ill come and see us once in a while.
That makes it easier, hey?"

Pearson shook his head. "I'm not sure, Captain," he observed, slowly,
"that it doesn't make it harder. I shall look for you at the boarding
house very soon. Don't disappoint me. Good night."

The captain's last remark that evening was made to Edwards, whom he met
just outside the door of his bedroom.

"Commodore," he said, "a barn full of rats is a nuisance, ain't it?"

"Sir?" stammered the astonished butler.

"I say a barn full of rats is a nuisance."

"Why--why, yes, sir. I should think it might be, sir."

"Yup. Well, I know a worse one. It's a house full of mysteries. By, by,
Son. Pleasant dreams."

He sat up until late, meditating profoundly. Then, taking from its
envelope the letter yet unsealed, which he had written to Miss Abigail
Baker, he added this postscript:

"Eleven o'clock. I have decided, Abbie, to accept the
guardianship and the rest of it, for a spell, anyhow. Shall
notify the lawyers in the morning. Necessity is one thing,
and pleasure is another. I doubt if I find the job pleasant,
but I guess it is necessary. Anyhow, it looks that way to
me."

CHAPTER VIII

Announcement of Captain Elisha's decision followed quickly. Sylvester,
Kuhn, and Graves received the telephone message stating it, and
the senior partner was unqualifiedly delighted. Kuhn accepted his
associate's opinion with some reservation. "It is an odd piece of
business, the whole of it," he declared. "I shall be curious to see how
it works out." As for Mr. Graves, when the information was conveyed
to him by messenger, he expressed disgust and dismay. "Ridiculous!" he
said. "Doctor, I simply must be up and about within the next few days.
It is necessary that a sane, conservative man be at the office. Far
be it from me to say a word against Sylvester, as a lawyer, but he is
subject to impressions. I imagine this Cape Codder made him laugh, and,
therefore, in his opinion, is all right. I'm glad I'm not a joker."

The captain said that he would be down later on to talk things over.
Meanwhile, if the "papers and such" could be gotten together, it would
"sort of help along." Sylvester explained that there were certain legal
and formal ceremonies pertaining to the acceptance of the trust to be
gone through with, and these must have precedence. "All right," answered
the captain. "Let's have 'em all out at once and get the ache and agony