CHAPTERXVIII
Twomorehourspassedbeforethelawyersandtheirclientrosefromtheirseatsaboutthelongtable。Eventhentheconsultationwasnotatanend。SylvesterandtheCaptainlunchedtogetherattheCentralClubandsatinthesmokingroomuntilafterfour，talkingearnestly。Whentheyparted，theattorneywasgraveandtroubled。”Allright，CaptainWarren，”hesaid；”I’lldoit。Andyoumayberight。Icertainlyhopeyouare。ButImustconfessIdon’tlookforwardtomytaskwithpleasure。IthinkI’vegottheroughestend。””It’llberough，there’snodoubtaboutthat。Roughforallhands，Iguess。AndIhopeyouunderstand，Mr。Sylvester，thatthereain’tmanymenI’dtrusttodowhatIaskyouto。Iappreciateyourdoin’itmore’nIcantellyou。Beas——asgentleasyoucan，won’tyou？””Iwill。Youcandependuponthat。””Ido。AndIsha’n’tforgetit。Good-by，tillthenexttime。”
Theyshookhands。CaptainElishareturnedtotheboardinghouse，wherehefoundaletterawaitinghim。ItwasfromCaroline，tellinghimofherengagementtoMalcolmDunn。Shewrotethat，whilenotrecognizinghisrighttointerfereinanyway，shefeltthatperhapsheshouldknowofheraction。Hedidnotgodowntosupper，and，whenPearsoncametoinquirethereason，excusedhimself，pleadingalateluncheonandnoappetite。Heguessedhewouldturninearly，sohesaid。Itwasapoorguess。
Nextmorninghewentuptown。Edwards，openingthedooroftheWarrenapartment，wassurprisedtofindwhohadrungthebell。”Mornin’，Commodore！”hailedthecaptain，ascasuallyasifheweremerelyreturningfromastroll。”IsMissCarolineaboardship？””Why——why，Idon’tknow，sir。I’llsee。””That’sallright。She’saboardoryouwouldn’thavetosee。Youandmesailedtogetherquiteaspell，soIknowyourlittlehabits。
I’llwaitinthelibrary，Commodore。Tellherthere’snoparticularhurry。”
Hisniecewasexpectinghim。Shehadanticipatedhisvisitandwaspreparedforit。Fromtheemotioncausedbyhisdepartureaftertheeventfulbirthday，shehadentirelyrecovered，orthoughtshehad。Thesurpriseandshockofhisleavingandtheconsequentsenseoflonelinessandresponsibilityovercameheratthetime，butStephen’sridiculeandMrs。CorcoranDunn’scongratulationsonriddancefromthe”encumbrance”shamedherandstilledthereproachesofherconscience。Mrs。Dunn，asalways，playedthediplomatandmingledjusttheproperquantityofcomprehendingsympathywiththecongratulations。”Iunderstandexactlyhowyoufeel，mydear，”shesaid。”Youhaveatenderheart，anditpainsyoutohurtanyone’sfeelings，nomatterhowmuchtheydeservetobehurt。EverytimeIdismissanincompetentordishonestservantIfeelthatIhavedonewrong；
sometimesIcry，actuallyshedtears，youknow，andyetmyreasontellsmeIamright。Youfeelthatyoumayhavebeentooharshwiththatguardianofyours。Yourememberwhatyousaidtohimandforgethowhypocriticallyhebehavedtowardyou。Ican’tforgivehimthat。ImayforgethowhemisrepresentedMalcolmandmetoyou——thatImayevenpardon，intime——buttodeceivehisownbrother’schildrenandintroduceintotheirsocietyacreaturewhohadslanderedandmalignedtheirfather——THATInevershallforgetorforgive。And——you’llexcusemyfrankness，dear——youshouldneverforgetorforgiveit，either。Youhavenothingwithwhichtoreproachyourself。Youwereabravegirl，andifyouarenotproudofyourself，_I_amproudofyou。”
So，whenherunclewasannounced，Carolinewasready。Sheenteredthelibraryandacknowledgedhisgreetingwithadistantbow。Heregardedherkindly，buthismannerwasgrave。”Well，Caroline，”hebegan，”Igotyourletter。””Yes，Ipresumedyoudid。””Um-hm。Igotit。Itdidn’tsurpriseme，whatyouwrote，becauseI’dseenthenewsinthepapers；butIwashopin’you’dtellmeyourself，andI’mrealgladyoudid。I’mmuchobligedtoyou。”
Shehadnotexpectedhimtotakethistone，anditembarrassedher。”I——Igaveyoumyreasonsforwriting，”shesaid。”AlthoughIdonotconsiderthatIam，inanysense，dutyboundtorefermatters，otherthanfinancial，toyou；and，althoughmyfeelingstowardyouhavenotchanged——still，youaremyguardian，and——and——””Iunderstand。Soyou’rereallyengaged？””Yes。””EngagedtoMr。Dunn？””Yes。””Andyou’recal’latin’tomarryhim？””Onemightalmosttakethatforgranted，”impatiently。”Almost——yes。Notalways，butgenerally，Iwillgivein。You’regoin’tomarryMalcolmDunn。Why？””Why？”sherepeatedthequestionasifshedoubtedhissanity。”Yes。Beaspatientwithmeasyoucan，Caroline。Iain’taskin’
thesethingswithoutwhatseemstomeagoodreason。Whyareyougoin’tomarryhim？””WhybecauseIchoose，Isuppose。””Um-hm。Areyousureofthat？””AmIsure？”indignantly。”Whatdoyoumean？””Imeanareyousurethatit’sbecauseyouchoose，orbecauseHE
does，ormaybe，becausehismotherdoes？”
Sheturnedangrilyaway。”Ifyoucameheretoinsultme——”shebegan。Heinterruptedher。”No，no，”heprotestedgently。”Insultin’youisthelastthingI
wanttodo。But，asyourfatherdidputyouinmycharge，Iwantyoutobearwithmewhilewetalkthisovertogether。Remember，Caroline，Iain’tbotheredyouagreatdeallately。Ishouldn’tnowifIhadn’tthought’twasnecessary。Sopleasedon’tgetmad，butanswermethis:Doyoucareforthismanyou’vepromisedtomarry？”
Thiswasaplainquestion。Itshouldhavebeenansweredwithouttheslightesthesitation。Moreover，thegirlhadexpectedhimtoaskit。Yet，foramoment，shedidhesitate。”Imean，”continuedCaptainElisha，”doyoucareforhimENOUGH？”
Enoughtolivewithhimallyourlife，andseehimeveryday，andbetohimwhatatruewifeoughttobe？Seehim，notwithhiscompanymannersonorinhisautomobile，butatthebreakfasttable，andwhenhecomeshometiredandcross，maybe。Whenyou’vegottobeforbearin’andforgivin’and——””Heisoneofmyoldestandbestfriends——”sheinterrupted。Herunclewentonwithoutwaitingforhertoendthesentence。”Iknow，”hesaid。”Oneoftheoldest，that’ssure。Butfriendship，’cordin’tomynotion，issomethin’sosmallincomparisonthatithardlycountsinthemanifest。Marriedfolksoughttobefriends，sartinsure；buttheyoughttobeawholelotmore’nthat。I’manoldbach，yousay，andain’thadnoexperience。
