belie me," Carroll replied, smiling. He offered a
cigar to Lee and to the druggist, who sat next on the other side.

"Been out of town?" asked the druggist.

"Yes," replied Carroll.

Drake looked at him hesitatingly, but Amidon, speaking stiffly and
cautiously, put the question directly: "Where you been, cap'n?"

"A little journey on business," Carroll answered, easily, lighting
his cigar.

"When did you get home?" asked Amidon.

"This morning."

"You certainly look as if you had lost flesh," said Lee, with
obsequious solicitude.

"Well, it is a hard journey to Chicago--quite a hard journey,"
remarked the druggist, with cunning.

"Not on the fast train," said Carroll.

"So you went on the flyer?" said the postmaster.

Carroll was having some difficulty in lighting his cigar, and did not
reply.

"Did you go on the flyer?" persisted the postmaster.

"No, I did not," replied Carroll, with unmistakable curtness.

The postmaster hemmed to conceal embarrassment. He had been shaved
and had only lingered for a bit of gossip, and now the church-bells
began to ring, and he was going to church, as were also Lee, the
druggist, and most of the others. They rose and lounged out, one
after another; little Willy Eddy followed them. Flynn finished
shaving Amidon, who also left, and finally he was left alone in the
shop with Carroll, who arose and approached the chair.

"Sorry to keep you waitin', Captain Carroll," said Flynn, preparing a
lather with enthusiasm.

"The day is before me," said Carroll, as he seated himself.

"I hope," said Flynn, beating away his hand in a bowl of mounting
rainbow bubbles--"I hope that--that--your feelings were not hurt
at--at--our eavesdropping."

"At what?" asked Carroll, kindly and soberly.

"At our eavesdropping," reported the barber, with a worshipful and
agitated glance at him.

"Oh!" answered Carroll, but he did not smile. "No," he said, "my
feelings were not hurt." He looked at the small man who was the butt
of the town, and his expression was almost caressing.

Flynn continued to beat away at the lather, and the rainbow bubbles
curled over the edge of the bowl. "You said that you would devise me
when the time had come for me to invest that money," he said,
diffidently, and yet with a noble air of confidence and loyalty.

"It hasn't come yet," Carroll replied.

Chapter XIX

As Ina Carroll's wedding-day drew nearer, the excitement in Banbridge
increased. It was