"Here! Hold on, George!" he put in, sharply. "What"s all this?"
Kent"s embarra.s.sment increased. "Why--why, nothing," he stammered.
"Nothing, of course. But you see, Cap"n, people are silly--they don"t stop to count ages and things like that. They see you with her so much.... And when they see you taking her to ride--alone----"
"Here! That"ll do!" All the cordiality had left the captain"s voice.
"George," he said, after a moment, "I guess you"d better not say any more. I don"t think I had better hear it. Miss Elizabeth is a friend of mine. She is, as you say, years younger than I am. I _am_ with her a good deal, have to be because of our Fair Harbor work together. I took her to Orham with me just as I"d take her mother, or you, or any other friend who had to go and wanted a lift. But--_but_ if you or any one else is hintin" that.... There, there! George, don"t be foolish. Maybe you"d better run along now. The doctor says I mustn"t get excited."
His visitor looked remarkably foolish, but the stubbornness had not altogether left his face or tone as he said: "Well, that"s all right, Cap"n. I knew you would understand. _I_ didn"t mean anything, but--but, you see, in Elizabeth"s case I feel a--a sort of responsibility.
You--you understand."
Even irritated and angry as he was, Sears could not help smiling at the last sentence.
"George," he observed, "you"ve been fairly open and aboveboard in your remarks to me. Suppose I ask you a question. Just what _is_ your responsibility in the case? I have heard said, and more than once, that you and Elizabeth Berry are engaged to be married. Is it so?"
The young man grew redder yet, hesitated, and turned to the door.
"I--I"m not at liberty to say," he declared.
"Wait! Hold on! There is this responsibility business. If you"re not engaged--well, honestly, George, I don"t quite see where your responsibility comes in."
Kent hesitated a moment longer. Then he seemed to make up his mind.
"Well, then, we are--er--er--practically," he said.
"Practically?... Oh! Well, I--I certainly do congratulate you."
George had his hand on the latch, but turned back.
"Don"t--please don"t tell any one of it," he said earnestly. "It--it mustn"t be known yet.... You see, though, why I--I feel as if you--as if we all ought to be very careful of--of appearances--and--and such things."
"Yes.... Yes, of course. Well, all right, George. Good-by. Call again."
Judah, who had been over at the Fair Harbor doing some general ch.o.r.es around the place, came in a little later. His lodger called to him.
"Judah," he commanded, "come in here. I want to talk to you." When Mr.
Cahoon obeyed the order, he was told to sit down a moment.
"I want to ask you some questions," said the captain. "What is the latest news of Egbert Phillips? Where is he nowadays? And what is he doin"?"
Judah was quite ready to give the information, even eager, but he hesitated momentarily.
"Sure you want me to talk about him, Cap"n?" he asked. "Last time I said anything about him--day afore yesterday "twas--you told me to shut up.
Said you had somethin" more important to think about."
"Did I, Judah? Well, "twas true then, I guess."
"Um-hm. And you ordered me not to mention his name again till you h"isted signals, or somethin" like that."
"Yes, seems to me I did. Well, the signals are up. What is he doin"?"
"Doin"? He ain"t doin" nothin"--much. He"s roomin" up to the Central House yet, but from what I hear tell he ain"t goin" to stay there. He"s cal"latin", so the folks down to the store say, to find some nice home place where he can board. He don"t call it boardin". Thoph Black says he said what he wanted was a snug little den where him and his few remainin" household G.o.ds could be together. Thoph said he couldn"t make out what household G.o.ds was, and I"m plaguey sure _I_ can"t. Sounds heathenish to me. And I told Thoph, says I, "That ain"t no way to hunt a boardin" house, goin" round hollerin" for a den. If I was takin" in boarders and a feller hove alongside and says, "Can I hire one of them dens of yours?" he"d get somethin" that he wan"t lookin" for." Huh! Den!
Sounds like a circus menagerie, don"t it? Not but what I"ve seen boardin"-house rooms that was like dens. Why, one time, over in Liverpool "twas, me and a feller named----"
"Yes, yes, all right, Judah. I"ve heard about it. But what else is he doin"? Where does he go? Is he makin" friends? Is he talkin" much about his plans? What do folks say about him?"
Judah answered the last question first.
"They like him," he declared. "All hands are so kind of sorry for him, you see. Course we all cal"lated he was rich, but he ain"t. And them bonds and such that him and his wife had all went to nawthin" and he come back here after she died, figgerin", I presume likely, same as anybody would, that he owned the Fair Harbor property and that the fifty thousand was just a sort of--er--loan, as you might say. He told Joe Macomber--or George Kent, I forget which "twas--he"s with George consider"ble; I guess likely "twas him--that, of course, he wouldn"t have disturbed the property or the fifty thousand for the world, not for a long spell anyhow, but ownin" it give him a feelin" of security, like an anchor to wind"ard, you understand, and----"
"So folks like him, do they?"
