r thing?"

"Yes."

"You are! After all you said--"

"Yes, no matter what I may have said."

"By--by time! I don't know what to do with you. I--I set a lot of store
by you, Gertie. I kind of banked on you. And now--"

Gertrude's expression changed. She patted his cheek.

"Keep on banking on me, Daddy dear," she whispered, "perhaps I'm not
altogether hopeless, even yet."

But her father, for once, refused to believe her.

"I don't like it," he declared. "And other folks don't like it, either.
Why, Barney Black got after me only the other day about you. He wanted
to know why you--you, an engaged girl--was cruisin' around so much with
this Cousin Percy of ours. He thought 'twas queer. I said--"

Gertrude rose to her feet. Her arm was snatched from the captain's
shoulder so quickly that he jumped.

"Daddy!" she cried, her cheeks blazing, "do you mean to say that you
have been discussing me with--with Mr. Black?"

"I didn't start it, he did. He said--"

"I don't care what he said. Oh, the impertinence of it! And you
listened! listened and believed--"

"I didn't say I believed it."

"You did believe it, though. I can see you did. I shan't try to comfort
you any more. You deserve all that is coming to you. And," with a
deliberate nod, "it is coming."

"Comin'! It's HERE! Gertie, there's another thing: What about John?
What do you think John would say if he knew you weren't goin' back to
college?"

Gertrude looked at him. Her lips twitched.

"Oh," she said, mischievously, "as to that--well, Daddy, you see, he
DOESN'T know it."

That afternoon Daniel wrote a letter. He said nothing to anyone, not
even Serena, about the letter, but wrote it in the solitude of the
library and posted it with his own hands. Just before sealing the
envelope he added this postscript: "Whether you come or not, don't tell
a soul that I wrote you this. And, if you do come, just let them think
it was all on your own hook. THIS IS IMPORTANT."

On Saturday evening there was to be a meeting of the Chapter, and
on Tuesday Serena returned from committee with the joyful news that
Gertrude was to be admitted to membership at that meeting. The
young lady expressed herself as delighted. Cousin Percy extended
congratulations. Captain Dan said nothing. Later, he visited Azuba in
the kitchen, and there he received another shock.

Azuba was not, as usual, busy with her cooking or scrubbing. She was
seated in a chair by the window, reading a p