tor. Daniel, who was not interested, and felt himself in the way,
moped in his own room or went upon more of the lonely walks about town.

Chapter meetings and Chapter activities occupied more of Serena's time.
There were "open" meetings occasionally and these Captain Dan seldom
attended. Mr. Hungerford acted as his wife's escort and seemed to enjoy
it, in his languid fashion. Chapter politics began now to have their
innings. There was to be a national convention of the Ladies of Honor, a
convention to be held in the neighboring city of Atterbury, and Scarford
Chapter was to send delegates. Mrs. B. Phelps Black, who aspired to
national honors, was desirous of being one of these delegates, but so
were many others, and Mrs. Black's candidacy was by no means unopposed.
She called upon Serena for help, and into the fight in aid of her friend
Serena flung herself, heart and soul.

There were meetings, and more meetings, and letter writing, and
canvassing of voters. Here again, Daniel was of no use. Cousin Percy's
experience--he seemed to have had all sorts of experience--helped
amazingly. Mr. Hungerford's willingness to help in all things where no
particular labor was concerned was most astonishing. By this time he was
as much a member of the Dott household as Serena herself--more than the
captain, who began to feel that he was not a member at all. Even bridge
was side-tracked for the more absorbing political game, and evening
after evening Captain Dan spent alone. Occasionally Mr. Hungerford kept
him company, but his was company not too congenial. It is true that the
young man was agreeable enough, but he and the captain found nothing in
common to talk about, and Cousin Percy usually gave up the attempt at
conversation rather early and fell asleep upon the sofa or went out on
little excursions of his own to which Daniel was not invited.

Mr. Hungerford smoked a good deal, and it was Daniel's cigars that he
smoked. His vacation seemed no nearer the end than it had when he first
came. The shrewd Azuba informed the captain that she guessed it was "one
of them vacations that didn't have any end, but was all beginnin'."
Her employer reproved her for speaking in this way of a friend of the
family--he felt it was his duty to do that--but the rebuke was a mild
one.

One night, or rather one morning, for it was nearly two o'clock, he was
awakened by a series of violent shakes, and opened his eyes to find his
wife bending over him