[Illustration: [See page 4 WHEN ALFRED PRICE FELL IN LOVE WITH MISS LETTY MORRIS] An Encore BY MARGARET DELAND AUTHOR OF "THE AWAKENING OF HELENA RICHIE" "DR. LAVENDER'S PEOPLE" "OLD CHESTER TALES" ETC. ETC. ILLUSTRATED BY ALICE BARBER STEPHENS NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS MCMVII Copyright, 1904, 1907, by HARPER & BROTHERS. _All rights reserved. _ Published October, 1907. Illustrations "WHEN ALFRED PRICE FELL IN LOVE WITH MISS LETTY MORRIS" _Frontispiece_ "THE CAPTAIN AND CYRUS WERE AFRAID OF GUSSIE" _Facing p_ 18 "THERE WAS A LITTLE SILENCE, AND THEN DR. LAVENDER BEGAN" " 76 An Encore According to Old Chester, to be romantic was just one shade lessreprehensible than to put on airs. Captain Alfred Price, in all hisseventy years, had never been guilty of putting on airs, but certainlyhe had something to answer for in the way of romance. However, in the days when we children used to see him pounding up thestreet from the post-office, reading, as he walked, a newspaper held atarm's-length in front of him, he was far enough from romance. He wasseventy years old, he weighed over two hundred pounds, his big head wascovered with a shock of grizzled red hair; his pleasures consisted inpolishing his old sextant and playing on a small mouth-harmonicon. As tohis vices, it was no secret that he kept a fat black bottle in thechimney-closet in his own room, and occasionally he swore strange oathsabout his grandmother's nightcap. "He used to blaspheme, " hisdaughter-in-law said; "but I said, 'Not in my presence, if you please!'So now he just says this foolish thing about a nightcap. " Mrs. Draytonsaid that this reform would be one of the jewels in Mrs. Cyrus Price'scrown; and added that she prayed that some day the Captain would give uptobacco and _rum_. "I am a poor, feeble creature, " said Mrs. Drayton; "Icannot do much for my fellow-men in active mission-work, --but I give myprayers. " However, neither Mrs. Drayton's prayers nor Mrs. Cyrus'sactive mission-work had done more than mitigate the blasphemy; the "rum"(which was good Monongahela whiskey) was still on hand; and as fortobacco, except when sleeping, eating, playing on his harmonicon, ordozing through one of Dr. Lavendar's sermons, the Captain smoked everymoment, the ashes of his pipe or cigar falling unheeded on a vast andwrinkled expanse of waistcoat. No; he was not a romantic object. But we girls, watching him stump pastthe school-room window to the post-office, used to whisper to oneanother, "Just think! _he eloped. _" There was romance for you! To be sure, the elopement had not quite come off, but except for thevery end, it was all as perfect as a story. Indeed, the failure at theend made it all the better: angry parents, broken hearts--only, theworst of it was, the hearts did not stay broken! He went and marriedsomebody else; and so did she. You would have supposed she would havedied. I am sure, in her place, any one of us would have died. And yet, as Lydia Wright said, "How could a young lady die for a young gentlemanwith ashes all over his waistcoat?" But when Alfred Price fell in love with Miss Letty Morris, he was notindifferent to his waistcoat, nor did he weigh two hundred pounds. Hewas slender and ruddy-cheeked, with tossing red-brown curls. If heswore, it was not by his grandmother nor her nightcap; if he drank, itwas hard cider (which can often accomplish as much as "rum"); if hesmoked it was in secret, behind the stable. He wore a stock, and (onSunday) a ruffled shirt; a high-waisted coat with two brass buttonsbehind, and very tight pantaloons. At that time he attended the Seminaryfor Youths in Upper Chester. Upper Chester was then, as in our time, theseat of learning in the township, the Female Academy being there, too. Both were boarding-schools, but the young people came home to spendSunday; and their weekly returns, all together in the stage, wereresponsible for more than one Old Chester match.... "The air, " says Miss, sniffing genteelly as the coach jolts past theblossoming May orchards, "is most agreeably perfumed. And how fair isthe prospect from this hill-top!" "Fair indeed!" responds her companion, staring boldly. Miss bridles and bites her lip. "_I_ was not observing the landscape, " the young gentleman hastens toexplain. In those days (Miss Letty was born in 1804, and was eighteen when sheand the ruddy Alfred sat on the back seat of the coach)--in those daysthe conversation of Old Chester youth was more elegant than in our time. We, who went to Miss Bailey's school, were sad degenerates in the way ofmanners and language; at least so our elders told us. When Lydia Wrightsaid, "Oh my, what an awful snow-storm!" dear Miss Ellen was displeased. "Lydia, " said she, "is there anything 'awe'-inspiring in this display ofthe elements?" "No, 'm, " faltered poor Lydia. "Then, " said Miss Bailey, gravely, "your statement that the storm is'awful' is a falsehood. I do not suppose, my dear, that youintentionally told an untruth; it was an exaggeration. But anexaggeration, though not perhaps a falsehood, is unladylike, and shouldbe avoided by persons of refinement. " Just here the question arises:what would Miss Ellen (now in heaven) say if she could hear Lydia'sLydia, just home from college, remark-- But no: Miss Ellen's preceptsshall protect these pages. But in the days when Letty Morris looked out of the coach window, andyoung Alfred murmured that the prospect was fair indeed, conversationwas perfectly correct. And it was still decorous even when it got beyondthe coach period and reached a point where Old Chester began to takenotice. At first it was young Old Chester which giggled. Later old OldChester made some comments; it was then that Alfred's mother mentionedthe matter to Alfred's father. "He is young, and, of course, foolish, "Mrs. Price explained. And Mr. Price said that though folly wasincidental to Alfred's years, it must be checked. "Just check it, " said Mr. Price. Then Miss Letty's mother awoke to the situation, and said, "Fy, fy, Letitia! let me hear no more of this foolishness. " So it was that these two young persons were plunged in grief. Oh, glorious grief of thwarted love! When they met now, they did not talk ofthe landscape. Their conversation, though no doubt as genteel as before, was all of broken hearts. But again Letty's mother found out, and wentin wrath to call on Alfred's family. It was decided between them thatthe young man should be sent away from home. "To save him, " says thefather. "To protect my daughter, " says Mrs. Morris. But Alfred and Letty had something to say.... It was in December; therewas a snow-storm--a storm which Lydia Wright would certainly have called"awful"; but it did not interfere with true love; these two children metin the graveyard to swear undying constancy. Alfred's lantern cametwinkling through the flakes, as he threaded his way across thehill-side among the tombstones, and found Letty just inside theentrance, standing with her black serving-woman under a tulip-tree. Thenegress, chattering with cold and fright, kept plucking at the girl'spelisse to hurry her; but once Alfred was at her side, Letty wasindifferent to storm and