He looked up and saw Teddy near by, and welcomed him as a diversion.
“This is my friend, Teddy Allison, Father,” Don introduced him.
“Any friend of Don’s is a friend of mine,” said Mr. Sturdy genially, as he took Teddy’s extended hand. “What do you think of Brazil, as far as you’ve seen it?”
Poor Teddy, who had never laid eyes on Brazil, was nonplused. Don came quickly to his relief.
“He thinks it’s a mighty fine country; don’t you, Teddy?” he said brightly.
“Yes, indeed,” answered Teddy, clutching gratefully at the cue thrown to him. “A very wonderful country.”
“You’ll enjoy looking over Mr. Clifton’s plantation,” went on Mr. Sturdy. “I’ll show you around it if you like. It’s a remarkable place.”
To ease the situation, Don urged his father to tell them about the wreck of the Mercury, and Mr. Sturdy did so. But there were certain breaks and pauses in the narration, as though the story teller were trying to reconcile certain things that bewildered him.
Don’s mind was in a storm of conflicting emotions. The dominant feeling was one of intense delight. His father at last was restored to him. But his heart was torn with grief at his father’s distraught condition and with perplexity as to how, if at all, he could bring him to a clear conception of things as they were.
“Guess perhaps we’d better go in and get dinner,” said Mr. Sturdy genially. “Are you hungry?”