AftertheconversationwithAsaph，hesimplycouldnotremainathome。IfPhoebeDawescalled，heknewthathemustseeher，andifhesawher，whatshouldhesaytoher？HecouldnottellherthatshemustnotvisittheCyWhittakerplaceagain。Ifhedid，shewouldinsistuponthereason。Ifhetoldherofthe“towntalk，“
hefeltsure，knowingher，thatshewouldindignantlyrefusetoheedthemaliciousgossip。Andhewasfirmlyresolvednottopermithertocompromiseherlifeandherfuturebyfriendshipwithasocialoutcastlikehimself。Asforanythingdeeperandmoresacredthanfriendship，thatwasridiculous。If，foramoment，aremarkofhershadledhimtodreamofsuchathing，itwasbecausehewas，ashehadsooftendeclared，an“oldfool。“
SoCaptainCyhadresolveduponflight，andhefledtoWashingtonbecausethebusinessofthe“committeeofone“offeredalegitimateexcuseforgoingthere。ThebluntmessagehehadintrustedtoGeorgiannawould，hebelieved，arousePhoebe'sindignation。Shewouldnotcallagain。AndwhenhereturnedtoBos'n，itwouldbetotakeupthechild'sfightalone。Ifhelostthatfight，orWHEN
helostit，hewouldclosetheCyWhittakerplace，andleaveBayportforgood。
HehadbeeninWashingtononcebefore，yearsago，whenhewasfirstmateofashipandhadafewweeks'shoreleave。Thenhewentthereonapleasuretripwithsomeseagoingfriends，andhadajollytime。Buttherewaspreciouslittlejollityinthepresentvisit。Hehadneverfeltsothoroughlymiserable。Inordertoforget，hemadeuphismindtoworkhishardesttodiscoverwhytheharborappropriationwasnottobegiventoBayport。
Thecityhadchangedgreatly。Hewouldscarcelyhaveknownit。
Hewenttothehotelwherehehadstayedbefore，andfoundabig，modernbuildinginitsplace。Theclerkwasinclinedtoberathercurtandperfunctoryatfirst，butwhenhelearnedthatthecaptainwasnotanxiousconcerningthepriceofaccommodations，butmerelywanteda“comf'tableberthsomewheresonthesaloondeck，“andappearedtohaveplentyofmoney，hegrewpolite。CaptainCywasshowntohisroom，wherehelefthisvalise。Thenhewentdowntodinner。
Afterthemealwasover，heseatedhimselfinoneofthebigleatherchairsinthehotellobby，smokedandthought。Inthesummer，beforeBos'ncame，andbeforeherfatherhadarisentoupseteverycalculationandwreckallhisplans，thecaptainhadgivenseriousthoughttowhatheshoulddoifCongressmanAtkinsfailed，aseventhenheseemedlikelytodo，insecuringthatappropriation。Theobviousthing，ofcourse，wouldhavebeentohuntupMr。Atkinsandquestionhim。Butthiswasaltogethertooobvious。Inthefirstplace，thestrainedrelationsbetweenthemwouldmaketheinterviewuncomfortable；and，inthesecond，iftherewasanythingunderhandinHeman'sbackslidingontheappropriation，Atkinswastoowaryabirdtobesnaredwithquestions。
ButCaptainCyhadanotheracquaintanceinthecity，thesonofastillolderacquaintance，whohadbeenawealthyshippingmerchantandmineownerinCalifornia。Thesonwasalsoacongressman，fromacoastState，andthecaptainhadreadofhiminthepapers。A
sketchofhislifehadbeenprinted，andthismadehisidentityabsolutelycertain。CaptainCy'soriginalideahadbeentowritetothiscongressman。Nowhedeterminedtofindandinterviewhim。
Heinquiredconcerninghimofthehotelclerk，who，likeallWashingtonclerks，wasawalkingeditionof“Who'sWhoattheCapital。“
“CongressmanEverdean？”repeatedtheall-knowingyounggentleman。
“Yes。He'sintown。HasroomsattheGloria；secondhotelontherightasyougouptheavenue。Onlyashortwalk。WhatcanIdoforyou，sir？”
TheGloriawasanevenbiggerhotelthantheonewherethecaptainhadhis“berth。“Aninquiryatthedesk，ofanotherimportantclerk，wasansweredwithabrisk：
“Mr。Everdean？Yes，heroomshere。Don'tknowwhetherhe'sinornot。Evening，judge。NiceWinterweatherwe'rehaving。“
Thejudge，whowasaponderouspersonvaguelysuggestingthegreatHeman，admittedthattheweatherwasfine，patronizingitashedidso。Theclerkcontinuedtheconversation。CaptainCywaited。Atlengthhespoke。
“Excuseme，commodore，“hesaid；“Idon'tliketobreakinuntilyou'vesettledwhetheryouhaveitsnowornot，butI'mheretoseeCongressmanEverdean。Hadn'tyoubetterorderoneofyourfo'masthandstohunthimup？”
Thejudgecondescendedtosmile，asdidseveralothermenwhostoodnear。Theclerkreddened。
“DoyouwanttoseeMr。Everdean？”hesnapped。
“Why，yes，Idid。ButIcan'tseehimfromherewithoutstrainin'
myeyesight。“
Theclerksharplydemandedoneofthecaptain'svisitingcards。Hedidn'tgetone，fortheverygoodreasonthattherewasnoneinexistence。
“Tellhimanoldfriendofhisdad'sishereonthemaindeckwaitin'forhim，“saidCaptainCy。“That'lldofirstrate。Thankyou，admiral。“
Wordcamethatthecongressmanwouldbedowninafewmoments。Thecaptainbeguiledtheintervalbyleaningontherailandregardingtheclerkwithanawedcuriositythatannoyeditsobjectexceedingly。
Theinspectionwasstillonwhenatallman，ofanagesomewhereintheearlythirties，walkedbrisklyuptothedesk。
“Whoisitthatwantstoseeme？”heasked。
TheclerkwavedadeprecatoryhandinCaptainCy'sdirection。Thenewcomerturned。
“MynameisEverdean，“hesaid。“Areyou——hey？——GreatScott！IsitpossiblethisisCaptainWhittaker？”
Thecaptainwasimmenselypleased。
“Well，Ideclare，Ed！”heexclaimed。“Ididn'tbelieveyou'dremembermeafteralltheseyears。Youwasnothin'butaboywhenIsawyououtin'Frisco。Well！well！Nowonderyou'reinCongress。AmanthatcanrememberfaceslikethatoughttobePresident。“
Everdeanlaughedastheyshookhands。
“Don'tsupposeI'dforgetthechapwhousedtodinewithusandtellmethoseseastories，doyou？”hesaid。“I'mmightygladtoseeyou。Whatareyoudoinghere？ThelastfatherandIheardofyou，youwereinSouthAmerica。Givenupthesea，theysaid，andgettingrichfast。“
CaptainCychuckled。
“It'sagoodthingIlearnedlongagonottobelieveallIhear，“
heanswered，“elseI'dhavebeensosureIwasrichthatI'dhavespentallIhad，andbeenpermanentboarderatthepoorhousebynow。No，thanks；I'vehaddinner。Why，yes，I'llsmoke，ifyou'llhelpalong。How'syourfather？Smart，ishe？”
Thecongressmaninsistedthattheyshouldadjourntohisrooms。Anunmarriedman，hekeptbachelor'shallatthehotelduringhisstayinWashington。There，incomfortablechairs，theyspokeofoldtimes，whenthecaptainwasseafaringandtheEverdeanhomehadbeenhiswhilehisshipwasinportat'Frisco。HetoldofhisreturntoBayport，andtherenovationoftheoldhouse。OfBos'nhesaidnothing。AtlastEverdeanaskedwhathadbroughthimtoWashington。
“Well，“saidCaptainCy，“I'lltellyou。I'mlikethefellerincourtwithoutalawyer；hesaidhecouldn'ttellwhetherhewasguiltyornot'countofhavin'noprofessionaladvice。That'swhatI'vecometoyoufor，Ed——professionaladvice。“
Hetoldtheharborappropriationstory。Attheincidentofthe“committeeofone“hisfriendlaughedheartily。
