reaking his own sentence in the middle,
"don't think I'm trying to shove the blame over on to Sis. It's
not that."

Jed nodded. "Sho, sho, Charlie," he said, "course 'tain't. I
understand."

"No, I'll take the blame. I was old enough to have a mind of my
own. Well, as I was saying, I realized it all, but I didn't care
so much. If the smash did come, I figured, it might not come until
I had established myself at the bank, until they might have found
me valuable enough to keep on in spite of it. And I worked mighty
hard to make them like me. Then--then--well, then Maud and I
became friends and--and--oh, confound it, you see what I mean! You
must see."

The Winslow knee was clasped between the Winslow hands and the
Winslow foot was swinging. Jed nodded again.

"I see, Charlie," he said.

"And--and here I am. The smash has come, in a way, already.
Babbitt, so Ruth tells me, knows the whole story and was threatening
to tell, but she says Grover assures her that he won't tell, that he,
the major, has a club over the old fellow which will prevent his
telling. Do you think that's true?"

"I shouldn't be surprised. Major Grover sartinly did seem to put
the fear of the Lord into Phin this afternoon. . . . And that's
no one-horse miracle," he drawled, "when you consider that all
the ministers in Orham haven't been able to do it for forty odd
years. . . . Um. . . . Yes, I kind of cal'late Phin'll keep his
hatches shut. He may bust his b'iler and blow up with spite, but
he won't talk about you, Charlie, I honestly believe. And we can
all thank the major for that."

"I shall thank him, for one!"

"Mercy on us! No, no. He doesn't know your story at all. He just
thinks Babbitt was circulatin' lies about Ruth--about your sister.
You mustn't mention the Middleford--er--mess to Major Grover."

"Humph! Well, unless I'm greatly mistaken, Ruth--"

"Eh? Ruth--what?"

"Oh, nothing. Never mind that now. And allowing that Babbitt
will, as you say, keep his mouth shut, admitting that the situation
is just what it was before Captain Hunniwell lost the money or
Babbitt came into the affair at all, still I've made up my mind
that things can't go on as they are. Jed, I--it's a mighty hard
thing to say to another man, but--the world--my world--just begins
and ends with--with her."

His fists clenched and his jaw set as he said it. Jed bowed his
head.

"With Maud, you mean," he said.

"Yes. I--I don't c