.

"Yes!" cried Mr. Tibbets, seizing the hand and pressing it to the heart
he had thus defended from the suspicion of being pumice, "yes,--that I
should have trusted that dunderheaded, rascally curmudgeon Peck; that
I should have let him call it 'The Capitalist,' despite all my
convictions, when the Anti--'"

"Pshaw!" interrupted my father, drawing away his hand.

"John," said my mother, gravely, and with tears in her voice, "you
forget who delivered you from prison; you forget whom you have nearly
consigned to prison yourself; you forg--"

"Hush, hush!" said my father, "this will never do; and it is you who
forget, my dear, the obligations I owe to Jack. He has reduced my
fortune one half, it is true; but I verily think he has made the three
hearts, in which he my real treasures, twice as large as they were
before. Pisistratus, my boy, ring the bell."

"My dear Kitty," cried Jack, whimperingly, and stealing up to my mother,
"don't be so hard on me; I thought to make all your fortunes,--I did
indeed."

Here the servant entered.

"See that Mr. Tibbets's things are taken up to his room, and that there
is a good fire," said my father.

"And," continued Jack, loftily, "I will, make all your fortunes yet. I
have it here!" and he struck his head.

"Stay a moment!" said my father to the servant, who had got back to
the door. "Stay a moment," said my father, looking extremely
frightened,--"perhaps Mr. Tibbets may prefer the inn!"

"Austin," said Uncle Jack, with emotion, "if I were a dog, with no home
but a dog-kennel, and you came to me for shelter, I would turn out--to
give you the best of the straw!"

My father was thoroughly melted this time.

"Primmins will be sure to see everything is made comfortable for Mr.
Tibbets," said he, waving his hand to the servant. "Something nice for
supper, Kitty, my dear,--and the largest punch-bowl. You like punch,
Jack?"

"Punch, Austin!" said Uncle Jack, putting his handkerchief to his eyes.

The Captain pushed aside the dumb-waiter, strode across the room, and
shook hands with Uncle Jack; my mother buried her face in her apron, and
fairly ran off; and Squills said in my ear, "It all comes of the
biliary secretions. Nobody could account for this who did not know the
peculiarly fine organization of your father's--liver!"

PART XII.

CHAPTER I.

The Hegira is completed,--we have all taken roost in the old Tower. My
father's books have arrived by the wagon,