Theadvancecopy，thefirstone，wasreadyearlyinSeptember，andtheauthor，ofcourse，broughtitimmediatelytohisfriends。Theyfoundthededicationespeciallyinteresting:”ToC。W。andE。W。，consultingspecialistsattheliteraryclinics，withgratefulacknowledgments。”ProbablyCaptainElishawasneverprouderofanything，evenhisfirstcommand，thanofthatdedication。
Andthestory，whenatlastitappearedforsale，wasalmostfromthebeginningasuccess。Thereviewerspraisedit，thereadingpublic——thatfinalcourtofappealwhichmakesorunmakesnovels——
tookkindlytoit，anddiscussedandrecommendedit；and，mostimportantofall，perhaps，itsoldandcontinuedtosell。Therewassomethinginit，itshumanity，itssimplicity，itsclearlymarkedcharacters，whichmadeahit。Pearsonnolongerneededtoseekpublishers；theysoughthim。Hisshortstorieswerebidforbythemagazines，andhispricesclimbedandclimbed。Hefoundhimselfsuddenlyplantedinthemiddleofthehighwaytoprosperity，withaclearroadaheadofhim，providedhecontinuedtodohisbest。
InSeptemberStephengaveuphisworkatthebroker’soffice，spenttheweekswithhisfriendsinMaine，andthenreturnedtoYale。HegaveupthepositionontheStreetwithreluctance。Hewassurehelikeditnow，hedeclared。Itwaswhathewasfittedfor，andhemeant，morethanever，totakeituppermanentlyassoonashewasfree。AndhisemployertoldCaptainElishathattheyoungsterwasbright，clever，andapt。”Alittleconceited，needstakingdownoccasionally，butthatistheonlytrouble。Hehasbeenspoiled，I
shouldimagine，”hesaid。”Yup，”repliedthecaptain，withemphasis；”yourimagination’sagoodone。Itdon’tneedcultivatin’any。”
Thenovelbeingoutoftheway，anditssuccessornotyetfarenoughadvancedinplotorgeneralplanformuchdiscussion，the”literaryclinics”werenolongerasfrequent。ButPearson’svisitstotheWarrenhousewerenotdiscontinued。Allsummerlonghehadbeencomingout，once，andusuallytwice，aweek。CaptainElishahadtoldhimnottostandonformality，tocomeanytime，andhedid。Onmostoftheseoccasionshefoundthecaptainathome；but，ifonlyCarolinewasthere，heseemedquitecontented。
Shedidnotremarkonthefrequencyofhisvisits。Infact，shementionedhimlessandlessinconversationwithheruncle。But，astheautumncameandmovedtowardsitsprimesheseemed，tothecaptain’snoticingeye，atriflemoregrave，alittlemoredesirousofbeingbyherself。Sometimeshefoundhersittingbytheopenfire——pleasantinthecoolOctoberevenings——andgazingverysoberlyattheblaze。Shehadbeeningoodspirits，moremerryandlight-heartedthanhehadeverseenher，duringthelatterpartofthesummer；nowheroldsadnessseemedtobereturning。Itwouldhavetroubledhim，thischangeinhermood，ifhehadnotbelievedheknewthecause。
HewasplanningagloriousThanksgiving。Atleast，itwouldbeglorioustohim，forheintendedspendingtheday，andseveraldays，athisownhomeinSouthDenboro。AbbieBakerhadmadehimpromisetodoit，andhehadagreed。HewouldnotleaveCaroline，ofcourse；shewasgoingwithhim。Stevewouldbethere，thoughhewouldnotcomeuntilThanksgivingDayitself。Sylvester，also，wouldbeoftheparty；heseemeddelightedattheopportunity。”I’mcurioustoseetheplacewheretheyraisefellowslikeyou，”
thelawyersaid。”Itmustbeworthlookingat。””Gravesdon’tthinkso，”chuckledthecaptain。”Iinvitedhim，andhesaid，’No，thankyou’soquickthatthewordswasalltelescopedtogether。Andheshivered，too，whenhesaidit；justasifhefeltthatsou’westgalewhistlin’betweenhisbonesevennow。I
toldhimI’dprettynighguaranteethatnomoretreeswouldfallonhim，butitdidn’thaveanyeffect。”
Pearsonwasaskedandhadaccepted。HisgoingwassofarasettledthingthathehadcommissionedCaptainElishatopurchaseastateroomforhimontheFallRiverboat；forofcoursethecaptainwouldnotconsidertheirtravelingtheentiredistancebytrain。
Ataninterviewintheyoungman’sroomintheboardinghouse，onlythreedaysbeforethedatesetforthestart，hehadbeenalmostasenthusiasticastheCapeCodderhimself。Thepairhadplannedseveralsideexcursions，timeandweatherpermitting，amongthematripacrosstheSoundtoSetuckitPoint，withthepossibilityofsomelatesea-fowlshootingandalongtramptooneofthelife-
savingstations，wherePearsonhopedtopickupmaterialforhisnewbook。Hewasallanticipationandenthusiasmwhenthecaptainlefthim，andsaidhewouldrunouttothehousethefollowingday，tomakefinalarrangements。
ThatdaySylvester’phoned，askingCaptainElishatocometohisofficeonamatterofbusiness。When，havingdoneso，thecaptain，returning，alightedathishomestation，hewassurprisedtoseePearsonstandingontheplatform。”Why，hello，Jim！”heexclaimed。”Whatareyoudoinghere？Justcome，haveyou？”
Hisfriendshookhishead。”No，CaptainWarren，”hesaid；”I’mjustgoing。””Goin’？Whatfor？Beenuptothehouse，ofcourse？CarolinetoldyouwhereI’dgoneandthatIwascal’latin’tohurryback，didn’tshe？””Yes。””Well，then，courseyouain’tgoin’！You’regoin’tostaytodinner。I’vegotsomethingstotellyouaboutthatlife-savin’
stationcruise。I’vebeenthinkin’thatIknowthecap’nandmostofthecrewonthelightshipoffbackofthePoint。How’dyouliketogoaboardofher？Youcouldgetsomeyarnsfromthosefellersthatmightbewuthhearin’。””IhavenodoubtIshould。ButI’mafraidIcan’tgo。Thefactis，Captain，I’vedecidednottospendThanksgivingwithyou，afterall。””Hey？”CaptainElishacouldscarcelybelievehehadheardcorrectly。”Youcan’tgo——toSouthDenboro？””No。””Whynot，forthelandsakes？””Well，I’vedecided——I’vedecidednotto。””But，Jim！Why，Ican’thaveitso！I’mdreadfuldisappointed。
I’vecountedonyourgoin’。SohasAbbie。She’sreadyourbook，andshesaysshe’scrazytoseethefellerthatwroteit。She’stoldtheministerandawholelotmore，andthey’reallcomin’intolookatyou。’Tain’toftenwehaveacelebratedcharacterinourtown。You’veGOTtogo。””Thankyou，Captain。Iappreciatetheinvitationandyourkindness，but，”withdecision，”Ican’taccept。””Can’tyoucomelater？SayThanksgivin’mornin’？Oreventhedayafter？””No。””Butwhynot？What’sthematterwithyouallofasudden？Comehere！letmelookatyou。”
Hetooktheyoungmanbythearmandledhim，almostbymainstrength，closetothelightedwindowofthestation。Itwaslate，andtheafternoonwasgloomy。Here，bythelamplightstreamingthroughthewindow，hecouldseehisfacemoreclearly。Helookedatit。”Humph！”hegrunted，afteramoment’sscrutiny。”You’vemadeupyourmind；Icanseethat。HaveyoutoldCaroline？Doessheknow？””Yes。You’llhavetoexcuseme，CaptainWarren；mytrainiscoming。””Whatdidshesay？”
Pearsonsmiled，buttherewaslittlemirthinthesmile。”Ithinksheagreeswithmethatitisbest，”heobserved。”Humph！Shedoes，hey？Iwanttoknow！Lookhere，Jim！haveyouandshe——”
Hegotnofurther，forPearsonbrokeaway，and，withahurried”Goodnight，”strodeuptheplatformtomeetthecity-boundtrain。
CaptainElishawatcheditgoandthenwalkedslowlyhomeward，hishandsinhispockets，troubledandwondering。
