第8章
AftertheconversationwithAsaph，hesimplycouldnotremainathome。IfPhoebeDawescalled，heknewthathemustseeher，andifhesawher，whatshouldhesaytoher？HecouldnottellherthatshemustnotvisittheCyWhittakerplaceagain。Ifhedid，shewouldinsistuponthereason。Ifhetoldherofthe“towntalk，“
hefeltsure，knowingher，thatshewouldindignantlyrefusetoheedthemaliciousgossip。Andhewasfirmlyresolvednottopermithertocompromiseherlifeandherfuturebyfriendshipwithasocialoutcastlikehimself。Asforanythingdeeperandmoresacredthanfriendship，thatwasridiculous。If，foramoment，aremarkofhershadledhimtodreamofsuchathing，itwasbecausehewas，ashehadsooftendeclared，an“oldfool。“
SoCaptainCyhadresolveduponflight，andhefledtoWashingtonbecausethebusinessofthe“committeeofone“offeredalegitimateexcuseforgoingthere。ThebluntmessagehehadintrustedtoGeorgiannawould，hebelieved，arousePhoebe"sindignation。Shewouldnotcallagain。AndwhenhereturnedtoBos"n，itwouldbetotakeupthechild"sfightalone。Ifhelostthatfight，orWHEN
helostit，hewouldclosetheCyWhittakerplace，andleaveBayportforgood。
HehadbeeninWashingtononcebefore，yearsago，whenhewasfirstmateofashipandhadafewweeks"shoreleave。Thenhewentthereonapleasuretripwithsomeseagoingfriends，andhadajollytime。Buttherewaspreciouslittlejollityinthepresentvisit。Hehadneverfeltsothoroughlymiserable。Inordertoforget，hemadeuphismindtoworkhishardesttodiscoverwhytheharborappropriationwasnottobegiventoBayport。
Thecityhadchangedgreatly。Hewouldscarcelyhaveknownit。
Hewenttothehotelwherehehadstayedbefore，andfoundabig，modernbuildinginitsplace。Theclerkwasinclinedtoberathercurtandperfunctoryatfirst，butwhenhelearnedthatthecaptainwasnotanxiousconcerningthepriceofaccommodations，butmerelywanteda“comf"tableberthsomewheresonthesaloondeck，“andappearedtohaveplentyofmoney，hegrewpolite。CaptainCywasshowntohisroom，wherehelefthisvalise。Thenhewentdowntodinner。
Afterthemealwasover，heseatedhimselfinoneofthebigleatherchairsinthehotellobby，smokedandthought。Inthesummer，beforeBos"ncame，andbeforeherfatherhadarisentoupseteverycalculationandwreckallhisplans，thecaptainhadgivenseriousthoughttowhatheshoulddoifCongressmanAtkinsfailed，aseventhenheseemedlikelytodo，insecuringthatappropriation。Theobviousthing，ofcourse，wouldhavebeentohuntupMr。Atkinsandquestionhim。Butthiswasaltogethertooobvious。Inthefirstplace，thestrainedrelationsbetweenthemwouldmaketheinterviewuncomfortable；and，inthesecond，iftherewasanythingunderhandinHeman"sbackslidingontheappropriation，Atkinswastoowaryabirdtobesnaredwithquestions。
ButCaptainCyhadanotheracquaintanceinthecity，thesonofastillolderacquaintance，whohadbeenawealthyshippingmerchantandmineownerinCalifornia。Thesonwasalsoacongressman，fromacoastState，andthecaptainhadreadofhiminthepapers。A
sketchofhislifehadbeenprinted，andthismadehisidentityabsolutelycertain。CaptainCy"soriginalideahadbeentowritetothiscongressman。Nowhedeterminedtofindandinterviewhim。
Heinquiredconcerninghimofthehotelclerk，who，likeallWashingtonclerks，wasawalkingeditionof“Who"sWhoattheCapital。“
“CongressmanEverdean？”repeatedtheall-knowingyounggentleman。
“Yes。He"sintown。HasroomsattheGloria；secondhotelontherightasyougouptheavenue。Onlyashortwalk。WhatcanIdoforyou，sir？”
TheGloriawasanevenbiggerhotelthantheonewherethecaptainhadhis“berth。“Aninquiryatthedesk，ofanotherimportantclerk，wasansweredwithabrisk：
“Mr。Everdean？Yes，heroomshere。Don"tknowwhetherhe"sinornot。Evening，judge。NiceWinterweatherwe"rehaving。“
Thejudge，whowasaponderouspersonvaguelysuggestingthegreatHeman，admittedthattheweatherwasfine，patronizingitashedidso。Theclerkcontinuedtheconversation。CaptainCywaited。Atlengthhespoke。
“Excuseme，commodore，“hesaid；“Idon"tliketobreakinuntilyou"vesettledwhetheryouhaveitsnowornot，butI"mheretoseeCongressmanEverdean。Hadn"tyoubetterorderoneofyourfo"masthandstohunthimup？”
Thejudgecondescendedtosmile，asdidseveralothermenwhostoodnear。Theclerkreddened。
“DoyouwanttoseeMr。Everdean？”hesnapped。
“Why，yes，Idid。ButIcan"tseehimfromherewithoutstrainin"
myeyesight。“
Theclerksharplydemandedoneofthecaptain"svisitingcards。Hedidn"tgetone，fortheverygoodreasonthattherewasnoneinexistence。
“Tellhimanoldfriendofhisdad"sishereonthemaindeckwaitin"forhim，“saidCaptainCy。“That"lldofirstrate。Thankyou，admiral。“
Wordcamethatthecongressmanwouldbedowninafewmoments。Thecaptainbeguiledtheintervalbyleaningontherailandregardingtheclerkwithanawedcuriositythatannoyeditsobjectexceedingly。
Theinspectionwasstillonwhenatallman，ofanagesomewhereintheearlythirties，walkedbrisklyuptothedesk。
“Whoisitthatwantstoseeme？”heasked。