ghosts. As for Alfred, he was too cast down tothink of them. "Letty, they will part us. " "No, my dear Alfred, no!" "Yes. Yes, they will. Oh, if you were only mine!" Miss Letty sighed. "Will you be true to me, Letty? I am to go on a sailing-vessel to China, to be gone two years. Will you wait for me?" Letty gave a little cry; two years! Her black woman twitched her sleeve. "Miss Let, it's gittin' cole, honey. " "(Don't, Flora. )--Alfred, _two years_! Oh, Alfred, that is an eternity. Why, I should be--I should be twenty!" The lantern, set on a tombstone beside them, blinked in a snowy gust. Alfred covered his face with his hands--he was shaken to his soul; thelittle, gay creature beside him thrilled at a sound from behind thosehands. "Alfred, "--she said, faintly; then she hid her face against his arm; "mydear Alfred, I will, if you desire it--fly with you!" Alfred, with a gasp, lifted his head and stared at her. His slower mindhad seen nothing but separation and despair; but the moment the word wassaid he was aflame. What! Would she? Could she? Adorable creature! "Miss Let, my feet done git cole--" "(Flora, be still!)--Yes, Alfred, yes. I am thine. " The boy caught her in his arms. "But I am to be sent away on Monday! Myangel, could you--fly, to-morrow?" And Letty, her face still hidden against his, shoulder, nodded. Then, while the shivering Flora stamped, and beat her arms, and thelantern flared and sizzled, Alfred made their plans, which were simpleto the point of childishness. "My own!" he said, when it was allarranged; then he held the lantern up and looked into her face, blushingand determined, with snowflakes gleaming on the curls that pushed outfrom under her big hood. "You will meet me at the minister's?" he said, passionately. "You will not fail me?" "I will not fail you!" she said; and laughed joyously; but the youngman's face was white. She kept her word; and with the assistance of Flora, romantic again whenher feet were warm, all went as they planned. Clothes were packed, savings-banks opened, and a chaise abstracted from the Price stable. "It is my intention, " said the youth, "to return to my father the valueof the vehicle and nag, as soon as I can secure a position which willenable me to support my Letty in comfort and fashion. " On the night of the elopement the two children met at the minister'shouse. (Yes, the very old Rectory to which we Old Chester children wentevery Saturday afternoon to Dr. Lavendar's Collect class. But of coursethere was no Dr. Lavendar there in those days). Well; Alfred requested this minister to pronounce them man and wife; buthe coughed and poked the fire. "I am of age, " Alfred insisted; "I amtwenty-two. " Then Mr. Smith said he must first go and put on his bandsand surplice; and Alfred said, "If you please, sir. " And off went Mr. Smith--_and sent a note to Alfred's father and Letty's mother_! We girls used to wonder what the lovers talked about while they waitedfor the return of the surpliced traitor. Ellen Dale always said theywere foolish to wait. "Why didn't they go right off?" said Ellen. "If_I_ were going to elope, I shouldn't bother to get married. But, oh, think of how they felt when in walked those cruel parents!" The story was that they were torn weeping from each other's arms; thatLetty was sent to bed for two days on bread and water; that Alfred waspacked off to Philadelphia the very next morning, and sailed in lessthan a week. They did not see each other again. But the end of the story was not romantic at all. Letty, although shecrept about for a while in deep disgrace, and brooded upon death--thatinteresting impossibility, so dear to youth--_married_, if you please!when she was twenty, somebody called North, --and went away to live. WhenAlfred came back, seven years later, he got married, too. He married aMiss Barkley. He used to go away on long voyages, so perhaps he wasn'treally fond of her. We tried to think so, for we liked Captain Price. In our day Captain Price was a widower. He had given up the sea, andsettled down to live in Old Chester; his son, Cyrus, lived with him, andhis languid daughter-in-law--a young lady of dominant feebleness, whoruled the two men with that most powerful domestic rod, foolishweakness. This combination in a woman will cause a mountain (a masculinemountain) to fly from its firm base; while kindness, justice, and goodsense leave it upon unshaken foundations of selfishness. Mrs. Cyrus wasa Goliath of silliness; when billowing black clouds heaped themselves inthe west on a hot afternoon, she turned pale with apprehension, and theCaptain and Cyrus ran for four tumblers, into which they put the legs ofher bed, where, cowering among the feathers, she lay cold with fear andperspiration. Every night the Captain screwed down all the windows onthe lower floor; in the morning Cyrus pulled the screws out. Cyrus had apretty taste in horseflesh, but Gussie cried so when he once bought atrotter that he had long ago resigned himself to a friendly beast oftwenty-seven years, who could not go much out of a walk because he hadstring-halt in both hind legs. But one must not be too hard on Mrs. Cyrus. In the first place, she wasnot born in Old Chester. But, added to that, just think of her name! Theeffect of names upon character is not considered as it should be. If oneis called Gussie for thirty years, it is almost impossible not to becomegussie after a while. Mrs. Cyrus could not be Augusta; few women can;but it was easy to be gussie--irresponsible, silly, selfish. She had avague, flat laugh, she ate a great deal of candy, and she was afraidof-- But one cannot catalogue Mrs. Cyrus's fears. They were as the sandsof the sea for number. And these two men were governed by them. Onlywhen the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed will it be understoodwhy a man loves a fool; but why he obeys her is obvious enough: Fear isthe greatest power in the world; Gussie was afraid of thunder-storms, orwhat not; but the Captain and Cyrus were afraid of Gussie! A hint oftears in her pale eyes, and her husband would sigh with anxiety andCaptain Price slip his pipe into his pocket and sneak out of the room. Doubtless Cyrus would often have been glad to follow him, but the oldgentleman glared when his son showed a desire for his company. "Want to come and smoke with me? 'Your granny was Murray!'