but the one. She's the only one that knows what that answer
+should be, and, when other folks interfere and try to influence, it
+generally means trouble. I'm kind of disappointed; I'll own up to that.
+I think Jim is a fine, honest, able young man, and he'd make a good
+husband, I'm sure. And, so far as his business, or profession, or
+whatever you call it, goes, he's doin' pretty well and sartin to do
+better. Of course, 'twa'n't that that kept you from--"
+
+"Uncle Elisha! Am _I_ so rich that I should--"
+
+"There! there, my girl! I know 'twa'n't that, of course. I was only
+thinkin' out loud, that's all--tryin' to find reasons. You didn't care
+for him enough, I suppose. Caroline, you don't care for anybody else, do
+you? You don't still care for that other feller, that--"
+
+"Uncle!" she sprang up, hurt and indignant. "How can you?" she cried.
+"How could you ask that? What must you think of me?"
+
+"Please, Caroline," he protested; "please don't. I beg your pardon. I
+was a fool! I knew better. Don't go. Tell me the real reason. Sit down
+again and let's talk this out. Do sit down! that's it. Now tell me; was
+it that you couldn't care for Jim enough?"
+
+She hesitated.
+
+"Was it?" he repeated.
+
+"I--I like Mr. Pearson very much. I respect and admire him."
+
+"But you don't love him. I see. Well," sadly, "there's another one of my
+dreams gone to smash. However, you did just right, dearie. Feelin' that
+way, you couldn't marry him, of course."
+
+He would have risen now, and she detained him.
+
+"That was not the reason," she said, in a low tone.
+
+"Hey?" he bent toward her. "What?" he cried. "That wa'n't the reason,
+you say? You do care for him?"
+
+She was silent.
+
+"Do you?" he repeated, gently. "And yet you sent him away. Why?"
+
+She faltered, tried to speak, and then turned away. He put his arm about
+her and stroked her hair.
+
+"Don't you cry, dearie," he begged. "I won't bother you any more. You
+can tell me some other time--if you want to. Or you needn't tell me
+at all. It's all right; only don't cry. 'Cause if you do," with sudden
+determination, "I shall cry, too; and, bein' as I ain't used to the
+exercise, I may raise such a row that Annie'll send for the constable.
+You wouldn't want that to happen, I know."
+
+This unexpected announcement had the desired effect; Caroline laughed
+hysterically and freed herself from his arm.
+
+"I mustn't be so silly," she said. "I had made up my mind to tell you
+everything, and I shall. My not caring for Mr. Pearson was not my reason
+for refusing him. The reasons were two--you and Steve."
+
+"Me and Steve? What in the world have we got to do with it?"
+
+"Everything. He would marry me, poor as I am; and perhaps I--perhaps
+I should say yes if things were different. Oh, there is no use my
+deceiving you, or trying to deceive myself! I know I should say yes, and
+be very, very happy. But I can't! and I won't! I _won't_!"
+
+"But why? And where, for mercy's sake, do Steve and I come in?"
+
+"Uncle Elisha, I suppose you think I have been perfectly satisfied to
+let you take care of me and of my brother, and give us a home and all
+that we needed and more. No doubt you thought me selfish enough to be
+contented with that and go on as I am--as we are--living on your bounty.
+You had reason to think so. But I have not been contented with that, nor
+has Steve. He and I have made our plans, and we shall carry them out. He
+will leave college in two years and go to work in earnest. Before that
+time I shall be ready to teach. I have been studying with just that idea
+in view."
+
+"Good land! Why, no, you ain't! You've been studyin' to help me and
+Annie run this house."
+
+"That was only part of it--the smallest part. I haven't told you before,
+Uncle, but one of the Domestic Science teachers at the University is a
+girl I used to know slightly. She is going to be married next year, and,
+if all goes well, I may be appointed to her position when she leaves. I
+have a conditional promise already. If I am, why, then, you see, I shall
+really be earning my own living; you will not have to give up your own
+home and all your interests there to make me comfortable: you can--"
+
+"Here! here!" Captain Elisha put in, desperately; "don't talk so
+ridiculous, Caroline. I ain't givin' up anything. I never was more happy
+than I've been right here with you this summer. I'm satisfied."
+
+"I know, but I am not. And neither is Steve. He and I have planned it
+all. His salary at first will be small, and so will mine. But together
+we can earn enough to live somehow and, later on, when he earns more,
+perhaps we may be able to repay a little of all that you have given us.
+We shall try. _I_ shall insist upon it."
+
+"Caroline Warren, is _that_ the reason you sent Jim away? Did you tell
+him that? Did you tell him you wouldn't marry him on account of me?"
+
+"No, of course I did not," indignantly. "I told him--I said I must not
+think of marriage; it was impossible. And it is! You _know_ it is, Uncle
+Elisha!"
+
+"I don't know any such thing. If you want to make me happy, Caroline,
+you couldn't find a better way than to be Jim Pearson's wife. And you
+would be happy, too; you said so."
+
+"But I am not thinking of happiness. It is my duty--to you and to my own
+self-respect. And not only that, but to Steve. Someone must provide a
+home for him. Neither he nor I will permit you to do it a day longer
+than is necessary. I am his sister and I shall not leave him."
+
+"But you won't have to leave him. Steve's future's all fixed. I've
+provided for Steve."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"What I say." The captain was very much excited and, for once,
+completely off his guard. "I've had plans for Steve all along. He's
+doin' fust-rate in that broker's office, learnin' the trade. Next summer
+he'll have another whack at it and learn more. When he's out of college
+I'm goin' to turn over your dad's seat on the Stock Exchange to him. Not
+give it to him, you know--not right off--but let him try; and then, if
+he makes a good fist at it, he'll have it permanent. Steve's got the
+best chance in the world. He couldn't ask much better, seems to me. You
+ain't got to fret yourself about Steve."
+
+He paused, almost out of breath. He had been speaking rapidly so as to
+prevent interruption. Caroline's astonishment was too great for words,
+just then. Her uncle anxiously awaited her reply.