TheclerkwavedadeprecatoryhandinCaptainCy"sdirection。Thenewcomerturned。
“MynameisEverdean，“hesaid。“Areyou——hey？——GreatScott！IsitpossiblethisisCaptainWhittaker？”
Thecaptainwasimmenselypleased。
“Well，Ideclare，Ed！”heexclaimed。“Ididn"tbelieveyou"dremembermeafteralltheseyears。Youwasnothin"butaboywhenIsawyououtin"Frisco。Well！well！Nowonderyou"reinCongress。AmanthatcanrememberfaceslikethatoughttobePresident。“
Everdeanlaughedastheyshookhands。
“Don"tsupposeI"dforgetthechapwhousedtodinewithusandtellmethoseseastories，doyou？”hesaid。“I"mmightygladtoseeyou。Whatareyoudoinghere？ThelastfatherandIheardofyou，youwereinSouthAmerica。Givenupthesea，theysaid，andgettingrichfast。“
CaptainCychuckled。
“It"sagoodthingIlearnedlongagonottobelieveallIhear，“
heanswered，“elseI"dhavebeensosureIwasrichthatI"dhavespentallIhad，andbeenpermanentboarderatthepoorhousebynow。No，thanks；I"vehaddinner。Why，yes，I"llsmoke，ifyou"llhelpalong。How"syourfather？Smart，ishe？”
Thecongressmaninsistedthattheyshouldadjourntohisrooms。Anunmarriedman，hekeptbachelor"shallatthehotelduringhisstayinWashington。There，incomfortablechairs，theyspokeofoldtimes，whenthecaptainwasseafaringandtheEverdeanhomehadbeenhiswhilehisshipwasinportat"Frisco。HetoldofhisreturntoBayport，andtherenovationoftheoldhouse。OfBos"nhesaidnothing。AtlastEverdeanaskedwhathadbroughthimtoWashington。
“Well，“saidCaptainCy，“I"lltellyou。I"mlikethefellerincourtwithoutalawyer；hesaidhecouldn"ttellwhetherhewasguiltyornot"countofhavin"noprofessionaladvice。That"swhatI"vecometoyoufor，Ed——professionaladvice。“
Hetoldtheharborappropriationstory。Attheincidentofthe“committeeofone“hisfriendlaughedheartily。
“Ratherputyourfootinitthattime，Captain，didn"tyou？”hesaid。
“Yup。ThenIgott"otheronestucktryin"togetthefirstclear。
How"sitlooktoyou？Allstraight，doyouthink？oristhereaniggerinthewoodpile？”
Mr。Everdeanseemedtoreflect。
“Well，Captain，“hesaid，“Ican"ttell。You"reaskingdelicatequestions。Politiciansarelikedoctors，theyusuallybackupeachother"sopinions。Still，you"reatleastasgoodafriendofmineasAtkinsis。QueerHEshouldbobupinthismatter！Why，he——butnevermindthatnow。Itellyou，CaptainWhittaker，youcomearoundandhavedinnerwithmeto-morrownight。InthemeantimeI"llseethechairmanofthecommitteeonthatbill——oneoftheso-
called"pork"billsitis。PossiblyfromhimandsomeotheracquaintancesofmineImaylearnsomething。Atanyrate，youcometodinner。“
Sotheinvitationwasaccepted，andCaptainCywentbacktohisownhotelandhisroom。Hesleptbutlittle，althoughitwasnotworryovertheappropriationquestionwhichkepthimawake。NextmorninghewroteanotetoGeorgianna，givinghisWashingtonaddress。WithitheenclosedalonglettertoBos"n，tellingherheshouldbehomeprettysoon，andthatshemustbeagoodgirland“bosstheship“duringhisabsence。HesenthisregardstoAsaphandBailey，butPhoebe"snamehedidnotmention。Thenheputinamiserabledaywanderingaboutthecity。AteightthateveningheandhisWesternfriendsatdownatacornertableinthebigdiningroomoftheGloria。
Thecaptainbegantoaskquestionsassoonasthesoupwasserved，butEverdeanrefusedtoanswer。
“No，no，“hesaid，“pleasurefirstandbusinessafterwards；that"sacongressionalmotto。Ican"ttalkAtkinswithmydinnerandenjoyit。“
“Can"t，hey？Youwouldn"tbepopularatourperfectboardinghousebackhome。TheretheyserveHemanhotforbreakfastanddinner，andwarmhimoverforsupper。Allright，Icanwait。“
TheconversationwanderedfromBuenosAyresto"Friscoandbackagainuntilthecigarsandcoffeewerereached。Thenthecongressmanblewafragrantringintotheairand，frombehindit，lookedquizzicallyathiscompanion。
“Well，“heobserved，“sofarasthatappropriationofyoursisconcerned——“
Hepausedandblewasecondring。CaptainCystrokedhisbeard。
“Um——yes，“hedrawled，“nowthatyoumentionit，seemstometherewassometalkofanappropriation。“
Mr。Everdeanlaughed。
“I"vebeenmakinginquiries，“hesaid。“Isawthechairmanofthecommitteeontheporkbill。Iknowhimwell。He"sagoodfellow，but——“
“Yes，Iknow。I"veseenlotsofpoliticianslikethat；they"reallgoodfellers，but——IfIwasinpoliticsI"dmakealawtocut"But"outofthedictionary。“
“Well，thischapreallyisagoodfellow。Iaskedaboutthethirtythousanddollarsforyourtown。HeaskedmewhyIdidn"tgotothecongressmanfromthatdistrict，andnotbotherhimaboutit。I
saidperhapsIwouldgotothecongressmanlater，butIcametohimfirst。“
“Sartin。Sameasthefellerwithasickmother-in-lawstoppedinattheundertaker"sonhiswaytocallthedoctor。Allright；
heaveahead。“
“Well，wehadaratherlongconversation。IdiscoveredthattheBayportitemwasoriginallyincludedinthebill，butrecentlyhadbeenstrickenout。“
“Yes，Isee。UncleSamhadtoeconomize，hey？Savesomethin"forarainyday。“
“Well，possibly。Stillthebillisjustasheavy。Now，CaptainWhittaker，Idon"tKNOWanythingaboutthisaffair，andit"snotmybusiness。ButI"vebeenaboutto-day，andIaskedquestions，and——