--you'resojering. You're first mate; you belong on the bridge in storms. I'mbefore the mast. Tend to your business!" * * * * * It was forty-eight years before Letty and Alfred saw each otheragain--or at least before persons calling themselves by those old namessaw each other. Were they Letty and Alfred--this tousled, tangled, good-humored old man, ruddy and cowed, and this small, bright-eyedold lady, Mrs. North, led about by a devoted daughter? Certainly thesetwo persons bore no resemblance to the boy and girl torn from eachother's arms that cold December night. Alfred had been mild and slow;Captain Price (except when his daughter-in-law raised her finger) was apleasant old roaring lion. Letty had been a gay, high-spirited littlecreature, not as retiring, perhaps, as a young female should be, andcertainly self-willed; Mrs. North was completely under the thumb of herdaughter Mary. Not that "under the thumb" means unhappiness; Mary Northdesired only her mother's welfare, and lived fiercely for that singlepurpose. From morning until night (and, indeed, until morning again, forshe rose often from her bed to see that there was no draught from thecrack of the open window), all through the twenty-four hours she was onduty. [Illustration: THE CAPTAIN AND CYRUS WERE AFRAID OF GUSSIE] When this excellent daughter appeared in Old Chester and said she wasgoing to hire a house, and bring her mother back to end her days in thehome of her girlhood, Old Chester displayed a friendly interest; whenshe decided upon a house on Main Street, directly opposite CaptainPrice's, it began to recall the romance of that thwarted elopement. "Do you suppose she knows that story about old Alfred Price and hermother?" said Old Chester; and it looked sidewise at Miss North withpolite curiosity. This was not altogether because of her mother'sromantic past, but because of her own manners and clothes. With painfulexactness, Miss North endeavored to follow the fashion; but she lookedas if articles of clothing had been thrown at her and some had stuck. As to her manners, Old Chester was divided; Mrs. David Baily said, withdelicate disgust, that they were bad; but Mrs. Barkley said, that thetrouble was she hadn't any manners; and as for Dr. Lavendar, he insistedthat she was just shy. But, as Mrs. Drayton said, that was like Dr. Lavendar, always making excuses for wrong-doing! "Which, " said Mrs. Drayton, "is a strange thing for a minister to do. For my part, I cannotunderstand impoliteness in a _Christian_ female. But we must not judge, "Mrs. Drayton ended, with what Willy King called her "holy look. " Withoutwishing to "judge, " it may be said that, in the matter of manners, MissMary North, palpitatingly anxious to be polite, told the truth; and aseverybody knows, truthfulness and agreeable manners are often divorcedon the ground of incompatibility. Miss North said things that otherpeople only thought. When Mrs. Willy King remarked that, though she didnot pretend to be a good house-keeper, she had the backs of her picturesdusted every other day, Miss North, her chin trembling with shyness, said, with a panting smile: "That's not good house-keeping; it's foolish waste of time. " And whenNeddy Dilworth's wife confessed coquettishly, that one would hardly takeher to be a year or two older than her husband, would one? Mary Northexclaimed, in utter astonishment: "is that all? Why, you look twelveyears older!" Of course such truthfulness was far from genteel, --thoughOld Chester was not as displeased as you might have supposed. While Miss North, timorous and sincere (and determined to be polite), was putting the house in order before sending for her mother, OldChester invited her to tea, and asked her many questions about Letty andthe late Mr. North. But nobody asked whether she knew that her oppositeneighbor, Captain Price, might have been her father--at least that wasthe way Miss Ellen's girls expressed it. Captain Price himself did notenlighten the daughter he did not have; but he went rolling across thestreet, and pulling off his big shabby felt hat, stood at the foot ofthe steps, and roared out: "Morning! Anything I can do for you?" MissNorth, indoors, hanging window-curtains, her mouth full of tacks, shookher head. Then she removed the tacks and came to the front door. "Do you smoke, sir?" Captain Price removed his pipe from his mouth and looked at it. "Why! Ibelieve I do, sometimes, " he said. "I inquired, " said Miss North, smiling tremulously, her hands grippedhard together, "because, if you do, I will ask you to desist whenpassing our windows. " Captain Price was so dumfounded that for a moment words failed him. Thenhe said, meekly, "Does your mother object to tobacco smoke, ma'am?" "It is injurious to all ladies' throats, " Miss North explained, hervoice quivering and determined. "Does your mother resemble you, madam?" said Captain Price, slowly. "Oh no! my mother is pretty. She has my eyes, but that's all. " "I didn't mean in looks, " said the old man; "she did not look in theleast like you; not in the least! I mean in her views?" "Her views? I don't think my mother has any particular views, " MissNorth answered, hesitatingly; "I spare her all thought, " she ended, andher thin face bloomed suddenly with love. Old Chester rocked with the Captain's report of his call; and Mrs. Cyrustold her husband that she only wished this lady would stop his father'ssmoking. "Just look at his ashes, " said Gussie; "I put saucers round everywhereto catch 'em, but he shakes 'em off anywhere--right on the carpet! Andif you say anything, he just says, 'Oh, they'll keep the moths away!' Iworry so for fear he'll set the house on fire. " Mrs. Cyrus was so moved by Miss North's active mission-work that thevery next day she wandered across the street to call. "I hope I'm notinterrupting you, " she began, "but I thought I'd just--" "Yes; you are, " said Miss North; "but never mind; stay, if you want to. "She tried to smile, but she looked at the duster which she had put downupon Mrs. Cyrus's entrance. Gussie wavered as to whether to take offence, but decided not to--atleast not until she could make the remark which was buzzing in her smallmind. It seemed strange, she said, that Mrs. North should come, not onlyto Old Chester, but right across the street from Captain Price! "Why?" said Mary North, briefly. "_Why?_" said Mrs. Cyrus, with faint animation. "Gracious! is itpossible that you don't know about your mother and my father-in-law?" "Your father-in-law?--my mother?" "Why, you know, " said Mrs. Cyrus, with her light cackle, "your motherwas a little romantic when she was young. No doubt she has conquered itby this time. But she tried to elope with my father-in-law. " "What!" "Oh, bygones should be bygones, " Mrs. Cyrus said, soothingly; "forgiveand forget, you know. I have no doubt she is perfectly--well, perfectlycorrect, now. If there's anything I can do to assist you, ma'am, I'llsend my husband over"; and then she lounged away, leaving poor MaryNorth silent with indignation. But that night at tea Gussie said thatshe thought strong-minded ladies were very unladylike; "they say she'sstrong-minded, " she added, languidly. "Lady!" said the Captain. "She's a man-o'-war's-man in petticoats. " Gussie giggled. "She's as flat as a lath, " the Captain declared; "if it hadn't been forher face, I wouldn't have known whether she was coming bow or stern on. " "I think, " said Mrs. Cyrus, "that that woman has some motive in bringingher mother back here; and _right across the street_, too!" "What motive?" said Cyrus, mildly curious. But Augusta waited for conjugal privacy to explain herself: "Cyrus, Iworry so, because I'm sure that woman thinks she can catch your fatheragain. Oh, just listen to that harmonicon down-stairs! It sets my teethon edge!" Then Cyrus, the silent, servile first mate, broke out: "Gussie, you're afool!" And Augusta cried all night, and showed herself at the breakfast-tablelantern-jawed and sunken-eyed; and her