The captain found it practically impossible to talk to anybody. Hapgood was busy; Serena was busier, and Azuba was busiest of all. Wherever he went he seemed to be in the way, and when he fled for walks up and down the streets the crowds of strange faces made him feel lonelier than ever. On the evening before that upon which the reception was to be held he returned from one of these walks to find Serena in tears.
“Why, good gracious sakes!” he exclaimed. “What's the matter?”
“Matter!” sobbed his wife. “Oh, dear me! Everything is the matter! I'm so tired I don't know what to do, and Annette and Mrs. Lake were coming here to-morrow to help me, and now they can't come. They'll be at the reception, of course, but they can't come before; and there's so much to get ready and I don't know whether I'm doing it right or not. What SHALL I do!”
Daniel shook his head. “Seems to me I'd do the best I could and let it go at that,” he advised. “If they ain't satisfied I'd let 'em stay the other way. I wish I could help you, but I don't know how.”
“Of course you don't. You don't have any sympathy for the whole thing, and I know it. I feel it all the time. You haven't any sympathy for ME.”
The captain sighed. He had a vague feeling that he could use a little sympathy himself, but with characteristic unselfishness he put that idea from his mind.
“I guess what you need is a manager,” he said. “Somebody that's used to these sort of things that could help you out. I wish I knew where there was one.”
Hapgood appeared and announced that dinner was served. Serena hurriedly dried her eyes and they descended to the dining-room. Just as they were about to take their seats at the table the doorbell rang. Hapgood left the room and returned a few moments later bearing a card on a tray. Serena took the card, looked at it, and then at her husband. Her face expressed astonishment and dismay.
“Why, Daniel!” she exclaimed under her breath. “Why, Daniel! WHO do you suppose is here?”
Her husband announced that he didn't know. He took the card from her hand and looked at it. It was a very simple but very correct card, and upon it in old English script was the name “Mr. Percy Hungerford.”