That’strue；butI’vebeenyoung，andtherewasatimewhen_I_madeplans……However，shedied，anditnevercometonothin’。ButI
KNOWwhatitmeanstobeengaged，therightkindofengagement。Itmeansthatyoudon’tcountyourselfatall，notabit。You’reready，eachofyou，togiveupallyou’vegot——yourwishes，comfort，moneyandwhatit’llbuy，andyourlife，ifitshouldcometothat，forthatotherone。DoyoucareforMalcolmDunnlikethat，Caroline？”
Sheanswereddefiantly。”Yes，Ido，”shesaid。”Youdo。Well，doyouthinkhefeelsthesamewayaboutyou？””Yes，”withnotquitethesamepromptness，butstilldefiantly。”Youfeelsartinofit，doyou？”
Shestampedherfoot。”Yes！yes！YES！”shecried。”Oh，DOsaywhatyoucametosay，andendit！”
Herunclerosetohisfeet。”Why，IguesslikelyI’vesaidit，”heobserved。”Whentwopeoplecareforeachotherlikethat，theyOUGHTtobemarried，andthesoonerthebetter。Iknewthatyou’dbeenlonesomeandtroubled，maybe；andsomeofthefriendsyouusedtohavehadkindofdroppedaway——busywithotheraffairs，whichisnaturalenough——and，youneedin’sympathyandcompanionship，Iwassortofworriedforfearallthishadinfluencedyoumore’nitoughtto，andyou’dbeenledintosayin’yeswithoutrealizin’whatitmeant。Butyoutellmethatain’tso；youdorealize。SoallIcansayisthatI’mawfulgladforyou。Godblessyou，mydear！Ihopeyou’llbeashappyasthedayislong。”
Hisniecegazedathim，bewilderedandincredulous。ThisshehadNOTexpected。”Thankyou，”shestammered。”Ididnotknow——Ithought——””Ofcourseyoudid——ofcourse。Well，then，Caroline，Iguessthat’sall。Iwon’ttroubleyouanylonger。Good-by。”
Heturnedtowardthedoor，butstopped，hesitated，andturnedbackagain。”Thereisjustonethingmore，”hesaidsolemnly。”Idon’tknow’sIoughttospeak，but——Iwantto——andI’mgoin’to。AndIwantyoutobelieveit！Idowantyouto！”
Hewassoearnest，andthelookhegaveherwassostrange，thatshebegantobealarmed。”Whatisit？”shedemanded。”Why——why，justthis，Caroline。Thisisatougholdworldwelivein。Thingsdon’talwaysgooninitaswethinkthey’doughtto。
Troublecomestoeverybody，andwhenitalllooksrightsometimesitturnsouttobeallwrong。If——ifthereshouldcomeatimelikethattoyouandSteve，Iwantyoutorememberthatyou’vegotmetoturnto。Nomatterwhatyouthinkofme，whatfolkshavemadeyouthinkofme，justrememberthatI’mwaitin’andreadytohelpyouallIcan。AnytimeI’mready——andglad。Justrememberthat，won’tyou，because……Well，there！Good-by，Good-by！”
Hehurriedaway。Shestoodgazingafterhim，astonished，alittlefrightened，andnotalittledisturbedandtouched。Hisemotionwassoevident；hisattitudetowardherengagementwassodifferentfromthatwhichshehadanticipated；andtherewassomethinginhismannerwhichshecouldnotunderstand。Hehadactedasifhepitiedher。Why？ItcouldnotbebecauseshewastomarryMalcolmDunn。Ifitwerethat，sheresentedhispity，ofcourse。Butitcouldnotbethat，becausehehadgivenherhisblessing。Whatwasit？Wastheresomethingelse；somethingthatshedidnotknowandhedid？Whywashesokindandforbearingandpatient？
Allherolddoubtsandquestioningsreturned。Shehadresolutelykeptthemfromherthoughts，buttheyhadbeenthere，inthebackground，always。When，afterthelongsiege，shehadatlastyieldedandsaidyestoMalcolm，shefeltthatthatquestion，atleast，wassettled。Shewouldmarryhim。Hewasonewhomshehadknownallherlife，thesonofthedearestfriendshehad；heandhismotherhadbeenfaithfulatthetimewhensheneededfriends。
Asherhusband，hewouldprotectherandgivehertheaffectionandcompanionshipshecraved。Hemightappearcarelessandindifferentattimes，butthatwasmerelyhismanner。HadnotMrs。Dunntoldheroverandoveragainwhatagoodsonhewas，andwhatakindhearthehad，andhowheworshipedher？Oh，sheoughttobeaveryhappygirl！Ofcourseshewashappy。Butwhyhadherunclelookedatherashedid？Andwhatdidhemeanbyhintingthatwhenthingslookedrighttheysometimeswereallwrong？ShewishedMalcolmwaswithherthen；sheneededhim。
Sheheardtheclangoftheelevatordoor。Thenthebellrangfuriously。SheheardEdwardshastentoanswerit。Then，toheramazement，sheheardherbrother’svoice。”Caroline！”demandedStephen。”Caroline！Whereareyou？”
Heburstintotheroom，stillwearinghiscoatandhat，andcarryingatravelingbaginhishand。”Why，Steve！”shesaid，goingtowardhim。”Why，Steve！what——”
Hewasverymuchexcited。”Oh！”heexclaimed，”you’reallrightthen！Youareallright，aren’tyou？”Allright？Whyshouldn’tIbeallright？Whatdoyoumean？Andwhyareyouhere？”
Hereturnedherlookofsurprisewithoneofgreatastonishment。”WhyamIhere？”herepeated。”Yes。WhydidyoucomefromNewHaven？””Why，becauseIgotthetelegram，ofcourse！Youexpectedmetocome，didn’tyou？””_I_expectedyou？Telegram？Whattelegram？””Why，the——GoodLord，Caro！whatareyoutalkingabout？Didn’tyouknowtheytelegraphedmetocomehomeatonce？I’veprettynearlybrokemyneck，andthetaxicabman’s，gettingherefromthestation。Ithoughtyoumustbeveryill，orsomethingworse。””Theytelegraphedyoutocomehere？Who……Edwards，youmaytakeMr。Warren’sthingstohisroom。””But，Sis——””Justamoment，Steve。GiveEdwardsyourcoatandhat。Yes，andyourbag。Thatwillbeall，Edwards。Wesha’n’tneedyou。”
Whentheywerealone，sheturnedagaintoherbrother。”Now，Steve，”shesaid，”sitdownandtellmewhatyoumean。Whotelegraphedyou？””Why，oldSylvester，father’slawyer。I’vegotthemessageheresomewhere。No，nevermind！I’velostit，Iguess。Hewiredmetocomehomeasearlyaspossiblethismorning。Saiditwasveryimportant。Andyoudidn’tknowanythingaboutit？””No，notathing。Whatcanitmean？””_I_don’tknow！That’sthebell，isn’tit？Edwards！”
Butthebutlerwasalreadyonhiswaytothedoor。Amomentlaterhereturned。”Mr。Sylvester，”heannounced。