Heenteredthehousebythebackdoor，aremnantofSouthDenborohabit，andfoundAnnieinthekitchen。”Where’sCaroline？”heasked。”She’sinthelivingroom，sir，Ithink。Mr。Pearsonhasbeenhereandjustgone。””Um-hm。SoIheard。Say，Annie，youneedn’thurrydinner；Iain’treadyforityetawhile。”
Hehunghiscoatandhatinthebackhallandquietlyenteredthelivingroom。Thelampwasnotlighted，andtheroomwasdark，buthesawhisniece，ashadowyfigure，seatedbythewindow。Hecrossedtoherside。”Well，Caroline，”hesaid，cheerfully，”I’mhomeagain。”
Sheturned。”Iseeyouare，”sheanswered。”Humph！youreyesmustbebetterthanminethen。Ican’tseeanythinginhere。It’sdarkerthananigger’spocket。Supposeweturnontheglim。”
Hestruckamatchashesaidit。Byitslighthesawherface。
Thematchburneddowntohisfingertipsandthenheextinguishedit。”Idon’tknowbutthedarkisjustasgoodandmoreeconomical，”heobserved。”Nouseofencouragin’thegraspin’iletrustunlessit’snecessary。Let’syouandmesithereinthedarkandtalk。
Noobjectiontotalkin’toyourbackcountryrelation，haveyou？””No。””That’sgood。Well，Caroline，I’mgoin’totalkplainagain。Youcanordermetoclosemyhatchanytimeyoufeellikeit；that’sskipper’sprivilege，andyou’rebossofthiscraft，youknow。
Dearie，IjustmetJimPearson。Hetellsmehe’sdecidednottogoonthisCapecruiseofours。Hesaidyouagreedwithhim’twasbestheshouldn’tgo。Doyoumindtellin’mewhy？”
Shedidnotanswer。Hewaitedaminuteandthencontinued。”Course，IknowIain’tgotanyrealrighttoask，”hewenton；”butIthinkmoreofyouandJimthanIdoofanybodyelse，andsomaybeyou’llexcuseme。Haveyouandhehadafallin’out？”
Stillshewassilent。Hesighed。”Well，”heobserved，”Iseeyouhave，andIdon’tblameyoufornotwantin’totalkaboutit。I’mawfulsorry。I’dbeguntohopethat……However，we’llchangethesubject。Orwewon’ttalkatall，ifyou’drathernot。”
Anotherpause。Thenshelaidherhandonhis。”Uncle，”shesaid，”youknowIalwayswanttotalktoyou。And，asfortherighttoask，youhavetherighttoaskanythingofmeatanytime。AndIshouldhavetoldyou，ofmyownaccord，byandby。
Mr。PearsonandIhavenotquarreled；butIthink——IthinkitbestthatIshouldnotseehimagain。””Youdo？Notseehim——anymore——atall？Why，Caroline！””Notforalong，longtime，atleast。Itwouldonlymakeitharder——
forhim；andit’sofnouse。”
CaptainElishasighedagain。”IguessIunderstand，Caroline。I
presumelikelyIdo。He——heaskedsomethin’ofyou——andyoucouldn’tsayyestohim。Thatwasit，Isuppose。Needn’ttellmeunlessyoureallywantto，youunderstand，”headded，hastily。”ButIdo。Ioughttotellyou。Ishouldhavetoldyoubefore，andperhaps，ifIhad，hewouldnothave……UncleElisha，Mr。
Pearsonaskedmetobehiswife。”
Thecaptaingavenoevidenceofsurprise。”Yes，”hereplied，gravely，”Ijudgedthatwasit。Andyoutoldhimyoucouldn’t，Isuppose。Well，dearie，that’saquestionnobodyoughttoanswerbuttheone。She’stheonlyonethatknowswhatthatanswershouldbe，and，whenotherfolksinterfereandtrytoinfluence，itgenerallymeanstrouble。I’mkindofdisappointed；
I’llownuptothat。IthinkJimisafine，honest，ableyoungman，andhe’dmakeagoodhusband，I’msure。And，sofarashisbusiness，orprofession，orwhateveryoucallit，goes，he’sdoin’
prettywellandsartintodobetter。Ofcourse，’twa’n’tthatthatkeptyoufrom——””UncleElisha！Am_I_sorichthatIshould——””There！there，mygirl！Iknow’twa’n’tthat，ofcourse。Iwasonlythinkin’outloud，that’sall——tryin’tofindreasons。Youdidn’tcareforhimenough，Isuppose。Caroline，youdon’tcareforanybodyelse，doyou？Youdon’tstillcareforthatotherfeller，that——””Uncle！”shesprangup，hurtandindignant。”Howcanyou？”shecried。”Howcouldyouaskthat？Whatmustyouthinkofme？””Please，Caroline，”heprotested；”pleasedon’t。Ibegyourpardon。Iwasafool！Iknewbetter。Don’tgo。Tellmetherealreason。Sitdownagainandlet’stalkthisout。Dositdown！
that’sit。Nowtellme；wasitthatyoucouldn’tcareforJimenough？”
Shehesitated。”Wasit？”herepeated。”I——IlikeMr。Pearsonverymuch。Irespectandadmirehim。””Butyoudon’tlovehim。Isee。Well，”sadly，”there’sanotheroneofmydreamsgonetosmash。However，youdidjustright，dearie。Feelin’thatway，youcouldn’tmarryhim，ofcourse。”
Hewouldhaverisennow，andshedetainedhim。”Thatwasnotthereason，”shesaid，inalowtone。”Hey？”hebenttowardher。”What？”hecried。”Thatwa’n’tthereason，yousay？Youdocareforhim？”
Shewassilent。”Doyou？”herepeated，gently。”Andyetyousenthimaway。Why？”
Shefaltered，triedtospeak，andthenturnedaway。Heputhisarmaboutherandstrokedherhair。”Don’tyoucry，dearie，”hebegged。”Iwon’tbotheryouanymore。
Youcantellmesomeothertime——ifyouwantto。Oryouneedn’ttellmeatall。It’sallright；onlydon’tcry。’Causeifyoudo，”withsuddendetermination，”Ishallcry，too；and，bein’asI
ain’tusedtotheexercise，ImayraisesucharowthatAnnie’llsendfortheconstable。Youwouldn’twantthattohappen，Iknow。”
Thisunexpectedannouncementhadthedesiredeffect；Carolinelaughedhystericallyandfreedherselffromhisarm。”Imustn’tbesosilly，”shesaid。”Ihadmadeupmymindtotellyoueverything，andIshall。MynotcaringforMr。Pearsonwasnotmyreasonforrefusinghim。Thereasonsweretwo——youandSteve。””MeandSteve？Whatintheworldhavewegottodowithit？””Everything。Hewouldmarryme，poorasIam；andperhapsI——
perhapsIshouldsayyesifthingsweredifferent。Oh，thereisnousemydeceivingyou，ortryingtodeceivemyself！IknowIshouldsayyes，andbevery，veryhappy。ButIcan’t！andIwon’t！
IWON’T！””Butwhy？Andwhere，formercy’ssake，doSteveandIcomein？””UncleElisha，IsupposeyouthinkIhavebeenperfectlysatisfiedtoletyoutakecareofmeandofmybrother，andgiveusahomeandallthatweneededandmore。NodoubtyouthoughtmeselfishenoughtobecontentedwiththatandgoonasIam——asweare——
livingonyourbounty。Youhadreasontothinkso。ButIhavenotbeencontentedwiththat，norhasSteve。HeandIhavemadeourplans，andweshallcarrythemout。Hewillleavecollegeintwoyearsandgotoworkinearnest。BeforethattimeIshallbereadytoteach。Ihavebeenstudyingwithjustthatideainview。””Goodland！Why，no，youain’t！You’vebeenstudyin’tohelpmeandAnnierunthishouse。””Thatwasonlypartofit——thesmallestpart。Ihaven’ttoldyoubefore，Uncle，butoneoftheDomesticScienceteachersattheUniversityisagirlIusedtoknowslightly。Sheisgoingtobemarriednextyear，and，ifallgoeswell，Imaybeappointedtoherpositionwhensheleaves。Ihaveaconditionalpromisealready。