“Ratherputyourfootinitthattime，Captain，didn'tyou？”hesaid。
“Yup。ThenIgott'otheronestucktryin'togetthefirstclear。
How'sitlooktoyou？Allstraight，doyouthink？oristhereaniggerinthewoodpile？”
Mr。Everdeanseemedtoreflect。
“Well，Captain，“hesaid，“Ican'ttell。You'reaskingdelicatequestions。Politiciansarelikedoctors，theyusuallybackupeachother'sopinions。Still，you'reatleastasgoodafriendofmineasAtkinsis。QueerHEshouldbobupinthismatter！Why，he——butnevermindthatnow。Itellyou，CaptainWhittaker，youcomearoundandhavedinnerwithmeto-morrownight。InthemeantimeI'llseethechairmanofthecommitteeonthatbill——oneoftheso-
called'pork'billsitis。PossiblyfromhimandsomeotheracquaintancesofmineImaylearnsomething。Atanyrate，youcometodinner。“
Sotheinvitationwasaccepted，andCaptainCywentbacktohisownhotelandhisroom。Hesleptbutlittle，althoughitwasnotworryovertheappropriationquestionwhichkepthimawake。NextmorninghewroteanotetoGeorgianna，givinghisWashingtonaddress。WithitheenclosedalonglettertoBos'n，tellingherheshouldbehomeprettysoon，andthatshemustbeagoodgirland“bosstheship“duringhisabsence。HesenthisregardstoAsaphandBailey，butPhoebe'snamehedidnotmention。Thenheputinamiserabledaywanderingaboutthecity。AteightthateveningheandhisWesternfriendsatdownatacornertableinthebigdiningroomoftheGloria。
Thecaptainbegantoaskquestionsassoonasthesoupwasserved，butEverdeanrefusedtoanswer。
“No，no，“hesaid，“pleasurefirstandbusinessafterwards；that'sacongressionalmotto。Ican'ttalkAtkinswithmydinnerandenjoyit。“
“Can't，hey？Youwouldn'tbepopularatourperfectboardinghousebackhome。TheretheyserveHemanhotforbreakfastanddinner，andwarmhimoverforsupper。Allright，Icanwait。“
TheconversationwanderedfromBuenosAyresto'Friscoandbackagainuntilthecigarsandcoffeewerereached。Thenthecongressmanblewafragrantringintotheairand，frombehindit，lookedquizzicallyathiscompanion。
“Well，“heobserved，“sofarasthatappropriationofyoursisconcerned——“
Hepausedandblewasecondring。CaptainCystrokedhisbeard。
“Um——yes，“hedrawled，“nowthatyoumentionit，seemstometherewassometalkofanappropriation。“
Mr。Everdeanlaughed。
“I'vebeenmakinginquiries，“hesaid。“Isawthechairmanofthecommitteeontheporkbill。Iknowhimwell。He'sagoodfellow，but——“
“Yes，Iknow。I'veseenlotsofpoliticianslikethat；they'reallgoodfellers，but——IfIwasinpoliticsI'dmakealawtocut'But'outofthedictionary。“
“Well，thischapreallyisagoodfellow。Iaskedaboutthethirtythousanddollarsforyourtown。HeaskedmewhyIdidn'tgotothecongressmanfromthatdistrict，andnotbotherhimaboutit。I
saidperhapsIwouldgotothecongressmanlater，butIcametohimfirst。“
“Sartin。Sameasthefellerwithasickmother-in-lawstoppedinattheundertaker'sonhiswaytocallthedoctor。Allright；
heaveahead。“
“Well，wehadaratherlongconversation。IdiscoveredthattheBayportitemwasoriginallyincludedinthebill，butrecentlyhadbeenstrickenout。“
“Yes，Isee。UncleSamhadtoeconomize，hey？Savesomethin'forarainyday。“
“Well，possibly。Stillthebillisjustasheavy。Now，CaptainWhittaker，Idon'tKNOWanythingaboutthisaffair，andit'snotmybusiness。ButI'vebeenaboutto-day，andIaskedquestions，and——
I'mgoingtotellyouafairytale。Itisn'tasinterestingasyourseayarns，but——Doyoulikefairystories？”
“Land，yes！Tellafewmyselfwhenit'snecessary。SometimesI
almostbelieve'em。Well？”
“Ofcourse，youmustrememberthisISafairystory。Let'ssupposethatonceonatime——that'sthewaytheyalwaysbegin——onceonatimetherewasagreatman，greatinhisowncountry，whowassentabroadbyhispeopletorepresentthemamongtherulersoftheland。So，inordertotypicallyrepresentthem，hedressedingladandexpensiveraiment，wentaboutindignity，and——“
“Andwhiskers。Don'tleaveoutthewhiskers！”
“Allright——andwhiskers。Anditcametopassthatthepeoplewhomherepresentedwishedto——to——er——bringaboutacertainneededimprovementintheir——theirbeautifulandenterprisingcommunity。“
“Sho！sho！hownaturalthatsounds！Youmustbeamindreader。“
“No。ButIhavetomakespeechesinmyowncommunityoccasionally。
Well，thepeopleaskedtheirgreatmantogetthemoneyneededforthisimprovementfromtherulersofthelandaforementioned。Andhewasatfirstallenthusiasmanduponthe——theparchmentscrollwheresuchmattersareinscribedwaswrittenthenameofthebeautifulandenterprisingcommunity，andthesumofmoneyitaskedfor。Andthedealwasasgoodasmade。Excusethemodernphraseology；myfairylingogotmixedthere。“
“Nevermind。Icangetthedriftjustaswell——maybebetter。“
“Andthedealwasasgoodasmade。Butbeforethevotewastakenanotherchapcametothegreatmanandsaid：'Lookhere！Iwanttogetanappropriationof，say，fiftythousanddollars，todeepenandimproveariverdowninmyState'——aSouthernStatewe'llsay。
'I'vebeentothechairmanoftheporkbillcommittee，andhesaysit'simpossible。Thebillsimplycan'tbeloadedanyfurther。ButIfindthatyouhaveanitemintherefordeepeningandimprovingaharborbackinyourowndistrict。Whydon'tyoucutthatitemout——
shoveitoveruntilnextyear？Youcaneasilyfindasatisfactoryexplanationforyourconstituents。ANDyouwanttorememberthis：
theimprovementofthisrivermeansthatthe——the——well，acertainsugar-growingcompany——cangettheirstufftomarketatafigurewhichwillsenditsstockupandup。Andyouaresaidtoownaconsiderableamountofthatstock。Sowhynotdroptheharboritemandsubstitutemyriverslice？Then——'Well，Iguessthat'stheendofthetale。“
Hepausedandrelithiscigar。CaptainCythoughtfullymarkedwithhisforkonthetablecloth。
“Hum！”hegrunted。“That'saveryinterestin'yarn。Yes，yes！
don'tknow'sIeverheardamoreinterestin'one。Ipresumelikelythereain'tamiteofproofthatit'strue？”
“Notanatom。Itoldyouitwasafairytale。AndImustn'tbequotedinthematter。Honestly，themostofitisguesswork，atthat。Butperhapsa'committeeofone，'droppingahintathome，mightatleastarousesomeuncomfortablequestioningofacertaingreatman。That'saboutall，though。Proofisquiteanotherthing。“
Thecaptainpondered。Hewasfullyawarethattheunpopularityofthe“committee“wouldnullifywhatevergooditshintingmightdo。
“Humph！”hegruntedagain。“It'sonethingtosmellaratandanothertonailitstailtothefloor。ButI'mmightyobligedtoyou，allthesame。AndI'llthinkitoverhard。Say！Icanseeonething——youdon'ttakeaverybigshinetoHemanyourself。“
“Nottoobig——no。Doyou？”
“Well，Idon'twakeupnightsandcryforhim。“
Everdeanlaughed。
