one.
There was no question about that. He might at the very moment have
been unpacking his possessions, hanging his clothes in the closet, and
stowing away his undergarments in the chest of drawers provided for
the purpose. Moreover, there were books to tuck into place on his
bookshelves and other minor duties relative to the settling of his new
quarters.

Oh, there were a score of things he might have done. His Highness,
however, was in much too agitated a frame of mind to turn his
attention to such humdrum tasks. Furthermore, since he had pledged
himself to bear a hand wherever it was needed, he felt he should be on
the spot and within call. And if beneath this worthy motive lurked a
certain desire to see whatever there was to be seen, who can say his
curiosity was not pardonable? One does not set forth every day to make
his fortune. The adventure was very alluring to him who had never
tried it.

Possibly Jerry Taylor had enough of the boy in him to understand this.
However that might be, he did not hurry the lad indoors to unpack even
though he sensed full well that precious time was being wasted;
instead, as he started across the lawn he called back over his
shoulder:

"If you've nothing better to do, sonny, than to stand shivering in the
barn, come along up to the house with me and help bring up some wood;
I'm going to start fires burning in the rooms to cheer the folks up
and dry 'em off when they get here. To my mind there ain't nothin'
like an open fire to right you if you're out of sorts. And likely they
will be out of sorts. Mr. Crowninshield will, that's sure. Now I
myself don't mind a gray day off and on. It's sorter restful and
calming. But these city people can't see it that way. My eye, no! They
begin to groan so you can hear 'em a mile away the minute the sun is
clouded over; and by the second day of a good northeaster they are
done for. You'd think to listen to 'em that the end of the world had
come. No motoring! No golf! No tennis! Why, they might as well be
dead. They begin to wonder why they ever came here anyway and talk of
nothing but how nice it is in New York. Why, you would split your
sides laughing to hear Mr. Crowninshield moan for Wall Street and
Fifth Avenue. Three days of fog is his limit. After that ropes
couldn't tie him here. He tumbles his traps into a suitcase and off he
goes to the city."

"Great Scott!" Walter ejaculated.

"Oh, 'tain't a bad thing to have him go, take it by a