father-in-law judged it wise tosprinkle his cigar ashes behind the stable. * * * * * The day that Mrs. North arrived in Old Chester, Mrs. Cyrus commanded thesituation; she saw the daughter get out of the stage, and hurry into thehouse for a chair so that the mother might descend more easily. She alsosaw a little, white-haired old lady take that opportunity to leapnimbly, and quite unaided, from the swinging step. "Now, mother!" expostulated Mary North, chair in hand, and breathless, "you might have broken your limb! Here, take my arm. " Meekly, after her moment of freedom, the little lady put her hand onthat gaunt arm, and tripped up the path and into the house, where, alas!Augusta Price lost sight of them. Yet even she, with all her disapprovalof strong-minded ladies, must have admired the tenderness of theman-o'-war's-man. Miss North put her mother into a big chair, andhurried to bring a dish of curds. "I'm not hungry, " protested Mrs. North. "Never mind. It will do you good. " With a sigh the little old lady ate the curds, looking about her withcurious eyes. "Why, we're right across the street from the old Pricehouse!" she said. "Did you know them, mother?" demanded Miss North. "Dear me, yes, " said Mrs. North, twinkling; "why, I'd forgotten allabout it, but the eldest boy-- Now, what was his name? Al--something. Alfred--Albert; no, Alfred. He was a beau of mine. " "Mother! I don't think it's refined to use such a word. " "Well, he wanted me to elope with him, " Mrs. North said, gayly; "if thatisn't being a beau, I don't know what is. I haven't thought of it foryears. " "If you've finished your curds you must lie down, " said Miss North. "Oh, I'll just look about--" "No; you are tired. You must lie down. " "Who is that stout old gentleman going into the Price house?" Mrs. Northsaid, lingering at the window. "Oh, that's your Alfred Price, " her daughter answered; and added, thatshe hoped her mother would be pleased with the house. "We have boardedso long, I think you'll enjoy a home of your own. " "Indeed I shall!" cried Mrs. North, her eyes snapping with delight. "Mary, I'll wash the breakfast dishes, as my mother used to do!" "Oh no, " Mary North protested; "it would tire you. I mean to take everycare from your mind. " "But, " Mrs. North pleaded, "you have so much to do; and--" "Never mind about me, " said the daughter, earnestly; "you are my firstconsideration. " "I know it, my dear, " said Mrs. North, meekly. And when Old Chester cameto make its call, one of the first things she said was that her Marywas such a good daughter. Miss North, her anxious face red withdetermination, bore out the assertion by constantly interrupting theconversation to bring a footstool, or shut a window, or put a shawl overher mother's knees. "My mother's limb troubles her, " she explained tovisitors (in point of modesty, Mary North did not leave her mother a legto stand on); then she added, breathlessly, with her tremulous smile, that she wished they would please not talk too much. "Conversation tiresher, " she explained. At which the little, pretty old lady opened andclosed her hands, and protested that she was not tired at all. But thecallers departed. As the door closed behind them, Mrs. North was readyto cry. "Now, Mary, really!" she began. "Mother, I don't care! I don't like to say a thing like that, thoughI'm sure I always try to speak politely. But it's the truth, and to saveyou I would tell the truth no matter how painful it was to do so. " "But I enjoy seeing people, and--" "It is bad for you to be tired, " Mary said, her thin face quiveringstill with the effort she had made; "and they sha'n't tire you while Iam here to protect you. " And her protection never flagged. When CaptainPrice called, she asked him to please converse in a low tone, as noisewas bad for her mother. "He had been here a good while before I camein, " she defended herself to Mrs. North, afterwards; "and I'm sure Ispoke politely. " The fact was, the day the Captain came, Miss North was out. Her motherhad seen him pounding up the street, and hurrying to the door, calledout, gayly, in her little, old, piping voice, "Alfred--Alfred Price!" The Captain turned and looked at her. There was just one moment's pause;perhaps he tried to bridge the years, and to believe that it was Lettywho spoke to him--Letty, whom he had last seen that wintry night, paleand weeping, in the slender green sheath of a fur-trimmed pelisse. Ifso, he gave it up; this plump, white-haired, bright-eyed old lady, in awide-spreading, rustling black silk dress, was not Letty. She was Mrs. North. The Captain came across the street, waving his newspaper, and saying, "So you've cast anchor in the old port, ma'am?" "My daughter is not at home; do come in, " she said, smiling and nodding. Captain Price hesitated; then he put his pipe in his pocket andfollowed her into the parlor. "Sit down, " she cried, gayly. "Well, _Alfred_!" "Well--_Mrs. North_!" he said; and then they both laughed, and she beganto ask questions: Who was dead? Who had so and so married? "There arenot many of us left, " she said. "The two Ferris girls and TheophilusMorrison and Johnny Gordon--he came to see me yesterday. And MattyDilworth; she was younger than I--oh, by ten years. She married theoldest Barkley boy, didn't she? I hear he didn't turn out well. Youmarried his sister, didn't you? Was it the oldest girl or the secondsister?" "It was the second--Jane. Yes, poor Jane. I lost her in 'forty-five. " "You have children?" she said, sympathetically. "I've got a boy, " he said; "but he's married. " "My girl has never married; she's a good daughter, "--Mrs. North brokeoff with a nervous laugh; "here she is, now!" Mary North, who had suddenly appeared in the doorway, gave a questioningsniff, and the Captain's hand sought his guilty pocket; but Miss Northonly said: "How do you do, sir? Now, mother, don't talk too much and gettired. " She stopped and tried to smile, but the painful color came intoher face. "And--if you please, Captain Price, will you speak in a lowtone? Large, noisy persons exhaust the oxygen in the air, and--" "_Mary!