"You bet you they do. He don"t complain a mite, that"s one reason they like him. Says at first, of course, he was kind of took all aback with his canvas flappin", but now he"s thought it over and realizes "twas his dear wife"s notion and her wishes is law and gospel to him, so he"s resigned."
"And he doesn"t blame anybody, then?"
Mr. Cahoon hesitated. "Why--er--no, not really, fur"s I hear. Anyhow, if there was any influence used same as it shouldn"t be, he says, he forgives them that used it. And, so far as that goes, he don"t repute no evil motives to n.o.body, livin" or dead."
"Repute? Oh, impute, you mean."
"I guess so, some kind of "pute". He uses them old-fashioned kind of words all the time. That"s why he"s so pop"lar amongst the Shakespeare Readin" Society and the rest. _They"ve_ took him up, I tell ye! Minister Dishup and his wife they"ve had him to dinner, and Cap"n Elkanah and his wife have had him to supper and yesterday noon he was up here to the Harbor for dinner."
"Oh, was he?"
"Yus. He made "em a little speech, too. All hands came into the parlor after dinner and he kind of--of preached to "em. Told about his travelin" in foreign lands and a lot about Lobelia and how she loved the Harbor and everybody in it, and how him and her used to plan for it, and the like of that. Desire Peasley told me that "twas the most movin" talk ever _she_ listened to. Said about everybody was cryin" some. "Twas a leaky session, I judged. Oh, they love him over to the Harbor, I tell you!"
The captain was silent for a moment. Then he asked, "Did I understand you to say he and young Kent were friendly?"
"Yes, indeed. He seems to have took quite a fancy to George. Drops in to see him at the store and last night he went home along with him to your sister"s--to Sary"s. Had supper and spent the evenin", I believe."
Judah was dismissed then and the talk ended, but Sears had now something else to think about. There was little doubt in his mind who the "man of experience" was, the person who had advised Kent concerning the getting of a position with a law firm in the city. He wondered what other advice might have been given. Was it Mr. Phillips who had suggested to Kent the impropriety of Elizabeth"s being seen so much in his--Kendrick"s--company? If so, why had he done it? What was Egbert"s little plan?
Of course it was possible that there was no plan of any kind. Sears had taken a dislike to Phillips when they met and that fact, and Judge Knowles" hatred of the man, might, he realized, have set him to hunting mares" nests. Well, he would not hunt any more at present. He would await developments. But he would not lie in that bed and wait for them.
He had been there long enough. In spite of Judah"s protests and with the latter"s help, commandeered and insisted upon, he got up, dressed, and spent the rest of that afternoon and evening in the rocking chair in the kitchen.
And that evening Elizabeth came to see him. He was almost sure why she had come, and as soon as she entered, sent Judah down town after smoking tobacco. Judah declared there was "up"ards of ha"f a plug aboard the ship somewheres" and wanted to stay and hunt for it, but the captain, who had the plug in his pocket, insisted on his going. So he went and Sears and Elizabeth were alone. He was ready for the interview. If she asked him to accept the trusteeship of her twenty thousand dollars he meant to refuse, absolutely.
And she did ask him that very thing. After inquiries concerning his injured limbs and repeated cautions concerning his never taking such risks again, "even with the old Foam Flakes," she came directly to the subject. She spoke of Judge Knowles" letter to her, the letter which Bradley had handed her at the time when he gave Sears his. She had read it over and over again, she said.
"You know what he wrote me, Cap"n Kendrick," she went on. "I can"t show you the letter, it is too personal, too--too.... Oh, I can"t show it to any one--now, not even to mother. But you must know what he asked--or suggested, because he says he has written you a letter asking you to take charge of my money for me, to be my trustee. I suppose you must think it queer that I have let all these days go by without coming to speak with you about it. I hope----"
He interrupted. "Now, Elizabeth, before we go any further," he said, earnestly, "don"t you suppose any such thing. The judge wrote me he had asked us both not to decide in a hurry, but to take plenty of time to think it over. I have thought it over, in fact, I haven"t thought of much else since I opened that letter, and I have made up my mind----"
"Wait. Please wait a minute. I haven"t been taking time to think over that at all. I have been thinking about the whole matter; whether I should accept the money--so very, very, very much money----"
"What! Not accept it? Of course you"ll take it. He wanted you to take it. It was what he wanted as much as anybody could want anything. Why, don"t you dare----"
"Hush! hush! You mustn"t be so excited. And you mustn"t move from that chair. If you do I shall go home this minute. I am going to accept the money."
"Good! Of course you are."