IfIam，why，then，yousee，Ishallreallybeearningmyownliving；youwillnothavetogiveupyourownhomeandallyourintereststheretomakemecomfortable:youcan——””Here！here！”CaptainElishaputin，desperately；”don’ttalksoridiculous，Caroline。Iain’tgivin’upanything。IneverwasmorehappythanI’vebeenrightherewithyouthissummer。I’msatisfied。””Iknow，butIamnot。AndneitherisSteve。HeandIhaveplanneditall。Hissalaryatfirstwillbesmall，andsowillmine。Buttogetherwecanearnenoughtolivesomehowand，lateron，whenheearnsmore，perhapswemaybeabletorepayalittleofallthatyouhavegivenus。Weshalltry。_I_shallinsistuponit。””CarolineWarren，isTHATthereasonyousentJimaway？Didyoutellhimthat？Didyoutellhimyouwouldn’tmarryhimonaccountofme？””No，ofcourseIdidnot，”indignantly。”Itoldhim——IsaidImustnotthinkofmarriage；itwasimpossible。Anditis！YouKNOWitis，UncleElisha！””Idon’tknowanysuchthing。Ifyouwanttomakemehappy，Caroline，youcouldn’tfindabetterwaythantobeJimPearson’swife。Andyouwouldbehappy，too；yousaidso。””ButIamnotthinkingofhappiness。Itismyduty——toyouandtomyownself-respect。Andnotonlythat，buttoSteve。Someonemustprovideahomeforhim。NeitherhenorIwillpermityoutodoitadaylongerthanisnecessary。IamhissisterandIshallnotleavehim。””Butyouwon’thavetoleavehim。Steve’sfuture’sallfixed。
I’veprovidedforSteve。””Whatdoyoumean？””WhatIsay。”Thecaptainwasverymuchexcitedand，foronce，completelyoffhisguard。”I’vehadplansforSteveallalong。
He’sdoin’fust-rateinthatbroker’soffice，learnin’thetrade。
Nextsummerhe’llhaveanotherwhackatitandlearnmore。Whenhe’soutofcollegeI’mgoin’toturnoveryourdad’sseatontheStockExchangetohim。Notgiveittohim，youknow——notrightoff——butlethimtry；andthen，ifhemakesagoodfistatit，he’llhaveitpermanent。Steve’sgotthebestchanceintheworld。
Hecouldn’taskmuchbetter，seemstome。Youain’tgottofretyourselfaboutSteve。”
Hepaused，almostoutofbreath。Hehadbeenspeakingrapidlysoastopreventinterruption。Caroline’sastonishmentwastoogreatforwords，justthen。Heruncleanxiouslyawaitedherreply。”Yousee，don’tyou？”heasked。”Youunderstand。Steve’sgoin’tohavethechancetomakeagoodlivin’attheverythinghedeclareshe’ssetondoin’。Iain’ttoldhim，andIdon’twantyouto，butit’swhatI’veplannedforhimand——””Wait！wait，Uncle，please！TheStockExchangeseat？Father’sseat？Idon’tsee……Idon’tunderstand。””Yes，yes！”eagerly；”yourpa’sseat。I’vemeantitforSteve。
There’sbeenchancesenoughtosellit，butIwouldn’tdothat。
’Twasforhim，Caroline；andhe’sgoin’tohaveit。””ButIdon’tseehow……Why，Ithought——”
Thedoorofthediningroomopened。Annieappearedonthethreshold。”Dinnerisserved，”sheannounced。”Berightthere，Annie。Nowyouseethatyouain’tgottoworryaboutSteve，don’tyou，Caroline？”
Hisniecedidnotanswer。Bythelightfromthedoorwayhesawthatshewasgazingathimwithastrangeexpression。Shelookedasifshewasabouttoaskanotherquestion。Hewaited，butshedidnotaskit。”Well，”hesaid，rising，”wewon’ttalkanymorejustnow。Annie’ssoup’sgettin’cold，andshe’llbeinourwoolifwedon’thavedinner。Afterwardswecanhaveanothersession。Come，Caroline。”
Shealsorose，buthesitated。”UncleElisha，”shesaid，”willyouexcusemeifIdon’ttalkanymoreto-night？And，ifyoudon’tmind，Iwon’tdinewithyou。I’mnothungryand——andmyheadaches。I’llgotomyroom，Ithink。””Yes，yes，”hesaid，hastily，”ofcourse。I’mafraidI’vetalkedtoomuchas’tis。Yougoupandliedown，andAnniecanfetchyousometoastandteaorsomethin’byandby。Butdojustanswermethis，Caroline，ifyoucan:WhenyoutoldJimmarryin’wasoutofthequestionforyou，didhetakethatasfinal？Washecontentedwiththat？Didn’thesayhewaswillin’towaitforyou，oranything？””Yes，hesaidhewouldwait，always。ButItoldhimhemustnot。
AndItoldhimhemustgoandnotseemeagain。Icouldn’tseehimasIhavebeendoing；Uncle，Icouldn’t！””Iknow，dearie，Iknow。Butdidn’tyousayanythingmore？Didn’tyougivehimANYhope？””Isaid，”shehesitated，andaddedinawhisper，”IsaidifI
shouldeverneedhimor——orchangemymind，Iwouldsendforhim。
Ishouldn’thavesaidit。Itwasweakandwickedofme，butIsaidit。Pleaseletmegonow，Uncledear。Goodnight。”
Shekissedhimandhurriedaway。Heatehislonelydinnerabsent-
mindedlyandwithlittleappetite。Afteritwasfinishedhesatinthelivingroom，thelampstillunlighted，smokingandthinking。
AndinherchamberCaroline，too，satthinking——notaltogetherofthemanshelovedandwholovedher。Shethoughtofhim，ofcourse；buttherewassomethingelse，anidea，asuspicion，whichoverandoveragainshedismissedasanutterimpossibility，butwhichreturnedasoften。
TheStockExchangeseathadbeenapartofherfather’sestate，apartofherownandSteve’sinheritance。Sylvesterhadtoldherso，distinctly。Andsuchaseatwasvaluable；sherememberedherbrotherreadinginthepaperthatonehadrecentlysoldforninetythousanddollars。HowcouldCaptainWarrenhaveretainedsuchacostlypartoftheforfeitedestateinhispossession？Foritwasinhispossession；hewasgoingtogiveittoherbrotherwhenthelatterleftcollege。Buthowcouldhehaveobtainedit？Notbypurchase；for，assheknew，hewasnotworthhalfofninetythousanddollars。Surelythecreditor，themanwhohad，aswashisright，seizedallRodgersWarren’seffects，wouldnothaveleftthatandtakentherest。Notunlesshewasacuriouslyphilanthropicandeccentricperson。Whowashe？Whowasthismysteriousmanherfatherhaddefrauded？Shehadneverwishedtoknowbefore；nowshedid。Andthemoreshepondered，themoreplausiblehersuspicionbecame。Itwasalmostincredible，itseemedpreposterous；but，asshewentback，inmemory，overtheeventssinceherfather’sdeathandthedisclosureofhisastonishingwill，littlebitsofevidence，littlehappeningsanddetailscametolight，triflesinthemselves，butallfittingintogether，likepiecesofaninscriptioninmosaic，tospellthetruth。
CHAPTERXXII
NovemberweatheronCapeCodiswhatCaptainElishadescribedas”considerablechancey。””Thefellerthatcanguessittwodaysaheadoftime，”hedeclared，”iswastin’histalents；hecouldmakealivin’prophesyin’mostanything，eventhemarketpriceofcranberries。”WhenCaroline，Sylvester，andthecaptainreachedSouthDenboroafterwhatseemed，tothetwounusedtotheleisurelywinterscheduleoftherailroad，aninterminablejourneyfromFallRiver，thegirlthoughtshehadneverseenamoregloomyskyoramoreforbiddingscene。Grayclouds，graysea，brownbarefields；
thevillageofwhiteorgray-shingledhousesset，forthemostpart，alongthewindingmainstreet；theelmsandsilver-leafpoplarswavingbarebranchesinthecuttingwind；apictureofthefagendoflonelinessanddesolation，soitlookedtoher。SherememberedMr。Graves’sopinionoftheplace，asjokinglyreportedbySylvester，andshesympathizedwiththedignifiedjuniorpartner。
Butshekeptherfeelingshiddenonheruncle’saccount。ThecaptainwasprobablythehappiestindividualinthestateofMassachusettsthatmorning。Hehailedthetrain’sapproachtoSandwichastheentrancetoOstableCounty，thepromisedland，and，fromthatstationon，excitedlypointedoutfamiliarlandmarksandbitsofsceneryandbuildingswiththegustoandenthusiasmofaschoolboy。”That’sOstablecourt-house，”hecried，pointing。”Andsee——seethatred-roofedhouserightoverthere，justpastthatwhitechurch？That’swhereJudgeBaxterlives；amightygoodfriendofmine，theJudgeis。IstoppedtohishousetodinnerthenightGravescame。”