+
+"You see, don't you?" he asked. "You understand. Steve's goin' to have
+the chance to make a good livin' at the very thing he declares he's set
+on doin'. I ain't told him, and I don't want you to, but it's what I've
+planned for him and--"
+
+"Wait! wait, Uncle, please! The Stock Exchange seat? Father's seat? I
+don't see.... I don't understand."
+
+"Yes, yes!" eagerly; "your pa's seat. I've meant it for Steve. There's
+been chances enough to sell it, but I wouldn't do that. 'Twas for him,
+Caroline; and he's goin' to have it."
+
+"But I don't see how.... Why, I thought--"
+
+The door of the dining room opened. Annie appeared on the threshold.
+
+"Dinner is served," she announced.
+
+"Be right there, Annie. Now you see that you ain't got to worry about
+Steve, don't you, Caroline?"
+
+His niece did not answer. By the light from the doorway he saw that she
+was gazing at him with a strange expression. She looked as if she was
+about to ask another question. He waited, but she did not ask it.
+
+"Well," he said, rising, "we won't talk any more just now. Annie's
+soup's gettin' cold, and she'll be in our wool if we don't have dinner.
+Afterwards we can have another session. Come, Caroline."
+
+She also rose, but hesitated. "Uncle Elisha," she said, "will you excuse
+me if I don't talk any more to-night? And, if you don't mind, I won't
+dine with you. I'm not hungry and--and my head aches. I'll go to my
+room, I think."
+
+"Yes, yes," he said, hastily, "of course. I'm afraid I've talked too
+much as 'tis. You go up and lie down, and Annie can fetch you some toast
+and tea or somethin' by and by. But do just answer me this, Caroline, if
+you can: When you told Jim marryin' was out of the question for you, did
+he take that as final? Was he contented with that? Didn't he say he was
+willin' to wait for you, or anything?"
+
+"Yes, he said he would wait, always. But I told him he must not. And I
+told him he must go and not see me again. I couldn't see him as I have
+been doing; Uncle, I couldn't!"
+
+"I know, dearie, I know. But didn't you say anything more? Didn't you
+give him _any_ hope?"
+
+"I said," she hesitated, and added in a whisper, "I said if I should
+ever need him or--or change my mind, I would send for him. I shouldn't
+have said it. It was weak and wicked of me, but I said it. Please let me
+go now, Uncle dear. Good night."
+
+She kissed him and hurried away. He ate his lonely dinner
+absent-mindedly and with little appetite. After it was finished he sat
+in the living room, the lamp still unlighted, smoking and thinking.
+
+And in her chamber Caroline, too, sat thinking--not altogether of the
+man she loved and who loved her. She thought of him, of course; but
+there was something else, an idea, a suspicion, which over and over
+again she dismissed as an utter impossibility, but which returned as
+often.
+
+The Stock Exchange seat had been a part of her father's estate, a
+part of her own and Steve's inheritance. Sylvester had told her so,
+distinctly. And such a seat was valuable; she remembered her brother
+reading in the paper that one had recently sold for ninety thousand
+dollars. How could Captain Warren have retained such a costly part of
+the forfeited estate in his possession? For it was in his possession;
+he was going to give it to her brother when the latter left college. But
+how could he have obtained it? Not by purchase; for, as she knew, he was
+not worth half of ninety thousand dollars. Surely the creditor, the man
+who had, as was his right, seized all Rodgers Warren's effects, would
+not have left that and taken the rest. Not unless he was a curiously
+philanthropic and eccentric person. Who was he? Who was this mysterious
+man her father had defrauded? She had never wished to know before; now
+she did. And the more she pondered, the more plausible her suspicion
+became. It was almost incredible, it seemed preposterous; but, as she
+went back, in memory, over the events since her father's death and the
+disclosure of his astonishing will, little bits of evidence, little
+happenings and details came to light, trifles in themselves, but all
+fitting in together, like pieces of an inscription in mosaic, to spell
+the truth.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+
+November weather on Cape Cod is what Captain Elisha described as
+"considerable chancey." "The feller that can guess it two days ahead
+of time," he declared, "is wastin' his talents; he could make a livin'
+prophesyin' most anything, even the market price of cranberries." When
+Caroline, Sylvester, and the captain reached South Denboro after what
+seemed, to the two unused to the leisurely winter schedule of the
+railroad, an interminable journey from Fall River, the girl thought
+she had never seen a more gloomy sky or a more forbidding scene.
+Gray clouds, gray sea, brown bare fields; the village of white or
+gray-shingled houses set, for the most part, along the winding main
+street; the elms and silver-leaf poplars waving bare branches in the
+cutting wind; a picture of the fag end of loneliness and desolation, so
+it looked to her. She remembered Mr. Graves's opinion of the place, as
+jokingly reported by Sylvester, and she sympathized with the dignified
+junior partner.
+
+But she kept her feelings hidden on her uncle's account. The captain
+was probably the happiest individual in the state of Massachusetts that
+morning. He hailed the train's approach to Sandwich as the entrance to
+Ostable County, the promised land, and, from that station on, excitedly
+pointed out familiar landmarks and bits of scenery and buildings with
+the gusto and enthusiasm of a school boy.
+
+"That's Ostable court-house," he cried, pointing. "And see--see that
+red-roofed house right over there, just past that white church? That's
+where Judge Baxter lives; a mighty good friend of mine, the Judge is. I
+stopped to his house to dinner the night Graves came."
+
+A little further on he added, "'Twas about here that I spoke to Graves
+fust. I noticed him sittin' right across the aisle from me, with a face
+on him sour as a sasser of green tamarind preserves, and I thought I'd
+be sociable. 'Tough night,' I says. 'Umph,' says he. 'Twa'n't a remark
+cal'lated to encourage conversation, so I didn't try again--not till his
+umbrella turned inside out on the Denboro platform. Ho! ho! I wish you'd
+have seen his face _then_."
