"The dear man!" She shook her head. "He was just the same. To him poor Uncle Jonas's money seemed to come from heaven through the hands of Judge Pike—"
"And there's a handsome roundabout way!" said Joe.
"Wasn't it!" she agreed, cheerfully. "And he trusted the Judge absolutely. I don't, you see."
He gave her a thoughtful look and nodded. "No, he isn't a good man," he said, "not even according to his lights; but I doubt if he could have managed to get away with anything of consequence after he became the administrator. He wouldn't have tried it, probably, unless he was more desperately pushed than I think he has been. It would have been too dangerous. Suppose you wait a week or so and think it over."
"But there's something I want you to do for me immediately, Joe."
"What's that?"
"I want the old house put in order. I'm going to live there."
"Alone?"
"I'm almost twenty-seven, and that's being enough of an old maid for me to risk Canaan's thinking me eccentric, isn't it?"
"It will think anything you do is all right."