“That'scharacteristic，“hesaid。“Youhaveyourownwayofputtingthings，Captain，andit'shardtobeimprovedon。Atkinshasneverdoneanythingtome。Ijust——Ijustdon'tlikehim，that'sall。Fatherneverlikedhim，either，intheolddays；andyet——andit'sodd，too——hewasthemeansoftheoldgentleman'smakingthemostofhismoney。“
“He？Who？NotHeman？”
“Yes，HemanAtkins。But，sofarasthatgoes，fatherstartedhimtowardwealth，Isuppose。Atleast，hewaspoorenoughbeforetheminewassold。“
“Whatareyoutalkin'about？Hemangothisstarttradin'overintheSouthSeas。Sellin'theKanakasglassbeadsandcalicoforpearlsandcopra——twocupfulsofpearlsforeverybead。Anyhow，that'sthewaytheyarngoes。“
“Ican'thelpthat。HewasjustacommonsailorwhohadrunawayfromhisshipandwasgoldmininginCalifornia。Andwhenheandhispartnerstruckitrichfatherborrowedmoney，headedacompany，andboughtthemout。ThatminewastheExcelsior，andit'sjustasproductiveto-dayasiteverwas。IratherthinkAtkinsmustbeverysorryhesold。Isuppose，byright，Ishouldbeverygratefultoyourdistinguishedrepresentative。“
“Well，Idodeclare！Sho，sho！Ain'tthatfunnynow？He'sneversaidawordaboutitathome。Idon'tbelievethere'sasoulinBayportknowsthat。Weallthought'twasSouthSeatradin'thatboostedHeman。Andyourowndad！Ideclare，thisisasmallworld！”
“It'soddfathernevertoldyouaboutit。It'soneoftheoldgentleman'spetstories。HecameWestin1850，andwasrunningalittleshippingstorein'Frisco。HemetAtkinsandtheotheryoungsailor，hispartner，beforetheylefttheirship。Theywereinthestore，buyingvariousthings，andfathergottoknowthemprettywell。Thentheyranawaytothediggings——yousimplycouldn'tkeepacrewinthosetimes——andhedidn'tseethemagainforagoodwhile。Thentheycameinonedayandshowedhimspecimensfromaclaimtheyhadbackinthemountains。Theyweremightygoodspecimens，andwhattheysaidabouttheclaimconvincedfatherthattheyhadavaluableproperty。Sohewenttoseeafewwell-to-dofriendsofhis，andtheoutcomewasthatapartywasmadeuptogoandinspect。Theyoungfellowswerewillingtosellout，foritwasaquartzworkingandtheyhadn'tthemoneytocarryiton。
“Theinspectionshowedthattheclaimwaslikelytobeevenbetterthantheythought，so，aftersomebargaining，thedealwascompleted。Theysoldoutforseventy-fivethousanddollars，anditwasthebesttradefatherevermade。He'ssoproudofhisjudgmentandforesightinmakingitthatIwonderhenevertoldyouthestory。“
“Heneverdid。Whenwasthis？”
“In'54。What？”
“Ididn'tspeak。Thedateseemedkindoffamiliartome，that'sall。Seem'sasifIhearditrecent，butIcan'trememberwhen。
Seventy-fivethousand，hey？Well，thatwan'tsobad，wasit？Withthatforanestegg，nowonderHeman'smanagedtohatchaprettyrespectablebroodofdollars。“
“Oh，thewholeseventy-fivewasn'this，ofcourse。Halfbelongedtohispartner。Butthepoordevildidn'tlivetoenjoyit。Afterthearticlesweresignedandbeforethemoneywaspaidover，hewastakensickwithafeveranddied。“
“Hey？Hedied？WithaFEVER？”
“Yes。Butheleftaprettygoodlegacytohisheirs，didn'the。
Foracommonsailor——orsecondmate；Ibelievethat'swhathewas——
thirty-seventhousandfivehundredisdoingwell。Itmusthavecomeasabigsurprisetothem。ThewholesumwaspaidtoAtkins，who——What'sthematterwithyou？”
CaptainCywasleaningbackinhischair。Hewasaswhiteasthetablecloth。
“Areyouill？”askedthecongressmananxiously。“Takesomewater。
ShallIcall——“
Thecaptainwavedhishand。
“No，no！”hestammered。“No！I'mallright。Doyou——fortheLord'ssaketellmethis！Whatwasthenameofthispartnerthatdied？”
Mr。Everdeanlookedcuriouslyathisfriendbeforeheanswered。
“Sureyou'renotsick？”heasked。“Well，allright。Thepartner'sname？Why，I'vehearditoftenenough。It'sonthedeedofsalethatfatherhasframedinhisroomathome。Theoldgentlemanisasproudofthatasanythinginthehouse。Thenamewas——was——“
“ForGodsakes，“criedCaptainCy，“don'tsay'twasJohnThayer！
'CauseifyoudoIshan'tbelieveit。“
“That'swhatitwas——JohnThayer。Howdidyouguess？Didyouknowhim？IremembernowthathewasanotherDownEaster，likeAtkins。“
Thecaptaindidnotanswer。Heclaspedhisforeheadwithbothhandsandleanedhiselbowsonthetable。Everdeanwasplainlyalarmed。
“I'mgoingtocalladoctor，“hebegan，rising。ButCaptainCywavedhimbackagain。
“Setstill！”heordered。“Setstill，Itellyou！Yousaythewholeseventy-fivethousandwaspaidtoHeman，butthatJohnThayersignedthebillofsaleaforehedied，ashalfpartner？Andyourdad'sgottheoriginaldeedand——and——heremembersthewholebusiness？”
“Yes，he'sgotthedeed——framed。It'sonrecord，too，ofcourse。
Remembers？Ishouldsayhedid！He'lltalkforaweekonthatsubject，ifyougivehimachance。“
Thecaptainsprangtohisfeet。Hischairtippedbackwardandfelltothefloor。Anobsequiouswaiterrantorightit，butCaptainCypaidnoattentiontohim。
“Where'smycoat？”hedemanded。“Where'smycoatandhat？”
“Whatailsyou？”askedEverdean。“Areyougoingcrazy？”
“Goin'CRAZY？No，no！I'mgoin'toCalifornia。When'sthenexttrain？”
CHAPTERXIX
THETOPPLINGOFAMONUMENT
TheHonorableHemanAtkinssatinthelibraryofhisWashingtonhome，beforeasnappinglogfire，readingaletter。Mr。Atkinshad，ashewouldhaveexpressedit，“servedhispeople“inCongressforsomanyyearsthathehadlongsincepassedthehotelstageoflivingattheCapital。Herentedafurnishedhouseonaneminentlyrespectablestreet，andthepolisheddoorplateborehisnameinuncompromisingcharacters。
Thelibraryfurniturewassolidanddignified。ItsbusinesslikeappearanceimpressedthestrayexcursionistfromtheAtkinsdistrict，whenheorshevisitedthegreatmaninwhoseaffairswefeltsuchapersonalinterest。Particularlyimpressiveandsignificantwasamapofthedistricthangingoverthecongressman'sdesk，andanoilpaintingoftheAtkinsmansionatBayport，which，withtheirondogsandurnsconspicuousinitsforeground，occupiedthemiddleofthelargestwallspace。
Thecheeryfirewasverycomfortingonanightlikethis，forthesleetwasdrivingagainstthewindowpanes，thesidewalkswereankledeepinslush，andthewet，coldwindfromthePotomacwaswhistlingdownthestreet。Somewhereaboutthehouseanunfastenedshutterslammedinthegusts。Mr。Atkinsshouldhavebeenextremelycomfortableashesattherebythefire。Hehadspentmanycomfortablewintersinthatroom。Butnowtherewasafrownonhisfaceashereadtheletterinhishand。ItwasfromSimpson，andstated，amongotherthings，thatCyrusWhittakerhadbeenabsentfromBayportforovertwoweeks，andthatnooneseemedtoknowwherehehadgone。“TheideaseemstobethathestartedforWashington，“wroteTad；“butifthatisso，itisqueeryouhaven'tseenhim。Iamsuspiciousthatheisuptosomethingaboutthatharborbusiness。IshouldkeepmyeyepeeledifIwasyou。“
Alicia，theAtkinshopeful，rustledintotheroom。
“Papa，“shesaid，“I'vecometokissyougoodnight。“