I"mgoingtotellyouafairytale。Itisn"tasinterestingasyourseayarns，but——Doyoulikefairystories？”
“Land，yes！Tellafewmyselfwhenit"snecessary。SometimesI
almostbelieve"em。Well？”
“Ofcourse，youmustrememberthisISafairystory。Let"ssupposethatonceonatime——that"sthewaytheyalwaysbegin——onceonatimetherewasagreatman，greatinhisowncountry，whowassentabroadbyhispeopletorepresentthemamongtherulersoftheland。So，inordertotypicallyrepresentthem，hedressedingladandexpensiveraiment，wentaboutindignity，and——“
“Andwhiskers。Don"tleaveoutthewhiskers！”
“Allright——andwhiskers。Anditcametopassthatthepeoplewhomherepresentedwishedto——to——er——bringaboutacertainneededimprovementintheir——theirbeautifulandenterprisingcommunity。“
“Sho！sho！hownaturalthatsounds！Youmustbeamindreader。“
“No。ButIhavetomakespeechesinmyowncommunityoccasionally。
Well，thepeopleaskedtheirgreatmantogetthemoneyneededforthisimprovementfromtherulersofthelandaforementioned。Andhewasatfirstallenthusiasmanduponthe——theparchmentscrollwheresuchmattersareinscribedwaswrittenthenameofthebeautifulandenterprisingcommunity，andthesumofmoneyitaskedfor。Andthedealwasasgoodasmade。Excusethemodernphraseology；myfairylingogotmixedthere。“
“Nevermind。Icangetthedriftjustaswell——maybebetter。“
“Andthedealwasasgoodasmade。Butbeforethevotewastakenanotherchapcametothegreatmanandsaid："Lookhere！Iwanttogetanappropriationof，say，fiftythousanddollars，todeepenandimproveariverdowninmyState"——aSouthernStatewe"llsay。
"I"vebeentothechairmanoftheporkbillcommittee，andhesaysit"simpossible。Thebillsimplycan"tbeloadedanyfurther。ButIfindthatyouhaveanitemintherefordeepeningandimprovingaharborbackinyourowndistrict。Whydon"tyoucutthatitemout——
shoveitoveruntilnextyear？Youcaneasilyfindasatisfactoryexplanationforyourconstituents。ANDyouwanttorememberthis：
theimprovementofthisrivermeansthatthe——the——well，acertainsugar-growingcompany——cangettheirstufftomarketatafigurewhichwillsenditsstockupandup。Andyouaresaidtoownaconsiderableamountofthatstock。Sowhynotdroptheharboritemandsubstitutemyriverslice？Then——"Well，Iguessthat"stheendofthetale。“
Hepausedandrelithiscigar。CaptainCythoughtfullymarkedwithhisforkonthetablecloth。
“Hum！”hegrunted。“That"saveryinterestin"yarn。Yes，yes！
don"tknow"sIeverheardamoreinterestin"one。Ipresumelikelythereain"tamiteofproofthatit"strue？”
“Notanatom。Itoldyouitwasafairytale。AndImustn"tbequotedinthematter。Honestly，themostofitisguesswork，atthat。Butperhapsa"committeeofone，"droppingahintathome，mightatleastarousesomeuncomfortablequestioningofacertaingreatman。That"saboutall，though。Proofisquiteanotherthing。“
Thecaptainpondered。Hewasfullyawarethattheunpopularityofthe“committee“wouldnullifywhatevergooditshintingmightdo。
“Humph！”hegruntedagain。“It"sonethingtosmellaratandanothertonailitstailtothefloor。ButI"mmightyobligedtoyou，allthesame。AndI"llthinkitoverhard。Say！Icanseeonething——youdon"ttakeaverybigshinetoHemanyourself。“
“Nottoobig——no。Doyou？”
“Well，Idon"twakeupnightsandcryforhim。“
Everdeanlaughed。
“That"scharacteristic，“hesaid。“Youhaveyourownwayofputtingthings，Captain，andit"shardtobeimprovedon。Atkinshasneverdoneanythingtome。Ijust——Ijustdon"tlikehim，that"sall。Fatherneverlikedhim，either，intheolddays；andyet——andit"sodd，too——hewasthemeansoftheoldgentleman"smakingthemostofhismoney。“
“He？Who？NotHeman？”
“Yes，HemanAtkins。But，sofarasthatgoes，fatherstartedhimtowardwealth，Isuppose。Atleast，hewaspoorenoughbeforetheminewassold。“
“Whatareyoutalkin"about？Hemangothisstarttradin"overintheSouthSeas。Sellin"theKanakasglassbeadsandcalicoforpearlsandcopra——twocupfulsofpearlsforeverybead。Anyhow，that"sthewaytheyarngoes。“
“Ican"thelpthat。HewasjustacommonsailorwhohadrunawayfromhisshipandwasgoldmininginCalifornia。Andwhenheandhispartnerstruckitrichfatherborrowedmoney，headedacompany，andboughtthemout。ThatminewastheExcelsior，andit"sjustasproductiveto-dayasiteverwas。IratherthinkAtkinsmustbeverysorryhesold。Isuppose，byright，Ishouldbeverygratefultoyourdistinguishedrepresentative。“
“Well，Idodeclare！Sho，sho！Ain"tthatfunnynow？He"sneversaidawordaboutitathome。Idon"tbelievethere"sasoulinBayportknowsthat。Weallthought"twasSouthSeatradin"thatboostedHeman。Andyourowndad！Ideclare，thisisasmallworld！”
