Miss Black turned and caught him intently gazing at her.
She colored, apparently with displeasure, and looked out of the window
again. Mr. Hazeltine colored also and fidgeted with the book on the
table. The situation was confoundedly embarrassing. He felt that he must
say something now, so he made the original observation that it had been
a pleasant day.

To this the young lady agreed, but there was no enthusiasm in her tone.
Then Ralph, nervously fishing for another topic, thought of the book in
his hand.

"I was just reading this," he said. "I found it quite interesting."

The next moment he realized that he had said what, of all things, was
the most impolitic. It was nothing less than a bid for a "canvass,"
and he fully expected to be confronted with the necessary order blanks
without delay. But, strangely enough, the book lady made no such move.
She looked at him, it is true, but with an expression of surprise and
what seemed to be amusement on her face. He was certain that her lips
twitched as she said calmly:

"Did you? I am glad to hear it."

This dispassionate remark was entirely unexpected, and the electrician,
as Captain Eri would have said, "lost his bearings" completely.

"Yes--er, yes," he stammered. "Very interesting indeed. I--I suppose you
must take a good many orders in the course of a week."

"A good many ORDERS?"

"Why, yes. Orders for the books, I mean. The books--the 'Great Naval
Lives'--er--these books here."

"I beg your pardon, but who do you think I am?"

And it was then that the perception of some tremendous blunder began
to seize upon Mr. Hazeltine. He had been red before; now, he felt the
redness creeping over his scalp under his hair.

"Why, why, Miss Black, I suppose; that is, I--"

Just here the door opened and Captain Eri came in. He took off his cap
and then, seeing the visitor, remained standing, apparently waiting for
an introduction. But the young lady did not keep him waiting long.

"Are you Captain Eri Hedge?" she asked.

"Yes'm," answered the Captain.

"Oh, I'm SO glad. Your letter came this morning, and I hurried down on
the first train. I'm Elizabeth Preston."

CHAPTER IX

ELSIE PRESTON

Perhaps, on the whole, it is not surprising that Captain Eri didn't
grasp the situation. Neither his two partners nor himself had given
much thought to the granddaughter of the sick man in the upper room. The
Captain knew that there was a granddaughter, hence his lett