"

"Of course I should. If----" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Why did you
sell?"

"Same as I said afore, I didn't have no need of her, and she was getting
expensive to keep up." His face darkened, and an expression of pain shot
through the shadows.

"You said you were not going to pretend to me. Tell me the real
reason."

"I can't."

"In other words, that is the secret of your mysterious trip to the
city."

"Yes, that's my secret."

"My dear old Uncle!" she cried. "I know your secret! You sold your boat
to get money with which to pay Father. You've sold your one little
luxury to pay a debt you can never pay."

"You're mistook. I can pay your father every cent I got from him to
overhaul my place."

"But that isn't all!"

"It ain't all?"

"I thought I could tell you all about it, but I can't!"

"Do you mean you've something you want to say to me, Beth?"

"I can't! I can't! It is so----"

She broke down and cried without restraint. The old seaman put his arm
about her.

"There! There! Don't cry like that. She ain't wuth it."

"But you are!" she sobbed.

"All that there flood sartinly ain't for an old feller like me! Tut!
Tut! I sartinly ain't wuth it. I'm nothing but a leaky old ark what had
otter been towed in long ago, safe and high to some dry-dock."

"Uncle Josiah, you are the only uncle I've ever had. I love you next to
my father. You are the only man who has ever understood me. I have many
times come to you before going to my own father. And, now, that you are
in trouble, and I might have helped you----"

"Tush. Tush. Don't cry over an old salt like me. I tell you I ain't wuth
it, not one precious drop."

"If you only knew!"

"Maybe I ain't so deep in the fog as you think. I took another trip
while I was in the city to see a lawyer, and I found out some mighty
interesting things."

"But he couldn't tell you everything."

"Beth, is there something you'd otter tell me?"

"There is--there was--but I guess----Did you see a good lawyer?"

"The best I could find."

"Then, why did you sacrifice your boat? It was so needless."

"I had to have that much money right off, and there wa'n't no time to
look about. I didn't think you'd take it like this or I'd sartin never
done it."

"If you had only come to me I could have let you have that much without
you having to sell your boat."

"It would have been a mite queer to borrow from you to pay your dad,
wouldn't it?"

"What does that matter