“It"soddfathernevertoldyouaboutit。It"soneoftheoldgentleman"spetstories。HecameWestin1850，andwasrunningalittleshippingstorein"Frisco。HemetAtkinsandtheotheryoungsailor，hispartner，beforetheylefttheirship。Theywereinthestore，buyingvariousthings，andfathergottoknowthemprettywell。Thentheyranawaytothediggings——yousimplycouldn"tkeepacrewinthosetimes——andhedidn"tseethemagainforagoodwhile。Thentheycameinonedayandshowedhimspecimensfromaclaimtheyhadbackinthemountains。Theyweremightygoodspecimens，andwhattheysaidabouttheclaimconvincedfatherthattheyhadavaluableproperty。Sohewenttoseeafewwell-to-dofriendsofhis，andtheoutcomewasthatapartywasmadeuptogoandinspect。Theyoungfellowswerewillingtosellout，foritwasaquartzworkingandtheyhadn"tthemoneytocarryiton。
“Theinspectionshowedthattheclaimwaslikelytobeevenbetterthantheythought，so，aftersomebargaining，thedealwascompleted。Theysoldoutforseventy-fivethousanddollars，anditwasthebesttradefatherevermade。He"ssoproudofhisjudgmentandforesightinmakingitthatIwonderhenevertoldyouthestory。“
“Heneverdid。Whenwasthis？”
“In"54。What？”
“Ididn"tspeak。Thedateseemedkindoffamiliartome，that"sall。Seem"sasifIhearditrecent，butIcan"trememberwhen。
Seventy-fivethousand，hey？Well，thatwan"tsobad，wasit？Withthatforanestegg，nowonderHeman"smanagedtohatchaprettyrespectablebroodofdollars。“
“Oh，thewholeseventy-fivewasn"this，ofcourse。Halfbelongedtohispartner。Butthepoordevildidn"tlivetoenjoyit。Afterthearticlesweresignedandbeforethemoneywaspaidover，hewastakensickwithafeveranddied。“
“Hey？Hedied？WithaFEVER？”
“Yes。Butheleftaprettygoodlegacytohisheirs，didn"the。
Foracommonsailor——orsecondmate；Ibelievethat"swhathewas——
thirty-seventhousandfivehundredisdoingwell。Itmusthavecomeasabigsurprisetothem。ThewholesumwaspaidtoAtkins，who——What"sthematterwithyou？”
CaptainCywasleaningbackinhischair。Hewasaswhiteasthetablecloth。
“Areyouill？”askedthecongressmananxiously。“Takesomewater。
ShallIcall——“
Thecaptainwavedhishand。
“No，no！”hestammered。“No！I"mallright。Doyou——fortheLord"ssaketellmethis！Whatwasthenameofthispartnerthatdied？”
Mr。Everdeanlookedcuriouslyathisfriendbeforeheanswered。
“Sureyou"renotsick？”heasked。“Well，allright。Thepartner"sname？Why，I"vehearditoftenenough。It"sonthedeedofsalethatfatherhasframedinhisroomathome。Theoldgentlemanisasproudofthatasanythinginthehouse。Thenamewas——was——“
“ForGodsakes，“criedCaptainCy，“don"tsay"twasJohnThayer！
"CauseifyoudoIshan"tbelieveit。“
“That"swhatitwas——JohnThayer。Howdidyouguess？Didyouknowhim？IremembernowthathewasanotherDownEaster，likeAtkins。“
Thecaptaindidnotanswer。Heclaspedhisforeheadwithbothhandsandleanedhiselbowsonthetable。Everdeanwasplainlyalarmed。
“I"mgoingtocalladoctor，“hebegan，rising。ButCaptainCywavedhimbackagain。
“Setstill！”heordered。“Setstill，Itellyou！Yousaythewholeseventy-fivethousandwaspaidtoHeman，butthatJohnThayersignedthebillofsaleaforehedied，ashalfpartner？Andyourdad"sgottheoriginaldeedand——and——heremembersthewholebusiness？”
“Yes，he"sgotthedeed——framed。It"sonrecord，too，ofcourse。
Remembers？Ishouldsayhedid！He"lltalkforaweekonthatsubject，ifyougivehimachance。“
Thecaptainsprangtohisfeet。Hischairtippedbackwardandfelltothefloor。Anobsequiouswaiterrantorightit，butCaptainCypaidnoattentiontohim。
“Where"smycoat？”hedemanded。“Where"smycoatandhat？”
“Whatailsyou？”askedEverdean。“Areyougoingcrazy？”
“Goin"CRAZY？No，no！I"mgoin"toCalifornia。When"sthenexttrain？”
CHAPTERXIX
THETOPPLINGOFAMONUMENT
TheHonorableHemanAtkinssatinthelibraryofhisWashingtonhome，beforeasnappinglogfire，readingaletter。Mr。Atkinshad，ashewouldhaveexpressedit，“servedhispeople“inCongressforsomanyyearsthathehadlongsincepassedthehotelstageoflivingattheCapital。Herentedafurnishedhouseonaneminentlyrespectablestreet，andthepolisheddoorplateborehisnameinuncompromisingcharacters。
Thelibraryfurniturewassolidanddignified。ItsbusinesslikeappearanceimpressedthestrayexcursionistfromtheAtkinsdistrict，whenheorshevisitedthegreatmaninwhoseaffairswefeltsuchapersonalinterest。Particularlyimpressiveandsignificantwasamapofthedistricthangingoverthecongressman"sdesk，andanoilpaintingoftheAtkinsmansionatBayport，which，withtheirondogsandurnsconspicuousinitsforeground，occupiedthemiddleofthelargestwallspace。
Thecheeryfirewasverycomfortingonanightlikethis，forthesleetwasdrivingagainstthewindowpanes，thesidewalkswereankledeepinslush，andthewet，coldwindfromthePotomacwaswhistlingdownthestreet。Somewhereaboutthehouseanunfastenedshutterslammedinthegusts。Mr。Atkinsshouldhavebeenextremelycomfortableashesattherebythefire。Hehadspentmanycomfortablewintersinthatroom。Butnowtherewasafrownonhisfaceashereadtheletterinhishand。ItwasfromSimpson，andstated，amongotherthings，thatCyrusWhittakerhadbeenabsentfromBayportforovertwoweeks，andthatnooneseemedtoknowwherehehadgone。“TheideaseemstobethathestartedforWashington，“wroteTad；“butifthatisso，itisqueeryouhaven"tseenhim。Iamsuspiciousthatheisuptosomethingaboutthatharborbusiness。IshouldkeepmyeyepeeledifIwasyou。“
