decent, an' I told Cap'n Nat so to-day.
Shut his door in his face an' told him he'd kill him if he tried to
come in, and all because he ketched him playin' cards on Sunday down on
the beach. Bart warn't no worse than the others he run with, but ye
can't tell what these old sea-dogs will do when they git riled. I guess
it was the rum more'n the cards. Them fellers used to drink a power o'
rum in that shanty. I've seen 'em staggerin' home many a Monday mornin'
when I got down early to open up for my team. It's the rum that riled
the cap'n, I guess. He wouldn't stand it aboard ship and used to put
his men in irons, I've hearn tell, when they come aboard drunk. What
gits me is that the cap'n didn't know them fellers met there every
night they could git away, week-days as well as Sundays. Everybody
'round here knew it 'cept him and the light-keeper, and he's so durned
lazy he never once dropped on to 'em. He'd git bounced if the Gov'ment
found out he was lettin' a gang run the House o' Refuge whenever they
felt like it. Fogarty, the fisherman's, got the key, or oughter have
it, but the light-keeper's responsible, so I hearn tell. Git-up,
Billy," and the talk drifted into other channels.

The incident was soon forgotten. One young man more or less did not
make much difference in Warehold. As to Captain Nat, he was known to be
a scrupulously honest, exact man who knew no law outside of his duty.
He probably did it for the boy's good, although everybody agreed that
he could have accomplished his purpose in some more merciful way.

The other sensation--the departure of the two Cobden girls, and their
possible prolonged stay abroad--did not subside so easily. Not only did
the neighbors look upon the Manor House as the show-place of the
village, but the girls themselves were greatly beloved, Jane being
especially idolized from Warehold to Barnegat and the sea. To lose
Jane's presence among them was a positive calamity entailing a sorrow
that most of her neighbors could not bring themselves to face. No one
could take her place.

Pastor Dellenbaugh, when he heard the news, sank into his study chair
and threw up his hands as if to ward off some blow.

"Miss Jane going abroad!" he cried; "and you say nobody knows when she
will come back! I can't realize it! We might as well close the school;
no one else in the village can keep it together."

The Cromartins and the others all expressed similar opinions, the
younger ladies' sorrow