now
until it was too late. She's told him the whole thing."

"She has? About 'Bije?"

"Well, perhaps she didn't tell him father was a thief, but she did tell
that the estate was gone--that we were flat broke and worse."

"Hum!" Captain Elisha seemed more gratified than displeased. "Hum!...
Well, I kind of expected she would. Knowin' her, I kind of expected it."

"You did?" Stephen glared in wrathful amazement. "You expected it?"

"Yes. What of it?"

"What _of_ it? Why, everything! Can't you see? Mal's our only chance. If
she marries him she'll be looked out for and so will I. She needn't have
told him until they were married. The wedding could have been hurried
along; the Dunns were crazy to have it as soon as possible. Now--"

"Hold on, Steve! Belay! What difference does her tellin' him make? Maybe
she hasn't mentioned it to you, but I had a talk with your sister the
other mornin'. She thinks the world of Malcolm, and he does of her. She
told me so herself. Of _course_ she'd go to him in her trouble. And
he'll be proud--yes, and glad to know that he can help her. As for the
weddin', I don't see that this'll have any effect except to hurry it up
a little more, maybe."

Steve looked at him suspiciously, but there was no trace of sarcasm in
the captain's face or voice. The boy scowled.

"Ugh!" he grunted.

"What's the 'ugh' for? See here, you ain't hintin' that young Dunn was
cal'latin' to marry Caroline just for her money, are you? Of course you
ain't! Why, you and he are the thickest sort of chums. You wouldn't chum
with a feller who would play such a trick as that on your own sister."

Stephen's scowl deepened. He thrust his hands into his pocket, and
shifted his feet uneasily.

"You don't understand," he said. "People don't do things here as they do
where you come from."

"I understand that, all right," with dry emphasis. "I've been here long
enough to understand that. But maybe I don't understand _you_. Heave
ahead, and make it plain."

"Well--well, then--I mean this: I don't know that Mal was after Caro's
money, but--but he had a right to expect _some_. If he didn't, why, then
her not telling him until after they were married wouldn't have made
any difference. And--and if her tellin' him beforehand _should_ make a
difference and he wanted to break the engagement, she's just romantic
fool enough to let him."

"Well?"

"_Well?_ If she doesn't marry him, who's going to take care of her?
What's goin