CaptainElishascarcelylefthisroom，exceptformeals，duringtheremainderofthatdayandfortwodaysthereafter。HewasunusuallysilentattableandavoidedconversationevenwithPearson，whowasdepressedandgloomyandmadenoattempttoforcehissocietyuponhisfriend。Once，passingthedoorofthelatter’sroom，heheardthecaptainpacingbackandforthasifhewerewalkingthequarter-deckofoneofhisoldships。AsPearsonstoodlisteningthefootstepsceased；silence，thenadeepsigh，andtheybeganagain。Theyoungmansighedinsympathyandwearilyclimbedtohisden。Theprospectofchimneysandroofsacrossthewaywasnevermoredesolateormorepregnantwithdiscouragement。
SeveraltimesCaptainElishadescendedtotheclosetwherethetelephonewasfastenedtothewallandheldlongconversationswithsomeone。Mrs。Hepton，whoknewthathernewestboarderwasanxiousanddisturbed，andwasverycurioustolearnthereason，madeitapointtobebusynearthatclosetwhiletheseconversationstookplace；but，asthecaptainwasalwayscarefultoclosethedoor，shewasdisappointed。OncethemysteriousMr。Sylvestercalledupandaskedfor”CaptainWarren，”andthelandladyhastenedwiththesummons。”Ihopeit’snothingserious，”sheobserved，feelingly。”Yes，ma’am，”repliedthecaptain，onhiswaytothestairs。”Muchobliged。””Itisthesamepersonwhowassoveryanxioustogetyoutheothernight，”shecontinued，makingdesperateeffortsnottobeleftbehindinthedescent。”Ideclarehequitefrightenedme！And——
you’llexcuseme，CaptainWarren，butItakesucharealfriendlyinterestinmyboarders——youhaveseemedtomerather——ratherupsetlately，andIDOhopeitisn’tbadnews。””Well，Itellyou，ma’am，”wastheunsatisfactoryanswer，givenjustbeforetheclosetdoorclosed；”we’lldothewaythepoorrelationdidwhenhegotwordhisunclehadwilledhimoneofhissuitsofclothes——we’llhopeforthebest。”
Sylvesterhadareporttomake。”Theotherpartyhasbeenhere，”hesaid。”Hehasjustgone。””Theotherparty？Why——youdon’tmean——HIM？””Yes。””Washealone？Nobodyalongtolookafterhim？””Hewasalone，forawonder。Hehadheardthenews，too。Apparentlyhadjustlearnedit。””Hehad？Iwanttoknow！Whotoldhim？””Hedidn’tsay。Hewasverymuchagitated。Wouldn’tsayanythingexcepttoaskifitwastrue。Ithinkwecanguesswhotoldhim。””Maybe。Well，whatdidyousay？””Nothingofimportance。Irefusedtodiscussmyclients’affairs。””Rightyouare！Howdidhetakethat？””Hewentuplikeasky-rocket。Saidhehadarighttoknow，underthecircumstances。Iadmittedit，butsaidIcouldtellhimnothing——yet。Hewentawayfrantic，andIcalledyou。””Um-hm。Well，Mr。Sylvester，supposeyoudoseehimandhisboss。
See’emandtell’emsomeofthetruth。Don’ttelltoomuchthough；notwhowastoblamenorhow，butjustthatitlooksprettybadsofurastheestate’sconcerned。Thensayyouwanttosee’emagainandwillarrangeanotherinterview。Don’tsetanytimeandplaceforthatuntilyouhearfromme。Understand？””Ithinkso，partially。But——””Untilyouhearfromme——that’stheimportantpart。And，ifyoucan，convenient，I’dhavethefustinterviewrightoff；thisafternoon，ifit’spossible。””Captain，whathaveyougotupyoursleeve？Whydon’tyoucomedownhereandtalkitover？””’CauseI’mstickin’closeaboardandwaitin’developments。Maybetherewon’tbeany，butI’mgoin’towaitaspellandsee。Thereain’tmuchupmysleevejustnowbutgoose-flesh；there’splentyofthat。Solong。”
Adevelopmentcamethatevening。Mrs。Heptonheraldedit。”Captain，”shesaid，whenheansweredherknock，”there’sayounggentlemantoseeyou。Ithinkhemustbearelativeofyours。HisnameisWarren。”
CaptainElishapulledhisbeard。”AyoungGENTLEMAN？”herepeated。”Yes。Ishowedhimintotheparlor。Therewillbenoonetherebutyouandhe，andIthoughtitwouldbemorecomfortable。””Um-hm。Isee。Well，Iguessyou’dbettersendhimup。Thisiscomfortableenough，andtherewon’tbenobodybuthimandmehere，either——andI’llbemoresartinofit。”
Thelandlady，whoconsideredherselfsnubbed，flouncedaway。
CaptainElishasteppedtotheheadofthestairs。”Comerightup，Steve！”hecalled。
Stephencame。Hisuncleusheredhimintotheroom，closedthedoor，andturnedthekey。”Stevie，”hesaid，kindly，”I’mgladtoseeyou。Takeoffyourthingsandsetdown。”
Theboyacceptedtheinvitationonlytotheextentofthrowinghishatonthetable。Hedidnotsitorremovehisovercoat。Hewaspale，hiseyeswereswollenandred，hishairwasdisarranged，andinallrespectshelookedunlikehisusualblaseandimmaculateself。Hisforeheadwaswet，showingthathehadhurriedonhiswaytotheboardinghouse。
Thecaptainregardedhimpityingly。”Setdown，Stevie，”heurged。”You’reallhetupandwornout。”
Hisnephewpaidnoattention。Insteadheaskedaquestion。”Youknowaboutit？”hedemanded。”Yes，Stevie；Iknow。””Youdo？I——Imeanaboutthe——theAkraeCompanyand——andall？””Yes。Iknowallaboutallofit。Dosetdown！”
Stephenstruckhisclosedfistintothepalmofhisotherhand。Heworeoneglove。Whathadbecomeoftheotherhecouldnothavetold。”Youdo？”heshouted。”Youdo？Bygad！Thendoyouknowwhatitmeans？””Yes，Iknowthat，too。Now，Stevie，beagoodboyandsetdownandkeepcool。Yes，Iwantyouto。”
Heputhishandsonhisnephew’sshouldersandforcedhimintoachair。”Now，justcalmyourself，”urgedthecaptain。”Thereain’tamiteofuseworkin’yourselfupthisway。Iknowthewholebusiness，andIcan’ttellyou——Ican’tbegintotellyouhowsorryIfeelforyou。Yetyoumustn’tgiveuptheshipbecause——””Mustn’tgiveup！”Stephenwasonhisfeetagain。”Why，whatareyoutalkingabout？Ithoughtyousaidyouknew！Doyouthinkthatlosingeverycentyou’vegotintheworldisaJOKE？Doyouthinkthat——Seehere，doyouknowwhothisshareholderis；thisfellowwho’sgoingtorobusofallweown？Whoishe？””Didn’tMr。Sylvestertellyou？””Hesaidthattherewassuchamanandthathehadtheestatecinched。Hetoldusaboutthatnoteandalltherest。Buthewouldn’ttelltheman’sname。Saidhehadbeenforbiddentomentionit。Doyouknowhim？Whatsortoffellowishe？Don’tyouthinkhecouldbereasonedwith？Hasn’thegotanydecency——orpity——or——”