+
+At Denboro he pointed out Pete Shattuck's livery stable, where the horse
+and buggy came from which had been the means of transporting Graves and
+himself to South Denboro.
+
+"See!" he cried. "See that feller holdin' up the corner of the depot
+with his back! the one that's so broad in the beam he has to draw in his
+breath afore he can button his coat. That's Pete. You'd think he was too
+sleepy to care whether 'twas to-day or next week, wouldn't you? Well, if
+you was a summer boarder and wanted to hire a team, you'd find Pete was
+awake and got up early. If a ten-cent piece fell off the shelf in the
+middle of the night he'd hear it, though I've known him to sleep while
+the minister's barn burned down. The parson had been preachin' against
+horse-tradin'; maybe that sermon was responsible for some of the
+morphine influence."
+
+Sylvester was enjoying himself hugely. Captain Elisha's exuberant
+comments were great fun for him. "This is what I came for," he confided
+to Caroline. "I don't care if it rains or snows. I could sit and listen
+to your uncle for a year and never tire. He's a wonder. And I'm crazy to
+see that housekeeper of his. If she lives up to her reputation there'll
+be no disappointment in my Thanksgiving celebration."
+
+Dan, the captain's hired man, met them with the carriage at the station,
+and Miss Baker met them at the door of the Warren home. The exterior
+of the big, old-fashioned, rambling house was inviting and homelike,
+in spite of the gloomy weather, and Caroline cheered up a bit when they
+turned in at the gate. Five minutes of Miss Abigail's society, and all
+gloom disappeared. One could not be gloomy where Miss Abbie was. Her
+smile of welcome was so broad that, as her employer said, "it took in
+all outdoor and some of Punkhorn Neck," a place which, he hastened to
+add, "was forgot durin' creation and has sort of happened of itself
+since."
+
+Abbie conducted Caroline to her room--old-fashioned, like the rest of
+the house, but cozy, warm, and cheery--and, after helping in the removal
+of her wraps, seized her by both hands and took a long look at her face.
+
+"You'll excuse my bein' so familiar on short acquaintance, dearie," she
+said, "but I've heard so much about you that I feel's if I knew you like
+own folks. And you are own folks, ain't you? Course you are! Everyone of
+'Lisha's letters have had four pages of you to one of anything else. I
+begun to think New York was nothin' but you and a whole lot of ten-story
+houses. He thinks so much of you that I'd be jealous, if I had that
+kind of disposition and the time to spare. So I must have a good look at
+you.... I declare! you're almost prettier than he said. May I kiss you?
+I'd like to."
+
+[Illustration: "'I declare! you're almost prettier than he said. May I
+kiss you?'"]
+
+She did, and they were friends at once.
+
+The rest of that day and evening were busy times. Captain Elisha showed
+his visitors about the place, the barn, the cows, the pigpen--the pig
+himself had gone to fulfill the unhappy destiny of pigs, but they would
+meet him by sections later on, so the captain assured them. The house
+and buildings were spotless in paint and whitewash; the yard was raked
+clean of every dead leaf and twig; the whole establishment was so neat
+that Caroline remarked upon it.
+
+"It looks as if it had been scoured," she said.
+
+"Um-hm," observed her uncle, with a gratified nod; "that's Abbie. She
+hates dirt worse than she does laziness, and that ain't sayin' a little.
+I tell her she'd sand-soap the weather vane if she could climb up to
+it; as 'tis, she stays below and superintends Dan while he does it. If
+godliness wants to stay next to cleanliness when she's around it has
+to keep on the jump. I always buy shirts two degrees heavier'n I need,
+'cause I know she'll have 'em scrubbed thin in a fortni't. When it comes
+to _real_ Domestic Science, Caroline, Abbie ain't in the back row of the
+primer class, now I tell you."
+
+Miss Baker had planned that her young guest should sit in state, with
+folded hands, in the parlor. She seemed to consider that the proper
+conduct for a former member of New York's best society. She was shocked
+when the girl volunteered to help her about the house.
+
+"Course I sha'n't let you," she said. "The idea--and you company! Got
+more help than I know what to do with, as 'tis. 'Lisha was determined
+that I should hire a girl to wash dishes and things while you was here.
+Nothin' would do but that. So I got Annabel Haven's daughter, Etta G.
+There's fourteen in that family, and the land knows 'twas an act of
+charity takin' one appetite out of the house. Pay her fifty cents a day,
+I do, and she's out in the kitchen makin' believe wash windows. They
+don't need washin', but she was lookin' out of 'em most of the time, so
+I thought she might as well combine business with pleasure."
+
+But Caroline refused to sit in the parlor and be "company." She insisted
+upon helping. Miss Baker protested and declared there was nothing on
+earth to be done; but her guest insisted that, if there was not, she
+herself must sit. As Abbie would have as soon thought of attending
+church without wearing her jet earrings as she would of sitting down
+before dinner, she gave in, after a while, and permitted Caroline to
+help in arranging the table.
+
+"Why, you do fust-rate!" she exclaimed, in surprise. "You know where
+everything ought to go, just as if you'd been settin' table all your
+life. And you ain't, because 'Lisha wrote you used to keep hired help,
+two or three of 'em, all the time."
+
+Caroline laughed.
+
+"I've been studying housekeeping for almost a year," she said.
+
+"Studyin' it! Why, yes, now I remember 'Lisha wrote you'd been studyin'
+some kind of science at college. 'Twa'n't settin' table science, I
+guess, though. Ha! ha!"
+
+"That was part of it." She explained the course briefly. Abigail
+listened in amazement.
+
+"And they teach that--at school?" she demanded. "And take money for it?
+And call it _science_? My land! I guess I was brought up in a scientific
+household, then. I was the only girl in the family, and mother died when
+I was ten years old."
