h between
the eyes for him, that's what it was. Met him, have you?"

"Yes."

"What do you think of him?"

"I don't know--yet."

"Neither do I. He's a polite chap, isn't he?"

"No doubt about that. Say, Bradley, do you think he's got much left of
the 'stocks, bonds,' and all the rest that the will talked about?"

"I give it up. Of course we shall talk about that by and by, I suppose,
but we haven't yet. You know what Judge Knowles declared; he was
perfectly sure that there wouldn't be anything left--that this fellow
and Lobelia had thrown away every loose penny of old Seymour's money.
And, of course, he prophesied that this Egbert man would be back here as
soon as his wife died to sell the Fair Harbor, ship and cargo, and get
the money for them. The biggest satisfaction the old judge got out of
life along toward the last of it was in knowing that he and Lobelia had
fixed things so that that couldn't be done. He certainly hated Phillips,
the judge did."

"Um-hm. But he might have been prejudiced."

"Yes. Sometimes I wonder if he wasn't."

"Tell me, Bradley: Did you know this Phillips man when he was skipper of
the singin' school here in Bayport? Before he married Lobelia?"

"No. Nor I didn't meet him when he and his wife were on here the last
time. I was up in the State House serving out my two terms as county
representative."

"I see.... Oh! You spoke of Lobelia's leavin' another legacy. Who was
that to? If it isn't a secret."

"It is, so far. But it won't be very long. She left five thousand, in
cash and in Judge Knowles's care, for Cordelia Berry over here at the
Harbor. She and Lobelia were close friends, you know. Cordelia is to
have it free and clear, but I am to invest it for her. She doesn't know
her good luck yet. I am going over now to tell her about it.... Oh, by
the way, Cap'n: Judge Knowles's nephew, the man from California, is
expecting to reach Bayport next Sunday. He can't stay out a little
while, and so I shall have to hurry up that will and the business
connected with it. Can you come over to my office Monday about ten?"

"Why, I suppose likely I could, but what do you want me for?"

"I don't, except in the general way of always wanting to see you, Cap'n.
But Judge Knowles wanted you especially."

"He did! Wanted _me_?"

"Yes. Seems so. He left a memorandum of those he wanted on hand when his
will was read. You are one, and Elizabeth Berry is another. Will you
come?"

"Why--why, ye