Alicia，theAtkinshopeful，rustledintotheroom。
“Papa，“shesaid，“I"vecometokissyougoodnight。“
Herfatherperformedtheceremonyinaperfunctoryway。
“Allright，allright，“hesaid。“Nowrunalongtobedanddon"tbotherme，there"sagoodgirl。Iwish，“headdedtestilytothehousekeeperwhohadfollowedAliciaintotheroom，“Iwishyou"dseetothatlooseblind。Itmakesmenervous。Suchthingsasthatshouldbeattendedtowithoutspecificordersfromme。“
Thehousekeeperpromisedtoattendtotheblind。Sheandthegirlleftthelibrary。HemanrereadtheSimpsonletter。Thenhedroppeditinhislapandsatthinkingandtwirlinghiseyeglassesattheendoftheirblackcord。Histhoughtsseemedtobenotofthepleasantest。Thelinesabouthismouthhaddeepenedduringthelastfewmonths。Helookedolder。
Thetelephonebellrangsharply。Mr。Atkinscameoutofhisreveriewithastart，aroseandwalkedacrosstheroomtothewallwheretheinstrumenthung。Itwasbeforethedaysoftheconvenientdesk"phone。Hetookthereceiverfromitshookandspokeintothetransmitter。
“Hello！”hesaid。“Hello！Yes，yes！stopringing。Whatisit？”
Thewirebuzzedandpurredinthestorm。“Hello！”saidavoice。
“Hello，there！IsthisMr。Atkins"shouse？”
“Yes；itis。Whatdoyouwant？”
“Hey？IsthiswheretheHonorableHemanAtkinslives？”
“Yes，yes，Itellyou！ThisisMr。Atkinsspeaking。Whatdoyouwant？”
“Oh！isthatyou，Heman？ThisisWhittaker——CyWhittaker。
Understand？”
Mr。Atkinsunderstood。Yetforaninstanthedidnotreply。Hehadbeenthinking，ashesatbythefire，ofcertainpersonsandcertainugly，thoughremote，possibilities。Now，fromamysterioussomewhere，oneofthosepersonswasspeakingtohim。Thehandholdingthereceivershookmomentarily。
“Hello！Isay，Heman，doyouunderstand？ThisisWhittakertalkin"。“
“I——er——understand，“saidthecongressman，slowly。“Well，sir？”
“I"mhereinWashin"ton。“
“Ihavebeeninformedthatyouwereinthecity。Well，sir？”
“Oh！knewIwashere，didyou？Isthatso？Whotoldyou？Tadwrote，Isuppose，hey？”
Thecongressmandidnotreplyimmediately。Thisman，whomhedislikedmorethananyoneelseintheworld，hadanirritatingfacultyofputtinghisfingeronthetruth。Andtheflippancyinthetonewasmaddening。Mr。Atkinswasnotusedtoflippancy。
“IbelieveIamnotcalledupontodisclosemysourceofinformation，“hesaidwithchillingdignity。“Itappearstohavebeentrustworthy。Ipresumeyouhave"phonedmeconcerningtheappropriationmatter。Idonotrecognizeyourrighttointrudeinthataffair，andIshalldeclinetodiscussit。Yes，sir。Tomypeople，tothosewhohavearighttoquestion，Iamandshallalwaysbewillingtoexplainmyposition。Goodnight。“
“Wait！Hello！Holdonaminute。Don"tgetmad，Heman。Ionlywantedtosayjustaword。You"llletmesayaword，won"tyou？”
Thiswasmorelikeit。ThiswasmorenearlythetoneinwhichMr。
Atkinswaswonttobeaddressed。Itwaspossiblethattheman，recognizingtheuselessnessoffurtheropposition，desiredtosurrender。
“Icannot，“declaredtheHonorable，“understandwhyyoushouldwishtospeakwithme。Wehaveverylittleincommon，verylittle，I"mthankfultosay。However，Iwillhearyoubriefly。Goon。“
“Muchobliged。Well，Heman，IonlywantedtosaythatIthoughtmaybeyou"dbetterhavealittletalkwithme。I"mhereatthehotel，theRegent。Youknowwhere"tis，Ipresumelikely。Iguessyou"dbettercomerightdownandseeme。“
Hemangasped，actuallygasped，withastonishment。
“_I_hadbettercomeandseeYOU？I——！Well，sir！WELL！Iamnotaccustomed——“
“Iknow，butIthinkyou"dbetter。It"sdirtyweather，andI"vegotcoldsomehoworother。Iain"tfeelin"quiteuptothemark，soIcal"lateI"llstayinportmuchasIcan。Youcomerightdown。I"llbeinmyroom，andthehotelfolks"lltellyouwhere"tis。I"llbewaitin"foryou。“
Mr。Atkinsbreathedhard。Inhispresentframeofmindhewouldhavelikedtodeliverablastintothattransmitterwhichwouldcausethepersonattheotherendofthelinetoshrivelunderitsheat。Buthewasapoliticianoflongtraining，andheknewthatsuchblastsweresometimesexpensivetreats。Itmightbewelltohearwhathisenemyhadtosay。Butastogoingtoseehim——thatwasoutofthequestion。
“Idonot，“hethundered，“Idonotcaretocontinuethisconversation。If——ifyouwishtoseeme，afterwhathastakenplacebetweenus，Iamwilling，inspiteofpersonalrepugnance，tograntyouabriefinterview。Myservantswilladmityouhereatnineo"clockto-morrowmorning。ButItellyounow，thatyourinterferencewiththisappropriationmatterisasuselessasitisridiculousandimpudent。Itisofapiecewiththerestofyourconduct。“
“Allright，Heman，allright，“wasthecalmanswer。“Idon"tsayyou"vegottocome。IonlysayIguessyou"dbetter。I"mgoin"
backtoBayporttomorrer，early。AndifIwasyouI"dcomeandseemeto-night。“
“Ihavenowishtoseeyou。NordoIcaretotalkwithyoufurther。
Thatappropriation——“
“Maybeitain"tallappropriation。“
“ThenIcannotunderstand——“