Alittlefurtheronheadded，”’TwasaboutherethatIspoketoGravesfust。Inoticedhimsittin’rightacrosstheaislefromme，withafaceonhimsourasasasserofgreentamarindpreserves，andIthoughtI’dbesociable。’Toughnight，’Isays。’Umph，’
sayshe。’Twa’n’taremarkcal’latedtoencourageconversation，soIdidn’ttryagain——nottillhisumbrellaturnedinsideoutontheDenboroplatform。Ho！ho！Iwishyou’dhaveseenhisfaceTHEN。”
AtDenborohepointedoutPeteShattuck’sliverystable，wherethehorseandbuggycamefromwhichhadbeenthemeansoftransportingGravesandhimselftoSouthDenboro。”See！”hecried。”Seethatfellerholdin’upthecornerofthedepotwithhisback！theonethat’ssobroadinthebeamhehastodrawinhisbreathaforehecanbuttonhiscoat。That’sPete。
You’dthinkhewastoosleepytocarewhether’twasto-dayornextweek，wouldn’tyou？Well，ifyouwasasummerboarderandwantedtohireateam，you’dfindPetewasawakeandgotupearly。Ifaten-centpiecefellofftheshelfinthemiddleofthenighthe’dhearit，thoughI’veknownhimtosleepwhiletheminister’sbarnburneddown。Theparsonhadbeenpreachin’againsthorse-tradin’；
maybethatsermonwasresponsibleforsomeofthemorphineinfluence。”
Sylvesterwasenjoyinghimselfhugely。CaptainElisha’sexuberantcommentsweregreatfunforhim。”ThisiswhatIcamefor，”heconfidedtoCaroline。”Idon’tcareifitrainsorsnows。Icouldsitandlistentoyouruncleforayearandnevertire。He’sawonder。AndI’mcrazytoseethathousekeeperofhis。Ifshelivesuptoherreputationthere’llbenodisappointmentinmyThanksgivingcelebration。”
Dan，thecaptain’shiredman，metthemwiththecarriageatthestation，andMissBakermetthematthedooroftheWarrenhome。
Theexteriorofthebig，old-fashioned，ramblinghousewasinvitingandhomelike，inspiteofthegloomyweather，andCarolinecheeredupabitwhentheyturnedinatthegate。FiveminutesofMissAbigail’ssociety，andallgloomdisappeared。OnecouldnotbegloomywhereMissAbbiewas。Hersmileofwelcomewassobroadthat，asheremployersaid，”ittookinalloutdoorandsomeofPunkhornNeck，”aplacewhich，hehastenedtoadd，”wasforgotdurin’creationandhassortofhappenedofitselfsince。”
AbbieconductedCarolinetoherroom——old-fashioned，liketherestofthehouse，butcozy，warm，andcheery——and，afterhelpingintheremovalofherwraps，seizedherbybothhandsandtookalonglookatherface。”You’llexcusemybein’sofamiliaronshortacquaintance，dearie，”
shesaid，”butI’veheardsomuchaboutyouthatIfeel’sifIknewyoulikeownfolks。Andyouareownfolks，ain’tyou？Courseyouare！Everyoneof’Lisha’slettershavehadfourpagesofyoutooneofanythingelse。IbeguntothinkNewYorkwasnothin’butyouandawholelotoften-storyhouses。HethinkssomuchofyouthatI’dbejealous，ifIhadthatkindofdispositionandthetimetospare。SoImusthaveagoodlookatyou……Ideclare！
you’realmostprettierthanhesaid。MayIkissyou？I’dliketo。”
Shedid，andtheywerefriendsatonce。
Therestofthatdayandeveningwerebusytimes。CaptainElishashowedhisvisitorsabouttheplace，thebarn，thecows，thepigpen——thepighimselfhadgonetofulfilltheunhappydestinyofpigs，buttheywouldmeethimbysectionslateron，sothecaptainassuredthem。Thehouseandbuildingswerespotlessinpaintandwhitewash；theyardwasrakedcleanofeverydeadleafandtwig；
thewholeestablishmentwassoneatthatCarolineremarkeduponit。”Itlooksasifithadbeenscoured，”shesaid。”Um-hm，”observedheruncle，withagratifiednod；that’sAbbie。
Shehatesdirtworsethanshedoeslaziness，andthatain’tsayin’
alittle。Itellhershe’dsand-soaptheweathervaneifshecouldclimbuptoit；as’tis，shestaysbelowandsuperintendsDanwhilehedoesit。Ifgodlinesswantstostaynexttocleanlinesswhenshe’saroundithastokeeponthejump。Ialwaysbuyshirtstwodegreesheavier’nIneed，’causeIknowshe’llhave’emscrubbedthininafortni’t。WhenitcomestoREALDomesticScience，Caroline，Abbieain’tinthebackrowoftheprimerclass，nowI
tellyou。”
MissBakerhadplannedthatheryoungguestshouldsitinstate，withfoldedhands，intheparlor。SheseemedtoconsiderthattheproperconductforaformermemberofNewYork’sbestsociety。Shewasshockedwhenthegirlvolunteeredtohelpheraboutthehouse。”CourseIsha’n’tletyou，”shesaid。”Theidea——andyoucompany！
GotmorehelpthanIknowwhattodowith，as’tis。’LishawasdeterminedthatIshouldhireagirltowashdishesandthingswhileyouwashere。Nothin’woulddobutthat。SoIgotAnnabelHaven’sdaughter，EttaG。There’sfourteeninthatfamily，andthelandknows’twasanactofcharitytakin’oneappetiteoutofthehouse。Payherfiftycentsaday，Ido，andshe’soutinthekitchenmakin’believewashwindows。Theydon’tneedwashin’，butshewaslookin’outof’emmostofthetime，soIthoughtshemightaswellcombinebusinesswithpleasure。”
ButCarolinerefusedtositintheparlorandbe”company。”Sheinsisteduponhelping。MissBakerprotestedanddeclaredtherewasnothingonearthtobedone；butherguestinsistedthat，iftherewasnot，sheherselfmustsit。AsAbbiewouldhaveassoonthoughtofattendingchurchwithoutwearingherjetearringsasshewouldofsittingdownbeforedinner，shegavein，afterawhile，andpermittedCarolinetohelpinarrangingthetable。”Why，youdofust-rate！”sheexclaimed，insurprise。”Youknowwhereeverythingoughttogo，justasifyou’dbeensettin’tableallyourlife。Andyouain’t，because’Lishawroteyouusedtokeephiredhelp，twoorthreeof’em，allthetime。”
Carolinelaughed。”I’vebeenstudyinghousekeepingforalmostayear，”shesaid。”Studyin’it！Why，yes，nowIremember’Lishawroteyou’dbeenstudyin’somekindofscienceatcollege。’Twa’n’tsettin’tablescience，Iguess，though。Ha！ha！””Thatwaspartofit。”Sheexplainedthecoursebriefly。Abigaillistenedinamazement。”Andtheyteachthat——atschool？”shedemanded。”Andtakemoneyforit？AndcallitSCIENCE？Myland！IguessIwasbroughtupinascientifichousehold，then。Iwastheonlygirlinthefamily，andmotherdiedwhenIwastenyearsold。”
Afterdinnersheconsentedtositforatime，thoughnotuntilshehaddonnedherSundaybest，earringsandall。CaptainElishaandSylvestersatwiththem，andthebigfireplaceinthesittingroomblazedandroaredasithadnotsinceitsownerleftforhislongsojourninthecity。Intheeveningcallerscame，theCongregationalministerandhiswife，andsomeoftheneighbors。Thelatterwerepleasantcountrypeople，anotherretiredseacaptainamongthem，andtheyallseemedtohavegreatrespectandlikingforCaptainElishaandtobeverygladtowelcomehimhome。Thetwocaptainsspunsaltwateryarns，andthelawyeragaindecidedthathewasgettingjustwhathehadcomefor。Theyleftalittleafternine，andCarolinesaidgoodnightandwenttoherroom。Shewastired，mentallyandphysically。
Butshedidnotfallasleepatonce。Hermindwasstillbusywiththesuspicionwhichheruncle’swordsconcerninghisfutureplansforStevehadaroused。Shehadthoughtoflittleelsesincesheheardthem。Thecaptaindidnotmentionthesubjectagain；
