d_ room here, haven't you?"

"Yes, I've had it, plenty of it. But how much room have the rest of you
had?"

"Why--why, we've had enough. Nobody's complained that I know of."

"Good reason why. You wouldn't let 'em, Sarah. And of course you never
would complain yourself. But that is only part of it. The real thing is
that I will not live on you."

"But you pay board."

"Stuff and nonsense! How much do I pay in comparison with what it costs
to keep me?"

"You pay me all you can afford, I'm sure; and I rather guess, from what
you said about your money affairs the other day, that you pay me more
than you ought to afford. And I don't believe you're goin' to pay that
Judah Cahoon any high board for livin' in that old rats' nest of his. If
you are I shall begin to believe you've gone crazy."

Her brother laughed. "I don't mind payin' Judah little or nothin',
Sarah," he declared. "What I get will be worth it, probably, and besides
he's a strong, healthy man. Then, too--well, I shouldn't say it to any
one but you, but there is a little obligation on his side and that keeps
me from feelin' like too much of a barnacle.... But there, what is the
use of our threshin' this all over again? As I said in the beginnin',
Sarah, you know why I'm doin' it perfectly well."

Mrs. Macomber sighed.

"I suppose I do," she admitted. "It's because you are Sears Kendrick and
as independent and--and proud as--as your own self."

So the move was made and Captain Sears Kendrick's sea chest and its
owner moved into Judah Cahoon's spare stateroom at the General Minot's
place. And Bayport talked and talked more and more and then less and
less until at the end of the captain's first week in his new quarters
the move had become old news and people ceased to be interested in it, a
state of affairs which pleased Mr. Cahoon immensely.

"There, by Henry!" he declared, on his return from what he called a
"cruise down the road along." "I honestly do believe you and me has got
so we can bat our weather eye without all hands and the ship's cat
tryin' to see us do it. I met no less than seven folks while I was down
along just now and only two of 'em hailed to ask how you liked bein'
aboard here, Cap'n Sears. Yes, sir, by creepin', only two of 'em; the
rest never said a word. What do you think of that? Some considerable
change, I call it."

So being forgotten by the majority of Bayporters--which was what he
desired to be--the captain settled down to l