+
+After dinner she consented to sit for a time, though not until she had
+donned her Sunday best, earrings and all. Captain Elisha and Sylvester
+sat with them, and the big fireplace in the sitting room blazed and
+roared as it had not since its owner left for his long sojourn in the
+city. In the evening callers came, the Congregational minister and
+his wife, and some of the neighbors. The latter were pleasant country
+people, another retired sea captain among them, and they all seemed to
+have great respect and liking for Captain Elisha and to be very glad to
+welcome him home. The two captains spun salt water yarns, and the lawyer
+again decided that he was getting just what he had come for. They left
+a little after nine, and Caroline said good night and went to her room.
+She was tired, mentally and physically.
+
+But she did not fall asleep at once. Her mind was still busy with the
+suspicion which her uncle's words concerning his future plans for Steve
+had aroused. She had thought of little else since she heard them. The
+captain did not mention the subject again; possibly, on reflection,
+he decided that he had already said too much. And she asked no more
+questions. She determined not to question him--yet. She must think
+first, and then ask someone else--Sylvester. He knew the truth and, if
+taken by surprise, might be driven into confession, if there should be
+anything to confess. She was waiting for an opportunity to be alone with
+him, and that opportunity had not yet presented itself.
+
+The captain would have spoken further with her concerning James Pearson.
+He was eager to do that. But her mind was made up; she had sent her
+lover away, and it was best for both. She must forget him, if she could.
+So, when her uncle would have spoken on that subject, she begged him not
+to; and he, respecting her feelings and believing that to urge would be
+bad policy, refrained.
+
+But to forget, she found, was an impossibility. In the excitement of the
+journey and the arrival amid new surroundings, she had managed to
+keep up a show of good spirits, but now alone once more, with the wind
+singing mournfully about the gables and rattling the windows, she was
+sad and so lonely. She thought what her life had once promised to be and
+what it had become. She did not regret the old life, that life she had
+known before her father died; she had been happy in it while he lived,
+but miserable after his death. As for happiness, she had been happy
+that summer, happy with her uncle and with--him. And with him now, even
+though they would be poor, as she was used to reckoning poverty, she
+knew she could be very happy. She wondered what he was doing then; if he
+was thinking of her. She ought to hope that he was not, because it was
+useless; but she wished that he might be, nevertheless. Then she told
+herself that all this was wicked; she had made up her mind; she must be
+true to the task she had set, duty to her brother and uncle.
+
+Her uncle! why had her uncle done all this for her? And why had her
+father made him their guardian? These were old questions, but now she
+asked them with a new significance. If that strange suspicion of hers
+was true it would explain so much; it would explain almost everything.
+But it could not be true; if it was, why had he not told her when the
+discovery of her father's dishonesty and of the note forfeiting the
+estate was made? Why had he not told her then? That was what troubled
+her most. It did not seem like him to do such a thing--not like his
+character at all. Therefore, it could not be true. Yet she must know.
+She resolved to question Sylvester the next day, if possible. And, so
+resolving, she at last fell asleep.
+
+Her opportunity came the following morning, the day before Thanksgiving.
+After breakfast Captain Elisha went downtown to call on some
+acquaintances. He invited Caroline and the lawyer to accompany him, but
+they refused, the latter because he judged his, a stranger's, presence
+during the calls would be something of a hindrance to good fellowship
+and the discussion of town affairs which the captain was counting on,
+and Caroline because she saw her chance for the interview she so much
+desired.
+
+After the captain had gone, Sylvester sat down before the fire in the
+sitting room to read the Boston _Transcript_. As he sat there, Caroline
+entered and closed the door behind her. Miss Abigail was in the kitchen,
+busy with preparations for the morrow's plum pudding.
+
+The girl took the chair next that occupied by the lawyer. He put down
+his paper and turned to her.
+
+"Well," he asked, "how does this Cape Cod air effect your appetite,
+Caroline? I'm ashamed of mine. I'm rather glad to-morrow is
+Thanksgiving; on that day, I believe, it is permissible, even
+commendable, to eat three times more than a self-respecting person
+ordinarily should."
+
+She smiled, but her answer was in the form of another question, and
+quite irrelevant.
+
+"Mr. Sylvester," she said, "I wish you would tell me something about the
+value of a seat on the Stock Exchange. What is the price of one?"
+
+The lawyer looked at her in surprise.
+
+"The value of a seat on the Stock Exchange?" he repeated.
+
+"Yes; what does it cost to buy one?"
+
+He hesitated, wondering why she should be interested in that subject.
+Captain Elisha had not told him a word of the interview following
+Pearson's last visit. He wondered, and then surmised a reason--Stephen,
+of course. Steve's ambition was to be a broker, and his sister was,
+doubtless, with sisterly solicitude and feminine ignorance of high
+prices, planning for his future.
+
+"Well," he replied, smiling, "they're pretty expensive, I'm afraid,
+Caroline."
+
+"Are they?" innocently.
+
+"Yes. I think the last sale was at a figure between ninety and one
+hundred thousand dollars."
+
+"Indeed! Was father's seat worth as much as that?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"But," with a sigh, "that, I suppose, went with the rest of the estate."
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Into the hands of the man who took it all?"
+
+"Yes; the same hands," with a sly smile at his own private joke.
+
+"Then how does it happen that my uncle has it in his possession?"
+
+The lawyer smiled no more. He turned in his chair and gazed quickly and
+keenly at the young lady beside him. And her gaze was just as keen as
+his own.
+
+"What did you say?" he asked.
+
+"I asked you how it happened that my uncle now has father's Stock
+Exchange seat in his possession."
+
+"Why!... Has he?"
+
+"Yes. And I think you know he has, Mr. Sylvester. I know it, because he
+told me so himself. _Didn't_ you know it?"
+
+This was a line shot from directly in front and a hard one to dodge.
+A lie was the only guard, and he was not in the habit of lying, even
+professionally.
+
+"I--I cannot answer these questions," he declared. "They involve
+professional secrets and--"
+
+"I don't see that this is a secret. My uncle has already told me. What
+I could not understand was how he obtained the seat from the man to whom
+it was given as a part of father's debt. Do you know how he obtained
+it?"