Herfatherperformedtheceremonyinaperfunctoryway。
“Allright，allright，“hesaid。“Nowrunalongtobedanddon'tbotherme，there'sagoodgirl。Iwish，“headdedtestilytothehousekeeperwhohadfollowedAliciaintotheroom，“Iwishyou'dseetothatlooseblind。Itmakesmenervous。Suchthingsasthatshouldbeattendedtowithoutspecificordersfromme。“
Thehousekeeperpromisedtoattendtotheblind。Sheandthegirlleftthelibrary。HemanrereadtheSimpsonletter。Thenhedroppeditinhislapandsatthinkingandtwirlinghiseyeglassesattheendoftheirblackcord。Histhoughtsseemedtobenotofthepleasantest。Thelinesabouthismouthhaddeepenedduringthelastfewmonths。Helookedolder。
Thetelephonebellrangsharply。Mr。Atkinscameoutofhisreveriewithastart，aroseandwalkedacrosstheroomtothewallwheretheinstrumenthung。Itwasbeforethedaysoftheconvenientdesk'phone。Hetookthereceiverfromitshookandspokeintothetransmitter。
“Hello！”hesaid。“Hello！Yes，yes！stopringing。Whatisit？”
Thewirebuzzedandpurredinthestorm。“Hello！”saidavoice。
“Hello，there！IsthisMr。Atkins'shouse？”
“Yes；itis。Whatdoyouwant？”
“Hey？IsthiswheretheHonorableHemanAtkinslives？”
“Yes，yes，Itellyou！ThisisMr。Atkinsspeaking。Whatdoyouwant？”
“Oh！isthatyou，Heman？ThisisWhittaker——CyWhittaker。
Understand？”
Mr。Atkinsunderstood。Yetforaninstanthedidnotreply。Hehadbeenthinking，ashesatbythefire，ofcertainpersonsandcertainugly，thoughremote，possibilities。Now，fromamysterioussomewhere，oneofthosepersonswasspeakingtohim。Thehandholdingthereceivershookmomentarily。
“Hello！Isay，Heman，doyouunderstand？ThisisWhittakertalkin'。“
“I——er——understand，“saidthecongressman，slowly。“Well，sir？”
“I'mhereinWashin'ton。“
“Ihavebeeninformedthatyouwereinthecity。Well，sir？”
“Oh！knewIwashere，didyou？Isthatso？Whotoldyou？Tadwrote，Isuppose，hey？”
Thecongressmandidnotreplyimmediately。Thisman，whomhedislikedmorethananyoneelseintheworld，hadanirritatingfacultyofputtinghisfingeronthetruth。Andtheflippancyinthetonewasmaddening。Mr。Atkinswasnotusedtoflippancy。
“IbelieveIamnotcalledupontodisclosemysourceofinformation，“hesaidwithchillingdignity。“Itappearstohavebeentrustworthy。Ipresumeyouhave'phonedmeconcerningtheappropriationmatter。Idonotrecognizeyourrighttointrudeinthataffair，andIshalldeclinetodiscussit。Yes，sir。Tomypeople，tothosewhohavearighttoquestion，Iamandshallalwaysbewillingtoexplainmyposition。Goodnight。“
“Wait！Hello！Holdonaminute。Don'tgetmad，Heman。Ionlywantedtosayjustaword。You'llletmesayaword，won'tyou？”
Thiswasmorelikeit。ThiswasmorenearlythetoneinwhichMr。
Atkinswaswonttobeaddressed。Itwaspossiblethattheman，recognizingtheuselessnessoffurtheropposition，desiredtosurrender。
“Icannot，“declaredtheHonorable，“understandwhyyoushouldwishtospeakwithme。Wehaveverylittleincommon，verylittle，I'mthankfultosay。However，Iwillhearyoubriefly。Goon。“
“Muchobliged。Well，Heman，IonlywantedtosaythatIthoughtmaybeyou'dbetterhavealittletalkwithme。I'mhereatthehotel，theRegent。Youknowwhere'tis，Ipresumelikely。Iguessyou'dbettercomerightdownandseeme。“
Hemangasped，actuallygasped，withastonishment。
“_I_hadbettercomeandseeYOU？I——！Well，sir！WELL！Iamnotaccustomed——“
“Iknow，butIthinkyou'dbetter。It'sdirtyweather，andI'vegotcoldsomehoworother。Iain'tfeelin'quiteuptothemark，soIcal'lateI'llstayinportmuchasIcan。Youcomerightdown。I'llbeinmyroom，andthehotelfolks'lltellyouwhere'tis。I'llbewaitin'foryou。“
Mr。Atkinsbreathedhard。Inhispresentframeofmindhewouldhavelikedtodeliverablastintothattransmitterwhichwouldcausethepersonattheotherendofthelinetoshrivelunderitsheat。Buthewasapoliticianoflongtraining，andheknewthatsuchblastsweresometimesexpensivetreats。Itmightbewelltohearwhathisenemyhadtosay。Butastogoingtoseehim——thatwasoutofthequestion。
“Idonot，“hethundered，“Idonotcaretocontinuethisconversation。If——ifyouwishtoseeme，afterwhathastakenplacebetweenus，Iamwilling，inspiteofpersonalrepugnance，tograntyouabriefinterview。Myservantswilladmityouhereatnineo'clockto-morrowmorning。ButItellyounow，thatyourinterferencewiththisappropriationmatterisasuselessasitisridiculousandimpudent。Itisofapiecewiththerestofyourconduct。“
“Allright，Heman，allright，“wasthecalmanswer。“Idon'tsayyou'vegottocome。IonlysayIguessyou'dbetter。I'mgoin'
backtoBayporttomorrer，early。AndifIwasyouI'dcomeandseemeto-night。“
“Ihavenowishtoseeyou。NordoIcaretotalkwithyoufurther。
Thatappropriation——“
“Maybeitain'tallappropriation。“
“ThenIcannotunderstand——“
“Iknow，but_I_understand。I'vecometounderstandconsider'blemanythingsinthelastfortni't。There！Ican'thollerintothismachineanylonger。I'vebeenclearoutto'Friscoandbackinelevendays，andIgotcoldinthoseblessedsleepin'cars。I——“
Thereceiverfellfromthecongressman'shand。Itwasadifficultobjecttopickupagain。Hemangropedforitinablind，strangelyinadequateway。Yethewishedtorecoveritverymuch。
“Wait！wait！”heshoutedanxiously。“I——I——Idroppedthe——Areyouthere，Whittaker？Areyou——Oh！yes！Ididn't——Didyousay——
er——'Frisco？”
“Yes，SanFrancisco，California。I'vebeenWestonalittlecruise。Hadaninterestin'time。It'saninterestin'place；don'tyouthinkso？Well，I'msorryyoucan'tcome。Goodnight。“
“Wait！”falteredthegreatman。“I——I——letmethink，Cyrus。Idonotwishtoseem——er——arrogantinthismatter。Itisnotusualformetovisitmyconstituents，but——but——Ihavenoengagementthisevening，andyouarenotwell，and——Hello！areyouthere？Hello！
Why，underthecircumstances，Ithink——Yes，Iwillcome。I'llcome——er——atonce。“
Thetelephoneenablesonetoprocureacabinashorttime。Yet，toHemanAtkins，thatcabwasyearsincoming。Hepacedthelibraryfloor，hishandtohisforeheadandhisbrainwhirling。Itcouldn'tbe！Itmustbeacoincidence！Hehadbeenanidiottodisplayhisagitationandsurrendersoweakly。Andyet——andyet——
TheridethroughthestormtotheRegentHotelgavehimopportunityformorethought。Buthegainedlittlecomfortfromthinking。Ifitwasacoincidence，wellandgood。Ifnot——
AbellboyconductedhimtotheWhittakerroom“onthesaloondeck。“Itwasasmallroom，verydifferentfromtheAtkinslibrary，andCaptainCy，inacane-seatedchair，washuddledclosetothesteamradiator。Helookedfarfromwell。
“Evenin'，Heman，“hesaidasthecongressmanentered。“Prettydirtynight，ain'tit？Whatwe'dcallagrayno'theasterbackhome。Sitdown。Don'tmindmynotgettin'up。Thisheatin'
arrangementfeelsmightycomf'tablejustnow。IfIgettoofarawayfromitIshivermydeckplanksloose。Takeoffyourthings。“