possibly，onreflection，hedecidedthathehadalreadysaidtoomuch。Andsheaskednomorequestions。Shedeterminednottoquestionhim——yet。Shemustthinkfirst，andthenasksomeoneelse——Sylvester。Heknewthetruthand，iftakenbysurprise，mightbedrivenintoconfession，ifthereshouldbeanythingtoconfess。Shewaswaitingforanopportunitytobealonewithhim，andthatopportunityhadnotyetpresenteditself。
ThecaptainwouldhavespokenfurtherwithherconcerningJamesPearson。Hewaseagertodothat。Buthermindwasmadeup；shehadsentherloveraway，anditwasbestforboth。Shemustforgethim，ifshecould。So，whenherunclewouldhavespokenonthatsubject，shebeggedhimnotto；andhe，respectingherfeelingsandbelievingthattourgewouldbebadpolicy，refrained。
Buttoforget，shefound，wasanimpossibility。Intheexcitementofthejourneyandthearrivalamidnewsurroundings，shehadmanagedtokeepupashowofgoodspirits，butnowaloneoncemore，withthewindsingingmournfullyaboutthegablesandrattlingthewindows，shewassadandsolonely。Shethoughtwhatherlifehadoncepromisedtobeandwhatithadbecome。Shedidnotregrettheoldlife，thatlifeshehadknownbeforeherfatherdied；shehadbeenhappyinitwhilehelived，butmiserableafterhisdeath。Asforhappiness，shehadbeenhappythatsummer，happywithheruncleandwith——him。Andwithhimnow，eventhoughtheywouldbepoor，asshewasusedtoreckoningpoverty，sheknewshecouldbeveryhappy。Shewonderedwhathewasdoingthen；ifhewasthinkingofher。Sheoughttohopethathewasnot，becauseitwasuseless；
butshewishedthathemightbe，nevertheless。Thenshetoldherselfthatallthiswaswicked；shehadmadeuphermind；shemustbetruetothetaskshehadset，dutytoherbrotheranduncle。
Heruncle！whyhadheruncledoneallthisforher？Andwhyhadherfathermadehimtheirguardian？Thesewereoldquestions，butnowsheaskedthemwithanewsignificance。Ifthatstrangesuspicionofherswastrueitwouldexplainsomuch；itwouldexplainalmosteverything。Butitcouldnotbetrue；ifitwas，whyhadhenottoldherwhenthediscoveryofherfather’sdishonestyandofthenoteforfeitingtheestatewasmade？Whyhadhenottoldherthen？Thatwaswhattroubledhermost。Itdidnotseemlikehimtodosuchathing——notlikehischaracteratall。
Therefore，itcouldnotbetrue。Yetshemustknow。SheresolvedtoquestionSylvesterthenextday，ifpossible。And，soresolving，sheatlastfellasleep。
Heropportunitycamethefollowingmorning，thedaybeforeThanksgiving。AfterbreakfastCaptainElishawentdowntowntocallonsomeacquaintances。HeinvitedCarolineandthelawyertoaccompanyhim，buttheyrefused，thelatterbecausehejudgedhis，astranger’s，presenceduringthecallswouldbesomethingofahindrancetogoodfellowshipandthediscussionoftownaffairswhichthecaptainwascountingon，andCarolinebecauseshesawherchancefortheinterviewshesomuchdesired。
Afterthecaptainhadgone，SylvestersatdownbeforethefireinthesittingroomtoreadtheBostonTranscript。Ashesatthere，Carolineenteredandclosedthedoorbehindher。MissAbigailwasinthekitchen，busywithpreparationsforthemorrow’splumpudding。
Thegirltookthechairnextthatoccupiedbythelawyer。Heputdownhispaperandturnedtoher。”Well，”heasked，”howdoesthisCapeCodaireffectyourappetite，Caroline？I’mashamedofmine。I’mrathergladto-morrowisThanksgiving；onthatday，Ibelieve，itispermissible，evencommendable，toeatthreetimesmorethanaself-respectingpersonordinarilyshould。”
Shesmiled，butheranswerwasintheformofanotherquestion，andquiteirrelevant。”Mr。Sylvester，”shesaid，”IwishyouwouldtellmesomethingaboutthevalueofaseatontheStockExchange。Whatisthepriceofone？”
Thelawyerlookedatherinsurprise。”ThevalueofaseatontheStockExchange？”herepeated。”Yes；whatdoesitcosttobuyone？”
Hehesitated，wonderingwhysheshouldbeinterestedinthatsubject。CaptainElishahadnottoldhimawordoftheinterviewfollowingPearson’slastvisit。Hewondered，andthensurmisedareason——Stephen，ofcourse。Steve’sambitionwastobeabroker，andhissisterwas，doubtless，withsisterlysolicitudeandfeminineignoranceofhighprices，planningforhisfuture。”Well，”hereplied，smiling，”they’reprettyexpensive，I’mafraid，Caroline。””Arethey？”innocently。”Yes。Ithinkthelastsalewasatafigurebetweenninetyandonehundredthousanddollars。””Indeed！Wasfather’sseatworthasmuchasthat？””Yes。””But，”withasigh，”that，Isuppose，wentwiththerestoftheestate。””Yes。””Intothehandsofthemanwhotookitall？””Yes；thesamehands，”withaslysmileathisownprivatejoke。”Thenhowdoesithappenthatmyunclehasitinhispossession？”
Thelawyersmilednomore。Heturnedinhischairandgazedquicklyandkeenlyattheyoungladybesidehim。Andhergazewasjustaskeenashisown。”Whatdidyousay？”heasked。”Iaskedyouhowithappenedthatmyunclenowhasfather’sStockExchangeseatinhispossession。””Why！……Hashe？””Yes。AndIthinkyouknowhehas，Mr。Sylvester。Iknowit，becausehetoldmesohimself。Didn’tyouknowit？”
Thiswasalineshotfromdirectlyinfrontandahardonetododge。Aliewastheonlyguard，andhewasnotinthehabitoflying，evenprofessionally。”I——Icannotanswerthesequestions，”hedeclared。”Theyinvolveprofessionalsecretsand——””Idon’tseethatthisisasecret。Myunclehasalreadytoldme。
WhatIcouldnotunderstandwashowheobtainedtheseatfromthemantowhomitwasgivenasapartoffather’sdebt。Doyouknowhowheobtainedit？””Er——well——er——probablyanarrangementwasmade。Icannotgointodetails，because——well，forobviousreasons。Youmustexcuseme，Caroline。”
Herosetogo。”Onemomentmore，”shesaid，”andonemorequestion。Mr。Sylvester，whoISthismysteriousperson——thisstockholderwhomfatherdefrauded，thispersonwhowisheshisnamekeptasecret，butwhodoessuchqueerthings？Whoishe？””Caroline，ItellyouIcannotanswerthesequestions。Hedoeswishtoremainunknown，asItoldyouandyourbrotherwhenwefirstlearnedofhimandhisclaim。IfIweretotellyouIshouldbreakmyfaithwithhim……Youmustexcuseme；youreallymust。””Mr。Sylvester，perhapsyoudon’tneedtotellme。PerhapsIcanguess。Isn’themy——””Caroline，Icannot——””ISN’THEMYUNCLE，ELISHAWARREN？”
Sylvesterwashalfwaytothedoor，butshewasinhispathandlookinghimdirectlyintheface。Hehesitated。”Ithoughtso，”shesaid。”Youneedn’tanswer，Mr。Sylvester；yourfaceisanswerenough。Heis。”
Sheturnedaway，and，walkingslowlytothechairfromwhichshehadarisen，sankintoit。”Heis，”sherepeated。”Iknewit。IwonderthatIdidn’tknowitfromtheveryfirst。HowcouldIhavebeensoblind！”
Thelawyer，nervous，chagrined，andgreatlytroubled，remainedstandingbythedoor。Hedidnotknowwhethertogoorstay。Hetookhishandkerchieffromhispocketandwipedhisforehead。”Whew！”heexclaimed。”Well，by——GEORGE！”