_" cried poor Mrs. North; but the Captain, clutching his old felthat, began to hoist himself up from the sofa, scattering ashes about ashe did so. Mary North compressed her lips. "I tell my daughter-in-law they'll keep the moths away, " the oldgentleman said, sheepishly. "I use camphor, " said Miss North, "Flora must bring a dust-pan. " "Flora?" Alfred Price said. "Now, what's my association with that name?" "She was our old cook, " Mrs. North explained; "this Flora is herdaughter. But you never saw old Flora?" "Why, yes, I did, " the old man said, slowly. "Yes. I remember Flora. Well, good-bye, --Mrs. North. " "Good-bye, Alfred. Come again, " she said, cheerfully. "Mother, here's your beef tea, " said a brief voice. Alfred Price fled. He met his son just as he was entering his ownhouse, and burst into a confidence: "Cy, my boy, come aft and splicethe main-brace. Cyrus, what a female! She knocked me higher thanGilroy's kite. And her mother was as sweet a girl as you ever saw!" Hedrew his son into a little, low-browed, dingy room at the end of thehall. Its grimy untidiness matched the old Captain's clothes, but it washis one spot of refuge in his own house; here he could scatter histobacco ashes almost unrebuked, and play on his harmonicon withoutseeing Gussie wince and draw in her breath; for Mrs. Cyrus rarelyentered the "cabin. " "I worry so about its disorderliness that I won'tgo in, " she used to say, in a resigned way. And the Captain accepted herdecision with resignation of his own. "Crafts of your bottom can'tnavigate in these waters, " he agreed, earnestly; and, indeed, the roomwas so cluttered with his belongings that voluminous hoop-skirts couldnot get steerageway. "He has so much rubbish, " Gussie complained; but itwas precious rubbish to the old man. His chest was behind the door; ablow-fish, stuffed and varnished, hung from the ceiling; two coloredprints of the "Barque _Letty M. _, 800 tons, " decorated the walls; hissextant, polished daily by his big, clumsy hands, hung over themantel-piece, on which were many dusty treasures--the mahogany spoke ofan old steering-wheel; a whale's tooth; two Chinese wrestlers, in ivory;a fan of spreading white coral; a conch-shell, its beautiful red lipserving to hold a loose bunch of cigars. In the chimney-breast was alittle door, and the Captain, pulling his son into the room after thatcall upon Mrs. North, fumbled in his pocket for the key. "Here, " hesaid; "(as the Governor of North Carolina said to the Governor of SouthCarolina)--Cyrus, she handed round _beef tea_!" But Cyrus was to receive still further enlightenment on the subject ofhis opposite neighbor: "She called him in. I heard her, with my own ears! 'Alfred, ' she said, 'come in. ' Cyrus, she has designs; oh, I worry so about it! He ought tobe protected. He is very old, and, of course, foolish. You ought tocheck it at once. " "Gussie, I don't like you to talk that way about my father, " Cyrusbegan. "You'll like it less later on. He'll go and see her to-morrow. " "Why shouldn't he go and see her to-morrow?" Cyrus said, and added amodest bad word; which made Gussie cry. And yet, in spite of what hiswife called his "blasphemy, " Cyrus began to be vaguely uncomfortablewhenever he saw his father put his pipe in his pocket and go across thestreet. And as the winter brightened into spring, the Captain went quiteoften. So, for that matter, did other old friends of Mrs. North'sgeneration, who by-and-by began to smile at one another, and say, "Well, Alfred and Letty are great friends!" For, because Captain Price livedright across the street, he went most of all. At least, that was whatMiss North said to herself with obvious common-sense--until Mrs. Cyrusput her on the right track.... "What!" gasped Mary North. "But it's impossible!" "It would be very unbecoming, considering their years, " said Gussie;"but I worry so, because, you know, nothing is impossible when peopleare foolish; and of course, at their age, they are apt to be foolish. " So the seed was dropped. Certainly he did come very often. Certainly hermother seemed very glad to see him. Certainly they had very long talks. Mary North shivered with apprehension. But it was not until a week laterthat this miserable suspicion grew strong enough to find words. It wasafter tea, and the two ladies were sitting before a little fire. MaryNorth had wrapped a shawl about her mother, and given her a footstool, and pushed her chair nearer the fire, and then pulled it away, andopened and shut the parlor door three times to regulate the draught. Then she sat down in the corner of the sofa, exhausted but alert. "If there's anything you want, mother, you'll be sure and tell me?" "Yes, my dear. " "I think I'd better put another shawl over your limbs?" "Oh no, indeed!" "Mother, are you _sure_ you don't feel a draught?" "No, Mary; and it wouldn't hurt me if I did!" "I was only trying to make you comfortable--" "I know that, my dear; you are a very good daughter. Mary, I think itwould be nice if I made a cake. So many people call, and--" "I'll make it to-morrow. " "Oh, I'll make it myself, " Mrs. North protested, eagerly; "I'd reallyenjoy--" "Mother! Tire yourself out in the kitchen? No, indeed! Flora and I willsee to it. " Mrs. North sighed. Her daughter sighed too; then suddenly burst out: "Old Captain Pricecomes here pretty often. " Mrs. North nodded pleasantly. "That daughter-in-law doesn't half takecare of him. His clothes are dreadfully shabby. There was a button offhis coat to-day. And she's a foolish creature. " "Foolish? she's an unladylike person!" cried Miss North, with so muchfeeling that her mother looked at her in mild astonishment. "And coarse, too, " said Mary North; "I think married ladies are apt to be coarse. From association with men, I suppose. " "What has she done?" demanded Mrs. North, much interested. "She hinted that he--that you--" "Well?" "That he came here to--to see you. " "Well, who else would he come to see? Not you!" said her mother. "She hinted that he might want to--to marry you. " "Well--upon my word! I knew she was a ridiculous creature, butreally--!" Mary's face softened with relief. "Of course she is foolish; but--" "Poor Alfred! What has he ever done to have such a daughter-in-law?Mary, the Lord gives us our children; but _Somebody Else_ gives us ourin-laws!" "Mother!" said Mary North, horrified, "you do say such things! Butreally he oughtn't to come so often. People will begin to notice it; andthen they'll talk. I'll--I'll take you away from Old Chester rather thanhave him bother you. " "Mary, you are just as foolish as his daughter-in-law, " said Mrs. North, impatiently. And, somehow, poor Mary North's heart sank. Nor was she the only perturbed person in town that night. Mrs. Cyrus hada headache, so it was necessary for Cyrus to hold her hand and assureher that Willy King said a headache did not mean brain-fever. "Willy King doesn't know everything. If he had headaches like mine, hewouldn't be so sure. I am always worrying about things, and I believe mybrain can't stand it. And now I've got your father to worry about!" "Better try and sleep, Gussie. I'll put some Kaliston on your head. " "Kaliston! Kaliston won't keep me from worrying. Oh, listen to thatharmonicon!" "Gussie, I'm sure he isn't thinking of Mrs. North. " "Mrs. North is thinking of him, which is a great deal more dangerous. Cyrus, you _must_ ask Dr. Lavendar to interfere. " As this was at least the twentieth assault upon poor Cyrus'scommon-sense, the citadel trembled. "Do you wish me to go into brain-fever before your eyes, just fromworry?" Gussie demanded. "You _must_ go!" "Well, maybe, perhaps, to-morrow--" "To-night--to-night, " said Augusta, faintly. And Cyrus surrendered. "Look under the bed before you go, " Gussie murmured. Cyrus looked. "Nobody there, " he said, reassuringly; and went on tiptoeout of the darkened, cologne-scented room. But as he passed along thehall, and saw his father in his little cabin of a room, smokingplacidly, and polishing his sextant with loving hands, Cyrus's heartreproached him. "How's her head, Cy?" the Captain called out. "Oh, better, I guess, " Cyrus said. ("I'll be hanged if I speak to Dr. Lavendar!") "That's good, " said the