Mr。Atkinsdidnotremovehisovercoat。Hishathetossedonthebed。Heglancedfearfullyathiscompanion。Thelatter'sgreetinghadbeensocasualandeverydaythathetookcourage。Andthecaptainlookedanythingbutformidableashehuggedtheradiator。
Perhapsthingswerenotsobadashehadfeared。Heresolvednottoseemalarmed，atallevents。
“Haveacigar，Heman？”saidCaptainCy。“No？Well，allright；I
will，ifyoudon'tmind。“
Helitthecigar。Thecongressmanclearedhisthroat。
“Cyrus，“hesaid，“Iamnotaccustomedtorunatthebeckandcallofmy——er——acquaintances，but，eventhoughwehavedisagreedoflate，eventhoughtomeyourconductseemsquiteunjustifiable，still，forthesakeofourboyhoodfriendship，and，becauseyouarenotwell，I——er——came。“
CaptainCycoughedspasmodically，acoughthatseemedtobetearinghimtopieces。Helookedathiscigarregretfully，andlaiditonthetopoftheradiator。
“Toobad，“heobserved。“Tobaccogen'rallyilesupmytalkin'
machinery，butjustnowitseemstomakemebarklikeaship'sdogshutupinthehold。Why，yes，Heman，Iseeyou'vecome。Muchobligedtoyou。“
Thispolitenesswasstillmoreencouraging。Atkinsleanedbackinhischairandcrossedhislegs。
“Ipresume，“hesaid，“thatyouwishtoaskconcerningtheappropriation。Iregret——“
“Youneedn't。Iguesswe'llgettheappropriation。“
Heman'scondescensionvanished。Heleanedforwardanduncrossedhislegs。
“Indeed？”hesaidslowly，hiseyesfixedonthecaptain'splacidface。
“Yes——indeed。“
“Whittaker，whatareyoutalkingabout？DoyousupposethatIhavebeentherepresentativeofmypeopleinCongressalltheseyearswithoutknowingwhereofIspeak？Theyleftthematterinmyhands，andyourinterference——“
“Iain'tgoin'tointerfere。I'Mgoin'toleaveitinyourhands，too。AndIcal'lateyou'llbeabletofindawaytogetit。
Um——hum，Iguesslikelyyouwill。“
Thevisitorrosetohisfeet。ThetimehadcomeforanotherblastfromOlympus。Heraisedthemightyrightarm。ButCaptainCyspokefirst。
“Sitdown，Heman，“saidthecaptainquietly。“Sitdown。Thisain'ttownmeetin'。Nevermindtheappropriationnow。There'sothermatterstobetalkedaboutfirst。Sitdown，Itellyou。“
Mr。Atkinswaspurpleintheface，buthesatdown。Thecaptaincoughedagain。
“Heman，“hebeganwhenthespasmwasover，“Iaskedyoutocomehereto-nightfor——well，blessedifIknowexactly。Itdidn'tmakemuchdifferencetomewhetheryoucameornot。“
“Then，sir，Imustsaythat，ofalltheimpudent——“
“S-s-h-h！forthelandsakes！Speechmakin'mustbeasbadastherumhabit，whenafeller'sgotitchronicasyouhave。No，itdidn'tmakemuchdifferencetomewhetheryoucameornot。But，honest，you'vegottobeakindofBunkerHillmonumenttothefolksbackhome。Theykneeldownatyourfoundationsandlookupatyou，andtelleachotherhowmanyfoothighyouare，andwhatitcosttobuildyou，andhowyoustandforpatriotismandpurity，till——well，_I_couldn'tseeyoutumbledownwithoutgivin'youachance。Icouldn't；'twouldbelikeblowin'upachurch。“
ThepurplehadlefttheAtkinsface，butthespeechmakinghabitisnotlikelytobebroken。
“CyrusWhittaker，“hestammered，“haveyoubeendrinking？Yourlanguagetomeisabominable。WhyIpermitmyselftoremainhereandlistentosuch——“
“Ifyou'llkeepstillI'lltellyouwhy。And，ifIwasyou，I
wouldn'tbetooanxioustofindout。Thiseverlastin'colddon'tmakemeover'n'abovegood-tempered，andwhenIthinkofwhatyou'vedonetothatlittlegirl，orwhatyoutriedtodo，Ihavetoholdmyselfdowntight，TIGHT，anddon'tyouforgetit！Now，youkeepquietandlisten。It'llbebestforyou，Heman。Yourcardsain'tunderthetableanylonger。I'veseenyourhand，andIknowwhyyou'vebeenplayin'it。Iknowthewholegame。I'vebeenWest，andEverdeanandIhavehadatalk。“
Mr。Atkinshadagainrisenfromthechair。Nowhefellheavilybackintoit。Hislipsmovedasifhemeanttospeak，buthedidnot。AtthementionoftheEverdeannamehemadeaqueer，chokingsoundinhisthroat。
“Iknowthewholebusiness，Heman，“wentonthecaptain。“IknowwhyyouwassoknockedoverwhenyoulearnedwhoBos'nwas，thenightoftheparty。Iknowwhyyoutookupwiththatblackguard，Thomas，andwhyyou'vespentyourgoodmoneyhirin'lawyersforhim。Iknowaboutthemine。Iknowthewholethingfromfirsttolast。ShallItellyou？Doyouwanttohearit？”
Thegreatmandidnotanswer。Adropofperspirationshoneonhishighforehead，andtheveinsofhisbig，whitehandsstoodoutasheclutchedthearmsofhischair。Themonumentwastotteringonitsbase。
“It'sadirtymess，thewholeofit，“continuedCaptainCy。“Andyet，Icansee——IsupposeIcanseesomeexcuseforyouatthebeginnin'。WhenoldmanEverdeanandhiscrowdboughtyouandJohnThayerout，'waybacktherein'54，afterJohndied，andallthemoneywasputintoyourhands，Ical'lateyouwashonestthen。I
wouldn'twonderifyouMEANTtohandoverthethirty-seventhousandfivehundreddollarstoyourpartner'swidow。But'twasharderandmoreriskytosendmoneyEastinthemdaysthan'tisnow，andsoyouwaited，thinkin'maybethatyou'dfetchittoEmilywhenyoucomeyourself。Butyoudidn'tcomehomeforsomeyears；youwenttradin'downalongtheFeejeesandaroundthatway。That'showI
reasoneditouttheselastfewdaysonthetrain。Igiveyoucreditforbein'honestfirstalong。
“Butnevermindwhetheryouwasornot，youhaven'tbeensince。
Youneverpaidoveracentofthatpoorfeller'smoney——honestmoney，thatbelongedtohisheirs，andbelongsto'emnow。You'vehungontoit，stoleit，useditforyours。AndEmilyworkedandscratchedforalivin'anddiedpoor。AndMary，shedied，afterbein'abusedanddesertedbythatcussedhusbandofhers。Andyouthoughtyouwassafe，Ical'late。AndthenBos'nturnsuprightinyourowntown，rightacrosttheroadfromyou！Bythebigdipper！
it'senoughtomakeafellerbelievethattheAlmightydoestakeahandinstraightenin'outsuchthings，whenushumansbungle'em——
itisso！
“CourseIain'tsure，Heman，whatyoumeanttodowhenyoufoundthatthechildyou'dstolethatmoneyfromwasgoin'tobeunderyourfaceandeyestillyouorshedied。Ical'lateyouwasafraidI'dfindsomethin'out，wan'tyou？IpresumelikelyyouthoughtthatI，nothavin'quitethereverenceforyouthattherestoftheBayportershave，mightbesharpenoughorluckyenoughtosmellarat。PerhapsyoususpicionedthatIknewtheEverdeans。Anyhow，youwantedtogetthechildasfuroutofyoursightandoutofmyhandsasyoucould——ain'tthatso？Andwhenherdadturnedup，youthoughtyousawyourchance。Heman，youanswermethis：Ain'titpartofyourbargainwithThomasthatwhenhegetshislittlegirl，heshalltakeherandclearout，awayoffsomewheres，forgood？
Ain'tit，now——what？”
Themonumentwasswaying，wasswingingfromsidetoside，butitdidnotquitefall——notthen。Thecongressman'scheekshungflabby，hisforeheadwaswet，andheshookfromheadtofoot；butheclenchedhisjawsandmadeonelastattemptatdefiance。
