his desire to conceal his identity.
During the tale no one interrupted him. Mr. and Mrs. Coddington, Mrs.
Jackson, and Nat all listened intently to the end. Then when the story
was at last finished Peter looked up and smiled at Nat's mother.

"So one of your sons, you see, has been sailing under a false name, Mrs.
Jackson," he concluded whimsically. "Do you think you can forgive him?"

"You must try," pleaded Mr. Coddington, putting in a laughing word. "My
son has been doing the same thing and yet I've overlooked it."

Everybody smiled and the tension was instantly broken.

"But to think neither Nat nor I ever suspected you, Peter!" mused Mrs.
Jackson. "We must have been very stupid. Why, I don't see how we could
have helped guessing the truth long ago. As I look back on it all it
seems as if a score of incidents might have told us. Either you kept
your secret marvelously well or Nat and I are not very keen."

"And even though you fooled every one else, Peter, I can't quite
understand how you fooled me," murmured Nat.

"Peter certainly carried his scheme through well," declared Mrs.
Coddington. "Yet for our part we are very glad that the time for
dissembling is past."

"Indeed we are," Mr. Coddington echoed. "This game of Peter's has
complicated our plans to no small extent."

"Why, Father, I did not know it made any difference to anybody except
myself," Peter answered, looking at his parents in surprise.

"Nevertheless it has made a difference, my son," returned the president
of the company kindly. "Strong was assuredly a good fellow; indeed he
was a lad to whom I always shall feel grateful, for he has taught me
several lessons that I needed to learn."

Peter opened his eyes very wide.

To think of his father's learning lessons!

"Still," continued Mr. Coddington, "so long as Peter Strong and not
Peter Coddington formed a part of our household many plans which we had
hoped to make realities had to be abandoned. Now, however, we shall try
to carry through some of them; one in particular we are eager to see
fulfilled, and that is why Mrs. Coddington and I have come here
to-day."

Peter wondered what was coming.

His mother answered the question that trembled on his lips.

"Your father and I thought best not to tell you beforehand, Peter," she
said softly.

"I'll do it, whatever it is, Father," cried Peter. "Only please do not
say that you want me to go back to school. I'd even do that, though, if
you