The captain looked at his watch. "Well, maybe "twas a little more"n a minute," he admitted.
Master Bartlett sauntered up to take part in the conversation.
"I got here twenty minutes ago," he observed, grinning, "and you wasn"t here then, Cap"n Dan"l. I was wonderin" what had become of ye."
Daniel seized the opportunity to change the subject.
"Anybody been in since you came?" he asked, addressing Sam.
"No, n.o.body special. Abel Calvin was in to see if you wanted to buy some beach plums for puttin" up. He said he had about a bushel of first-rate ones, just picked."
"Beach plums! What in time would I want of beach plums? I don"t put up preserves, do I? Why didn"t he go to the house?"
"I asked him that, myself, and he said "twa"n"t no use."
"No use! What did he mean by that?"
"Well, he said--he said--" Sam seemed suddenly to realize that he was getting into deep water; "he said--he said somethin" or other; I guess I"ve forgot what "twas."
"I guess you ain"t. WHAT did he say?"
"Well, he said--he said Serena--Mrs. Dott, I mean--was probably gallivantin" down to the lodge room by this time. Said "twa"n"t no use tryin" to get her to attend to common things or common folks nowadays; she was too busy tryin" to keep up with Annette Black."
This literal quotation from the frank Mr. Calvin caused a sensation.
Captain Dan struggled to find words. His daughter laid a hand on his sleeve.
"Never mind, Dad," she said, soothingly. "You know what Abel Calvin is; you don"t mind what he says. Sam, you shouldn"t repeat such nonsense.
Run away now and attend to your work. I"m sure there"s enough for you to do."
"You--you go and clean up the cellar," ordered the irate captain. Sam departed cellarward, muttering that it wasn"t his fault; HE hadn"t said nothin". Gertrude spoke again.
"Don"t mind that, Dad," she urged. "Why, how warm you are, and how excited you look. What is it? You haven"t spoken a word to John."
Her father shook his head. "Mornin", John," he said. "I beg your pardon.
I ain"t responsible to-day, I shouldn"t wonder. I--I"ve had some news that"s drivin" everything else out of my mind."
"News? Why, Dad! what do you mean? Bad news?"
"No, no! Good as ever was, and.... Humph! no, I don"t mean that. It is bad news, of course. Your Great-aunt Laviny"s dead, Gertie."
He told of the lawyer"s letter, omitting for the present the news of the legacy. Gertrude was interested, but not greatly shocked or grieved. She had met her great-aunt but once during her lifetime, and her memory of the deceased was of a stately female, whose earrings and brooches and rings sparkled as if she was on fire in several places; who sat bolt upright at the further end of a hotel room in Boston, and ordered Captain Dan not to bring "that child" any nearer until its hands were washed. As she had been the child and had distinctly disagreeable recollections of the said hands having been washed three times before admittance to the presence, the memory was not too pleasant. She said she was sorry to hear that Aunt Lavinia was no more, and asked when it happened. Her father told what he knew of the circ.u.mstances attending the bereavement, which was not much.
"She"s gone, anyhow," he said. "It"s liable to happen to any of us, bein" cut off that way. We ought to be prepared, I suppose."
"I suppose so. But, Daddy, Aunt Lavinia wasn"t cut off exactly, was she?
She was your aunt and she must have been quite old."
"Hey? Why, let"s see. She was your grandpa"s brother"s wife, and he--Uncle Jim, I mean--was about four years older than Father. She was three years younger"n he was when he married her. Let"s see again.
Father--that"s your grandpa, Gertie--was sixty-five when he died and...
Humph! No, Aunt Laviny was eighty-eight, or thereabouts. She wasn"t exactly cut off, was she, come to think of it?"
Gertrude"s brown eyes twinkled. "Not exactly--no," she said, gravely.
"Well, Daddy, I"m sure I am sorry she has gone, but, considering that she has never deigned to visit us or have us visit her, or even to write you a letter for the past two years, I don"t think we should be expected to mourn greatly. And," glancing at him, "I don"t understand just what you meant by saying first that the news was good, and then that it was bad. There is something else, isn"t there?"
Her father smiled, in an embarra.s.sed way. "Well, ye--es," he admitted, "there is somethin" else, but--but I don"t know as I didn"t do wrong to feel so good over it. I--I guess I"ll tell you by and by, if you don"t mind. Maybe then I won"t feel--act, I mean--so tickled. It don"t seem right that I should be. Let me get sort of used to it first. I"ll tell you pretty soon."
His daughter laughed, softly. "I know you will, Dad," she said. "You couldn"t keep a secret in that dear old head of yours if you tried. Not from me, anyway; could you, dear?"
"I guess not," regarding her fondly. "Anyhow, I shan"t try to keep this one. Well, this time to-morrow you"ll be back at college again, in among all those Greek and Latin folks. Wonder she"ll condescend to come and talk plain United States to us Cape Codders, ain"t it, John."
John Doane admitted that it was a wonder. He seemed to regard Miss Dott as a very wonderful young person altogether. Gertrude glanced up at him, then at her father, and then at the blotter on the desk. She absently played with the pages of the ledger.
"Dad," she said, suddenly, "you are not the only one who has a secret."
The captain turned and looked at her. Her head was bent over the ledger and he could see but the top of a very becoming hat, a stray lock of wavy brown hair, and the curve of a very pretty cheek. The cheek--what he could see of it--was crimson. He looked up at Mr. Doane. That young man"s face was crimson also.
"Oh!" said Captain Daniel; and added, "I want to know!"
"Yes, you"re not the only one. We--I--there is another secret. Daddy, dear, John wants to talk with you."
The captain looked at Mr. Doane, then at the hat and the face beneath it.
"Oh!" he said, again.
"Yes. I--I--" She rose and, putting her arms about her father"s neck, kissed him. "I will be back before long, dear," she whispered, and hurried out. Mr. Doane cleared his throat. Captain Dan waited.
"Well, sir," began the young man, and stopped. The captain continued to wait.
"Well, sir," began Mr. Doane, again, "I--I--" For one who, as Gertrude had declared, wished to talk, he seemed to be finding the operation difficult. "I--Well, sir, the fact is, I have something to say to you."
Captain Dan, who was looking very grave, observed that he "wanted to know." John Doane cleared his throat once more, and took a fresh start.
"Yes, sir," he said, "I have something to say to you--er--something that--that may surprise you."
A faint smile disturbed the gravity of the captain"s face.
"May surprise me, hey?" he repeated. "Is that so?"
"Yes. You see, I--Gertie and I--have--are--"
Daniel looked up.
"Hard navigatin", ain"t it, John?" he inquired, whimsically. "Maybe I could help you over the shoals. You and Gertie think you"d like to get married sometime or other, I presume likely. Is that what you"re tryin"
to tell me?"
There was no doubt of it. The young man"s face expressed several emotions, relief that the great secret was known, and surprise that anyone should have guessed it.
"Why, yes, sir," he admitted, "that is it. Gertie and I have known each other for years, ever since we were children, in fact; and, you see--you see--" he paused once more, began again, and then broke out impatiently with, "I"m making an awful mess of this. I don"t know why."