Shepaidnoattentiontohim，butwenton，speaking，apparently，toherself。”Itexplainseverything，”shesaid。”Hewasfather’sbrother；andfather，insomeway，tookandusedhismoney。Butfatherknewwhatsortofmanhewas，andsoheaskedhimtobeourguardian。Fatherthoughthewouldbekindtous，Isuppose。Andhehasbeenkind——
hehas。Butwhydidhekeepitasecret？Whydidhe……I
don’tunderstandthat。Ofcoursethemoneywashis；allwehadwashis，byright。Buttosaynothing……andtoletusbelieve……
Itdoesnotseemlikehimatall。It……”
Sylvesterinterruptedquickly。”Caroline！Caroline！”hesaid，”don’tmakeanymistake。Don’tmisjudgeyouruncleagain。Heisagoodman；oneofthebestmenIeverknew。Yes，andoneofthewisest。Don’tsayorthinkanythingforwhichyoumaybesorry。
Iamspeakingasyourfriend。”
Sheturnedtowardhimoncemore，thedistressed，puzzledlookstillonherface。”ButIdon’tunderstand，”shecried。”He……Oh，Mr。Sylvester，please，nowthatIdoknow——nowthatyouhavetoldmesomuch——won’tyoutellmetherest；thereasonand——allofit？
Please！”
Thelawyershookhishead，regardingherwithanexpressionofannoyanceandreluctantadmiration。”NowthatI’VEtoldyou！”herepeated。”Idon’trememberthatI’vetoldyouanything。””Butyouhave。Notinwords，perhaps，butyouhavetoldme。I
know。Pleasegoonandtellmeall。Ifyoudon’t，”withdetermination，”IshallmakeUncleElishatellmeassoonashecomes。Ishall！”
Sylvestersighed。”Well，byGeorge！”herepeated，feelingly。”I’lltellyouonething，youngwoman，you’rewastingyourtalents。
Youshouldbeamemberofthebar。Anyonewhocanleadabattle-
scarredveteranofcross-examinationlikemyselfintoatrapandthenspringitonhim，asyouhavedone，isgiftedbyProvidence。””Butwillyoutellme？”
Hehesitated，perplexedanddoubtful。”Ioughtnottosayanotherwordonthesubject，”hedeclared，emphatically。”WhatCaptainWarrenwillsaytomewhenhefindsthisoutisunpleasanttoconsider。But……Butyet，Idon’tknow。Itmaybebetterforyoutolearntherealtruththantoknowapartandguesswronglyattherest。I……Whatisityouwantmetotellyou？””Everything。Iwantyoutositdownherebymeandtellmethewholestory，fromthebeginning。Please。”
Hehesitatedamomentlongerand，then，hismindmadeup，returnedtohischair，crossedhislegsandbegan。”Hereitis，”hesaid。”Caroline，abouttwentyyearsago，orsuchmatter，yourfatherwasacomparativelypoorman——poor，Imean，comparedtowhatheafterwardbecame。Buthewasacleverman，anablebusinessman，onewhosawopportunitiesandgraspedthem。AtthattimeheobtainedagrantinSouthAmericafor——””Iknow，”sheinterrupted；”theAkraeRubberCompanywasformed。
YoutoldSteveandmeallaboutthat。WhatIwanttoknowis——””Wait。Ididnottellyouallaboutit。Isaidthatanothermaninvestedtenthousanddollarswithyourfathertoformthatcompany。Thatman，sowenowknow，wasyouruncle，CaptainElishaWarren。””Iguessedthat。Ofcourseitmusthavebeenhe。””Itwas。Thecaptainwasolderthanyourfather，hadlivedcarefully，andhadsavedsomemoney。Also，atthattime，heidolizedhisbrotherandbelievedinhisshrewdnessandcapability。
HeinvestedthistenthousandonRodgersWarren’swordthattheinvestmentwaslikelytobeagoodone。That，andtohelpthelatterinbusiness。Forafewyearsthecompanydidnothing；
duringthattimeyourfatheranduncledisagreed——concerninganothermatter，quiteunconnectedwiththisone——andtheydidnotseeeachotheragainwhileRodgerslived。InthatlongperiodtheAkraeCompanymademillions。ButElishasupposedittobebankruptandworthless；because——well，tobefrank，becausehisbrotherwrotehimtothateffect。”
Hepaused，fearfuloftheeffectwhichthisannouncementmighthaveuponthegirl。Butshehadguessedthispartofherfather’sdishonorandwaspreparedforit。Shemadenocomment，andhecontinued。”Nowwecometothewill。Yourfather，Caroline，wasnotabadmanatheart。Iknewhimwell，andIbelievethatmaybesaidtruthfully。Herealizedwhathehaddone，howhehaddefraudedthebrotherwhohadbeensokindtohim，andhemeant，hekeptpromisinghimself，tosomedayrepaythemoneyhehadtaken。Toinsurethat，heputthatnotewiththeotherpapersoftheCompany。
Ifhedidrepay，itcouldbedestroyed。Ifhedidnot，ifheshoulddie，itwouldbetheretoprove——whatitdidprove。ButalwaysinhismindwasthethoughtofyouandSteve，thechildrenheloved。Hehadquarreledwithhisbrotheritistrue；hehadcheatedhim，butrestitutionforthatcheathehadprovided。Butwhatwouldbecomeofyou，left——incasehediedwithoutmakingrestitution——penniless？Heknewhisbrother，asIsaid；knewhischaracter，respectedhishonesty，andbelievedinhisconscientiousnessandhisbigheart。Sohemadehiswill，andinit，asyouknow，heappointedElishayourguardian。Hethrewhischildrenandtheirfutureuponthemercyandgenerosityofthebrotherhehadwronged。Thatishisreason，aswesurmiseit，formakingthatwill。”
Hepausedagain。Carolinedidnotspeakforamoment。Thensheasked:”Andnooneknew——youormyuncleoranyone——ofallthisuntillastMarch？””No。Graveshad，withhisusualcareandpatience，piecedtogethertheevidenceandinvestigateduntilweweresurethatastockholderintheAkraeCompanyexistedandthatallofyourfather’sestatebelongedtohim。Whothatstockholderwaswedidnotknowuntilthatdayofthemeetingatouroffice。ThenCaptainWarrentoldus。””Buthedidnotknow，either？””Notuntilthen。HesupposedhisAkraestockworthless，andhadpracticallyforgottenit。Whenwetoldhimofitsvalue，ofthenote，andofthemissingshareholder，heknew，ofcourse。””Whatdidhesay？””Say？Caroline，hewasthemostdistressedandconscience-strickenmaninthecity。Onewouldhavethoughthewasthewrongdoerandnotthewronged。Hewouldhavegonestraighttoyouandaskedyourpardon，ifwewouldhavepermittedit。””But，Mr。Sylvester，nowwearecomingtothepartIcannotunderstand。Ofcoursetheestatebelongedtohim，Iknowthat。
Itishis。Butwhydidn’thetellSteveandmethetruththen，atonce？Whydidheletusbelieve，andemployyoutoleadustobelieve，thatitwasnothebutsomeoneelse？Didhethinkwewouldblamehim？Whyhashe——””Caroline！Caroline！don’tyouunderstandyet？Doyouimagineforonemomentthatyouruncleintendskeepingthatmoney？”
Shestaredathiminutteramazement。”Keepingit？”sherepeated。”Whynot？Itishis。Itbelongstohim。””Caroline，I’mafraidyoudon’tknowhim，evenyet。Hewasforgoingtoyouatonceanddestroyingthenoteinyourpresence。Hewouldhavedoneit，butwepersuadedhimtowaitandthinkitoverforadayortwo。Hedidthinkandthendecidedtowaitalittlelonger，foryoursake。””Formysake？Formine？”shepassedherhandinabewilderedwayacrossherforehead。”Mr。Sylvester，Idon’tseemtounderstandevennow。I——””Foryoursake，Caroline。Remember，atthattimeyouwereengagedtoMalcolmDunn。”
