"Why--why, yes. Of course he doesn"t pay a whole lot. Not as much maybe as if he was a stranger, somebody who didn"t pay me regular board, you know."
"Humph! Do you get your money?"
"Why, yes. Of course I do."
"He doesn"t owe you anything, then, for board or lodgin" or anything?"
Mrs. Macomber hesitated. "Nothin" much," she replied, after a moment.
"Of course he gets a little behind sometimes, everybody does that, you know. But then his dividend payments or somethin" come to him and he pays right up in a lump. It"s kind of nice havin" it come that way, seems more, you know."
"Yes. So long as it keeps on comin". His dividends, you say? I thought the story was that he hadn"t any stocks left to get dividends from. I thought he told all hands that he was poverty-stricken, that when he was cut out of the Harbor property and the fifty thousand he hadn"t a copper."
"Oh no not as bad as that. He had some stocks and bonds, of course. Why, if he hadn"t where would he get _any_ money from? How could he live?"
"I don"t know. He seems to be livin", though, and pretty well. Has he got the parlor yet?"
"Yes, and it"s fixed up so pretty. He"s got his pictures and things around. Wouldn"t you like to see it? He"s out, you know."
They went into the parlor and the bedroom adjoining, that which the captain had occupied during his stay. Both rooms were as neat as wax--Sears expected that, knowing his sister"s housekeeping--but he had scarcely expected to find the rooms so changed. The furniture was the same, but the wall decorations were not.
"What"s become of the alum basket and the wax wreath and the Rock of Ages chromo?" he asked.
"Oh, he took "em down. That is, he didn"t do it himself, of course, but he had Joel do it. They"re up attic. Mr. Phillips said they was so like the things that his wife used to have in the dear old home that he couldn"t bear to see "em. They reminded him so of her. He asked if we would mind if they was removed and we said no, of course."
"Humph! And the Macomber family coffin plates, those you had set out on black velvet with all Joel"s dead relations names on "em, in the plush and gilt frame? Are those up attic, too?"
"Yes."
"I should have thought "twould have broken Joel"s heart to part with _them_!"
"Sears, you"re makin" fun. I don"t blame you much. I always did hate those coffin plates, but Joel seemed to like "em. They were in his folks" front parlor, he says."
"Yes. That "Death of Washin"ton" picture and the rounder-case thing with the locks of hair in it were there, too, you told me once. That must have been a lively room. Those--er--horse pictures are Egbert"s, I suppose?"
"Yes. He is real fond of horses."
The "horse pictures" were colored plates of racers.
"That"s a portrait of his wife over there," explained Sarah. "She had it painted in Italy on purpose for him."
"Is that so? Well, I"m glad it was for him. I shouldn"t think it was hardly fittin" for anybody outside the family. Of course Italy"s a warm climate, but----"
"_Sears!_" Mrs. Macomber blushed. "Of course I didn"t mean _that_ picture," she protested. "And you know I didn"t. I wouldn"t have that one up at all if I had _my_ way. But he says it"s an old master and very famous and all like that. Maybe so, but I"m thankful the children ain"t allowed in here. That"s Lobelia over there."
In the bedroom were other pictures, photographs for the most part. Many of them were autographed.
"They"re girl friends of his wife"s," said Sarah. "She met "em over abroad. Real pretty, some of them, ain"t they?"
They were, and the inscriptions were delightfully informal and friendly.
Lobelia Phillips" name was not inscribed, but her husband"s was occasionally. Upon the table, by a half-emptied cigar box, lay a Boston paper of the day before. It was folded with the page of stock market quotations uppermost. Sears picked it up. One item was underscored with a pencil. It was the record of the day"s sales of "C. M.," a stock with which the captain was quite unfamiliar. His unfamiliarity was not surprising; he had little acquaintance with the stock market.
Back in the wash-shed, brother and sister chatted while the ironing continued. Sears led the conversation around until it touched upon George Kent. George was still boarding with them, so Sarah said. Yes, he had given up his place as bookkeeper at Ba.s.sett"s store.
"He"s administrator of his aunt"s estate," she went on. "You knew that, Sears? It"s a pretty responsible position for such a young man, I guess.