“Iknow，but_I_understand。I"vecometounderstandconsider"blemanythingsinthelastfortni"t。There！Ican"thollerintothismachineanylonger。I"vebeenclearoutto"Friscoandbackinelevendays，andIgotcoldinthoseblessedsleepin"cars。I——“
Thereceiverfellfromthecongressman"shand。Itwasadifficultobjecttopickupagain。Hemangropedforitinablind，strangelyinadequateway。Yethewishedtorecoveritverymuch。
“Wait！wait！”heshoutedanxiously。“I——I——Idroppedthe——Areyouthere，Whittaker？Areyou——Oh！yes！Ididn"t——Didyousay——
er——"Frisco？”
“Yes，SanFrancisco，California。I"vebeenWestonalittlecruise。Hadaninterestin"time。It"saninterestin"place；don"tyouthinkso？Well，I"msorryyoucan"tcome。Goodnight。“
“Wait！”falteredthegreatman。“I——I——letmethink，Cyrus。Idonotwishtoseem——er——arrogantinthismatter。Itisnotusualformetovisitmyconstituents，but——but——Ihavenoengagementthisevening，andyouarenotwell，and——Hello！areyouthere？Hello！
Why，underthecircumstances，Ithink——Yes，Iwillcome。I"llcome——er——atonce。“
Thetelephoneenablesonetoprocureacabinashorttime。Yet，toHemanAtkins，thatcabwasyearsincoming。Hepacedthelibraryfloor，hishandtohisforeheadandhisbrainwhirling。Itcouldn"tbe！Itmustbeacoincidence！Hehadbeenanidiottodisplayhisagitationandsurrendersoweakly。Andyet——andyet——
TheridethroughthestormtotheRegentHotelgavehimopportunityformorethought。Buthegainedlittlecomfortfromthinking。Ifitwasacoincidence，wellandgood。Ifnot——
AbellboyconductedhimtotheWhittakerroom“onthesaloondeck。“Itwasasmallroom，verydifferentfromtheAtkinslibrary，andCaptainCy，inacane-seatedchair，washuddledclosetothesteamradiator。Helookedfarfromwell。
“Evenin"，Heman，“hesaidasthecongressmanentered。“Prettydirtynight，ain"tit？Whatwe"dcallagrayno"theasterbackhome。Sitdown。Don"tmindmynotgettin"up。Thisheatin"
arrangementfeelsmightycomf"tablejustnow。IfIgettoofarawayfromitIshivermydeckplanksloose。Takeoffyourthings。“
Mr。Atkinsdidnotremovehisovercoat。Hishathetossedonthebed。Heglancedfearfullyathiscompanion。Thelatter"sgreetinghadbeensocasualandeverydaythathetookcourage。Andthecaptainlookedanythingbutformidableashehuggedtheradiator。
Perhapsthingswerenotsobadashehadfeared。Heresolvednottoseemalarmed，atallevents。
“Haveacigar，Heman？”saidCaptainCy。“No？Well，allright；I
will，ifyoudon"tmind。“
Helitthecigar。Thecongressmanclearedhisthroat。
“Cyrus，“hesaid，“Iamnotaccustomedtorunatthebeckandcallofmy——er——acquaintances，but，eventhoughwehavedisagreedoflate，eventhoughtomeyourconductseemsquiteunjustifiable，still，forthesakeofourboyhoodfriendship，and，becauseyouarenotwell，I——er——came。“
CaptainCycoughedspasmodically，acoughthatseemedtobetearinghimtopieces。Helookedathiscigarregretfully，andlaiditonthetopoftheradiator。
“Toobad，“heobserved。“Tobaccogen"rallyilesupmytalkin"
machinery，butjustnowitseemstomakemebarklikeaship"sdogshutupinthehold。Why，yes，Heman，Iseeyou"vecome。Muchobligedtoyou。“
Thispolitenesswasstillmoreencouraging。Atkinsleanedbackinhischairandcrossedhislegs。
“Ipresume，“hesaid，“thatyouwishtoaskconcerningtheappropriation。Iregret——“
“Youneedn"t。Iguesswe"llgettheappropriation。“
Heman"scondescensionvanished。Heleanedforwardanduncrossedhislegs。
“Indeed？”hesaidslowly，hiseyesfixedonthecaptain"splacidface。
“Yes——indeed。“
“Whittaker，whatareyoutalkingabout？DoyousupposethatIhavebeentherepresentativeofmypeopleinCongressalltheseyearswithoutknowingwhereofIspeak？Theyleftthematterinmyhands，andyourinterference——“
“Iain"tgoin"tointerfere。I"Mgoin"toleaveitinyourhands，too。AndIcal"lateyou"llbeabletofindawaytogetit。
Um——hum，Iguesslikelyyouwill。“
Thevisitorrosetohisfeet。ThetimehadcomeforanotherblastfromOlympus。Heraisedthemightyrightarm。ButCaptainCyspokefirst。
“Sitdown，Heman，“saidthecaptainquietly。“Sitdown。Thisain"ttownmeetin"。Nevermindtheappropriationnow。There"sothermatterstobetalkedaboutfirst。Sitdown，Itellyou。“
Mr。Atkinswaspurpleintheface，buthesatdown。Thecaptaincoughedagain。
“Heman，“hebeganwhenthespasmwasover，“Iaskedyoutocomehereto-nightfor——well，blessedifIknowexactly。Itdidn"tmakemuchdifferencetomewhetheryoucameornot。“
“Then，sir，Imustsaythat，ofalltheimpudent——“
“S-s-h-h！forthelandsakes！Speechmakin"mustbeasbadastherumhabit，whenafeller"sgotitchronicasyouhave。No，itdidn"tmakemuchdifferencetomewhetheryoucameornot。But，honest，you"vegottobeakindofBunkerHillmonumenttothefolksbackhome。Theykneeldownatyourfoundationsandlookupatyou，andtelleachotherhowmanyfoothighyouare，andwhatitcosttobuildyou，andhowyoustandforpatriotismandpurity，till——well，_I_couldn"tseeyoutumbledownwithoutgivin"youachance。Icouldn"t；"twouldbelikeblowin"upachurch。“
ThepurplehadlefttheAtkinsface，butthespeechmakinghabitisnotlikelytobebroken。
