"Perhaps you will look in on Eben, sir?" said Mr. Antis. "He is a little disturbed in mind, and fears you will think he neglected his duty."
"Certainly, certainly. Poor child! It is hard to see how he could do more."
"There! Don't say any more about it, Fairchild," said Mr. Francis, as Eben strove to explain to him why he had not given the alarm sooner. "You did the very best you could—the best anybody could have done. Don't excite yourself about it any more. I am perfectly satisfied with you, Fairchild—more than satisfied: I am very much pleased. You justify all the confidence I have placed in you, and I had a good opinion of you, from the first time I saw you."
"I told you so," whispered Jeduthun to Mr. Antis in the shadow of the door. "I knew the old gentleman would think he had made the boy."
"Never mind, let him think so," whispered Mr. Antis in return.
"They tell me you will have to stay here," continued Mr. Francis. "You must let them make you comfortable, and you also, madam," bowing as he spoke to Mrs. Fairchild. "Call for everything you want. But I see the doctor is longing to throw me out of the window, so I will go. I repeat I am pleased with you, Fairchild. If you were my own son, I could not have wished you to do better than you have done."
"Eben always was a comfort," said Mrs. Fairchild through the tears which had come in response to Mr. Francis's praises of Eben. "Mr. Fairchild said he would be, the very first week we had him, and he always has been."
"I just want to say one word to Mr. Francis, ma, if you will please to go away a minute," said Eben. "Mr. Francis," he continued when they were alone together, "if I should die, will you see to mother and Flora and take care of them?"
"You must not talk of dying, my boy," said Mr. Francis, kindly. "I trust you will be spared many years yet."
"I hope so too," returned Eben, "but yet people do die of gunshot wounds, you know, and it will not happen any more for talking about it. I am not at all afraid to die, but I should feel easier in my mind if I knew that they would be cared for."