“All I could think of was Robert Penfold,” she said. “I says so to Laban: 'Laban,' says I, ain't he Robert Penfold and nobody else?' There you was, tellin' that Hannibal Ellis that you was innocent and some day the world would know you was, just the way Robert Penfold done in the book. I never did like that Hannie Ellis!”
Mrs. Snow smiled. “Mercy, Rachel,” she said, “I hope you're not blamin' Hannie because of what he did in that play. That was his part, he had to do it.”
But Rachel was not convinced. “He didn't have to be so everlastin' mean and spiteful about it, anyhow,” she declared. “But there, that family of Ellises never did amount to nothin' much. But, as I said to Laban, Albert, you was Robert Penfold all over.”
“What did Labe say to that?” asked Albert, laughing.
“He never had a chance to say nothin'. Afore he could answer, that Maria B. Price—she was settin' right back of me and eatin' molasses candy out of a rattly paper bag till I thought I SHOULD die—she leaned forward and she whispered: 'He looks more to me like that Stevie D. that used to work for Cap'n Crowell over to the Center. Stevie D. had curly hair like that and HE was part Portygee, you remember; though there was a little nigger blood in him, too,' she says. I could have shook her! And then she went to rattlin' that bag again.”
Even Mr. Keeler congratulated him at the office next morning. “You done well, Al,” he said. “Yes—yes—yes. You done fust-rate, fust-rate.”
His grandfather was the only one who refused to enthuse.
“Well,” inquired Captain Zelotes, sitting down at his desk and glancing at his grandson over his spectacles, “do you cal'late to be able to get down to earth this mornin' far enough to figger up the payroll? You can put what you made from play-actin' on a separate sheet. It's about as much as the average person makes at that job,” he added.
Albert's face flushed. There were times when he hated his grandfather. Mr. Keeler, a moment later, put a hand on his shoulder.
“You mustn't mind the old man, Al,” he whispered. “I expect that seein' you last night brought your dad's job back to him strong. He can't bear play-actin', you know, on your dad's account. Yes—yes. That was it. Yes—yes—yes.”