Hechoked，andthetearsrushedtohiseyes。Hewipedthemangrilyawaywiththebackofhisglove。”It’sacrime！”hecried。”Can’thebeheldoffsomehow？WhoIS
he？Iwanttoknowhisname。”
CaptainElishasadlyshookhishead。”I’mafraidhecan’t，Stevie，”
hesaid。”He’sgotalegalrighttoall’Bijeleft，andmore，too。
Itmaybehewon’tbetoohard；perhapshe’ll……butthere，”
hastily。”Imustn’tsaythat。We’vegottofacethesituationas’tis。AndIcan’ttellyouhisnamebecausehedon’twantitmentionedunlessit’sabsolutelynecessary。Andwedon’t，either。
Wedon’twant——anyofus——tohavethisgetintothepapers。Wemustn’thaveanydisgrace。””Disgrace！Goodheavens！Isn’ttheredisgraceenoughalready？
Isn’titenoughtoknowfatherwasacrookaswellasanidiot？
I’vealwaysthoughthewasinsaneeversincethatcrazywillofhiscametolight；buttosteal！andthentoleaveapaperprovingit，sothatwe’vegottoloseeverything！Hischildren！It’s——””Nowholdon，boy！Yourdaddidn’tmeantotakewhatdidn’tbelongtohim——forgood，thatis；thenoteprovesthat。Hediddowrongandusedanotherman’smoney，but——””Thenwhydidn’thekeepit？Ifyou’regoingtosteal，steallikeaman，Isay！””Steve，Steve！steadynow！”Thecaptain’stonewassterner。”Don’tspeakthatway。You’llbesorryforitlater。ItellyouI
don’tcondemnyourfatherha’fsomuchasIpityhim。””Oh，shutup！Youmakemesick。YoutalkjustasCarodoes。I’llneverforgivehim，nomatterhowmuchshepreaches，andItoldherso。Pity！Pityhim！HowaboutpityforME？I——I——”
Hisoverwroughtnervesgaveway，and，throwinghimselfintothechair，hebrokedowncompletelyand，forgettingthemanhoodofwhichhewassofondofboasting，criedlikeababy。CaptainElishaturnedaway，tohidehisownemotion。”It’shard，”hesaidslowly。”It’sawfullyhardforyou，myboy。
Ihatetoseeyousufferthisway。”Then，inalowertone，headdeddoubtfully。”Iwonderif——if——Iwonder——”
Hisnephewheardthewordandinterrupted。”Youwonder？”hedemanded，hysterically；”youwonderwhat？Whatareyougoingtodoaboutit？It’suptoyou，isn’tit？You’reourguardian，aren’tyou？””Yes，Stevie，I’myourguardian。””Yes，youare！Butnoonewouldguessit。Whenwedidn’twantyou，youwouldn’tleaveusforaminute。Now，whenweneedyou，whenthereisn’tasoulforustoturnto，youstayaway。Youhaven’tbeennearus。It’suptoyou，Isay！andwhatareyougoingtodoaboutit？WhatareyougoingtoDO？”
Hisunclehelduphishand。”S-shh！”hesaid。”Don’traiseyourvoicelikethat，son！Icanhearyouwithoutthat，andwedon’twantanybodyelsetohear。
WhatamIgoin’todo？Stevie，Idon’tknowexactly。Iain’tmadeupmymindyet。””Well，it’stimeyoudid！””Yes，Iguesslikely’tis。Asformynotcomin’toseeyou，youknowthereasonforthat。I’dhavecomequickenough，butIwa’n’tsureI’dbewelcome。AndItoldyoursisteronly’totherdaythat——
bytheway，Steve，howisshe？HowisCaroline？””She’safool！”Theboysprangupagainandshookhisfist。”She’stheoneI’vecomeheretospeakabout。Ifwedon’tstophershe’llruinusaltogether。She——she’sadamnedfool，Itellyou！””There！there！”thecaptain’stonewassharpandemphatic。”That’senoughofthat，”hesaid。”Idon’twanttohearyoucallyoursisternames。Whatdoyoumeanbyit？””ImeanwhatIsay。SheISafool。Doyouknowwhatshe’sdone？
She’swrittenMalDunnallaboutit！I’dhavestoppedher，butI
didn’tknowuntilitwastoolate。She’stoldhimthewholething。””Shehas？About’Bije？””Well，perhapsshedidn’ttellhimfatherwasathief，butshedidtellthattheestatewasgone——thatwewereflatbrokeandworse。””Hum！”CaptainElishaseemedmoregratifiedthandispleased。”Hum！……Well，Ikindofexpectedshewould。Knowin’her，Ikindofexpectedit。””Youdid？”Stephenglaredinwrathfulamazement。”Youexpectedit？””Yes。Whatofit？””WhatOFit？Why，everything！Can’tyousee？Mal’souronlychance。Ifshemarrieshimshe’llbelookedoutforandsowillI。
Sheneedn’thavetoldhimuntiltheyweremarried。Theweddingcouldhavebeenhurriedalong；theDunnswerecrazytohaveitassoonaspossible。Now——””Holdon，Steve！Belay！Whatdifferencedoeshertellin’himmake？Maybeshehasn’tmentionedittoyou，butIhadatalkwithyoursistertheothermornin’。ShethinkstheworldofMalcolm，andhedoesofher。Shetoldmesoherself。OfCOURSEshe’dgotohiminhertrouble。Andhe’llbeproud——yes，andgladtoknowthathecanhelpher。Asfortheweddin’，Idon’tseethatthis’llhaveanyeffectexcepttohurryitupalittlemore，maybe。”
Stevelookedathimsuspiciously，buttherewasnotraceofsarcasminthecaptain’sfaceorvoice。Theboyscowled。”Ugh！”hegrunted。”What’sthe’ugh’for？Seehere，youain’thintin’thatyoungDunnwascal’latin’tomarryCarolinejustforhermoney，areyou？Ofcourseyouain’t！Why，youandhearethethickestsortofchums。
Youwouldn’tchumwithafellerwhowouldplaysuchatrickasthatonyourownsister。”
Stephen’sscowldeepened。Hethrusthishandsintohispocket，andshiftedhisfeetuneasily。”Youdon’tunderstand，”hesaid。”Peopledon’tdothingshereastheydowhereyoucomefrom。””Iunderstandthat，allright，”withdryemphasis。”I’vebeenherelongenoughtounderstandthat。ButmaybeIdon’tunderstandYOU。
Heaveahead，andmakeitplain。””Well——well，then——Imeanthis:Idon’tknowthatMalwasafterCaro’smoney，but——buthehadarighttoexpectSOME。Ifhedidn’t，why，thenhernottellinghimuntilaftertheyweremarriedwouldn’thavemadeanydifference。And——andifhertellin’himbeforehandSHOULDmakeadifferenceandhewantedtobreaktheengagement，she’sjustromanticfoolenoughtolethim。””Well？””WELL？Ifshedoesn’tmarryhim，who’sgoingtotakecareofher？
What’sgoingtobecomeofME？Wehaven’tacent。Whatkindofaguardianareyou？Doyouwantustostarve？”
Hewasshoutingagain。Thecaptainwascalm。”Oh，”hesaid，”I
guessitwon’treachtothestarvationpoint。I’maprettytougholdcritter，’cordin’toyourestimate，butIshouldn’tletmybrother’schildrenstarve。Ifthewustcomestothewust，there’salwaysahomeandplentytoeatforyoubothatSouthDenboro。”
Thisofferdidnotappeartocomforttheyounggentlemangreatly。