“CyrusWhittaker，“hestammered，“haveyoubeendrinking？Yourlanguagetomeisabominable。WhyIpermitmyselftoremainhereandlistentosuch——“
“Ifyou"llkeepstillI"lltellyouwhy。And，ifIwasyou，I
wouldn"tbetooanxioustofindout。Thiseverlastin"colddon"tmakemeover"n"abovegood-tempered，andwhenIthinkofwhatyou"vedonetothatlittlegirl，orwhatyoutriedtodo，Ihavetoholdmyselfdowntight，TIGHT，anddon"tyouforgetit！Now，youkeepquietandlisten。It"llbebestforyou，Heman。Yourcardsain"tunderthetableanylonger。I"veseenyourhand，andIknowwhyyou"vebeenplayin"it。Iknowthewholegame。I"vebeenWest，andEverdeanandIhavehadatalk。“
Mr。Atkinshadagainrisenfromthechair。Nowhefellheavilybackintoit。Hislipsmovedasifhemeanttospeak，buthedidnot。AtthementionoftheEverdeannamehemadeaqueer，chokingsoundinhisthroat。
“Iknowthewholebusiness，Heman，“wentonthecaptain。“IknowwhyyouwassoknockedoverwhenyoulearnedwhoBos"nwas，thenightoftheparty。Iknowwhyyoutookupwiththatblackguard，Thomas，andwhyyou"vespentyourgoodmoneyhirin"lawyersforhim。Iknowaboutthemine。Iknowthewholethingfromfirsttolast。ShallItellyou？Doyouwanttohearit？”
Thegreatmandidnotanswer。Adropofperspirationshoneonhishighforehead，andtheveinsofhisbig，whitehandsstoodoutasheclutchedthearmsofhischair。Themonumentwastotteringonitsbase。
“It"sadirtymess，thewholeofit，“continuedCaptainCy。“Andyet，Icansee——IsupposeIcanseesomeexcuseforyouatthebeginnin"。WhenoldmanEverdeanandhiscrowdboughtyouandJohnThayerout，"waybacktherein"54，afterJohndied，andallthemoneywasputintoyourhands，Ical"lateyouwashonestthen。I
wouldn"twonderifyouMEANTtohandoverthethirty-seventhousandfivehundreddollarstoyourpartner"swidow。But"twasharderandmoreriskytosendmoneyEastinthemdaysthan"tisnow，andsoyouwaited，thinkin"maybethatyou"dfetchittoEmilywhenyoucomeyourself。Butyoudidn"tcomehomeforsomeyears；youwenttradin"downalongtheFeejeesandaroundthatway。That"showI
reasoneditouttheselastfewdaysonthetrain。Igiveyoucreditforbein"honestfirstalong。
“Butnevermindwhetheryouwasornot，youhaven"tbeensince。
Youneverpaidoveracentofthatpoorfeller"smoney——honestmoney，thatbelongedtohisheirs，andbelongsto"emnow。You"vehungontoit，stoleit，useditforyours。AndEmilyworkedandscratchedforalivin"anddiedpoor。AndMary，shedied，afterbein"abusedanddesertedbythatcussedhusbandofhers。Andyouthoughtyouwassafe，Ical"late。AndthenBos"nturnsuprightinyourowntown，rightacrosttheroadfromyou！Bythebigdipper！
it"senoughtomakeafellerbelievethattheAlmightydoestakeahandinstraightenin"outsuchthings，whenushumansbungle"em——
itisso！
“CourseIain"tsure，Heman，whatyoumeanttodowhenyoufoundthatthechildyou"dstolethatmoneyfromwasgoin"tobeunderyourfaceandeyestillyouorshedied。Ical"lateyouwasafraidI"dfindsomethin"out，wan"tyou？IpresumelikelyyouthoughtthatI，nothavin"quitethereverenceforyouthattherestoftheBayportershave，mightbesharpenoughorluckyenoughtosmellarat。PerhapsyoususpicionedthatIknewtheEverdeans。Anyhow，youwantedtogetthechildasfuroutofyoursightandoutofmyhandsasyoucould——ain"tthatso？Andwhenherdadturnedup，youthoughtyousawyourchance。Heman，youanswermethis：Ain"titpartofyourbargainwithThomasthatwhenhegetshislittlegirl，heshalltakeherandclearout，awayoffsomewheres，forgood？
Ain"tit，now——what？”
Themonumentwasswaying，wasswingingfromsidetoside，butitdidnotquitefall——notthen。Thecongressman"scheekshungflabby，hisforeheadwaswet，andheshookfromheadtofoot；butheclenchedhisjawsandmadeonelastattemptatdefiance。
“I——Idon"tknowwhatyoumean，“hedeclared。“You——youseemtobeaccusingmeofsomething。Ofstealing，Ibelieve。DoyouunderstandwhoIam？Ihavesomeinfluenceandreputation，anditisdangerousto——totrytofrightenme。Proofsarerequiredinlaw，and——“
“S-s-h-h！YouknowI"vegottheproofs。Theywereeasyenoughtoget，onceIhappenedonthetrackof"em。Lordsakes，Heman，I
ain"tafool！What"stheuseofyourpretendin"tobeone？
There"sthedeedoutin"Frisco，withyoursandJohn"snameonit。
There"stherecordstoprovethesale。There"sthereceiptfortheseventy-fivethousandsignedbyyou，onbehalfofyourselfandyourpartner"swidow。There"soldmanEverdeanaliveandcompetenttotestify。There"sJohnThayer"swillonfileovertoOrham。
Proofs！Why，youTHIEF！ifit"sproofsyouwant，I"vegotenoughtosendyoutostate"sprisonfortherestofyourlife。Don"tyoudaresay"proofs"tomeagain！HemanAtkins，youoweme，asBos"n"sguardian，thirty-seventhousandfivehundreddollars，withinterestsince1854。Whatyougoin"todoaboutit？”
Herewasoneray，afeebleray，oflight。
“You"renotherguardian，“criedAtkins。“Thecourtshavethrownyouout。Andyourappealwon"tstand，either。Ifanymoneyisdue，itbelongstoherfather。Sheisn"tofage！No，sir！herfather——“
CaptainCy"spatiencehadbeengivingway。Nowhelostitaltogether。Hestrodeacrosstheroomandshookhisforefingerinhisvictim"sface。