I"m afraid it"s a good deal of worry for him. He"s seemed to me kind of troubled lately. I thought at first it might be on account of Elizabeth Berry--everybody knows they"ve had some quarrel or somethin"--but I"m beginnin" to be afraid it may be somethin" else. He and Mr. Phillips are together about all the time. They"re great friends, and I"m so glad, because if George _should_ be in any trouble--about business or anything--a man of Mr. Phillips" experience would be a wonderful friend to have."
"What makes you think it may be a business trouble?" asked the captain, casually.
Mrs. Macomber hesitated. "Why," she said, "I heard somethin" yesterday that made me think so. It wasn"t meant for me to hear, but I just happened to. I don"t know as I"d ought to say anything about it--I shouldn"t to anybody but you, Sears--yet it has worried me a good deal.
Mr. Phillips and George were standin" together in the hall as I went by.
They didn"t see me, and I heard George say, "Somethin" _must_ be done about it," he says. "It can"t go on for another week." And Mr. Phillips said, kind and comfortin"--nice as he always is, but still it did seem to me a little mite impatient--"I tell you it is all right," he said.
"Wait a while and it will be all right." Then George said somethin" that I didn"t catch, and Mr. Phillips said, "But I can"t, I tell you. I"m in exactly the same boat." And George said, "You"ve _got_ to! you"ve got to! If you don"t it"ll be the end of me." That was what he said--"It will be the end of me." And oh, Sears, he did sound _so_ distressed. It has troubled me ever since. What do you suppose it could be that would be the end of him?"
Her brother shook his head. "Give it up," he said. "Humph!... And Egbert said he was in the same boat, did he? That"s interestin". It must be a pretty swell liner; he wouldn"t be aboard anything else."
But Mrs. Macomber declined to joke. "You wouldn"t laugh," she declared, "if you had heard George talk. He"s just a boy, Sears, a real kind-hearted, well-meanin" boy, and I hate to think of him as in any more trouble."
"Any more? What do you mean by more?"
"Why--why--oh, well, everybody knows he and Elizabeth ain"t keepin"
company any longer. And--and----"
"And everybody thinks I am to blame. Well, I"m not, Sarah. Not intentionally, anyhow. And, if George would let me, I should be glad to be a friend of his. Not as grand and top-lofty a friend as Admiral Egbert, of course, but as good as my rank and ratin" in life will let me be."
"Sears," reproachfully, "I hate to hear you speak in that sarcastic way.
And I can"t see why you mistrust Mr. Phillips so."
"Can"t you? Well, I don"t know as I can, myself; but if I live long enough I may find a reason.... As for Kent--well, I tell you, Sarah: You keep an eye on the boy. If he still seems worried, or more worried, and you think it advisable, you might give him a message from me. You remind him that one time he told me if he ever got into real trouble he should come to me for help. You can say--if you think it advisable--that I am just as willin" to give that help now as ever I was."
"Oh, Sears, do you mean it? Why, I thought--I was afraid that you and he----"
"That"s all right. I am the young fellow"s friend--if he wants me to be.
And, although I"m a thousand sea miles from guaranteein" to be able to help him, I"m willin" to try my hardest.... But there! the chances are he won"t listen if you do tell him, so use your own judgment in the matter. But, Sarah, will you do me a favor?"
"Sears! How can you! As if I wouldn"t do anything for you!"
"I know you would. And this isn"t so very much, either. I"m kind of interested in this Phillips man"s dividends and things. I"d like to know how he makes his money. I noticed that that newspaper in his room was folded with the stock price page on top. Is he interested in stock and such things?"
"Why, yes, he is. I"ve heard him and George talkin" about what they call the "market." That means stocks, doesn"t it?"
"Um-hm, usually. Well, Sarah, if he happens to mention any particular stock he owns, or anything like that, try and remember and let me know, will you?"
"Yes, of course, if you want me to. But why, Sears? There"s nothing wrong in a man like Mr. Phillips bein" interested in such things, is there? I should think it would be--well, sort of natural for a person who has been rich as he used to be to keep up his interest."
"I presume likely it is."
"Then why do you want to know about it?"
The captain picked up his hat. "Oh, for no particular reason, maybe, Sarah," he replied. "Perhaps _I_ shall be rich sometime--if I live to be a hundred and eighty and save a dollar a day as I go along--and then I shall want to know how to invest my money. Let me know if you hear anything worth while, won"t you, Sarah?"