+
+"Er--well--er--probably an arrangement was made. I cannot go into
+details, because--well, for obvious reasons. You must excuse me,
+Caroline."
+
+He rose to go.
+
+"One moment more," she said, "and one more question. Mr. Sylvester, who
+_is_ this mysterious person--this stockholder whom father defrauded,
+this person who wishes his name kept a secret, but who does such queer
+things? Who is he?"
+
+"Caroline, I tell you I cannot answer these questions. He does wish to
+remain unknown, as I told you and your brother when we first learned of
+him and his claim. If I were to tell you I should break my faith with
+him.... You must excuse me; you really must."
+
+"Mr. Sylvester, perhaps you don't need to tell me. Perhaps I can guess.
+Isn't he my--"
+
+"Caroline, I cannot--"
+
+"_Isn't he my uncle, Elisha Warren?_"
+
+Sylvester was half way to the door, but she was in his path and looking
+him directly in the face. He hesitated.
+
+"I thought so," she said. "You needn't answer, Mr. Sylvester; your face
+is answer enough. He is."
+
+She turned away, and, walking slowly to the chair from which she had
+arisen, sank into it.
+
+"He is," she repeated. "I knew it. I wonder that I didn't know it from
+the very first. How could I have been so blind!"
+
+The lawyer, nervous, chagrined, and greatly troubled, remained standing
+by the door. He did not know whether to go or stay. He took his
+handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead.
+
+"Whew!" he exclaimed. "Well, by--_George_!"
+
+She paid no attention to him, but went on, speaking, apparently, to
+herself.
+
+"It explains everything," she said. "He was father's brother; and
+father, in some way, took and used his money. But father knew what sort
+of man he was, and so he asked him to be our guardian. Father thought he
+would be kind to us, I suppose. And he has been kind--he has. But why
+did he keep it a secret? Why did he.... I don't understand that. Of
+course the money was his; all we had was his, by right. But to say
+nothing ... and to let us believe.... It does not seem like him at all.
+It...."
+
+Sylvester interrupted quickly. "Caroline! Caroline!" he said, "don't
+make any mistake. Don't misjudge your uncle again. He is a good man; one
+of the best men I ever knew. Yes, and one of the wisest. Don't say
+or think anything for which you may be sorry. I am speaking as your
+friend."
+
+She turned toward him once more, the distressed, puzzled look still on
+her face. "But I don't understand," she cried. "He.... Oh, Mr.
+Sylvester, please, now that I do know--now that you have told me so
+much--won't you tell me the rest; the reason and--all of it? Please!"
+
+The lawyer shook his head, regarding her with an expression of annoyance
+and reluctant admiration.
+
+"Now that _I've_ told you!" he repeated. "I don't remember that I've
+told you anything."
+
+"But you have. Not in words, perhaps, but you have told me. I know.
+Please go on and tell me all. If you don't," with determination, "I
+shall make Uncle Elisha tell me as soon as he comes. I shall!"
+
+Sylvester sighed. "Well, by George!" he repeated, feelingly. "I'll tell
+you one thing, young woman, you're wasting your talents. You should be
+a member of the bar. Anyone who can lead a battle-scarred veteran of
+cross-examination like myself into a trap and then spring it on him, as
+you have done, is gifted by Providence."
+
+"But will you tell me?"
+
+He hesitated, perplexed and doubtful.
+
+"I ought not to say another word on the subject," he declared,
+emphatically. "What Captain Warren will say to me when he finds this
+out is unpleasant to consider. But.... But yet, I don't know. It may
+be better for you to learn the real truth than to know a part and
+guess wrongly at the rest. I.... What is it you want me to tell you?"
+
+"Everything. I want you to sit down here by me and tell me the whole
+story, from the beginning. Please."
+
+He hesitated a moment longer and, then, his mind made up, returned to
+his chair, crossed his legs and began. "Here it is," he said.
+
+"Caroline, about twenty years ago, or such matter, your father was a
+comparatively poor man--poor, I mean, compared to what he afterward
+became. But he was a clever man, an able business man, one who saw
+opportunities and grasped them. At that time he obtained a grant in
+South America for--"
+
+"I know," she interrupted; "the Akrae Rubber Company was formed. You
+told Steve and me all about that. What I want to know is--"
+
+"Wait. I did not tell you all about it. I said that another man invested
+ten thousand dollars with your father to form that company. That man, so
+we now know, was your uncle, Captain Elisha Warren."
+
+"I guessed that. Of course it must have been he."
+
+"It was. The captain was older than your father, had lived carefully,
+and had saved some money. Also, at that time, he idolized his brother
+and believed in his shrewdness and capability. He invested this ten
+thousand on Rodgers Warren's word that the investment was likely to be a
+good one. That, and to help the latter in business. For a few years
+the company did nothing; during that time your father and uncle
+disagreed--concerning another matter, quite unconnected with this
+one--and they did not see each other again while Rodgers lived. In that
+long period the Akrae Company made millions. But Elisha supposed it
+to be bankrupt and worthless; because--well, to be frank, because his
+brother wrote him to that effect."
+
+He paused, fearful of the effect which this announcement might have upon
+the girl. But she had guessed this part of her father's dishonor and was
+prepared for it. She made no comment, and he continued.
+
+"Now we come to the will. Your father, Caroline, was not a bad man at
+heart. I knew him well, and I believe that may be said truthfully. He
+realized what he had done, how he had defrauded the brother who had been
+so kind to him, and he meant, he kept promising himself, to some day
+repay the money he had taken. To insure that, he put that note with the
+other papers of the Company. If he did repay, it could be destroyed. If
+he did not, if he should die, it would be there to prove--what it did
+prove. But always in his mind was the thought of you and Steve, the
+children he loved. He had quarreled with his brother it is true; he had
+cheated him, but restitution for that cheat he had provided. But
+what would become of you, left--in case he died without making
+restitution--penniless? He knew his brother, as I said; knew his
+character, respected his honesty, and believed in his conscientiousness
+and his big heart. So he made his will, and in it, as you know, he
+appointed Elisha your guardian. He threw his children and their future
+upon the mercy and generosity of the brother he had wronged. That is his
+reason, as we surmise it, for making that will."