Hisdisgustwasevident。”SouthDenhoro！”herepeated，scornfully。”Gad！……SouthDenboro！””Yup。Butwe’llletSouthDenboroalonefornowandsticktoNewYork。Whatisityouexpectmetodo？Whatareyoudrivin’at？”
Stephenshookaforefingerinhisguardian’sface。”Iexpectyoutomakehersticktoherengagement，”hecried。”Andmakehermakehimstick。Shecan，can’tshe？It’sbeenannounced，hasn’tit？Everybodyknowsofit！She’sgottheright——thelegalrighttoholdhim，hasn’tshe？”
Hisuncleregardedhimwithaquizzicalsmile。”Why，ye-es，”heanswered，”Ical’lateshehas，maybe。Course，there’snodangerofhiswantin’todosuchathing，butifheshouldIpresumelikelywecouldmakeituncomfortableforhim，anyhow。Whatareyouhankerin’for，Steve——abreach-of-promisesuit？I’vealwaysunderstoodthosesortofcaseswerekindofunpleasant——foreverybodybutthenewspapers。”
Theboywasindeadlyearnest。”Pleasant！”herepeated。”Isanyofthisbusinesspleasant？Youmakeheractlikeasensiblegirl！
You’reherguardian，andyoumakeher！And，afterthat，ifhetriestohedge，youtellhimafewthings。Youcanholdhim！Doit！DOit！”
CaptainElishaturnedonhisheelandbeganpacingupanddowntheroom。Hisnephewwatchedhimeagerly。”Well，”hedemanded，afteramoment，”whatarewegoingtodo？Arewegoingtomakehimmakegood？”
Thecaptainpaused。”Steve，”heanswered，deliberately，”Iain’tsureasweare。And，asI’vesaid，ifhe’sgotasparkofdecency，itwon’tbenecessaryforustotry。Ifitshouldbe——ifitshouldbe——””Well，IFitshouldbe？””Thenwecantry，that’sall。Maybeyourunacoursealittledifferentfromme，Stevie；younavigate’cordin’toyourideas，andIdobymine。Butinsomewaysweain’tsofurapart。Son，”withagrimnod，”youresteasyononething——theCorcoranDunnfleetisgoin’toshowitscolors。”
CHAPTERXIX
Carolinesatbythelibrarywindow，herchininherhand，drearilywatchingthesleetasitbeatagainstthepanes，andthetopsoftheParktreeslashinginthewind。Below，inthestreet，thetrolleyspassedintheirnever-endingprocession，thelimousinesandcabswhizzedforlornlyby，andthefewpedestrianspusheddrippingumbrellasagainstthegale。Awet，depressingafternoon，ashopelessasherthoughts，andgrowingdarkerandmoremiserablehourly。
Stephen，standingbythefire，kickedthelogstogetherandsentashowerofsparksflying。”Oh，saysomething，Caro，do！”hesnappedtestily。”Don’tsitthereglowering；yougivemethehorrors。”
Sherousedfromherreverie，turned，andtriedtosmile。”WhatshallIsay？”sheasked。”Idon’tknow。Butsaysomething，forheaven’ssake！Talkabouttheweather，ifyoucan’tthinkofanythingmoreoriginal。””Theweatherisn’taverybrightsubjectjustnow。””Ididn’tsayitwas；butit’sasubject。Ihopetogoodnessitdoesn’tpreventSylvester’skeepinghisappointment。He’slate，asitis。””Ishe？”wearily。”Ihadn’tnoticed。””Ofcourseyouhadn’t。Youdon’tnoticeanything。Itdoesn’thelpmatterstopullalongfaceandgomopingaroundwipingyoureyes。
You’vegottousephilosophyintimeslikethis。It’sjustashardformeasitisforyou；andItrytomakethebestofit，don’tI？”
Shemighthaveremindedhimthathisphilosophywasaveryrecentacquisition。Whenthenewsoftheirpovertyfirstcamehewastheonewhoravedandsobbedandrefusedtocontemplateanythinglessdirefulthanslowstarvationorquicksuicide。Shehadsoothedandcomfortedthen。Sincethepreviousevening，whenhehadgoneout，inspiteofherprotestations，andleftheralone，hismannerhadchanged。Hewasstillnervousandirritable，butnolongerthreatenedself-destruction，andseemed，forsomeunexplainedreason，morehopefulandlessdesperate。Sylvesterhad’phoned，sayingthathewouldcallattheapartmentattwo，andsinceStephenhadreceivedthemessagehehadbeeninastateofsuppressedexcitement，scarcelykeepingstillforfiveminutesatatime。”Itisjustashardformeasitisforyou，isn’tit？”herepeated。”Yes，Steve，Isupposeitis。””Yousuppose？Don’tyouknow？Oh，doquitthinkingaboutMalDunnandpayattentiontome。”
Shedidnotanswer。Heregardedherwithdisgust。”YouarethinkingofMal，ofcourse，”hedeclared。”What’stheuse？Youknowwhat_I_think:youwereafooltowritehimthatletter。””Don’t，Steve；pleasedon’t。””Ugh！””Don’tyouknowhedidn’tgettheletter？Iwassonervousandover-wroughtthatImisdirectedit。””Pooh！Hasheeverstayedawayfromyousolongbefore？Orhispreciousmother，either？Whydoesn’tshecometoseeyou？Shescarcelymissedadaybeforethishappened。Nonsense！Iguesshegotitallright。””Steve，stop！stop！Don’tdarespeaklikethat。Doyourealizewhatyouareinsinuating？Youdon’tbelieveit！Youknowyoudon’t！Shameonyou！I’mashamedofmybrother！No！notanotherwordofthatkind，orIshallleavetheroom。”
Shehadrisentoherfeet。Helookedatherdeterminedfaceandturnedaway。”Oh，well，”hemuttered，sullenly，”maybeyou’reright。Idon’tsayyou’renot。Perhapshedidn’tgettheletter。Yousentittohisoffice，andhemayhavebeencalledoutoftown。Buthismother——””Mrs。DunnwasnotwellwhenIlastsawher。Shemaybeill。””Perhaps。Butifyou’resosureaboutthem，whynotletitgoatthat？What’stheuseoffretting？””Iwasnotthinkingofthem——then。”
Asamatteroffact，shehadbeenthinkingofheruncle，ElishaWarren。Asthetimedraggedby，shethoughtofhimmoreandmore——
notastheuncouthcountrymanwhoseunwelcomepresencehadbeenforcedintoherlife；norasthehypocritewhoseinsulttoherfather’smemoryshenevercouldforgiveorwhosedouble-dealinghadbeen，asshethought，revealed；butasthemanwho，withthechokeinhisvoiceandthetearsinhiseyes，badeherrememberthat，wheneversheneededhelp，hewasreadyandgladtogiveit。
ShedidnotdoubtMalcolm’sloyalty。Herbrother’shintsandinsinuationsfoundnoechoinherthoughts。Inthenotewhichshehadwrittenherfianceeshetoldofthelossoftheirfortune，thoughnotofherfather’sshame。Thatshecouldnottell；nordidsheaskMalcolmtocometoher——herpridewouldnotpermitthat。
Shewrotesimplyofhergreattroubleandtrustedtheresttohim。
