speculating concerning her husband's strange words and his
equally strange attitude of confident and excited happiness. What did it
mean? There was some secret she was sure; some good news for Gertrude;
there must be. She, too, began to share the excitement and feel the
confidence. Daniel had asked her to trust him, and she did trust him.
He, and not she, had been right in judging Mrs. Black and Cousin Percy,
and Scarford, and all the rest. He had been right all through. She
had reason to trust him; he was always right. With this comforting
conclusion--one indication of the mental revolution which her Scarford
experience had brought about--she ceased wondering and dropped to sleep.

Captain Dan and Azuba had a short conference in the kitchen.

"Understand, do you, Zuba?" queried the captain. "A late dinner and
plenty of it."

"I understand. Land sakes! I ain't altogether a numskull or a young-one,
even if I do have to be shut up in the closet to make me behave."

"Ho! ho! I expect you could have knocked my head off for bein' in the
way just at that time."

"Humph!" with a one-sided smile, "I could have knocked my own off for
not listenin' afore I come downstairs. If I'd heard Laban's voice I bet
you I wouldn't have come. All I needed was a chance to be alone with him
and explain what Gertie and I were up to."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't have the chance. I wouldn't have missed that
show for somethin'. It beat all my goin' to sea, that did. How you did
holler!"

He roared with laughter. Azuba watched him with growing impatience.

"Got through actin' like a Bedlamite?" she inquired tartly, when he
stopped for breath. "If you have you can clear out and let me get to my
dish-washin'."

"I'm through. Oh, by the way, what did Labe say in your letter? I've
told you what he wrote me, but I forgot that he wrote you, too."

Mrs. Ginn looked troubled. "I don't know what to do with that man," she
declared. "I expect any minute to get word that he's been put in the
lock-up. If that house of yours ain't rented or sold pretty quick, so
he can get to sea again, he will be. Do you know what he's done to that
Hungerford critter?"

"DONE to him! What do you mean? He hasn't seen him, has he?"

"No, he ain't seen him, thank goodness, but Labe is so wrought up over
what that Hapgood thief told him, about your precious cousin stealin'
your telegrams and so on, that he and Hapgood have gone in cahoots to
play a trick on Mr. Percy.