at I say and I'm so glad to have you to talk it over
with. I daren't say a word to her about it, of course, and I can't
talk to the servants. They get just frantic. Once I said something to
Dinah and she went into a fit, nearly. Said she'd tear the house down
stone by stone 'scusin' she'd let her 'li'l Miss Betty what was
borned yeah be tu'ned outen it.' You see that dear Auntie, in the
goodness of her heart, has taken care of a lot of old women and old
men, in a big house the family used to own down in the country.
Something or somebody has 'failed' whatever that means and most of
Aunt Betty's money has failed too. If she sells Bellvieu, as the
'city' has been urging her to do for ever so long, she'll have enough
money left to still take care of her 'old folks' and keep up their
Home. If she doesn't--Well there isn't enough to do everything. And,
though she doesn't say a word of complaint, it's heart-breaking to see
the way she goes around the house and grounds, laying her old white
hand on this thing or that in such a loving way--as if she were saying
good-bye to it! Then, too, Jim, did you know that poor Mabel Bruce has
lost her father? He died very suddenly and her mother has been left
real poor. Mabel grieves dreadfully; so, of course, she must be one of
our guests on the Water Lily. She won't cheer up Aunt Betty very well,
but you must do that. She's very fond of _you_, Jim, Aunt Betty is,
and it's just splendid that you're free from Dr. Sterling now and can
come to manage our boat. Why, boy, what's the matter? Why do you look
so 'sollumcolic?' Didn't you want to come? Aren't you glad that 'Uncle
Seth' gave me the 'Water Lily'?"

"No. I didn't want to come. And if Mrs. Betty's so poor, what you
doing with a house-boat, anyway?"

Promptly, they fell into such a heated argument that Ephraim
felt obliged to interfere and remind his "li'l miss" that she
was in a public conveyance and must be more "succumspec' in yo'
behavesomeness." But she gaily returned that they were now the
only passengers left in the car and she must make stupid Jim
understand--everything.

Finally, she succeeded so far that he knew the facts:

How and why the house-boat had become Dorothy's property; that she
had three hundred dollars in money, all her own; and that, instead of
putting it in the bank as she had expected, she was going to use it
to sail the Water Lily and give some unhappy people a real good time;
that Jim was expected to wo