+
+He paused again. Caroline did not speak for a moment. Then she asked:
+
+"And no one knew--you or my uncle or anyone--of all this until last
+March?"
+
+"No. Graves had, with his usual care and patience, pieced together the
+evidence and investigated until we were sure that a stockholder in the
+Akrae Company existed and that all of your father's estate belonged
+to him. Who that stockholder was we did not know until that day of the
+meeting at our office. Then Captain Warren told us."
+
+"But he did not know, either?"
+
+"Not until then. He supposed his Akrae stock worthless, and had
+practically forgotten it. When we told him of its value, of the note,
+and of the missing shareholder, he knew, of course."
+
+"What did he say?"
+
+"Say? Caroline, he was the most distressed and conscience-stricken man
+in the city. One would have thought he was the wrongdoer and not the
+wronged. He would have gone straight to you and asked your pardon, if we
+would have permitted it."
+
+"But, Mr. Sylvester, now we are coming to the part I cannot understand.
+Of course the estate belonged to him, I know that. It is his. But why
+didn't he tell Steve and me the truth then, at once? Why did he let us
+believe, and employ you to lead us to believe, that it was not he but
+someone else? Did he think we would blame him? Why has he--"
+
+"Caroline! Caroline! don't you understand yet? Do you imagine for one
+moment that your uncle intends keeping that money?"
+
+She stared at him in utter amazement.
+
+"Keeping it?" she repeated. "Why not? It is his. It belongs to him."
+
+"Caroline, I'm afraid you don't know him, even yet. He was for going to
+you at once and destroying the note in your presence. He would have done
+it, but we persuaded him to wait and think it over for a day or two. He
+did think and then decided to wait a little longer, for your sake."
+
+"For my sake? For mine?" she passed her hand in a bewildered way across
+her forehead. "Mr. Sylvester, I don't seem to understand even now. I--"
+
+"For your sake, Caroline. Remember, at that time you were engaged to
+Malcolm Dunn."
+
+Her intent gaze wavered. She drew a long breath. "I see," she said,
+slowly. "Oh.... I see."
+
+"Yes. Captain Warren is one of the best judges of character I ever met.
+The Dunns did not deceive him for one moment. He was certain Malcolm
+intended marrying you because of your money; for that matter, so was I.
+But his was the plan entirely which showed them to you as they were. He
+knew you were too honest and straightforward to believe such things of
+the man to whom you were engaged if they were told you; you must see the
+proof with your own eyes. And he showed it to you."
+
+"But then," she begged, distractedly, "why couldn't he tell me after
+that? I--I am so stupid, I suppose--but, Mr. Sylvester, all this
+is--is--"
+
+"He might have told you then, but he did not think it best. Caroline,
+your uncle has always believed in you. Even when you sent him from your
+home he did not blame you; he said you were deceived, that was all.
+But, too, he has always declared that you had been, as he expressed it,
+'brought up wrong.' Your money had, in a way, warped your estimate of
+people and things. He believed that, if you were given the opportunity,
+you would learn that wealth does not, of itself, mean happiness. So
+he decided not to tell you, not to give you back your share of your
+father's money--he refuses to consider it his--until another year, until
+you were of age, at least. And there was Steve. You know, Caroline, that
+money and what it brought was spoiling Steve. He has never been so much
+a man as during the past year, when he thought himself poor. But your
+uncle has planned for him as well as for you and, when he believes the
+time has come, he--"
+
+"Please," she interrupted, falteringly; "please don't say any more. Let
+me think. Oh, please let me think, Mr. Sylvester.... You say that Uncle
+Elisha intends giving us all that father took from him? All of it?"
+
+"Yes, all. He considers himself merely your guardian still and will
+accept only his expenses from the estate."
+
+"But--but it is wonderful!"
+
+"Yes, it is. But I have learned to think him a wonderful man."
+
+She shook her head.
+
+"It is wonderful!" she repeated, brokenly. "Even though we cannot take
+it, it is wonderful."
+
+"What? Cannot take it?"
+
+"Of course not! Do you suppose that either my brother or I will take the
+fortune that our father stole--yes, _stole_ from him? After he has been
+living almost in poverty all these years and we in luxury--on _his_
+money? Of course we shall not take it!"
+
+"But, Caroline, I imagine you will have to take it. I understand your
+feelings, but I think he will compel you to take it."
+
+"I shall _not_!" she sprang to her feet. "Of course I shall not! Never!
+never!"
+
+"What's that you're never goin' to take, Caroline? Measles? or another
+trip down in these parts? I hope 'tain't the last, 'cause I've been
+cal'latin' you'd like it well enough to come again."
+
+Caroline turned. So did Sylvester. Captain Elisha was standing in the
+doorway, his hand on the knob. He was smiling broadly, but as he looked
+at the two by the fire he ceased to smile.
+
+"What's all this?" he asked, suspiciously. "Caroline, what--Sylvester,
+what have you been tellin' her?"
+
+Neither answered at once. The captain looked from one to the other.
+
+"Well, what's up?" he demanded. "What's the matter?"
+
+The lawyer shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"What's up?" he repeated. "Humph! well, I should say the jig was up. The
+murder's out. The cat is no longer in the bag. That's about the size of
+it."
+
+"Sylvester!" Caroline had never seen her uncle thoroughly angry before;
+"Sylvester," he cried, "have you--Have you dast to tell her what you
+shouldn't? Didn't you promise me? If you told that girl, I'll--I'll--"
+
+His niece stepped forward. "Hush, Uncle Elisha," she said. "He didn't
+tell me until I knew already. I guessed it. Then I asked for the whole
+truth, and he told me."
+
+"The whole truth? _Caroline!_"
+
+He wrung his hands.
+
+"Yes, Uncle, the whole truth. I know you now. I thought I knew you
+before; but I didn't--not half. I do now."
