“I don’t see why men who can do such things couldn’t keep straight, and really make more money honestly than they can by being crooked.”
“It does seem strange, doesn’t it, Bessie? Oh, look, there’s the Sally S. with our breakfast–and there’s another boat coming in. I wonder if Mr. Jamieson can be here already?”
In a moment his voice proved that it was possible, and a few minutes later, while the girls were helping Captain Salters to unload the stores he had brought with him, Eleanor was greeting her attorney from Bay City.
CHAPTER II
A NEW ALLY
“I guess you haven’t met Billy Trenwith properly yet, Eleanor,” said Charlie Jamieson, smiling.
“Maybe not,” said Eleanor, returning the smile, “but I regard him as a friend already, Charlie. He was splendid this morning. If he hadn’t understood so quickly, and acted at once, the way he did, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t really understand at all, Miss Mercer,” said Trenwith, a good looking young fellow, with light brown hair and grey blue eyes, that, although mild and pleasant enough now, had been as cold as steel when Bessie had seen him on the yacht. “But I could understand readily enough that you were in trouble, and I knew that Charlie’s cousin wouldn’t appeal to me unless there was a good reason. So I didn’t feel that I was taking many chances in doing what you wished.”
“I’m afraid you took more chances than you know about, Billy,” said Charlie, gravely. “You’re in politics, aren’t you? And you have ambitions for more of a job than you’ve got now?”
“Oh, yes, I’m in politics, after a fashion,” admitted Trenwith. “But I guess I could manage to keep alive if I never got another political office. I had a bit of a practice before I became district attorney, and I think I could build it up again.”