e
people at the boarding house, of anything and everything he could think
of likely to divert attention from the one important topic. The answers
he received were more and more brief and absent. At last, when Edwards
again appeared, appealingly mute, at the entrance to the dining room,
Captain Elisha, with a sigh which was almost a groan, surrendered.

"I guess," he said, reluctantly, "I guess, Jim, there ain't any use
waitin' any longer. Somethin's kept 'em, and they won't be here for
dinner. You and I'll set down and eat--though I ain't got the appetite I
cal'lated to have."

Pearson had dined hours before, but he followed his friend, resolved to
please the latter by going through the form of pretending to eat.

They sat down together. Captain Elisha, with a rueful smile, pointed to
the floral centerpiece.

"There's your posies, Jim," he observed. "Look pretty, don't they. She
ain't seen 'em yet, but she'll like 'em when she does. And that over
there, is her present from me. Stevie gave her a box of gloves, and I
expect, from what Mrs. Dunn hinted, that she and that son of hers gave
her somethin' fine. She'll show us when she gets here. What's this,
Commodore? Oysters, hey? Well, they ought to taste like home. They're
'Cape Cods'; I wouldn't have anything else."

"We won't touch the birthday cake, Jim," he added, a little later.
"She's got to cut that herself."

The soup was only lukewarm, but neither of them commented on the fact.
The captain had scarcely tasted of his, when he paused, his spoon in
air.

"Hey?" he exclaimed. "Listen! What's that? By the everlastin', it _is_.
Here they are, at _last_!"

He sprang up with such enthusiasm that his chair tipped backwards
against the butler's devoted shins. Pearson, almost as much pleased,
also rose.

Captain Elisha paid scant attention to the chair incident.

"What are you waitin' for?" he demanded, whirling on Edwards, who was
righting the chair with one hand and rubbing his knee with the other.
"Don't you hear 'em at the door? Let 'em in!"

He reached the library first, his friend following more leisurely.
Caroline and Stephen had just entered.

"Well!" he cried, in his quarter-deck voice, his face beaming with
relief and delight, "you _are_ here, ain't you! I begun to think....
Why, what's the matter?"

The question was addressed to Stephen, who stood nearest to him. The boy
did not deign to reply. With a contemptuous grunt, he turned scornfully
away