y, to you, there's no doubt of
it! And this plan of his shows such tender care of you. I never heard of
it until to-day from Judge Rhodes. God forbid that I should influence
you! But you would be sorry to thwart him in his grave."

"I will not thwart him again."

"If I could put it to you properly now!" The captain grew red and
coughed. Mr. Neckart looked at him with fierce disgust. Was he so brutal
as to talk to any woman of her marriage with a man whom she had never
seen?

"You forget," he said coldly. "Miss Swendon owes no gratitude for money
which was justly her own. William Laidley, too, was a weak, impure
man--the very last who should be allowed to stretch his hand out of his
grave to control any woman's life. You should not hamper her with any
such gratitude."

"You cannot judge of this for me, Mr. Neckart," said Jane. "He has the
right, especially when it concerns his money.--What is it he wished me
to do?"

The captain stammered with embarrassment.

"Tut! tut! Money has nothing to do with it.--As for poor Will, Bruce, he
had his good points. _De mortuis_--you know. I knew him in his prime.
It's a trifle, after all," evading Neckart's eye, of which he had read
the meaning. "But you are so apt, Jane, to take unreasonable prejudices
against people. This is a friend of Will's, whom Judge Rhodes will bring
out this evening. And it was your cousin's wish that he should be your
friend also--adviser, eh? I've no head for business, you know, and you
might refer knotty questions to him. Consult him about stocks, and the
drainage of the stables, and this and that," glancing at Neckart for
approval of his delicacy and cunning. "I only wanted to warn you not to
take an antipathy to him, but I am clumsy--"

"Is that all?" putting her hand to her eyes for a minute as though they
ached.--"Come, Bruno. It is time to dress for dinner."

"Yes, do, my dear. Haven't you any dress with frills and fal-lals, such
as the ladies are wearing now? These clinging gowns do well enough for
home-folks like me and Bruce, but--Something airy, gay, now. It's only
as an adviser that Will recommended Mr. Van Ness to you, you understand?
Your cousin consulted him of late years in all financial matters. I do
suppose Van Ness--and Laidley too," turning to Neckart--"would think the
child was flinging the money to the dogs, buying such a place as this to
humor her old father's whims."

Jane halted, her hands on the dog's collar: "I will have