different.
Dear me; one quite mixes up these things. Eh?"

A servant had entered, and after a hurried colloquy with Gabriel, the
latter turned to Uncle Sylvester--

"Excuse me, but I think there must be some mistake! We brought up your
luggage with you--two trunks--in the station wagon. A man has just
arrived with three more, which he says are yours."

"There should be five in all, I think," said Uncle Sylvester
thoughtfully.

"Maybe there are, sir, I didn't count exactly," said the servant.

"All right," said Uncle Sylvester cheerfully, turning to his brother.
"You can put them in my room or on the landing, except two marked 'L' in
a triangle. They contain some things I picked up for you and the girls.
We'll look them over in the morning. And, if you don't mind, I'll excuse
myself now and go to bed."

"But it's only half past ten," said Gabriel remonstratingly. "You don't,
surely, go to bed at half past ten?"

"I do when I travel. Travel is SO exhausting. Good-night! Don't let
anybody disturb themselves to come with me."

He bowed languidly to the company, and disappeared with a yawn
gracefully disguised into a parting smile.

"Well!" said Cousin Jane, drawing a long breath.

"I don't believe it's your Uncle Sylvester at all!" said Marie
vivaciously. "It's some trick that Gabriel is playing upon us. And he's
not even a good actor--he forgets his part."

"And, then, five trunks for one single man! Heavens! what can he have in
them" said Cousin Emma.

"Perhaps his confederates, to spring out upon us at night, after
everybody's asleep."

"Are you sure you remembered him, papa?" said Kitty sotto voce.

"Certainly. And, my dear child, he knows all the family history as well
as you do; and"--continued her father with a slight laugh that did not,
however, conceal a certain seriousness that was new to him--"I only wish
I understood as much about the property as he does. By the way, Amos,"
he broke off suddenly, turning to the young man, "he seemed to know your
people."

"Most men in the financial world do," said Gunn a little superciliously.

"Yes; but he asked me if you hadn't a relative of some kind in Southern
California or Mexico."

A slight flush--so slight that only the keen, vivaciously observant eyes
of Marie noticed it--passed over the young man's face.

"I believe it is a known fact that our branch of the family never
emigrated from their native town," he said emphatically. "The Gunns were
ra