"He"s comin", Cap"n," he cried, excitedly. "Creepin" Moses! He"s comin"
here."
Sears remained calm. "He is, eh?" he observed. "Well, is he creepin"
now?"
"Hey? Creepin"? What are you talkin" about?"
"Why, Moses. You said he was comin", didn"t you?"
"I said that Egbert man was comin". He was just onlatchin" the gate when I see him.... Hey? That"s him knockin" now. Shall I--shall I let him in, Cap"n Sears?"
"I would if I were you, Judah. If you don"t I shall have to."
So Judah did. Mr. Phillips entered the kitchen, removing his silk hat at the threshold. Mr. Cahoon followed, too overcome with excitement and curiosity to remember to take off his own cap. Sears Kendrick would have risen from the armchair in which he was seated, but the visitor extended a gloved hand.
"Don"t. Don"t rise, I beg of you," he said, earnestly. "Pray keep your seat, Captain Kendall. I have just learned of your most unfortunate accident. Really, I must insist that you remain just as you are. You will distress me greatly if you move on my account. Thank you, thank you. I suppose I should apologize for running in in this informal way, but I feel almost as if I had known you for a long time. Our mutual friends, the Berrys, have told me so much concerning you since my arrival that I did not stand upon ceremony at all."
"That"s right," declared the captain, heartily. "I"m glad you didn"t.
Sit down, Mr. Phillips. Put your hat on the table there."
Judah stepped forward.
"Give it to me; I"ll take care of it," he said, taking the shining beaver from the visitor"s hand. "I"ll hang it up yonder in the back entry, then "twon"t get knocked onto the floor.... No, no, don"t set in that chair, that"s got a spliced leg; it"s liable to land you on your beam ends if you ain"t careful. Try this one."
He kicked the infirm chair out of the way and pushed forward a subst.i.tute. "There," he added, cheerfully, "that"s solid"s the rock of Giberaltar. Nothin" like bein" sure of your anchorage. Set down, set down."
He beamed upon the caller. The latter did not beam exactly. His expression was a queer one. Sears came to the rescue.
"Mr. Phillips," he said, "this is Mr. Cahoon."
Judah extended a mighty hand.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Phillips," he declared. "I"ve heard tell of you considerable."
Egbert looked at the hand. His expression was still queer.
"Oh--ah--how d"ye do?" he murmured.
"Mr. Cahoon and I are old friends," explained Sears. "I am boardin" here with him."
"Yus," put in Judah. "And afore that I shipped cook aboard Cap"n Sears"s vessels for a good many v"yages. The cap"n and I get along fust rate.
He"s all right, Cap"n Sears is, _I_ tell ye!"
Mr. Phillips murmured something to the effect that he was sure of it. He did not seem very sure of Judah. Mr. Cahoon did not notice the uncertainty, he pushed his hand nearer to the visitor"s.
"I"m real glad to meet you," he said.
Egbert gingerly took the proffered hand, moved it up and down once and then dropped it, after which he looked at his glove. Judah looked at it, too.
"Kind of chilly outdoor to-night, is it?" he asked. "Didn"t seem so to me."
Again his lodger came to the rescue.
"Well, Mr. Phillips," he said, "you gave us all a little surprise, didn"t you? Of course we expected you in a general sort of way, but we didn"t know when you would make port."
Egbert bowed. "I scarcely knew myself," he said. "My plans were somewhat vague and--ah--rather hurriedly made, naturally. Of course my great sorrow, my bereavement----"
He paused, sighed and then brushed the subject away with a wave of his glove.
"You won"t mind, I"m sure," he said, "if I don"t dwell upon that just now. It is too recent, the shock is too great, I really cannot.... But I am so sorry to hear of your disability. A railway wreck, I understand.
Outrageous carelessness, no doubt. Really, Captain Kendrick, one cannot find excuses for the reckless mismanagement of your American railways.... Why, what is it? Don"t you agree with me?"
The captain had looked up momentarily. Now he was looking down again.
"Don"t you agree with me?" repeated Egbert. "Surely you, of all people, should not excuse their recklessness."
Sears shook his head. "Oh, I wasn"t tryin" to," he replied. "I was only wonderin" why you spoke of "em as "your" railroads. They aren"t mine, you know. That is, any more than they are Judah"s--or yours--or any other American"s. No such luck."
Mr. Phillips coughed, smiled, coughed again, and then explained that he had used the word "your" without thinking.
"I have been so long an--ah--shall I say exile, Captain Kendall," he observed, "that I have, I presume, fallen somewhat into the European habit of thinking and--ah--speaking. Habit is a peculiar thing, is it not?"
Mr. Cahoon, intensely interested in the conversation, evidently felt it his duty to contribute toward it.
"You"re right there, Mr. Phillips," he announced, with emphasis.
"Don"t talk to me about habits! When a man"s been to sea as long"s I have he runs afoul of pretty nigh every kind of habit there is, seems so. Why, I knew a feller one time--down to Surinam "twas--I was cook and steward aboard the old _Highflyer_--and this feller--he wan"t a white man, nor he wan"t all n.i.g.g.e.r nuther, kind of in between, one of them--er--er--octoreens, that"s what he was--well, this feller he had the dumdest habit. Every day of his life, about the middle of the dog watch he"d up and----"
"Judah."
"Aye, aye, Cap"n Sears?"
"You"ll be late down at the store, won"t you?"
"Hey? Oh, I don"t care how late I be. I don"t know"s I"m so dreadful partic"lar about goin" down there to-night, anyhow. Don"t know but I"d just as live stay here."
"I"d go."
"Hey? Oh, I----"
"I"d go, if I were you. You know there"s likely to be a good deal goin"
on."
"Think so, do you?" Judah was evidently on the fence. "Course, I---- Well, maybe I had better, come to think of it. Good night, Mr. Phillips.
I"ll tell you about that octoreen feller next time I see you. So long, Cap"n Sears. I"ll report about," with a wink, "the cacklin" later.
Creepin"! it"s most eight now, ain"t it?"
He hurried out. Egbert looked rather relieved. He smiled tolerantly.