"I know it, Ben. He says Jack resembles his brother Walter."
"Maybe he dun nebber had a brudder Walter."
"Evidently you do not believe him?"
"No, I don"t."
"Where did you meet him?"
"He c.u.m to de boathouse, and got me to row him ober to de wrack."
"You took him there. What did he want at the wreck?"
"I dunno dat, missus. He tole me to go away fer an hour or so. He went below in de wrack, out ob sight."
"Perhaps he was after something belonging to the past. Did he bring anything away with him?"
"I aint suah about dat, missus. When I rowed him ash.o.r.e he had a tin box hidden away under his coat, but he might have had dat when I took him ober."
"How large a box?"
"About dis size," and Ben held out his hands.
"He wouldn"t be likely to take such a box to the wreck with him. He must have found it on the ship," went on Mrs. Ruthven, with interest.
"Where could he find it, missus? De folks around yeah has tuk everyt"ing off dat wrack long ago."
"Perhaps not. To tell the truth, Ben, I do not like that man"s manner at all."
"No more do I, missus. He"s got a bad eye, he has," responded the colored man warmly.
"If you see him again, Ben, I wish you would watch him closely."
"I will do it, missus. Yo" can trust Ole Ben."
"You may be able to learn something important."
"If I do, I"ll bring de news to yo" directly, missus."
"Perhaps you had better follow him now," went on Mrs. Ruthven suddenly.
"If he goes to the battlefield, you can come back."
"I will, missus," and in a moment more Ben was off.
Meanwhile Marion had gone up to Jack"s room and knocked on the door. At first there was no answer, and the girl knocked again.
"Who is it?" came in a half-choked voice.
"It is I, Marion. Can"t I come in?"
"Yes," answered Jack, and Marion entered the room and sat down beside our hero on the bed.
"Oh, Jack, I"m so sorry for you!" was all she could say.
"Marion, do you honestly think that man is my father?" he questioned anxiously.
"I don"t know what to say, Jack. It"s all so strange."
"If he was my father it seems to me I ought to feel differently toward him."
"Perhaps it"s the shock, Jack."
"No, it isn"t. I could never love that man as a son ought to love his father," went on our hero impetuously.
"Hush! you mustn"t talk so!"
"I can"t help it. I hated that man when we met on the bridge--and--and I hate him still!"
"Oh, Jack!"
"It"s true, Marion. I don"t see why he wanted to come here. I was happy enough, with you and mother."
"He hasn"t taken you away yet, Jack. Mother will make him prove his claim first, never fear. She feels as badly almost as do you."
"To me the whole story sounds unreasonable, Marion. If there is a big fortune in the background, that man may only be scheming to get it."
"But, if that is true, why doesn"t he ignore you and keep the money for himself?"
"I don"t know--excepting it may be that he wants me in order to make his claim stronger, or something like that. I don"t know much about law."
"Neither do I. But if it comes to the worst, mother will get a lawyer and make that man prove everything he says."
The two talked the matter over for a while, and gradually Jack grew calmer. But look at it from every possible light, he could not make himself believe that Dr. Mackey was his father.
Presently Mrs. Ruthven entered the chamber and also sat down to comfort our hero.
"He is certainly a strange man," said she, referring to the surgeon. "He went to the wreck and was aboard alone for some time, so Old Ben tells me."
"What did he do?"
"Ben doesn"t know."
"I shall visit the wreck again before long and make a search," said Jack.
The three talked the matter over for several hours, but reached no further conclusions. Jack expected the doctor back the next day, but he did not appear, nor did he show himself for some time to come. In the meantime things of great importance happened.