said nothing, but he looked at the Captain and the Captain looked
at him.

"She HAS money of her own, hasn't she?" inquired Mr. Keith. "I have been
told she was left an independent fortune by her father."

There was another interval of silence. The partners were quite aware of
the general belief in Mary-'Gusta's independent fortune. They had not
discouraged that belief. It was no one's business but theirs and their
respect and affection for Marcellus Hall had prevented the disclosure of
the latter's poverty. That secret not even Mary-'Gusta knew; she, too,
believed that the money which paid for her clothes and board and all the
rest was her own. Her uncles had helped her to think so.

So when their visitor asked the pointed question Zoeth looked at
Shadrach and the latter shook his head.

"Yup," he answered, brusquely, "it's true enough, I cal'late. Marcellus
left her all he had. But--but look here, Mr. Keith. Do I understand you
to advise us to send Mary-'Gusta away--to school--for two years? Jumpin'
fire! How--how could we? She--why, what would we do without her?"

"It would be harder for you here in the store, of course."

"The store! 'Tain't the store I'm thinkin' about; it's me and Zoeth.
What'll WE do without her? Why, she--why, no daughter could mean more to
us than that girl does, and if Zoeth and me was her own--er--mother and
father we couldn't think more of her. We'd be adrift and out of sight
of land if Mary-'Gusta went away. No, no, we couldn't think of such a
thing."

"Not even for her sake? She's worth a pretty big sacrifice, a girl like
that."

A long discussion followed, a discussion interrupted by the arrival of
occasional customers but resumed as soon as each of these individuals
departed. Zoeth asked a question.

"This--this Miss--er--What's-her-name's school you're talkin' about," he
asked, "a reg'lar boardin' school, is it?"

"Yes, but there are day pupils. It was my idea, provided you two were
willing to listen to my suggestion at all, to suggest that Mary attend
as a day pupil. She might live near the school instead of at it. That
would be much less expensive."

"Um-hm," mused Shadrach, "but--but she'd have to live somewheres, and
I for one would want to be mighty particular what sort of a place she
lived at."

"Naturally. Well, I have thought of that, too, and here is suggestion
number three: I have a cousin--a cousin of my first wife's--who lives on
Pinckney Street, which is not