“I——Idon'tknowwhatyoumean，“hedeclared。“You——youseemtobeaccusingmeofsomething。Ofstealing，Ibelieve。DoyouunderstandwhoIam？Ihavesomeinfluenceandreputation，anditisdangerousto——totrytofrightenme。Proofsarerequiredinlaw，and——“
“S-s-h-h！YouknowI'vegottheproofs。Theywereeasyenoughtoget，onceIhappenedonthetrackof'em。Lordsakes，Heman，I
ain'tafool！What'stheuseofyourpretendin'tobeone？
There'sthedeedoutin'Frisco，withyoursandJohn'snameonit。
There'stherecordstoprovethesale。There'sthereceiptfortheseventy-fivethousandsignedbyyou，onbehalfofyourselfandyourpartner'swidow。There'soldmanEverdeanaliveandcompetenttotestify。There'sJohnThayer'swillonfileovertoOrham。
Proofs！Why，youTHIEF！ifit'sproofsyouwant，I'vegotenoughtosendyoutostate'sprisonfortherestofyourlife。Don'tyoudaresay'proofs'tomeagain！HemanAtkins，youoweme，asBos'n'sguardian，thirty-seventhousandfivehundreddollars，withinterestsince1854。Whatyougoin'todoaboutit？”
Herewasoneray，afeebleray，oflight。
“You'renotherguardian，“criedAtkins。“Thecourtshavethrownyouout。Andyourappealwon'tstand，either。Ifanymoneyisdue，itbelongstoherfather。Sheisn'tofage！No，sir！herfather——“
CaptainCy'spatiencehadbeengivingway。Nowhelostitaltogether。Hestrodeacrosstheroomandshookhisforefingerinhisvictim'sface。
“So！”hecried。“That'syourtack，isit？Bythebigdipper！YouGOtoherfather——justyougotohimandtellhim！Justhinttohimthatyouowehisdaughterthirty-oddthousanddollars，andseewhathe'lldo。Goodheavensabove！hewasreadytosellherouttomeforfiftydollars'wuthofsandbankinOrham。Almostready，hewas，tillyouofferedahigherpricetohimtofight。Why，he'llhaveyourhidenaileduponthebarndoor！Ifyoudon'tpayhimeveryredcopper，downonthenail，he'llwringyoudry。Andthenhe'llblackmailyouforeverandever，amen！Unless，ofcourse，_I_
gohomeandstoptheblackmailbyprintingmystoryintheBreeze。
I'veapreciousgoodmindtodoit。BytheAlmighty，IWILLdoit！
unlessyoucomeoffthathighhorseofyoursandtalklikeaman。“
Andthenthemonumentfell，fellprostrate，withasickly，pitifulcrash。IfweofBayportcouldhaveseenourcongressmanthen！Thegreatman，greatnolonger，brokedowncompletely。Hecriedlikeababy。Itwasalltrue——alltrue。Hehadnotmeanttosteal，atfirst。Hehadbeenledintousingthemoneyinhisbusiness。Thenhehadmeanttosendittotheheirs，buthedidn'tknowtheirwhereabouts。CaptainCysmiledatthisexcuse。Andnowhecouldn'tpay——heCOULDN'T。Hehadhardlythatsumintheworld。
Hehadlostmoneyinstocks，hispropertyintheSouthhadgonetothebad！Hewouldberuined。Hewouldhavetogotoprison。Hewasgettingtobeanoldman。AndtherewasAlicia，hisdaughter！
Thinkofher！Thinkofthedisgrace！Andsoon，overandover，withtheonerecurringburden——whatwasthecaptaingoingtodo？
whatwashegoingtodo？Itwasamiserable，dreadfulexhibition，andCaptainCycouldfeelnoprideinhistriumph。
“There！there！”hesaidatlast。“Stopit，man；stopit，forgoodnesssakes！Pullyourselftogether。Iguesswecanfixitupsomehow。Iain'tgoin'tobetoohardonyou。Ifitwan'tforyourmeannessinbein'willin'toletBos'nsufferherlifelongwiththatdrunkenbeastofadadofhers，I'dfeelalmostliketellin'youtogetupandforgetit。ButTHAT'Sgottobestopped。
Now，youlistentome。“
Hemanlistened。Hewasonhiskneesbesidethebed，hisfaceburiedinhisarms，andhisgrayhair，theleonineAtkinshair，whichhewaswonttotossbackwardintheheatedperiodsofhiseloquence，tumbledanddraggled。CaptainCylookeddownathim。
“ThiswholebusinessaboutBos'nmustbestopped，“hesaid，“andstoppedrightoff。Youtellyourlawyerstodropthecase。Herdadisonlyhangin'aroundbecauseyoupayhimto。Hedon'twanther；hedon'tcarewhatbecomesofher。Ifyoupayhimenough，he'llgo，won'the？andnotcomeback？”
Thecongressmanraisedhishead。
“Why，yes，“hefaltered；“Ithinkhewill。Yes，IthinkIcouldarrangethat。But，Cyrus——“
Thecaptainhelduphishand。
“IintendtolookoutforBos'n，“hesaid。“Shecaresformemore'nanyoneelseintheworld。She'sasmuchtomeasmyownchildevercouldbe，andI'llseethatsheishappyandprovidedfor。I'mreligiousenoughtobelieveshewassenttome，andI
intendtosticktomytrust。Asforthemoney——“
“Yes，yes！Themoney？”
“Well，Iwon'tbetoohardonyouthatway，either。We'lltalkthatoverlateron。Maybewecanarrangeforyoutopayitalittleatatime。Youcansignapapershowin'thatyouoweit，andwe'llfixthepayin'tosuitallhands。'Tain'tasifthechildwasinwant。I'vegotsomemoneyofmyown，andwhat'smine'shers。Ithinkweneedn'tworryaboutthemoneypart。“
“Godblessyou，Cyrus！I——“
“Yes，allright。I'msureyouraskin'fortheblessin''llbeagreathelp。Now，youdoyourpart，andI'lldomine。Nooneknowsofthisbusinessbutme。Ididn'ttellEverdeanaword。Hedon'tknowwhyIhustledoutthereandback，norwhyIaskedsomanyquestions。Andheain'tthekindtopryintowhatdon'tconcernhim。Soyou'reprettysafe，Ical'late。Now，ifyoudon'tmind，I
wishyou'drunalonghome。I'm——I'musedup，sortof。“
Mr。Atkinsarosefromhisknees。Eventhen，brokenashewas——helookedtenyearsolderthanwhenheenteredtheroom——hecouldhardlybelievewhathehadjustheard。
“Youmean，“hefaltered，“Cyrus，doyoumeanthat——thatyou'renotgoingtorevealthis——this——“
“ThatI'mnotgoin'totellonyou？Yup；that'swhatImean。YougetridofThomasandsquelchthatlawcase，andI'llkeepmum。
Youcantrustmeforthat。“
“But——but，Cyrus，thepeopleathome？YourstoryintheBreeze？
You'renot——“
“No，theyneedn'tknow，either。It'llbebetweenyouandme。“
“Godblessyou！I'llneverforget——“
“That'sright。Youmustn't。Forgettin'istheonethingyoumustn'tdo。And，seehere，you'rebossofthepoliticalfleetinBayport；yousteertheschoolcommitteenow。PhoebeDawesain'ttoopopularwiththatcommittee；I'dseethatshewaspopularized。“
“Yes，yes；sheshallbe。Sheshallnotbedisturbed。IsthereanythingelseIcando？”
“Why，yes，Iguessthereis。Speakin'ofpopularitymademethinkofit。Thatharborappropriationhadbettergothrough。“
Averyfainttingeofcolorcameintothecongressman'schalkyface。Hehesitatedinhisreply。
“I——Idon'tknowaboutthat，Cyrus，“hesaid。“Thebillwillprobablybevotedoninafewdays。Itismadeupand——“
“ThenI'dstrainap'intandmakeitover。I'dworkrealhardonit。I'msorryaboutthatsugarriver，butIcal'lateBayport'llhavetocomefirst。Yes，it'llhaveto，Heman；itsartinwill。“
Thereferencetothe“sugarriver“wasthefinalstraw。Evidentlythismankneweverything。
“I——I'lltrymybest，“affirmedHeman。“Thankyou，Cyrus。YouhavebeenmoremercifulthanIhadarighttoexpect。“