Herintentgazewavered。Shedrewalongbreath。”Isee，”shesaid，slowly。”Oh……Isee。””Yes。CaptainWarrenisoneofthebestjudgesofcharacterIevermet。TheDunnsdidnotdeceivehimforonemoment。HewascertainMalcolmintendedmarryingyoubecauseofyourmoney；forthatmatter，sowasI。Buthiswastheplanentirelywhichshowedthemtoyouastheywere。Heknewyouweretoohonestandstraightforwardtobelievesuchthingsofthemantowhomyouwereengagediftheyweretoldyou；youmustseetheproofwithyourowneyes。Andheshowedittoyou。””Butthen，”shebegged，distractedly，”whycouldn’thetellmeafterthat？I——Iamsostupid，Isuppose——but，Mr。Sylvester，allthisis——is——””Hemighthavetoldyouthen，buthedidnotthinkitbest。
Caroline，yourunclehasalwaysbelievedinyou。Evenwhenyousenthimfromyourhomehedidnotblameyou；hesaidyouweredeceived，thatwasall。But，too，hehasalwaysdeclaredthatyouhadbeen，asheexpressedit，’broughtupwrong。’Yourmoneyhad，inaway，warpedyourestimateofpeopleandthings。Hebelievedthat，ifyouweregiventheopportunity，youwouldlearnthatwealthdoesnot，ofitself，meanhappiness。Sohedecidednottotellyou，nottogiveyoubackyourshareofyourfather’smoney——
herefusestoconsiderithis——untilanotheryear，untilyouwereofage，atleast。AndtherewasSteve。Youknow，Caroline，thatmoneyandwhatitbroughtwasspoilingSteve。Hehasneverbeensomuchamanasduringthepastyear，whenhethoughthimselfpoor。
Butyourunclehasplannedforhimaswellasforyouand，whenhebelievesthetimehascome，he——””Please，”sheinterrupted，falteringly；”pleasedon’tsayanymore。
Letmethink。Oh，pleaseletmethink，Mr。Sylvester……YousaythatUncleElishaintendsgivingusallthatfathertookfromhim？Allofit？””Yes，all。Heconsidershimselfmerelyyourguardianstillandwillacceptonlyhisexpensesfromtheestate。””But——butitiswonderful！””Yes，itis。ButIhavelearnedtothinkhimawonderfulman。”
Sheshookherhead。”Itiswonderful！”sherepeated，brokenly。”Eventhoughwecannottakeit，itiswonderful。””What？Cannottakeit？””Ofcoursenot！DoyousupposethateithermybrotherorIwilltakethefortunethatourfatherstole——yes，STOLEfromhim？Afterhehasbeenlivingalmostinpovertyalltheseyearsandweinluxury——onHISmoney？Ofcourseweshallnottakeit！””But，Caroline，Iimagineyouwillhavetotakeit。Iunderstandyourfeelings，butIthinkhewillcompelyoutotakeit。””IshallNOT！”shesprangtoherfeet。”OfcourseIshallnot！
Never！never！””What’sthatyou’renevergoin’totake，Caroline？Measles？oranothertripdownintheseparts？Ihope’tain’tthelast，’causeI’vebeencal’latin’you’dlikeitwellenoughtocomeagain。”
Carolineturned。SodidSylvester。CaptainElishawasstandinginthedoorway，hishandontheknob。Hewassmilingbroadly，butashelookedatthetwobythefireheceasedtosmile。”What’sallthis？”heasked，suspiciously。”Caroline，what——
Sylvester，whathaveyoubeentellin’her？”
Neitheransweredatonce。Thecaptainlookedfromonetotheother。”Well，what’sup？”hedemanded。”What’sthematter？”
Thelawyershruggedhisshoulders。”What’sup？”herepeated。”Humph！well，Ishouldsaythejigwasup。Themurder’sout。Thecatisnolongerinthebag。That’saboutthesizeofit。””Sylvester！”Carolinehadneverseenherunclethoroughlyangrybefore；”Sylvester，”hecried，”haveyou——Haveyoudasttotellherwhatyoushouldn’t？Didn’tyoupromiseme？Ifyoutoldthatgirl，I’ll——I’ll——”
Hisniecesteppedforward。”Hush，UncleElisha，”shesaid。”Hedidn’ttellmeuntilIknewalready。Iguessedit。ThenIaskedforthewholetruth，andhetoldme。””Thewholetruth？CAROLINE！”
Hewrunghishands。”Yes，Uncle，thewholetruth。Iknowyounow。IthoughtIknewyoubefore；butIdidn’t——nothalf。Idonow。””Oh，Caroline！”hesteppedtowardherandthenstopped，franticanddespairing。”Caroline！Caroline！”hecriedagain，”canyoueverforgiveme？Youknow——youmustknowIain’tevermeanttokeepit。
It’sallyours。Ijustdidn’tgiveittoyourightoffbecause……
because……Oh，Sylvester，tellherInevermeanttokeepit！
Tellher！”
Thelawyershookhishead。”Ididtellher，”hesaid，withanothershrug，”andshetellsmeshewon’tacceptit。””What？”thecaptain’seyeswerestartingfromhishead。”What？
Won’ttakeit？Why，it’shers——hersandSteve’s！Italwayshasbeen！Doyoucal’lateI’drobmyownbrother’schildren？DON’T
talksofoolish！Iwon’thearsuchtalk！”
Carolinewasclosetotears，butshewasfirm。”Itisn’tours，”shesaid。”Itisyours。Ourfatherkeptitfromyoualltheseyears。Doyousupposewewillkeepitanylonger？”
CaptainElishalookedatherdeterminedface；thenatthelawyer’s——
buthefoundnohelpthere。Hischinthrustforward。Henoddedslowly。”Allright！allright！”hesaid，grimly。”Sylvester，isyourshopgoin’tobeopento-morrer？””Guessnot，Captain，”wasthepuzzledreply。”It’sThanksgiving。
Why？””ButGraves’llbetohome，won’the？Icouldfindhimathishouse？””Ipresumeyoucould。””Allright，then！CarolineWarren，youlistentome:I’llgiveyoutilltwoo’clocktomakeupyourmindtotakethemoneythatbelongstoyou。Ifyoudon’t，IsweartotheLordA’mightyI’lltakethefusttrain，gostraighttoNewYork，huntupGraves，makehimgodowntotheofficeandgetthatnoteyourfathermadeoutturnin’allhispropertyovertothatAkraeCompany。I’llgetthatnoteandI’llburnitup。Then——THENyou’llhavetotakethemoney，becauseit’llbeyours。Everybitofevidencethat’llholdinlawisgone，andnobodybutyouandSteve’llhavetheshadowofaclaim。I’lldoit，sosureasIlive！There！nowyoucanmakeupyourmind。”
Heturned，strodetothedoorandoutoftheroom。AmomentlatertheyheardascreamfromMissBakerinthekitchen:”’LishaWarren，whatailsyou？Areyoucrazy？”Therewasnoanswer，butthebackdoorclosedwithatremendousbang。
HalfanhourafterhisdramaticexitCaptainElishawaspacingupanddownthefloorofthebarn。Itwasanoldrefugeofhis，aplacewherehewasaccustomedtogowhenmattersrequiringdeliberationandthoughtoppressedhim。Hewasalone。Danhadtakenthehorsetotheblacksmith’stobeshod。
Thecaptainstrodeacrossthefloor，turnedandstrodebackagain。
Everyfewmomentshelookedathiswatch。Itwasalongwaytotwoo’clock，buteachadditionalmomentwasanotherweightpileduponhissoul。Asheturnedinhisstridehesawashadowmoveacrossthesillofthebig，opendoor。Hecaughthisbreathandstopped。
Carolineenteredthebarn。Shecamestraighttohimandputherhandsuponthelapelsofhiscoat。Hereyeswerewetandshining。”Caroline？”hefaltered，eagerly。”Yougoodman！”shebreathed，softly。”Oh，youGOODman！””Caroline！”hisvoiceshook，buttherewashopeinit。”Caroline，you’regoin’totakethemoney？””Yes，UncleElisha。Mr。SylvesterhasshownmethatImust。HesaysyouwilldosomethingdesperateifIrefuse。””Isartinwould！Andyou’lltakeit，really？””Yes，UncleElisha。””Glorybe！And——and，Caroline，youwon’tholditagainstme，mymakin’youthinkyouwaspoor，andmakin’youliveinthatlittleplace，andgetalongonjustsomuch，andallthat？Canyouforgivemefordoin’that？””Forgiveyou？CanIeverthankyouenough？IknowIcan’t；butI
cantryallmylifetoprovewhat——””S-s-h-h！s-s-h！……There！”withagreatsigh，almostasob，ofrelief，”Iguessthis’llbearealThanksgivin’，afterall。”
But，afewminuteslater，anotherthoughtcametohim。”Caroline，”