Captain, beginning to hoist himself up out ofhis chair. "Going out? Hold hard, and I'll go 'long. I want to call onMrs. North. " Cyrus stiffened. "Cold night, sir, " he remonstrated. "'Your granny was Murray, and wore a black nightcap!'" said the Captain;"you are getting delicate in your old age, Cy. " He got up, and plungedinto his coat, and tramped out, slamming the door heartily behindhim--for which, later, poor Cyrus got the credit. "Where you bound?" "Oh--down-street, " said Cyrus, vaguely. "Sealed orders?" said the Captain, with never a bit of curiosity in hisbig, kind voice; and Cyrus felt as small as he was. But when he left theold man at Mrs. North's door, he was uneasy again. Maybe Gussie wasright! Women are keener about those things than men. And his uneasinessactually carried him to Dr. Lavendar's study, where he tried to appearat ease by patting Danny. "What's the matter with you, Cyrus?" said Dr. Lavendar, looking at himover his spectacles. (Dr. Lavendar, in his wicked old heart, alwayswanted to call this young man Cipher; but, so far, grace had been givenhim to withstand temptation. ) "What's wrong?" he said. And Cyrus, somehow, told his troubles. At first Dr. Lavendar chuckled; then he frowned. "Gussie put you up tothis, Cy--_rus_?" he said. "Well, my wife's a woman, " Cyrus began, "and they're keener on suchmatters than men; and she said, perhaps you would--would--" "_What?_" Dr. Lavendar rapped on the table with the bowl of his pipe, soloudly that Danny opened one eye. "Would what?" "Well, " Cyrus stammered, "you know, Dr. Lavendar, as Gussie says, 'there's no fo--'" "You needn't finish it, " Dr. Lavendar interrupted, dryly; "I've heard itbefore. Gussie didn't say anything about a young fool, did she?" Thenhe eyed Cyrus. "Or a middle-aged one? I've seen middle-aged fools thatcould beat us old fellows hollow. " "Oh, but Mrs. North is far beyond middle age, " said Cyrus, earnestly. Dr. Lavendar shook his head. "Well, well!" he said. "To think thatAlfred Price should have such a-- And yet he is as sensible a man as Iknow!" "Until now, " Cyrus amended. "But Gussie thought you'd better cautionhim. We don't want him, at his time of life, to make a mistake. " "It's much more to the point that I should caution you not to make amistake, " said Dr. Lavendar; and then he rapped on the table again, sharply. "The Captain has no such idea--unless Gussie has given it tohim. Cyrus, my advice to you is to go home and tell your wife not to bea goose. I'll tell her, if you want me to?" "Oh no, no!" said Cyrus, very much frightened. "I'm afraid you'd hurther feelings. " "I'm afraid I should, " said Dr. Lavendar, grimly. "She's so sensitive, " Cyrus tried to excuse her; "you can't think howsensitive she is, and timid. I never knew anybody so timid! Why, shemakes me look under the bed every night, for fear there's somebodythere!" "Well, next time, tell her 'two men and a dog'; that will take her mindoff your father. " It must be confessed that Dr. Lavendar was out oftemper--a sad fault in one of his age, as Mrs. Drayton often said; buthis irritability was so marked that Cyrus finally slunk off, uncomforted, and afraid to meet Gussie's eye, even under its bandage ofa cologne-scented handkerchief. However, he had to meet it, and he tried to make the best of his ownhumiliation by saying that Dr. Lavendar was shocked at the idea of theCaptain being interested in Mrs. North. "He said father had been, untilnow, as sensible a man as he knew, and he didn't believe he would thinkof such a dreadful thing. And neither do I, Gussie, honestly, " Cyrussaid. "But Mrs. North isn't sensible, " Gussie protested, "and she'll--" "Dr. Lavendar said 'there was no fool like a middle-aged fool, '" Cyrusagreed. "Middle-aged! She's as old as Methuselah!" "That's what I told him, " said Cyrus. * * * * * By the end of April Old Chester smiled. How could it help it? Gussieworried so that she took frequent occasion to point out possibilities;and after the first gasp of incredulity, one could hear a faint echo ofthe giggles of forty-eight years before. Mary North heard it, and herheart burned within her. "It's got to stop, " she said to herself, passionately; "I must speak tohis son. " But her throat was dry at the thought. It seemed as if it would kill herto speak to a man on such a subject, even to as little of a man asCyrus. But, poor, shy tigress! to save her mother, what would she notdo? In her pain and fright she said to Mrs. North that if that old mankept on making her uncomfortable and conspicuous, they would leave OldChester! Mrs. North twinkled with amusement when Mary, in her strained andquivering voice, began, but her jaw dropped at those last words; Marywas capable of carrying her off at a day's notice! The little old ladytrembled with distressed reassurances--but Captain Price continued tocall. And that was how it came about that this devoted daughter, after days ofexasperation and nights of anxiety, reached a point of tensedetermination. She would go and see the man's son, and say ... Thatafternoon, as she stood before the swinging glass on her high bureau, tying her bonnet-strings, she tried to think what she would say. Shehoped God would give her words--polite words; "for I _must_ be polite, "she reminded herself desperately. When she started across the street herpaisley shawl had slipped from one shoulder, so that the point draggedon the flagstones; she had split her right glove up the back, and herbonnet was jolted over sidewise; but the thick Chantilly veil hid thequiver of her chin. Gussie met her with effusion, and Mary, striving to be polite, smiledpainfully, and said: "I don't want to see you; I want to see your husband. " Gussie tossed her head; but she made haste to call Cyrus, who cameshambling along the hall from the cabin. The parlor was dark, for thoughit was a day of sunshine and merry May wind, Gussie kept the shuttersbowed--but Cyrus could see the pale intensity of his visitor's face. There was a moment's silence, broken by a distant harmonicon. "Mr. Price, " said Mary North, with pale, courageous lips, "you muststop your father. " Cyrus opened his weak mouth to ask an explanation, but Gussie rushed in. "You are quite right, ma'am. Cyrus worries so about it (of course weknow what you refer to). And Cyrus says it ought to be checkedimmediately, to save the old gentleman!" "You must stop him, " said Mary North, "for my mother's sake. " "Well--" Cyrus began. "Have you cautioned your mother?" Gussie demanded. "Yes, " Miss North said, briefly. To talk to this woman of her mothermade her wince, but it had to be done. "Will you speak to your father, Mr. Price?" "Well, I--" "Of course he will!" Gussie broke in; "Cyrus, he is in the cabin now. " "Well, to-morrow I--" Cyrus got up and sidled towards the door. "Anyhow, I don't believe he's thinking of such a thing. " "Miss North, " said Gussie, rising, "_I_ will do it. " "What, _now_?" faltered Mary North. "Now, " said Mrs. Cyrus, firmly. "Oh, " said Miss North, "I--I think I will go home. Gentlemen, when theyare crossed, speak so--so earnestly. " Gussie nodded. The joy of action and of combat entered suddenly into herlittle soul; she