"Ah! she leaves soon?"
"I think before very long; but the exact time is not set yet."
"You will feel lonely—robbed of both your sisters."
"Yes, sir," Chester returned with a slight smile. "I should greatly prize a sweet young wife, who would much more than fill their places."
"Ah, yes; but this is one of the cases where it is best to make haste slowly, my young friend," the captain returned in a pleasant tone.
"I am feeling a little uneasy lest Percy Landreth or someone else may have got ahead of me," Chester said inquiringly, and with an anxious look.
"No; her father wouldn't allow any such attempt, and it is quite sure that his daughter is still heart-whole. And as I have told you before, if either suit is to prosper, I should rather it should be yours—as in that case she would not be taken far away from me."
"That is some consolation, and she is well worth waiting for," said
Chester in a tone of resignation.
"So her father thinks," said the captain.
Just then there was a sound of wheels on the drive.