Thathehadnotcomewasdue——soshekeptrepeatingtoherself——
solelytothefactthathehadnotreceivedherletter。Sheknewthatwasit——sheknewit。Andyet——andyethedidnotcome。
So，inherlonelinessandmisery，herguardian’swordsreturnedagainandagaintohermemory:”Sometimeswhenthingslookallrighttheyturnouttobeallwrong。IfevertherecomesatimelikethattoyouandSteve，rememberyou’vegotmetoturnto。”
Thetimehadcomewhenshemustturntosomeone。
Shewouldnevergotohim；shevowedit。Shewouldnotaccepthishelpifhecametoher。But，ifhewassincere，ifhemeantwhathesaid，whydidhenotcomeagaintoprofferit？Becausehewasnotsincere，ofcourse。Thathadbeenprovenlongbefore。Shedespisedhim。Buthisface，asshelastsawit，refusedtobebanishedfromhermind。Itlookedsostrong，andyetgentleandloving，likethefaceofaprotector，onetobetrustedthroughgoodtimesandbad。Oh，thiswicked，wickedworld，andtheshamsandsorrowsinit！”Malcolm，whydon’tyoucometome？”
Stephenutteredanexclamation。Lookingup，shesawhimhurryingtowardthehall。”Someone’satthedoor，”heexplained。”It’sSylvester，ofcourse。
I’lllethimin。”
Itwasnotthelawyerbutamessengerboywithanote。Stephenreturnedtothelibrarywiththemissiveinhishand。”Hecouldn’tgethere，Caro，”hesaid，excitedly。”Wantsustocomerightdowntohisoffice。Hurryup！Getyourthingson。Thecab’swaiting。Come！Rush！Itmaybeimportant。”
Thecab，anelectricvehicle，madegoodtime，andtheysoonreachedthePineStreetoffices，wheretheywereusheredatonceintotheseniorpartner’spresence。”Stepintotheotherroom，”saidMr。Sylvester，”andwaitthere，please。I’lljoinyoushortly。”
TheroomwasthelargeonewherethemomentousconferencebetweenCaptainElishaandthethreelawyershadsorecentlytakenplace。
Carolineseatedherselfinoneofthechairs。Stephenwalkedthefloor。”Hopehedoesn’tkeepuswaitinglong，”hefumed。”Ithoughtofcoursehewasreadyorhewouldn’thavesentforus。””Ready？”hissisterlookedathim，questioningly。”Readyforwhat？”sherepeated，withsuddensuspicion。”Steve，doyouknowwhatMr。Sylvesterwishestoseeusabout？”
Herbrothercoloredandseemedabitdisconcerted。”HowshouldI
know？”hemuttered。”Isitsomethingnewabouttheestateorthatmanwhoownsit？Youdoknowsomething！Icanseeitinyourface。Whatisit？””Nothing。HowshouldIknowwhatitis？””Butyoudo。Ibelieveyoudo。Lookatme！WhatdoesMr。
Sylvesterwantofus？”
Theboyhesitated；thenwhirledandfacedher。”Seehere，Caro，”
hesaid，”maybeIdoknowsomething——orIcanguess。Now，whateverhappens，you’vegottobeasensiblegirl。Certainthingshavetobedealtwithinapracticalway，andwe’repracticalpeople。
Sentiment——andpride——andallthatsortofstuff，arewellenough，butbusinessisbusinessandanengagementisanengagement。Nowit’srightuptoyouand——””Steve，whatareyoutalkingabout？””That’sallright。IknowwhatI’mtalkingabout。Somebodyinthefamilymustusecommonsense，andwhenitcomestoholdingapersontoapromise，then——Confoundit，Sis，wecan’tstarve，canwe？””Whatdoyoumean？”Sheroseandadvancedtowardhim。”Whatdoyoumeanbyapromise？Whathaveyoubeendoing？”
Hisconfusionincreased。Heavoidedhereyesandmovedsullenlytowardtheothersideofthetable。”Ihaven’tdoneanything，”hegrumbled，”thatis，I’vedonewhatanyreasonablefellowwoulddo。I’mnottheonlyonewhothinks……Lookhere！We’vegotaguardian，haven’twe？””Aguardian！aGUARDIAN！StephenWarren，haveyoubeentohim？
Haveyou——WasTHATwhereyouwerelastnight？””Well，I——””Answerme！””WhatifIhave？WhomelseamItogoto？Isn’the——””Butwhydidyougotohim？Whatdidyousay？””Isaid——Isaid——NevermindwhatIsaid。Heagreeswithme，Icantellyouthat。You’llthankyourstarsIdidgo，beforeverylong。
I……S-sh！Here’sSylvester。”
Thedooroftheroomopened。Thepersonwhoentered，however，wasnotthelawyer，buttheverymanofwhomtheyhadbeenspeaking，CaptainElishahimself。Heclosedthedoorbehindhim。”Hello，Stevie，”hesaid，withanodtotheboy。Then，turningtohisniece，hesteppedforwardandheldouthishand。”Caroline，”
hebegan，”Idon’tdoubtyou’resomesurprisedtoseemehere；butI……Why，what’sthematter？”
Thefacesofthepairledhimtoaskthequestion。Stephen’swasredandhelookedembarrassedandguilty。Caroline’swaswhite，andsheglancedfromherbrothertoherguardianandbackagain，withflashingeyes。”What’sthematter？”repeatedthecaptain。”Steve，”sharply，”haveyoubeenmakingafoolofyourselfagain？Whatisit？””Nothing，”wasthesulkyanswer；”nothingofconsequence。Carois——
well，IhappenedtomentionthatIcalledonyoulastnightand——
andshedoesn’tseemtolikeit，that’sall。AsItoldher，somebodyinthefamilyhadtousecommonsense，andyouwereourguardianandnaturally，underthecircumstances……Why，I’llleaveittoanyone！”withaburstofrighteousindignation。”YouAREourguardian。”
Heproclaimeditasifheexpectedadenial。CaptainElishafrowned。”Humph！”hegrunted。”Thatain’texactlynews，isit，Steve？Seemstomewe’vetakenupthatp’intafore；though，asI
remember，youdidn’tusedtobesotonallhandsknowin’it，”withdrysarcasm。”Idon’tneedevenyourcommonsensetoremindmeofitjustatthisminute。Caroline，yourbrotherdidcometoseemelastnight。Iwasgladhedid。”
Sheignoredhim。”Steve，”shedemanded，stillfacingtheyoungman，”wasthis，too，apartofyourplan？Didyoubringmeheretomeet——him？””No，Ididn’t。Sylvesterwastocometoseeus。Youknowthat；hetelephoned。Ididn’tknow——”
Thecaptaininterrupted。”There，there，son！”heexclaimed，”letmesayaword。No，Caroline，Steviedidn’tknowIwastomeetyouhere。ButIthoughtitwasnecessarythatIshould。Setdown，please。Iknowyoumustbewornout，poorgirl。””Idon’twishtosit。Iwanttoknowwhatmybrothercalledtoseeyouabout。””Well，therewassomemattershewantedtotalkover。””Whatwerethey？Concerningtheestate？””Partlythat。””Partly？Whatelse？CaptainWarren，mybrotherhashinted——hehassaid——Whatdoeshemeanbyholdingsomeonetoapromise？Answermetruthfully。””Ishouldn’tansweryouanyotherway，Caroline。Steveseemstobeworriedabout——nowyoumustn’tmindmyspeakin’plain，Caroline；
