dly?"

"Yes, indeed. He seems to have took quite a fancy to George. Drops in to
see him at the store and last night he went home along with him to your
sister's--to Sary's. Had supper and spent the evenin', I believe."

Judah was dismissed then and the talk ended, but Sears had now something
else to think about. There was little doubt in his mind who the "man of
experience" was, the person who had advised Kent concerning the getting
of a position with a law firm in the city. He wondered what other
advice might have been given. Was it Mr. Phillips who had suggested
to Kent the impropriety of Elizabeth's being seen so much in
his--Kendrick's--company? If so, why had he done it? What was Egbert's
little plan?

Of course it was possible that there was no plan of any kind. Sears had
taken a dislike to Phillips when they met and that fact, and Judge
Knowles' hatred of the man, might, he realized, have set him to hunting
mares' nests. Well, he would not hunt any more at present. He would
await developments. But he would not lie in that bed and wait for them.
He had been there long enough. In spite of Judah's protests and with the
latter's help, commandeered and insisted upon, he got up, dressed, and
spent the rest of that afternoon and evening in the rocking chair in the
kitchen.

And that evening Elizabeth came to see him. He was almost sure why she
had come, and as soon as she entered, sent Judah down town after smoking
tobacco. Judah declared there was "up'ards of ha'f a plug aboard the
ship somewheres" and wanted to stay and hunt for it, but the captain,
who had the plug in his pocket, insisted on his going. So he went and
Sears and Elizabeth were alone. He was ready for the interview. If she
asked him to accept the trusteeship of her twenty thousand dollars he
meant to refuse, absolutely.

And she did ask him that very thing. After inquiries concerning his
injured limbs and repeated cautions concerning his never taking such
risks again, "even with the old Foam Flakes," she came directly to the
subject. She spoke of Judge Knowles' letter to her, the letter which
Bradley had handed her at the time when he gave Sears his. She had read
it over and over again, she said.

"You know what he wrote me, Cap'n Kendrick," she went on. "I can't show
you the letter, it is too personal, too--too.... Oh, I can't show it to
any one--now, not even to mother. But you must know what he asked--or
suggested, because he says he has writt