her, I'll drive 'em
both to the poorhouse.

"Here's where you come in, Hammond. It may be she does really care for
him. Or maybe she's after position and money. Well, you talk to her. You
tell her that if she keeps on going with him, if she doesn't break off
this damnable business now, tomorrow, I'll ruin John Ellery as sure as
I'm a living man. He'll be ruined in Trumet, anyhow. He'll be thrown out
by the parish committee. I'm not sure that his church people won't
tar and feather him. Marrying a low-down Come-Outer hussy! As if there
wa'n't decent girls of good families he might have had! But losing this
church won't be the only thing that'll happen to him. The committee'll
see that he doesn't get another one. I'll use my influence and have him
thrown out of the Regular ministry. Think I can't? What sort of yarns
do you suppose will be told about him and her, meeting the way they did?
Won't the county papers print some fine tales? Won't the Boston ones
enjoy such a scandal? I tell you, Eben Hammond, that young chap's name
will be dragged so deep in the mud it'll never get clean again."

He stopped for breath. His companion was silent. After a moment, he
continued:

"You tell her that, Hammond," he went on. "If she really cares for him,
it'll be enough. She won't let him ruin his life. And I'll keep quiet
till I hear from you. If she's sensible and really decent, then she can
give him his clearance papers without his knowing why she did it and
everything will be a secret and kept so. Nobody else'll ever know. If
she won't do that, then you tell me and I'll have a session with HIM.
If THAT'S no good, then out he goes and she with him; and it's ruination
for both of 'em, reputations and all. Why am I doing this? I'll tell
you. I like him. He isn't orthodox enough to suit me, but I have liked
him mighty well. And Annab--Humph! that's neither here nor there. What
I'm fighting for is the Trumet Regular church. That's MY church and
I'll have no dirty scandal with Come-Outers dragging it down. Now you
understand. Will you tell her what I've said?"

The chair creaked. Evidently, Captain Eben was rising slowly to his
feet.

"Well?" repeated Elkanah.

"Elkanah Daniels," said Eben slowly, his voice shaking from nervous
exhaustion and weakness, but with a fine ring of determination in every
word, "Elkanah Daniels, you listen to me. I've heard you through. If
your yarn is true, then my heart is broke, and I wish I might have