thetime’scomewhenI’vegotto——Steveseemstobeworriedabouttheyoungmanyou’reengagedto。Heseemstocal’latethatMr。
Dunnmaywanttoslipoutofthatengagement。”
Hisniecelookedathim。Thensheturnedtoherbrother。”YouwenttoHIMand……Oh，howCOULDyou！”
Stephenwouldnotmeethergaze。”Well，”hemutteredrebelliously，”whywouldn’tI？YouknowyourselfthatMalhasn’tbeennearyousinceithappened。Ifhewasn’tafter——ifhewasstraight，hewouldhavecome，wouldn’the？Mind，Idon’tsayheisn’t——perhapshedoesn’tknow。But，atanyrate，somethingmustbedone。Wehadtofacepossibilities，andyouwouldn’tlistentome。Itried——””Stop！”shecuthimshort，imperiously。”Don’tmakemehateyou。
Andyou，”turningtoheruncle，”didYOUlistenandbelievesuchthings？Didyouencouragehimtobelievethem？Oh，Iknowwhatyouthinkofmyfriends！Ihearditfromyourownlips。AndI
knowwhyyouthinkit。Becausetheyknowwhatyouare；becausetheyexposedyouand——””There，there！Caroline，youneedn’tgoon。I’veheardyouropinionofmycharacterafore。Nevermindmefortheminute。And，ifyou’llremember，_I_ain’tsaidthatIdoubtedyouryoungman。
Youtoldmethatyouthoughttheworldandallofhimandthathedidofyou。That’senough——oroughttobe。Butyourbrothersaysyouwrotehimtwodaysagoandheain’tbeennearyou。””Imisdirectedtheletter。Hedidn’treceiveit。””Um-hm。Isee。Thatwouldexplain。””Ofcourseitwould。ThatMUSTbethereason。””Yes，seem’sifitmust。””Itis。Whatrighthaveyoutodoubtit？Oh，howcanyouthinksuchthings？CanyousupposethemanIamtomarryissodespicable——soMEANasto——asto——I’mashamedtosayit。Whydoyoupresumethatmoneyhasanypartinourengagement？Suchtroubleasmineonlymakesitmorebinding。DoyousupposeifHE
werepooras——asIam，thatIwoulddesertHIM？YouknowI
wouldn’t。Ishouldbeglad——yes，almosthappy，becausethenI
couldshowhim——could——”
Hervoicefailedher。Sheputherhandkerchieftohereyesforaninstantandthensnatcheditawayandfacedthem，herheaderect。
TheprideinherfacewasreflectedinCaptainElisha’sasheregardedher。”No，no，”hesaidgently，”Ineversupposedyou’dactbutinoneway，Caroline。IknewYOU。And，asSteve’lltellyou，Isaidtohimalmostthesamewordsyou’vebeensayin’。IfMalcolm’swhathe’doughttobe，Isaid，he’llbegladofthechancetoprovehowmuchhecaresforyoursister。ButSteveappearedtohavesomemisgivin’s，andso——”
Hepaused，turnedtowardthedoor，andseemedtobelistening。
Carolineflashedanindignantglanceatherbrother。”Andso？”sheasked，scornfully。”Andso，”continuedthecaptain，withaslightchangeinhistone，”itseemedtomethathisdoubtsoughttobesettled。And，”
rising，astherecameatapatthedoor，”Ical’latethey’regoin’
tobe。”
Hewalkedbrisklyoverandopenedthedoor。Sylvesterwasstandingwithout。”Come，havethey？”inquiredCaptainElisha。”Yes。””Fetch’emrightinhere。Steve，standovernigherthatcorner。
Thisway，Caroline，ifyouplease。”
Hetookhisniecebythearmandledhertothesideoftheroomnotvisiblefromthedoorway。Shewastooastonishedtoresist，butaskedanagitatedquestion。”Whatisit？”shecried。”Whoiscoming？”Somefriendsofyours，”wasthequietreply。”Nothin’tobefrightenedabout。Steve，staywhereyouare。”
Theboywasgreatlyexcited。”Isitthey？”hedemanded。”Isit？
Bygad！Now，Sis，beasensiblegirl。Ifheshouldtrytohedge，youholdhim。Holdhim！Understand？””Steve，bequiet，”orderedthecaptain……”Ah，Mrs。Dunn，goodafternoon，ma’am。Mr。Dunn，goodafternoon，sir。”
Forthepairwho，followedbySylvester，nowenteredtheroomwereMrs。CorcoranDunnandMalcolm。
TheywerepastthesillbeforeCaptainElisha’sgreetingcausedthemtoturnandseethethreealreadythere。Mrs。Dunn，whowasinthelead，stoppedshortinhermajesticthoughcreakingmarchofentrance，andherfloridfaceturnedabrightercrimson。Herson，strollinglanguidlyatherheels，startedviolentlyanddroppedhishat。Thelawyer，bringingupintherear，closedthedoorandremainedstandingnearit。Carolineutteredanexclamationofsurprise。Herbrotherdrewhimselfhaughtilyerect。CaptainElisharemainedunperturbedandsmiling。”Goodafternoon，ma’am，”herepeated。”It’sbeensometimesinceyouandIrunacrosseachother。Ihopeyou’refeelin’prettysmart。”
Mrs。Dunnhadfacedsomeunpleasantsituationsinherlifeandhadprovedequaltothem。Usually，however，shehadbeenpreparedbeforehand。Forthisshehadnotbeenprepared——asyet。ShehadcometotheofficesofSylvester，Kuhn，andGraves，attheseniorpartner’srequest，tobetold，asshesupposed，thefullandfinaldetailsofthefinancialdisasterthreateningtheWarrenfamily。
Ifthosedetailsshouldprovethedisasterasoverwhelmingasitappeared，then——well，then，certaindisagreeabledutiesmustbeperformed。Buttomeetthegirltowhomhersonwasengaged，andwhomsheandhehadcarefullyavoidedmeetinguntilthelawyersshouldacquaintthemwiththewholetruth——tomeetthisgirl，andherbrother，andherguardian，thusunexpectedlyandunprepared，wasenoughtoshakethecomposureandnerveofevensuchaveterancampaignerasMrs。M。CorcoranDunn。
Butofthethreetowhomthemeetingwasanabsolutesurprise，——
Caroline，Malcolmandherself——shewascharacteristicallythefirsttoregainoutwardserenity。Foramomentshestoodnonplusedandspeechless，butonlyforamoment。Thenshehastened，withoutstretchedarms，toCarolineandclaspedherinaffectionateembrace。”Mydearchild！”shecried；”mydeargirl！I’mSOgladtoseeyou！
I’vethoughtofyousomuch！AndIpityyouso。PoorMalcolmhas——
Malcolm，”sharply，”comehere！Don’tyouseeCaroline？”
Malcolmwasgropingnervouslyforhishat。Hepickeditupandobeyedhismother’ssummons，thoughwithnogreateagerness。”Howd’yedo，Caroline，”hestammered，confusedly。”I——I——It’sadeuceofasurprisetoseeyoudownhere。ThematerandIdidn’texpect——thatis，wescarcelyhopedtomeetanyonebutSylvester。
