"She has enough to bother her already," said he, as he closed and locked
the door of his room; "and although I have no secrets from her, I don't
like to speak to her on disagreeable subjects. I wish she could forget
that money in the cellar wall and the hints Wat Gifford gave her about
'longshoremen coming up here from Plymouth some dark night to steal
it."

Sailor Jack, who was standing in front of the bureau putting away his
letters of recommendation and the canvas bag that contained his money,
turned quickly about and looked at his brother without speaking.

"Of course I don't know that such a thing will ever happen," continued
Marcy, "but I do know for a fact that Beardsley and a few others are
very anxious to find out whether or not there are any funds in the
house. Beardsley tried his level best to pump me, and Colonel Shelby
sent that trifling Kelsey up here for the same purpose. Now what
difference does it make to them whether mother has money or not, unless
they mean to try to take it from her?"

"Marcy," said Jack, who had backed into the nearest chair, "I wish that
money was a thousand miles from here. You haven't anything to fear from
those wharf-rats at Plymouth; but if the Confederate authorities find
out about it, and can scrape together evidence enough to satisfy them
that mother is Union, they'll come down on this house like a nighthawk
on a June bug. And, worse than that, Beardsley may contrive to have
mother put under arrest."

"No!" gasped Marcy. "What for?"

"Don't you know that the Richmond Government has instructed its loyal
subjects to repudiate the debts they owe to Northern men and to turn the
amount of those debts into the Confederate treasury?"

"Well, what of it? We don't owe anybody a red cent."

"No odds. If Beardsley wants evidence to prove that we _do_ owe some
Northern house for the supplies we have been receiving, and that we are
holding back the money instead of giving it to the Confederacy--if
Beardsley needs evidence to prove all that he can easily find it."

"Why, the--the villain!" exclaimed Marcy, who had never been more
astounded.

"He's worse than that, and he'll do worse than that if he sees half a
chance," said Jack, with a sigh. "I wish the Yankees might get hold of
him, and that some one would tell them who and what he is, for I judge
from what you have told me that he is at the bottom of all mother's
troubles. Now, let me tell you: you must stay at home and take