her out of the shop would be followed, so far as lay in Terence's
power. Even should he not succeed in financing the enterprise Cappy
Ricks would be glad to take his bargain off his hands--perhaps at a neat
profit. Consequently, Matt went over to his bank, procured an
additional certified check for fifteen thousand dollars and returned to
MacCandless' office, where he signed the contract of sale and paid over
his twenty-five thousand dollars. He trembled a little as he did it.

"I'll have the insurance on her placed this afternoon," MacCandless
suggested as he handed Matt his copy of the sale contract; whereat the
latter came to life with galvanic suddenness.

"Oh, no, you'll not, Mr. MacCandless," he suggested smilingly. "I'll
place that insurance myself. My company has to pay for it, so I'll
act as agent and collect my little old ten per cent. commission. But,
passing that, do you want to know the latest--the very latest news?"

"I don't mind," MacCandless replied.

"Well, there's going to be a devil of big war in Europe and I wouldn't
take four hundred thousand dollars for the Narcissus this minute. May
I use your telephone? Thanks!" He called up his office. "Is there
a telegram there for me?" he queried, and on being answered in the
affirmative he directed his stenographer to read it to him. He turned to
MacCandless.

"Mr. Terence Reardon will have entire charge of the work of retubing
those condensers, and so on," he explained. "I'll give him a letter to
you, which will be his authority to superintend the job. I'm going to
New York tonight, but I think I'll be back in time to accept the vessel
when she's ready for commission." He looked at his watch. It was just
twelve-thirty o'clock. "The Overland leaves at two-thirty," he murmured.
"I'll have just time to pack a suit case." And he picked up his hat and
fled with the celerity and singleness of purpose of a tin-canned dog.

Cappy Ricks woke from his mid-afternoon doze to find his son-in-law
shaking him by the shoulder.

"Well, young man," Cappy began severely, "so you're back, are you? Give
an account of yourself. Where the devil have you been for the past two
weeks? Why did you go, and why did you have the consummate nerve to
leave Florry behind you? Why, you hadn't been married two months--"

"I couldn't take her with me, sir," Matt protested. "I wanted to, but
she would have been in the way. You see, I knew I was going to be busy
night and day."

Capp