Hesentforus，youknow。”
Heextendedhishand。Shedidnottakeit。”Didyougetmyletter？”sheasked，quickly。Mrs。Dunnansweredforhim。”Yes，dear，hegotit，”shesaid。”Thepoorfellowwasalmostcrazy。Ibegantofearforhissanity；Idid，indeed。Ididnotdaretrusthimoutofmysight。Oh，ifyoucouldbutknowhowwefeelforyouandpityyou！”
PitywasnotwhatCarolinewantedjustthen。Thewordjarreduponher。Sheavoidedthelady’sembraceandoncemorefacedtheembarrassedMalcolm。”Yougotmyletter？”shecried。”YouDID？””Yes——er——yes，Igotit，Caroline。I——byJove，youknow——”
Hehesitated，stammered，andlookedthoroughlyuncomfortable。Hismotherregardedhimwrathfully。”Well，”shesnapped，”whydon’tyougoon？Caroline，dear，youreallymustexcusehim。Thedearboyisquiteovercome。”
CaptainElishasteppedforward。”Excusemeforinterruptin’，ma’am，”hesaid，addressingtheruffledmatron；”butIknowyou’resortofsurprisedtoseeusallhereandmaybeI’dbetterexplain。Mr。Sylvestertoldmeyouandyoursonhadanappointmentwithhimforthisafternoon。Nowtherewassomethingwe——orI，anyhow——wantedtotalkwithyouabout，soI
thoughtwemightaswellmakeonejobofit。Sylvester’saprettybusyman，andIknowhehasotherthingstoattendto；sowhynotlethimgoaheadandtellyouwhatyoucometohear，andthenwecantakeuptheotherpartbyourselves。He’stoldmewhatyouwantedtoseehimabout，andit’ssomethin’we’reallinterestedin，bein’aswe’reonefamily——orgoin’tobeprettysoon。Sosupposehejusttellsyounow。Ain’tthatagoodidea？”
Mrs。Dunnlookedatthespeaker，andthenatthelawyer，andseemedtohavecaughtsomeofherson’sembarrassment。”I——wedidhaveanappointmentwithMr。Sylvester，”sheadmitted，reluctantly；”butthebusinesswasnotimportant。And，”haughtily，”Idonotcaretodiscussithere。”
Thecaptainopenedhiseyes。”Hey？”heexclaimed。”Notimportant？
Yousurpriseme，ma’am。Ijudged’twasmightyimportant。’Twasabouttherealsizeofyourfather’sestate，Caroline，”turningtothegirl。”IthoughtMrs。DunnandMr。Malcolmmustthink’twasimportant，forIunderstandthey’vebeentelephonin’andaskin’forappointmentsforthelasttwodays。Why，yes！andtheycomewaydownhereinallthisstormonpurposetotalkitoverwithhim。
AmIwrong？Ain’tthatso，ma’am？”
Itwasso，andMrs。Dunncouldnotwelldenyit。Therefore，shetookrefugeinacontemptuoussilence。Thecaptainnodded。”Astodiscussin’ithere，”hewentonwithblandinnocence，”why，we’reallfamilyfolks，sameasIsaid，andthereain’tanysecretsbetweenusonTHATsubject。SosupposewealllistenwhileMr。
Sylvestertellsjustwhathe’dhavetoldyouandMr。Malcolm。It’sprettyhardtohear；butbadnewsissoontold。Heaveahead，Mr。
Sylvester。”
Mrs。Dunnmadeonemoreattempttoavoidthecrisisshesawwasapproaching。”Surely，Caroline，”shesaidtestily，”youdon’twishyourprivateaffairstreatedinthispublicmanner。Come，letusgo。”
Shelaidahandonthegirl’sarm。CaptainElishaquietlyinterposed。”No，no，”hesaid。”We’llallstayhere。There’snothin’publicaboutit。”
Caroline，crimsonwithmortification，protestedindignantly。”Mr。Sylvester，”shesaid，”itisnotnecessaryto——””Excuseme；”heruncle’stonewassharperandmorestern；”Ithinkitis。Goon，Sylvester。”
Thelawyerlookedfarfromcomfortable，buthespokeatonceandtothepoint。”Ishouldhavetoldyouandyoursonjustthis，Mrs。Dunn，”hesaid。”Iintimateditbefore，andMissWarrenhadalreadywrittenyoutheessentialfacts。Anewandunexpecteddevelopment，thenatureofwhichIamnotatlibertytodisclosenoworlater，makesAbijahWarren’sestateabsolutelybankrupt。Notonlythat，butmanythousanddollarsindebt。Hisheirsareleftpenniless。Thatistheplaintruth，I’mverysorrytosay。Thereisnohopeofanythingbetter。You’llforgiveme，MissWarren，Ihope，forputtingitsobluntly；butIthoughtitbesttoavoideverypossiblemisunderstanding。”
Itwasblunt，beyonddoubt。EvenCaptainElishawincedattheword”penniless。”Stephenmutteredunderhisbreathandturnedhisback。Caroline，swaying，putahandonthetabletosteadyherself。TheDunnslookedateachother。”Thankyou，Mr。Sylvester，”saidthecaptain，quietly。”I’llseeyouagaininafewmoments。”
Thelawyerbowedandlefttheroom，evidentlygladtoescape。
CaptainElishaturnedtoMrs。Dunn。”Andnow，ma’am，”heobserved，”thatpartofthebusinessisover。
Thenextpart’sevenmoreinthefamily，soIthoughtwedidn’tneedlegaladvice。Youseejusthowmattersstand。Mynieceisapoorgirl。Sheneedssomebodytosupportherandlookoutforher。
She’sgotthatsomebody，we’reallthankfultosay。She’sengagedtoMr。Malcolmhere。And，asyou’rehisma，Mrs。Dunn，andI’mCaroline’sguardian，usoldfolks’lltakeouraffairsinhand；theyneedn’tlisten，iftheydon’twantto。IunderstandfromStevethatMalcolm’sbeenmightyanxioustohavetheweddin’dayhurriedalong。Ican’tsayasIblamehim。And_I_thinkthesoonerthey’remarriedthebetter。Now，howsooncanwemakeit，Mrs。
Dunn？”
Thisunexpectedandmatter-of-factquerywasvariouslyreceived。
Mrs。Dunnfrownedandflushed。Malcolmfrowned，also。Stevenoddedemphaticapproval。AsforCaroline，shegazedatherguardianinhorrifiedamazement。”Why！”shecried。”You——you——Whatdoyoumeanbysuch——””Don’tbeanidiot，Caro！”cutinherbrother。”Itoldyoutobesensible。CaptainWarren’sdeadright。””Stevie，youstayoutofthis。”Therewasnomisunderstandingthecaptain’stone。”WhenIwantyouropinionI’llaskforit。And，Caroline，Iwantyoutostayout，too。Thisismytrickatthewheel。Mrs。Dunn，whatd’yousay？Nevermindtheyoungfolks。
Youandmeknowthatmarriageisbusiness，sameaseverythingelse。
Howsooncanwehavetheweddin’？”
Mrs。Dunnhad，apparently，nothingtosay——tohim。SheaddressedhernextremarktoCaroline。”Mydear，”shesaid，ingreatagitation，”thisisreallytoodreadful。This——er——guardianofyoursappearstothinkheisinsomebarbarouscountry——orderingthesavagesabout。Come！Malcolm，takeheraway。”