rbid Royal from
ever entering his house. But Royal has offered to help me a hundred
times, but I was afraid to accept his aid on account of your father. Now
he has offered me a home for myself and my two children in his own
house," replied the widow, wiping the tears from her eyes. "He is a good
brother."

Dory was both astonished and mortified.

CHAPTER XXIX.

CAPTAIN GILDROCK HAS DECIDED OBJECTIONS.

"Uncle Royal is a different sort of a man from what I thought he was,
and I am sorry I kept out of the way when he was looking for me. But I
hope, mother, that you don't mean to be dependent upon him or anybody
else," said Dory.

"I have struggled hard to get along, and feed and clothe you children,"
replied Mrs. Dornwood. "If I could get work enough, I could do pretty
well; but"--

"I can take care of you, mother; and I shall do it," interposed Dory.

"You, poor boy! What can you do? I heard that you had been discharged
from your place on the steamboat," added his mother. "Worse than that:
they say you took some money that didn't belong to you."

"Did Corny Minkfield bring that story over here?" demanded Dory
indignantly.

"No: your uncle heard it over at Plattsburgh."

Dory told enough of his story to prove that he did not steal the money
with which he bought the boat, but he could not tell where he got it.
Then he produced the seventy dollars he had in his pocket, and gave that
to his mother.

"Why, Dory, where in the world did you get so much money?" exclaimed
Mrs. Dornwood, as she took the bills; and the amount was more than she
had ever before possessed at one time since she was married.

"I received one hundred and five dollars for a service I rendered to a
man near Plattsburgh, and I earned ten dollars by helping the officer
capture Pearl Hawlinshed," replied Dory.

His mother wanted to know who had given him the money, and for what; and
Dory could only reply that he had promised not to tell. Mrs. Dornwood
was not satisfied, and she greatly feared that her son had been doing
something wrong.

"I can't tell when I promised not to tell," added he. "The man that gave
it to me said that I had saved him from losing a very large sum. With a
part of this I bought the Goldwing."

"I have heard all about the Goldwing Club, and so has your uncle Royal,"
said Mrs. Dornwood. "When he came up yesterday morning, he set about
finding you. We couldn't tell any thing at all what had become of you. I
su