+
+"Oh, Caroline!" he stepped toward her and then stopped, frantic and
+despairing. "Caroline! Caroline!" he cried again, "can you ever forgive
+me? You know--you must know I ain't ever meant to keep it. It's all
+yours. I just didn't give it to you right off because ... because....
+Oh, Sylvester, tell her I never meant to keep it! Tell her!"
+
+The lawyer shook his head. "I did tell her," he said, with another
+shrug, "and she tells me she won't accept it."
+
+"What?" the captain's eyes were starting from his head. "What? Won't
+take it? Why, it's hers--hers and Steve's! It always has been! Do you
+cal'late I'd rob my own brother's children? _Don't_ talk so foolish!
+I won't hear such talk!"
+
+Caroline was close to tears, but she was firm.
+
+"It isn't ours," she said. "It is yours. Our father kept it from you all
+these years. Do you suppose we will keep it any longer?"
+
+Captain Elisha looked at her determined face; then at the lawyer's--but
+he found no help there. His chin thrust forward. He nodded slowly.
+
+"All right! all right!" he said, grimly. "Sylvester, is your shop goin'
+to be open to-morrer?"
+
+"Guess not, Captain," was the puzzled reply. "It's Thanksgiving. Why?"
+
+"But Graves'll be to home, won't he? I could find him at his house?"
+
+"I presume you could."
+
+"All right, then! Caroline Warren, you listen to me: I'll give you till
+two o'clock to make up your mind to take the money that belongs to you.
+If you don't, I swear to the Lord A'mighty I'll take the fust train, go
+straight to New York, hunt up Graves, make him go down to the office and
+get that note your father made out turnin' all his property over to that
+Akrae Company. I'll get that note and I'll burn it up. Then--_then_
+you'll have to take the money, because it'll be yours. Every bit of
+evidence that'll hold in law is gone, and nobody but you and Steve'll
+have the shadow of a claim. I'll do it, so sure as I live! There! now
+you can make up your mind."
+
+He turned, strode to the door and out of the room. A moment later they
+heard a scream from Miss Baker in the kitchen: "'Lisha Warren, what ails
+you? Are you crazy?" There was no answer, but the back door closed with
+a tremendous bang.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Half an hour after his dramatic exit Captain Elisha was pacing up and
+down the floor of the barn. It was an old refuge of his, a place where
+he was accustomed to go when matters requiring deliberation and thought
+oppressed him. He was alone. Dan had taken the horse to the blacksmith's
+to be shod.
+
+The captain strode across the floor, turned and strode back again. Every
+few moments he looked at his watch. It was a long way to two o'clock,
+but each additional moment was another weight piled upon his soul. As
+he turned in his stride he saw a shadow move across the sill of the big,
+open door. He caught his breath and stopped.
+
+Caroline entered the barn. She came straight to him and put her hands
+upon the lapels of his coat. Her eyes were wet and shining.
+
+"Caroline?" he faltered, eagerly.
+
+"You good man!" she breathed, softly. "Oh, you _good_ man!"
+
+"Caroline!" his voice shook, but there was hope in it. "Caroline, you're
+goin' to take the money?"
+
+"Yes, Uncle Elisha. Mr. Sylvester has shown me that I must. He says you
+will do something desperate if I refuse."
+
+"I sartin would! And you'll take it, really?"
+
+"Yes, Uncle Elisha."
+
+"Glory be! And--and, Caroline, you won't hold it against me, my makin'
+you think you was poor, and makin' you live in that little place, and
+get along on just so much, and all that? Can you forgive me for doin'
+that?"
+
+"Forgive you? Can I ever thank you enough? I know I can't; but I can try
+all my life to prove what--"
+
+"S-s-h-h! s-s-h!... There!" with a great sigh, almost a sob, of relief,
+"I guess this'll be a real Thanksgivin', after all."
+
+But, a few minutes later, another thought came to him.
+
+"Caroline," he asked, "I wonder if, now that things are as they are,
+you couldn't do somethin' else--somethin' that would please me an
+awful lot?"
+
+"What is it, Uncle?"
+
+"It's somethin' perhaps I ain't got any right to ask. You mustn't say
+yes if you don't want to. The other day you told me you cared for Jim
+Pearson, but that you sent him away 'cause you thought you had to earn
+a livin' for you and Steve. Now you know that you ain't got to do that.
+And you said you told him if you ever changed your mind you'd send for
+him. Don't you s'pose you could send for him now--right off--so he could
+get here for this big Thanksgivin' of ours? Don't you think you could,
+Caroline?"
+
+He looked down into her face, and she looked down at the barn floor. But
+he saw the color creep up over her forehead.
+
+"Send for him--now?" she asked, in a low tone.
+
+"Yes. Now--right off. In time for to-morrow!"
+
+"He could not get here," she whispered.
+
+"Yes, he could. If you send him a telegram with one word in it:
+'Come'--and sign it 'Caroline'--he'll be here on to-morrow mornin's
+train, or I'll eat my hat and one of Abbie's bonnets hove in. Think you
+could, Caroline?"
+
+A moment; then in a whisper, "Yes, Uncle Elisha."
+
+"Hooray! But--but," anxiously, "hold on, Caroline. Tell me truly now.
+You ain't doin' this just to please me? You mustn't do that, not for the
+world and all. You mustn't send for him on my account. Only just for one
+reason--because _you_ want him."
+
+He waited for his answer. Then she looked up, blushing still, but with a
+smile trembling on her lips.
+
+"Yes, Uncle Elisha," she said, "because _I_ want him."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The clouds blew away that night, and Thanksgiving day dawned clear
+and cold. The gray sea was now blue; the white paint of the houses and
+fences glistened in the sun; the groves of pitchpine were brilliant
+green blotches spread like rugs here and there on the brown hills. South
+Denboro had thrown off its gloomy raiment and was "all dolled up for
+Thanksgivin'," so Captain Elisha said.