“Yes，IguessIhave。WhydoIdoit？”Hesmiledandshookhishead。“Well，Idon'tknow。Fortworeasons，maybe。First，I'dhatetoberesponsiblefortippin'oversuchasky-towerin'idolasyou'vebeentomakeruinsforAngiePhinneyandtheotherblackbirdstopeckatandcawover。Andsecond——well，itdoessoundpresumin'，don'tit，butIkindofpityyou。Say，Heman，“headdedwithachuckle，“that'sakindofdistinction，inaway，ain'tit？Agoodmanyfolkshavehurrahedoveryouandworshippedyou——someof'em，I
guesslikely，haveenviedyou；but，bythebigdipper！IdobelieveI'mtheonlyoneinthisroundworldthateverPITIEDyou。Good-by。
Theelevator'srightdownthehall。“
ItrequiredsomeresolutionfortheHonorableAtkinstowalkdownthatcorridorandpresstheelevatorbutton。Buthedidit，somehow。Aguestcameoutofoneoftheroomsandapproachedhimashestoodthere。Itwasamanheknew。Hemansquaredhisshouldersandseteverynerveandmuscle。
“Goodevening，Mr。Atkins，“saidtheman。“Amiserablenight，isn'tit？”
“Miserable，indeed，“repliedthecongressman。Thestrengthinhisvoicesurprisedhim。Themanpassedon。Hemandescendedintheelevator，walkedsteadilythroughthecrowdedlobbyandouttothecurbwherehiscabwaswaiting。Thedrivernoticednothingstrangeinhisfare'sappearance。HenoticednothingstrangewhentheAtkinsresidencewasreachedanditstenantmountedthestonestepsandopenedthedoorwithhislatchkey。But，ifhehadseenthedignifiedformcollapseinalibrarychairandmoanandrockbackandforthuntilthemorninghours，hewouldhavewonderedverymuchindeed。
MeanwhileCaptainCy，coughingandshiveringbytheradiator，hadbeensummonedfromthatwarmhavenbyaknockathisdoor。Abellboystoodatthethreshold，holdingabrownenvelopeinhishand。
“Theclerksentthisuptoyou，sir，“hesaid。“Itcameaweekago。Whenyouwentaway，youdidn'tleaveanyaddress，andwhateverletterscameforyouweresentbacktoBayport，Massachusetts。Theclerksaysyouregisteredfromthere，sir。
Buthekeptthistelegram。Itwasinyourbox，andthedayclerkforgottogiveittoyouthisafternoon。“
Thecaptaintoreopentheenvelope。Thetelegramwasfromhislawyer，Mr。Peabody。Itwasdatedaweekbefore，andreadasfollows：
“Comehomeatonce。Important。“
CHAPTERXX
DIVIDEDHONORS
Theblizzardbeganthatnight。Bayporthasagenerousallowanceofstormsandgalesduringawinter，although，asausualthing，thereismorerainthansnowandmorewindthaneither。ButwecancountwithcertaintyonatleastoneblizzardbetweenNovemberandApril，andaboutthetimewhenCaptainCy，feverishandill，thedelayedtelegraminhispocketandagreatfearinhisheart，boardedthesleeperoftheEast-boundtrainatWashington，snowwasbeginningtofallinourvillage。
Nextmorning，whenGeorgiannacamedownstairstoprepareBos'n'sbreakfast——thehousekeeperhadceasedto“gohomenights“sincethecaptain'sabsence——theworldoutsidewasatumbled，drivingwhirlofwhite。Thewoodshedandbarn，dimlyseenthroughthesmother，werebutgrayshapes，emergingnowandthenonlytobewipedfromthevisionasbyagreatflappingclothwieldedbythemightyhandofthewind。Theoldhouseshookintheblasts，thewindowpanesrattledasifhandfulsofsmallshotwerebeingthrownagainstthem，andthecarpetonthefloorofthediningroompuffedupinminiaturebillows。
Schoolwasoutofthequestion，andBos'n，herbreakfasteaten，preparedtoputinacozydaywithherdollsandChristmasplaythings。
“WhenDOyous'poseUncleCyruswillgethome？”sheaskedofthehousekeeper。Shehadaskedthesamethingatleastthreetimesadayduringthefortnight，andGeorgianna'sanswerwasalwaysjustasunsatisfactory：
“Idon'tknow，dearie，I'msure。He'llbehereprettysoon，though，don'tyoufret。“
“Oh，Iain'tgoingtofret。Iknowhe'llcome。Hesaidhewould，andUncleCyalwaysdoeswhathesayshewill。“
AbouttwelveAsaphmadehisappearance，awhitestatue。
“Godfreyscissors！”hepanted，shakinghissnow-plasteredcapoverthecoalhod。“Say，thisisoneof'em，ain'tit？Don'tknow'sI
everseemoreofaone。Driftoutbythefrontfenceprettynighuptomywaist。This'llbeanastynightalongtheOrhambeach。
Thelifesavers'llhavetheirhandsfull。Whew！I'mabouttuckeredout。“
“Beentothepostoffice？”askedGeorgiannainalowtone。
“Yup。Ibeenthere。Mornin'mailjustthisminutesorted。
Train'stwohourslate。Gabesaysmore'nlikelytheevenin'trainwon'tbeabletogetthroughatall，ifthiskeepsup。“
“Wasthereanythingfrom——“
Mr。TiddittglancedatBos'nandshookhishead。
“Notaword，“hesaid。“Funny，ain'tit？Itdon'tseemabitlikehim。Andhecan'tbetoWashin'ton，becauseallthemletterscameback。I——Iswantoman，I'mbeginnin'togetworried。“
“Worried？I'mprettynighcrazy！WhatdoesPhoebeDawessay？”
“Shedon'tsaymuch。It'sprettytough，wheneverythingelseisworkin'outsofine，thankstoher，tohavethishappen。No，shedon'tsaymuch，butsheactsprettysolemn。“
“Say，Mr。Tidditt？”
“Yes，whatisit？”
“Youdon'ts'poseanythingthathappenedbetwixtherandCap'nWhittakerthatafternoonisresponsiblefor——forhisstayin'awayso，doyou？Youknowwhathetoldmetotellher——abouthernotcomin'here？”
Asaphfidgetedwiththewetcap。
“Aw，thatain'tnothin'，“hestammered。“Thatis，Ihopeitain't。
Ididsaysomethin'tohimthat——butPhoebeunderstands。She'sasmartwoman。“
“Youhaven'ttoldthemboardin'housetattletalesaboutthe——Emmie，yougofetchmeacardofmatchesfromthekitchen，won'tyou——ofwhat'sbeenfoundoutaboutthatThomasthing？”
“CourseIain't。Didn'tPeabodysaynottotellasoultillwewassure？S'poseI'dtellKeturahandAngie？Might'swellpaintitonasignandbedonewithit。No，no！I'vekeptmumandyoudothesame。Well，Imustbegoin'。HopetogoodnesswehearsomegoodnewsfromWhitbyto-morrer。“
Butwhento-morrowcamenewsofanykindwasunobtainable。Notrainscouldgetthrough，andthetelephoneandtelegraphwireswereoutofcommission，owingtothegreatstorm。Bayportwasburiedunderawhitecoverlet，threefeetthickonalevel，whichshoneinthewintersunasifpowderedwithdiamonddust。Thestreet-shovelingbrigade，meaningmostoftheactivemalecitizens，wasbusywithplowsandshovels。Simmons'swasdesertedintheevenings，formostoftheregularhabitueswenttobedaftersupper，tiredout。
Twodaysofthis。ThenGabeLumley，hisdepotwagonreplacedbyasleigh，drovethepantingDanielintotheyardoftheCyWhittakerplace。Gabewasmuchexcited。Hehadnewsofimportancetocommunicateandwaspuffedupinconsequence。
“Thewire'sallrightagain，Georgianna，“hesaidtothehousekeeper，whohadhurriedtothedoortomeethim。“Fustmessagejustcomethrough。Guesswhoit'sfor？”
“Stopyourfoolishness，GabeLumley！”orderedMissTaylor。“Handoverthattelegramthisminute。Don'tyoustoptotalk！Handitover！”
Gabedidn'tintendtobe“corked“thusperemptorily。
“It'sprettyimportantnews，Georgianna，“hedeclared。“Kindofbadnews，too。IthinkI'doughttoprepareyouforit，sortof。
WhenCap'nObedPepperdied，I——“
“DIED！Forthelandsakes！WHATareyousayin'？Givemethat，youfoolhead！Giveittome！”