heasked，”Iwonderif，nowthatthingsareastheyare，youcouldn’tdosomethin’else——somethin’thatwouldpleasemeanawfullot？””Whatisit，Uncle？””It’ssomethin’perhapsIain’tgotanyrighttoask。Youmustn’tsayyesifyoudon’twantto。TheotherdayyoutoldmeyoucaredforJimPearson，butthatyousenthimaway’causeyouthoughtyouhadtoearnalivin’foryouandSteve。Nowyouknowthatyouain’tgottodothat。Andyousaidyoutoldhimifyoueverchangedyourmindyou’dsendforhim。Don’tyous’poseyoucouldsendforhimnow——rightoff——sohecouldgethereforthisbigThanksgivin’ofours？Don’tyouthinkyoucould，Caroline？”
Helookeddownintoherface，andshelookeddownatthebarnfloor。Buthesawthecolorcreepupoverherforehead。”Sendforhim——now？”sheasked，inalowtone。”Yes。Now——rightoff。Intimeforto-morrow！””Hecouldnotgethere，”shewhispered。”Yes，hecould。Ifyousendhimatelegramwithonewordinit:
’Come’——andsignit’Caroline’——he’llbehereonto-morrowmornin’strain，orI’lleatmyhatandoneofAbbie’sbonnetshovein。
Thinkyoucould，Caroline？”
Amoment；theninawhisper，”Yes，UncleElisha。””Hooray！But——but，”anxiously，”holdon，Caroline。Tellmetrulynow。Youain’tdoin’thisjusttopleaseme？Youmustn’tdothat，notfortheworldandall。Youmustn’tsendforhimonmyaccount。
Onlyjustforonereason——becauseYOUwanthim。”
Hewaitedforhisanswer。Thenshelookedup，blushingstill，butwithasmiletremblingonherlips。”Yes，UncleElisha，”shesaid，”because_I_wanthim。”
Thecloudsblewawaythatnight，andThanksgivingdaydawnedclearandcold。Thegrayseawasnowblue；thewhitepaintofthehousesandfencesglistenedinthesun；thegrovesofpitchpinewerebrilliantgreenblotchesspreadlikerugshereandthereonthebrownhills。SouthDenborohadthrownoffitsgloomyraimentandwas”alldolledupforThanksgivin’，”soCaptainElishasaid。
ThecaptainandSylvesterwereleaningonthefencebythegate，lookinguptheroadandwaitingforDanandthe”two-seater”toheaveinsightaroundthebend。Thehiredmanhadharnessedearlyanddriventothestationatleastthirtyminutesbeforetraintime。CaptainElishawasresponsiblefortheearlystart。Stevewascomingonthattrain；possiblysomeoneelsewascoming。Thecaptaindidnotmeantheyshouldfindnowelcomeorvehicleatthestation。
Thewhistlehadsoundedtenminutesbefore。ItwastimeforDantoappearatthebend。”IhopetothunderJimgotthattelegram，”observedthecaptainforthetwentiethtime，atleast，sincebreakfast。”SodoI，”repliedhisfriend。”There’snoreasonwhyheshouldn’t，isthere？””No，nosensibleone；butI’vescaredupnolessthanacoupleofhundredoftheotherkind。Ifheshouldn’tcome——my，my！she’dbedisappointed。””Youwouldn’tfeelanydisappointmentyourself，ofcourse，”saidthelawyer，withsarcasm。”Who？Me？Oh，I’dbesorer’nascaldedwharfratinabarrelofpepper。ButIdon’tcount。There’stherealoneupthere。”
HemotionedwithhisheadtowardthewindowofCaroline’sroom。
Sylvesternodded。”Yes，”hesaid，”Isupposeso。Captain，I’msomewhatsurprisedthatyoushouldbewillingtotrustthatnieceofyourstoanotherman。She’saprettypreciousarticle，accordingtoyourestimate。””Well，ain’tsheaccordin’toyours？””Yes。Prettypreciousandpreciouspretty。Lookathernow。”
Theyturnedintimetocatchaglimpseofthegirlasshepartedthecurtainsandlookedoutontheroad。Shesawthemlookingather，smiled，blushed，anddisappeared。Bothmensmokedinsilenceforamoment。Thenthecaptainsaid:”Waitin’。Hihum！nothin’likeit，whenyou’rewaitin’forTHE
one，isthere？””No，nothing。””Yup。Well，forapairofoldsinglehulksourage，strikesmewe’regettin’prettysentimental。YousayyouwonderI’dtrustCarolinetoanotherman；Iwouldn’ttotheaverageone。ButJimPearson’sallright。You’llsayso，too，whenyouknowhimaswellasIdo。””I’lltrustyourjudgment，anytime。Soyouwon’ttellSteveyetawhilethathe’snotbroke？””No。AndCarolinewon’ttellhim，either。Steve’sdoin’fust-rateasheis。He’sinthepickletuband’twilldohimgoodtoseasonaspelllonger。ButIthinkhe’sgoin’tobeallrightbyandby。
Say，Sylvester，thisNewYorkcruiseofmineturnedoutprettygood，afterall，didn’tit？””Decidedlygood。Itwasthemakingofyournieceandnephew。
Carolinerealizesitnow；andsowillStevelateron。””Hopeso。Itdidn’tdoMEanyharm，”withachuckle。”Iwouldn’thavemissedthatlittlebeatupthebaywithMarmDunnforagooddeal。Foraspelltherewewasbowsabreast，and’twashardtotellwho’dturnthemarkfirst。HeardfromtheDunnslately？””No。Why，yes，Ididhearthattheywereinatighterboxthanever，financially。Thesmashwillcomeprettysoon。””I’msorry。Theoldlady’llgodownwithcolorsnailedtothemast，I’llbet；andshe’llleavealotofsudswhereshesank。Doyouknow，Ineverblamedhersomuch。Shewasbuiltthatway。
She’sconsider’blelikeoldMrs。PatienceBlodgett，whousedtoliveupheretotheNeck；likeher——onlythereneverwastwopeoplemoredifferent。Pashywasthecraziestblue-ribboneryoueversaw。
Heroneideainlifewasgettin’folkstosignthepledge。ShemarriedTimBlodgett，whowasthewustsoakinthecounty——he’dhavefiggeredout，ifyouanalyzedhim，aboutlikeabottleofpatentmedicine，seventy-twopercentalcohol。Well，Pashymarriedhimtoreformhim，andshemadeherbragsthatshe’dgethimtosignthepledge。Andshedid，butonlybyputtin’itinfrontofhimwhenhewastoodrunktoreadit。”
Thelawyerlaughedheartily。”SoyouthinkMrs。CorcoranDunnresemblesher，doyou，”heobserved。”Inoneway——yes。Bothof’emsacrificeeverythingelsetooneidea。Pashy’swasgettin’thatpledgesigned，andnevermindwaysandmeans。Mrs。Dunn’sismoneyandposition——nevermindhowtheycome。SeewhatI’mdrivin’at？”
Sylvesterlaughedagain。”Iguessso，”hesaid。”CaptainWarren，Ineversawyouinbetterspirits。DoyouknowwhatIthink？I
thinkthat，forachapwhohasjustgivenawayhalfofagood-sizedfortuneandintendsgivingawaytheotherhalf，you’rethemostcheerfulspecimenIeversaw。”
Thecaptainlaughed，too。”Iam，ain’tI，”hesaid。”Well，IcansaytruthfulwhatIneverexpectedtosayinmylife——thatONCEI
waswuthha’familliondollars。Asfortherestofit，I’mlikethatmillionaire——that……Hi！Look！TherecomesDan！Seehim！”
Theypeeredeagerlyoverthefence。TheWarren”two-seater”hadroundedthebendintheroad。Danwasdriving。Besidehimsatayoungfellowwhowavedhishand。”Steve！”criedthecaptain，excitedly。”There’sSteve！And——and——
yes，there’ssomebodyonthebackseat。It’sJim！He’scome！
Hooray！”
Hewasdartingoutofthegate，buthisfriendseizedhiscoat。”Wait，”hecried。”Idon’twanttolosetherestofthatsentence。
Yousaidyouwerelikesomemillionaire。Who？””Don’tbotherme，”criedCaptainElisha。”Who？Why，Iwasgoin’
tosayIwaslikethatmillionairechapwhopassesoutalibraryeverytimehewakesupandhappenstothinkofit。YouknowwhoI
mean……Ahoythere，Jim！Ahoy，Steve！”
Hewaswavinghishandtothepassengersintheapproachingvehicle。”Yes，”promptedhisfriend，hastily，”Iknowwhoyoumean——Carnegie。””That’sthefeller。I’vecometofeelaboutthewayhesayshedoes——that’twouldbeacrimeformetodierich。”
End