Young Warren grunted contemptuously.
“We dressed for dinner, that is all,” said Caroline.
“You—you mean you put these clothes on every night?”
“Certainly.”
Captain Elisha was plainly very much astonished.
“Well,” he observed, slowly. “I—guess I’ve made another mistake. Hum! Good night.”
“Good night,” said Stephen, quickly. Caroline, however, seemed embarrassed.
“Captain Warren,” she said, “I thought possibly you might wish to talk business with my brother and me. We—we understand that you have come on business connected with father’s will. It seems to me that the sooner we—we—”
“Get it over the better, hey? Well, maybe you’re right. It’s an odd business for an old salt like me to be mixed up in, that’s a fact. If it hadn’t been so odd, if I hadn’t thought there must be some reason, some partic’lar reason, I—well, I guess I’d have stayed to home where I belong. You mustn’t think,” he added, seriously, “that I don’t realize I’m as out of place amongst you and your rich friends as a live fish in a barrel of sawdust. That’s all right; you needn’t trouble to say no. But you must understand that, realizin’ it, I’m not exactly imposin’ myself on you for pleasure or—well, from choice. I’m so built that I can’t shirk when my conscience tells me I shouldn’t, that’s all. I’m kind of tired to-night, and I guess you are. To-morrow mornin’, if it’s agreeable to all hands, we will have a little business talk. I’ll have to see Lawyer Graves pretty soon, and have a gen’ral look at your pa’s affairs. Then, if everything is all right and I feel my duty’s done, I’ll probably go back to the Cape and leave you to him, or somebody else able to look out for you. Until then I’m afraid,” with a smile which had a trace of bitterness in it; “I’m afraid you’ll have to do the best you can with me. I’ll try to be no more of a nuisance than I can help. Good night.”
When the two young people were left alone, Caroline turned to her brother.