Shesnatchedthetelegramfromhimandtoreitopen。Itwasnotasbadasmighthavebeen，butitwasbadenough。LawyerPeabodywiredthatCaptainCyrusWhittakerwasathishomeinOstable，sickinbed，andthreatenedwithpneumonia。
CaptainCy，hurryinghomewardinresponsetotheattorney'sformertelegram，hadreachedBostonthedayoftheblizzard。HehadtakenthetrainforBayportthatafternoon。ThetrainhadreachedOstableafternineo'clockthatnight，butcouldgetnofarther。
Thecaptain，burningwithfeverandtornbychills，hadwallowedthroughthedriftstohislawyer'shomeandcollapsedonhisdoorstep。Nowhewasveryilland，attimes，delirious。
Fortwoweekshelay，fightingoffthethreatenedattackofpneumonia。Buthewonthefight，and，atlast，wordcametotheanxiousonesatBayportthathewaspastthedangerpointandwouldpullthrough。TherewasrejoicingattheCyWhittakerplace。TheBoardofStrategycameandperformedanimpromptuwardancearoundthedining-roomtable。
“Whe-e-e！”shoutedBaileyBangs，tossingBos'nabovehishead。
“YourUncleCy'sweatheredtheHornandisboundforclearwaternow。Threecheersforourside！Won'twegivehimareceptionwhenwegethimbackhere！”
“Won'twe？”crowedAsaph。“Well，Ijustguesswewill！YououghttohearAngieandtherestof'emchanthymnsofgloryabouthim。
Abody'dthinktheyalwaysknewhewasthesaltoftheearth。
MaybeIdon'trubitinalittle，hey？Oh，no，maybenot！”
“AndHeman！”chimedinMr。Bangs。“AndHeman！WouldyoueverbelieveHE'Dchangesoallofasudden？BullyoldWhit！IcanmentionhisnamenowwithoutKetury'slandin'ontomelikeasnowslide。Whee！Isay，wh-e-e-e！”
Hecontinuedtosayit；andGeorgiannaandAsaphsaidwhatamountedtothesamething。AchangehadcomeoverourBayportsocialatmosphere，amarvelouschange。AndatSimmons'sand——morewonderfulstill——atTadSimpson'sbarber'shop，planswerebeingmadeandperfectedforproceedingsinwhichCyrusWhittakerwastoplaythemostprominentpart。
Meanwhiletheconvalescencewentonatarapidrate。Assoonashewaspermittedtotalk，CaptainCybegantoquestionhislawyer。
Howabouttheappeal？HadAtkinsdoneanythingfurther？Theanswersweresatisfactory。Thecasehadbeendropped：theHonorableHemanhadannounceditswithdrawal。HehadsaidthathehadchangedhismindandshouldnotcontinuetoespousetheThomascause。Infact，heseemedtohavewhirledcompletelyaboutonhispedestaland，likeacompass，nowpointedonlyinonedirection——
towardhis“boyhoodfriend“andpresentneighbor，CyrusWhittaker。
“It'sperfectlyastounding，“commentedPeabody。“Whatintheworld，captain，didyoudotohimwhileyouwereinWashington？”
“Oh！nothin'much，“wastheratherdisinterestedanswer。“Himandmehadatalk，andhesawtheerrorofhisways，Ical'late。How'sBos'nto-day？Didyougivehermylovewhenyou'phoned？”
“Sofarasthecaseisconcerned，“wentonthelawyer，“Ithinkweshouldhavewonthat，anyway。It'sacuriousthing。Thomashasdisappeared。Howhegotword，orwhohegotitfrom，_I_don'tknow；buthemusthave，andhe'sgonesomewhere，nooneknowswhere。AndyetI'mnotcertainthatwewereontherighttrail。
Itseemedcertainaweekago，butnow——“
Thecaptainhadnotbeenlistening。Hewasthinking。Thomashadgone，hadhe！Good！Hemanwaslivinguptohispromises。AndBos'n，Godblessher，wasfreefromthatdanger。
“HaveyouheardfromEmmie，Iaskedyou？”herepeated。
HewouldnotlistentoanythingfurtherconcerningThomas，eitherthenorlater。Hewassickofthewholebusiness，hedeclared，andnowthateverythingwasallright，didn'twishtotalkaboutitagain。Heaskednothingabouttheappropriation，andthelawyer，actingunderstrictorders，didnotmentionit。
OnlyoncedidCaptainCyinquireconcerningapersoninhishometownwhowasnotamemberofhishousehold。
“Howis——er——how'stheteacher？”heinquiredonemorning。
“How'swho？”
“Why——PhoebeDawes，theschool-teacher。Smart，isshe？”
“Yes，indeed！Why，shehasbeenthemost——“
Thedoctorcameinjustthenandtheinterviewterminated。Itwasnotresumed，becausethatafternoonMr。PeabodystartedforBostononabusinesstrip，tobegonesometime。
Andatlastcamethegreatday，thedaywhenCaptainCywastobetakenhome。Hewasupandabout，hadbeenoutforseveralshortwalks，andwasverynearlyhisownselfagain。Hewasingoodspirits，too，attimes，buthadfitsofseemingdepressionwhich，underthecircumstances，wereunexplainable。Thedoctorthoughttheywereduetohisrecentillnessandforbadequestioning。
TheoriginalplanhadbeenforthecaptaintogotoBayportinthetrain，butthemorningsetforhisdeparturewassuchabeautifulonethatMr。Peabody，whohadthedaybeforereturnedfromthecity，suggesteddrivingover。Sotheopencarriage，drawnbythePeabody“span，“wasbroughtaroundtothefrontsteps，andthecaptain，bundledupuntil，ashesaid，hefeltlikeawharfratinsideacottonbale，emergedfromthehousewhichhadshelteredhimforawearymonthandclimbedtothebackseat。Theattorneygotinbesidehim。
“Allashorethat'sgoin'ashore，“observedCaptainCy。Thentothedriver，whostoodbythehorses'heads，headded：“Standbytogetshipunderway，commodore。I'mhomewardbound，andthere'salittlemessmateofminewaitin'onthedockalready，Iwouldn'twonder。Sodon'thangaroundthesewatersnolonger'nyoucanhelp。“
ButMr。Peabodysmiledandlaidahandonhisshoulder。
“Justaminute，captain，“hesaid。“We'vegotanotherpassenger。
Shecametothehouselastevening，butDr。Colethoughtthiswouldbeanexcitingdayforyou，andyoumustsleepinpreparationforit。Sowekeptherinthebackground。Itwassomethingofajobbut——Hurrah！heresheis！”
Mrs。Peabody，thelawyer'swife，openedthefrontdoor。Shewaslaughing。Thenextmomentasmallfigureshotpasther，downthesteps，andintothecarriagelikeared-hoodedbombshell。
“UncleCyrus！”shescreamedjoyously。“UncleCyrus，it'sme！HereIam！”
AndCaptainCy，springingupandsheddingwrapsandrobes，receivedthebombshellwithopenarmsandhuggedittight。
“Bos'n！”heshouted。“Bythebigdipper！BOS'N！Why，youlittle——
you——you——“
Thatwasawonderfulride。Emilysatinthecaptain'slap——hepositivelyrefusedtolethersitbesidehimontheseat，althoughPeabodyurgedit，fearingthechildmighttirehim——andhertonguerattledlikeasewingmachine。Shehadathousandthingstotell，aboutherschool，aboutGeorgianna，aboutherdolls，aboutLonesome，thecat，andhowmanymicehehadcaught，aboutthebigsnowstorm。
“Georgiannawantedmetostayathomeandwaitforyou，UncleCy，“
shesaid，“butIteasedandteasedandfinallytheysaidIcouldcomeover。Icameyesterdayonthetrain。Mr。Tiddittwentwithmetothedepot。Mrs。PeabodyletmepeekintoyourroomlastnightandIsawyoueatingsupper。Youdidn'tknowIwasthere，didyou？”
“YoubetIdidn't！There'dhavebeenamutinyrightthenifI'dcaughtsightofyou。Youlittlesculpin！Playin'itonyourUncleCy，wasyou？Ididn'tknowyoucouldkeepasecretsowell。“
“Oh，yesIcan！Why，Iknowaneversomuchbiggersecret，too。