never looked less vulgar than at that moment. Cyrus haddisappeared. Mary North, white and trembling, hurried out. A wheezing strainfrom the harmonicon followed her into the May sunshine, then ended, abruptly--Mrs. Price had begun! On her own door-step Miss North stoppedand listened, holding her breath for an outburst.... It came: a roar oflaughter. Then silence. Mary North stood, motionless, in her own parlor;her shawl, hanging from one elbow, trailed behind her; her other glovehad split; her bonnet was blown back and over one ear; her heart waspounding in her throat. She was perfectly aware that she had done anunheard-of thing. "But, " she said, aloud, "I'd do it again. I'd doanything to protect her. But I hope I was polite?" Then she thought howcourageous Mrs. Cyrus was. "She's as brave as a lion!" said Mary North. Yet, had Miss North been able to stand at the Captain's door, she wouldhave witnessed cowardice.... "Gussie, I wouldn't cry. Confound that female, coming over and stirringyou up! Now don't, Gussie! Why, I never thought of--Gussie, I wouldn'tcry--" "I have worried almost to death. Pro-promise!" "Oh, your granny was Mur-- Gussie, my dear, now _don't_. " "Dr. Lavendar said you'd always been so sensible; he said he didn't seehow you could think of such a dreadful thing. " "What! Lavendar? I'll thank Lavendar to mind his business!" CaptainPrice forgot Gussie; he spoke "earnestly. " "Dog-gone these people thatpry into-- Oh, now, Gussie, _don't_!" "I've worried so awfully, " said Mrs. Cyrus. "Everybody is talking aboutyou. And Dr. Lavendar is so--so angry about it; and now the daughter hascharged on me as though it is my fault! Of course, she is queer, but--" "Queer? she's queer as Dick's hatband! Why do you listen to her? Gussie, such an idea never entered my head--or Mrs. North's either. " "Oh yes, it has! Her daughter said that she had had to speak to her--" Captain Price, dumfounded, forgot his fear and burst out: "You're a packof fools, the whole caboodle! I swear I--" "Oh, don't blaspheme!" said Gussie, faintly, and staggered a little, sothat all the Captain's terror returned. _If she fainted!_ "Hi, there, Cyrus! Come aft, will you? Gussie's getting white around thegills--Cyrus!" Cyrus came, running, and between them they got the swooning Gussie toher room; Afterwards, when Cyrus tiptoed down-stairs, he found theCaptain at the cabin door. The old man beckoned mysteriously. "Cy, my boy, come in here"--he hunted about in his pocket for the key ofthe cupboard--"Cyrus, I'll tell you what happened; that female acrossthe street came in, and told poor Gussie some cock-and-bull story abouther mother and me!" The Captain chuckled, and picked up his harmonicon. "It scared the life out of Gussie, " he said; then, with sudden angrygravity, --"these people that poke their noses into other's people'sbusiness ought to be thrashed. Well, I'm going over to see Mrs. North. "And off he stumped, leaving Cyrus staring after him, open-mouthed. * * * * * If Mary North had been at home, she would have met him with all theagonized courage of shyness and a good conscience. But she had fled outof the house, and down along the River Road, to be alone and regain herself-control. The Captain, however, was not seeking Miss North. He opened the frontdoor, and advancing to the foot of the stairs, called up: "Ahoy, there!Mrs. North!" Mrs. North came trotting out to answer the summons. "Why, Alfred!" sheexclaimed, looking over the banisters, "when did you come in? I didn'thear the bell ring. I'll come right down. " "It didn't ring; I walked in, " said the Captain. And Mrs. North camedown-stairs, perhaps a little stiffly, but as pretty an old lady as youever saw. Her white curls lay against faintly pink cheeks, and her lacecap had a pink bow on it. But she looked anxious and uncomfortable. ("Oh, " she was saying to herself, "I do hope Mary's out!)--Well, Alfred?" she said; but her voice was frightened. The Captain stumped along in front of her into the parlor, and motionedher to a seat. "Mrs. North, " he said, his face red, his eye hard, "somejack-donkeys have been poking their noses (of course they're females)into our affairs; and--" "Oh, Alfred, isn't it horrid in them?" said the old lady. "Darn 'em!" said the Captain. "It makes me mad!" cried Mrs. North; then her spirit wavered. "Mary isso foolish; she says she'll--she'll take me away from Old Chester. Ilaughed at first, it was so foolish. But when she said that--oh _dear_!" "Well, but, my dear madam, say you won't go. Ain't you skipper?" "No, I'm not, " she said, dolefully. "Mary brought me here, and she'lltake me away, if she thinks it best. Best for _me_, you know. Mary is agood daughter, Alfred. I don't want you to think she isn't. But she'sfoolish. Unmarried women are apt to be foolish. " The Captain thought of Gussie, and sighed. "Well, " he said, with thesimple candor of the sea, "I guess there ain't much difference in 'em, married or unmarried. " "It's the interference makes me mad, " Mrs. North declared, hotly. "Damn the whole crew!" said the Captain; and the old lady laugheddelightedly. "Thank you, Alfred!" "My daughter-in-law is crying her eyes out, " the Captain sighed. "Tck!" said Mrs. North; "Alfred, you have no sense. Let her cry. It'sgood for her!" "Oh no, " said the Captain, shocked. "You're a perfect slave to her, " cried Mrs. North. "No more than you are to your daughter, " Captain Price defended himself;and Mrs. North sighed. "We are just real foolish, Alfred, to listen to 'em. As if we didn'tknow what was good for us. " "People have interfered with us a good deal, first and last, " theCaptain said, grimly. The faint color in Mrs. North's cheeks suddenly deepened. "So theyhave, " she said. The Captain shook his head in a discouraged way; he took his pipe out ofhis pocket and looked at it absent-mindedly. "I suppose I can stay athome, and let 'em get over it?" "Stay at home? Why, you'd far better--" "What?" said the Captain. "Come oftener!" cried the old lady. "Let 'em get over it by getting usedto it. " Captain Price looked doubtful. "But how about your daughter?" Mrs. North quailed. "I forgot Mary, " she admitted. "I don't bother you, coming to see you, do I?" the Captain said, anxiously. "Why, Alfred, I love to see you. If our children would just let usalone!" "First it was our parents, " said Captain Price. He frowned heavily. "According to other people, first we were too young to have sense; andnow we're too old. " He took out his worn old pouch, plugged some shaginto his pipe, and struck a match under the mantel-piece. He sighed, with deep discouragement. Mrs. North sighed too. Neither of them spoke for a moment; then thelittle old lady drew a quick breath and flashed a look at him; openedher lips; closed them with a snap; then regarded the toe of her slipperfixedly. The color flooded up to her soft white hair. The Captain, staring hopelessly, suddenly blinked; then his honest redface slowly broadened into beaming astonishment and satisfaction. "_Mrs. North_--" "Captain Price!" she parried, breathlessly. "So long as our affectionate children have suggested it!" "Suggested--what?" "Let's give 'em something to cry