+
+The captain and Sylvester were leaning on the fence by the gate, looking
+up the road and waiting for Dan and the "two-seater" to heave in sight
+around the bend. The hired man had harnessed early and driven to the
+station at least thirty minutes before train time. Captain Elisha
+was responsible for the early start. Steve was coming on that train;
+possibly someone else was coming. The captain did not mean they should
+find no welcome or vehicle at the station.
+
+The whistle had sounded ten minutes before. It was time for Dan to
+appear at the bend.
+
+"I hope to thunder Jim got that telegram," observed the captain for the
+twentieth time, at least, since breakfast.
+
+"So do I," replied his friend. "There's no reason why he shouldn't, is
+there?"
+
+"No, no sensible one; but I've scared up no less than a couple of
+hundred of the other kind. If he shouldn't come--my, my! she'd be
+disappointed."
+
+"You wouldn't feel any disappointment yourself, of course," said the
+lawyer, with sarcasm.
+
+"Who? Me? Oh, I'd be sorer'n a scalded wharf rat in a barrel of pepper.
+But I don't count. There's the real one up there."
+
+He motioned with his head toward the window of Caroline's room.
+Sylvester nodded. "Yes," he said, "I suppose so. Captain, I'm somewhat
+surprised that you should be willing to trust that niece of yours
+to another man. She's a pretty precious article, according to your
+estimate."
+
+"Well, ain't she accordin' to yours?"
+
+"Yes. Pretty precious and precious pretty. Look at her now."
+
+They turned in time to catch a glimpse of the girl as she parted the
+curtains and looked out on the road. She saw them looking at her,
+smiled, blushed, and disappeared. Both men smoked in silence for a
+moment. Then the captain said:
+
+"Waitin'. Hi hum! nothin' like it, when you're waitin' for _the_ one,
+is there?"
+
+"No, nothing."
+
+"Yup. Well, for a pair of old single hulks our age, strikes me we're
+gettin' pretty sentimental. You say you wonder I'd trust Caroline to
+another man; I wouldn't to the average one. But Jim Pearson's all right.
+You'll say so, too, when you know him as well as I do."
+
+"I'll trust your judgment, any time. So you won't tell Steve yet awhile
+that he's not broke?"
+
+"No. And Caroline won't tell him, either. Steve's doin' fust-rate as
+he is. He's in the pickle tub and 'twill do him good to season a
+spell longer. But I think he's goin' to be all right by and by. Say,
+Sylvester, this New York cruise of mine turned out pretty good, after
+all, didn't it?"
+
+"Decidedly good. It was the making of your niece and nephew. Caroline
+realizes it now; and so will Steve later on."
+
+"Hope so. It didn't do _me_ any harm," with a chuckle. "I wouldn't have
+missed that little beat up the bay with Marm Dunn for a good deal. For
+a spell there we was bows abreast, and 'twas hard to tell who'd turn the
+mark first. Heard from the Dunns lately?"
+
+"No. Why, yes, I did hear that they were in a tighter box than ever,
+financially. The smash will come pretty soon."
+
+"I'm sorry. The old lady'll go down with colors nailed to the mast, I'll
+bet; and she'll leave a lot of suds where she sank. Do you know, I never
+blamed her so much. She was built that way. She's consider'ble like
+old Mrs. Patience Blodgett, who used to live up here to the Neck; like
+her--only there never was two people more different. Pashy was the
+craziest blue-ribboner you ever saw. Her one idea in life was gettin'
+folks to sign the pledge. She married Tim Blodgett, who was the wust
+soak in the county--he'd have figgered out, if you analyzed him, about
+like a bottle of patent medicine, seventy-two per cent alcohol. Well,
+Pashy married him to reform him, and she made her brags that she'd get
+him to sign the pledge. And she did, but only by puttin' it in front of
+him when he was too drunk to read it."
+
+The lawyer laughed heartily. "So you think Mrs. Corcoran Dunn resembles
+her, do you," he observed.
+
+"In one way--yes. Both of 'em sacrifice everything else to one idea.
+Pashy's was gettin' that pledge signed, and never mind ways and means.
+Mrs. Dunn's is money and position--never mind how they come. See what
+I'm drivin' at?"
+
+Sylvester laughed again. "I guess so," he said. "Captain Warren, I never
+saw you in better spirits. Do you know what I think? I think that, for
+a chap who has just given away half of a good-sized fortune and intends
+giving away the other half, you're the most cheerful specimen I ever
+saw."
+
+The captain laughed, too. "I am, ain't I," he said. "Well, I can say
+truthful what I never expected to say in my life--that _once_ I was
+wuth ha'f a million dollars. As for the rest of it, I'm like that
+millionaire--that.... Hi! Look! There comes Dan! See him!"
+
+They peered eagerly over the fence. The Warren "two-seater" had rounded
+the bend in the road. Dan was driving. Beside him sat a young fellow who
+waved his hand.
+
+"Steve!" cried the captain, excitedly. "There's Steve! And--and--yes,
+there's somebody on the back seat. It's Jim! He's come! Hooray!"
+
+He was darting out of the gate, but his friend seized his coat.
+
+"Wait," he cried. "I don't want to lose the rest of that sentence. You
+said you were like some millionaire. Who?"
+
+"Don't bother me," cried Captain Elisha. "Who? Why, I was goin' to say
+I was like that millionaire chap who passes out a library every time he
+wakes up and happens to think of it. You know who I mean.... Ahoy there,
+Jim! Ahoy, Steve!"
+
+He was waving his hand to the passengers in the approaching vehicle.
+
+"Yes," prompted his friend, hastily, "I know who you mean--Carnegie."
+
+"That's the feller. I've come to feel about the way he says he
+does--that 'twould be a crime for me to die rich."
+
+                         THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Cap'n Warren's Wards, by Joseph C. Lincoln
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAP'N WARREN'S WARDS ***
+
+***** This file should be named 3280.txt or 3280.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/3/2/8/3280/
+
+Produced by Donald Lainson and D. A. Alexander
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.