about!" "Alfred!" "Look here: we are two old fools; so they say, anyway. Let's live up totheir opinion. I'll get a house for Cyrus and Gussie--and your girl canlive with 'em, if she wants to!" The Captain's bitterness showed then. "She could live here, " murmured Mrs. North. "What do you say?" The little old lady laughed excitedly, and shook her head; the tearsstood in her eyes. "Do you want to leave Old Chester?" the Captain demanded. "You know I don't, " she said, sighing. "She'd take you away to-morrow, " he threatened, "if she knew I had--Ihad--" "She sha'n't know it. " "Well, then, we've got to get spliced to-morrow. " "Oh, Alfred, no! I don't believe Dr. Lavendar would--" "I'll have no dealings with Lavendar, " the Captain said, with suddenstiffness; "he's like all the rest of 'em. I'll get a license in UpperChester, and we'll go to some parson there. " Mrs. North's eyes snapped. "Oh, no, no!" she protested; but in anotherminute they were shaking hands on it. "Cyrus and Gussie can go and live by themselves, " said the Captain, joyously, "and I'll get that hold cleaned out; she's kept the ports shutever since she married Cyrus. " "And I'll make a cake! And I'll take care of your clothes; you reallyare dreadfully shabby"; she turned him round to the light, and brushedoff some ashes. The Captain beamed. "Poor Alfred! and there's a buttongone! that daughter-in-law of yours can't sew any more than a cat (andshe _is_ a cat!). But I love to mend. Mary has saved me all that. She'ssuch a good daughter--poor Mary. But she's unmarried, poor child. " * * * * * However, it was not to-morrow. It was two or three days later that Dr. Lavendar and Danny, jogging along behind Goliath under the buttonwoodson the road to Upper Chester, were somewhat inconvenienced by the dustof a buggy that crawled up and down the hills just a little ahead. Thehood of this buggy was up, upon which fact--it being a May morning ofrollicking wind and sunshine--Dr. Lavendar speculated to his companion:"Daniel, the man in that vehicle is either blind and deaf, or else hehas something on his conscience; in either case he won't mind our dust, so we'll cut in ahead at the watering-trough. G'on, Goliath!" But Goliath had views of his own about the watering-trough, and insteadof passing the hooded buggy, which had stopped there, he insisted upondrawing up beside it. "Now, look here, " Dr. Lavendar remonstrated, "youknow you're not thirsty. " But Goliath plunged his nose down into thecool depths of the great iron caldron, into which, from a hollow log, ran a musical drip of water. Dr. Lavendar and Danny, awaiting hispleasure, could hear a murmur of voices from the depths of the eccentricvehicle which put up a hood on such a day; when suddenly Dr. Lavendar'seye fell on the hind legs of the other horse. "That's Cipher's trotter, "he said to himself, and leaning out, cried: "Hi! Cy?" At which the otherhorse was drawn in with a jerk, and Captain Price's agitated facepeered out from under the hood. "Where! Where's Cyrus?" Then he caught sight of Dr. Lavendar. "'_Thedevil and Tom Walker!_'" said the Captain, with a groan. The buggybacked erratically. "Look out!" said Dr. Lavendar--but the wheels locked. Of course there was nothing for Dr. Lavendar to do but get out and takeGoliath by the head, grumbling, as he did so, that Cyrus "shouldn't ownsuch a spirited beast. " "I am somewhat hurried, " said Captain Price, stiffly. The old minister looked at him over his spectacles; then he glanced atthe small, embarrassed figure shrinking into the depths of the buggy. ("Hullo, hullo, hullo!" he said, softly. "Well, Gussie's done it. )You'd better back a little, Captain, " he advised. "I can manage, " said the Captain. "I didn't say 'go back, '" Dr. Lavendar said, mildly. "Oh!" murmured a small voice from within the buggy. "I expect you need me, don't you, Alfred?" said Dr. Lavendar. "What?" said the Captain, frowning. "Captain, " said Dr. Lavendar, simply, "if I can be of any service to youand Mrs. North, I shall be glad. " Captain Price looked at him. "Now, look here, Lavendar, we're going todo it this time, if all the parsons in--well, in the church, try to stopus!" "I'm not going to try to stop you. " "But Gussie said you said--" "Alfred, at your time of life, are you beginning to quote Gussie?" "But she said you said it would be--" "Captain Price, I do not express my opinion of your conduct to yourdaughter-in-law. You ought to have sense enough to know that. " "Well, why did you talk to her about it?" "I didn't talk to her about it. But, " said Dr. Lavendar, thrusting outhis lower lip, "I should like to. " "We were going to hunt up a parson in Upper Chester, " said the Captain, sheepishly. Dr. Lavendar looked about, up and down the silent, shady road, thenthrough the bordering elder-berries into an orchard. "If you have yourlicense, " he said, "I have my prayer-book. Let's go into the orchard. There are two men working there we can get for witnesses--Danny isn'tquite enough, I suppose. " [Illustration: THERE WAS A LITTLE SILENCE, AND THEN DR. LAVENDER BEGAN] The Captain turned to Mrs. North. "What do you say, ma'am?" he said. Shenodded, and gathered up her skirts to get out of the buggy. The two oldmen led their horses to the side of the road and hitched them to therail fence; then the Captain helped Mrs. North through the elder-bushes, and shouted out to the men ploughing at the other side of the orchard. They came--big, kindly young fellows, and stood gaping at the three oldpeople standing under the apple-tree in the sunshine. Dr. Lavendarexplained that they were to be witnesses, and the boys took off theirhats. There was a little silence, and then, in the white shadows and perfumeof the orchard, with its sunshine, and drift of petals falling in thegay wind, Dr. Lavendar began.... When he came to "Let no man putasunder--" Captain Price growled in his grizzled red beard, "Nor woman, either!" But only Mrs. North smiled. When it was over, Captain Price drew a deep breath of relief. "Well, this time we made a sure thing of it, Mrs. North!" "_Mrs. North?_" said Dr. Lavendar; and then he did chuckle. "Oh--" said Captain Price, and roared at the joke. "You'll have to call me Letty, " said the pretty old lady, smiling andblushing. "Oh, " said the Captain; then he hesitated. "Well, now, if you don'tmind, I--I guess I won't call you Letty. I'll call you Letitia. " "Call me anything you want to, " said Mrs. Price, gayly. Then they all shook hands with one another and with the witnesses, whofound something left in their palms that gave them great satisfaction, and went back to climb into their respective buggies. "We have shore leave, " the Captain explained; "we won't go back to OldChester for a few days. You may tell 'em, Lavendar. " "Oh, may I?" said Dr. Lavender, blankly. "Well, good-bye, and goodluck!" He watched the other buggy tug on ahead, and then he leaned down tocatch Danny by the scruff of the neck. "Well, Daniel, " he said, "'_if at first you don't succeed_'--" And Danny was pulled into the buggy. THE END Transcriber's Note: Both Lavender and Lavendar have been retained as they appear in the original publication.