“So！”hecried。“That"syourtack，isit？Bythebigdipper！YouGOtoherfather——justyougotohimandtellhim！Justhinttohimthatyouowehisdaughterthirty-oddthousanddollars，andseewhathe"lldo。Goodheavensabove！hewasreadytosellherouttomeforfiftydollars"wuthofsandbankinOrham。Almostready，hewas，tillyouofferedahigherpricetohimtofight。Why，he"llhaveyourhidenaileduponthebarndoor！Ifyoudon"tpayhimeveryredcopper，downonthenail，he"llwringyoudry。Andthenhe"llblackmailyouforeverandever，amen！Unless，ofcourse，_I_
gohomeandstoptheblackmailbyprintingmystoryintheBreeze。
I"veapreciousgoodmindtodoit。BytheAlmighty，IWILLdoit！
unlessyoucomeoffthathighhorseofyoursandtalklikeaman。“
Andthenthemonumentfell，fellprostrate，withasickly，pitifulcrash。IfweofBayportcouldhaveseenourcongressmanthen！Thegreatman，greatnolonger，brokedowncompletely。Hecriedlikeababy。Itwasalltrue——alltrue。Hehadnotmeanttosteal，atfirst。Hehadbeenledintousingthemoneyinhisbusiness。Thenhehadmeanttosendittotheheirs，buthedidn"tknowtheirwhereabouts。CaptainCysmiledatthisexcuse。Andnowhecouldn"tpay——heCOULDN"T。Hehadhardlythatsumintheworld。
Hehadlostmoneyinstocks，hispropertyintheSouthhadgonetothebad！Hewouldberuined。Hewouldhavetogotoprison。Hewasgettingtobeanoldman。AndtherewasAlicia，hisdaughter！
Thinkofher！Thinkofthedisgrace！Andsoon，overandover，withtheonerecurringburden——whatwasthecaptaingoingtodo？
whatwashegoingtodo？Itwasamiserable，dreadfulexhibition，andCaptainCycouldfeelnoprideinhistriumph。
“There！there！”hesaidatlast。“Stopit，man；stopit，forgoodnesssakes！Pullyourselftogether。Iguesswecanfixitupsomehow。Iain"tgoin"tobetoohardonyou。Ifitwan"tforyourmeannessinbein"willin"toletBos"nsufferherlifelongwiththatdrunkenbeastofadadofhers，I"dfeelalmostliketellin"youtogetupandforgetit。ButTHAT"Sgottobestopped。
Now，youlistentome。“
Hemanlistened。Hewasonhiskneesbesidethebed，hisfaceburiedinhisarms，andhisgrayhair，theleonineAtkinshair，whichhewaswonttotossbackwardintheheatedperiodsofhiseloquence，tumbledanddraggled。CaptainCylookeddownathim。
“ThiswholebusinessaboutBos"nmustbestopped，“hesaid，“andstoppedrightoff。Youtellyourlawyerstodropthecase。Herdadisonlyhangin"aroundbecauseyoupayhimto。Hedon"twanther；hedon"tcarewhatbecomesofher。Ifyoupayhimenough，he"llgo，won"the？andnotcomeback？”
Thecongressmanraisedhishead。
“Why，yes，“hefaltered；“Ithinkhewill。Yes，IthinkIcouldarrangethat。But，Cyrus——“
Thecaptainhelduphishand。
“IintendtolookoutforBos"n，“hesaid。“Shecaresformemore"nanyoneelseintheworld。She"sasmuchtomeasmyownchildevercouldbe，andI"llseethatsheishappyandprovidedfor。I"mreligiousenoughtobelieveshewassenttome，andI
intendtosticktomytrust。Asforthemoney——“
“Yes，yes！Themoney？”
“Well，Iwon"tbetoohardonyouthatway，either。We"lltalkthatoverlateron。Maybewecanarrangeforyoutopayitalittleatatime。Youcansignapapershowin"thatyouoweit，andwe"llfixthepayin"tosuitallhands。"Tain"tasifthechildwasinwant。I"vegotsomemoneyofmyown，andwhat"smine"shers。Ithinkweneedn"tworryaboutthemoneypart。“
“Godblessyou，Cyrus！I——“
“Yes，allright。I"msureyouraskin"fortheblessin""llbeagreathelp。Now，youdoyourpart，andI"lldomine。Nooneknowsofthisbusinessbutme。Ididn"ttellEverdeanaword。Hedon"tknowwhyIhustledoutthereandback，norwhyIaskedsomanyquestions。Andheain"tthekindtopryintowhatdon"tconcernhim。Soyou"reprettysafe，Ical"late。Now，ifyoudon"tmind，I
wishyou"drunalonghome。I"m——I"musedup，sortof。“
Mr。Atkinsarosefromhisknees。Eventhen，brokenashewas——helookedtenyearsolderthanwhenheenteredtheroom——hecouldhardlybelievewhathehadjustheard。
“Youmean，“hefaltered，“Cyrus，doyoumeanthat——thatyou"renotgoingtorevealthis——this——“
“ThatI"mnotgoin"totellonyou？Yup；that"swhatImean。YougetridofThomasandsquelchthatlawcase，andI"llkeepmum。
Youcantrustmeforthat。“
“But——but，Cyrus，thepeopleathome？YourstoryintheBreeze？
You"renot——“
“No，theyneedn"tknow，either。It"llbebetweenyouandme。“
“Godblessyou！I"llneverforget——“
“That"sright。Youmustn"t。Forgettin"istheonethingyoumustn"tdo。And，seehere，you"rebossofthepoliticalfleetinBayport；yousteertheschoolcommitteenow。PhoebeDawesain"ttoopopularwiththatcommittee；I"dseethatshewaspopularized。“
“Yes，yes；sheshallbe。Sheshallnotbedisturbed。IsthereanythingelseIcando？”
“Why，yes，Iguessthereis。Speakin"ofpopularitymademethinkofit。Thatharborappropriationhadbettergothrough。“
Averyfainttingeofcolorcameintothecongressman"schalkyface。Hehesitatedinhisreply。
“I——Idon"tknowaboutthat，Cyrus，“hesaid。“Thebillwillprobablybevotedoninafewdays。Itismadeupand——“
“ThenI"dstrainap"intandmakeitover。I"dworkrealhardonit。I"msorryaboutthatsugarriver，butIcal"lateBayport"llhavetocomefirst。Yes，it"llhaveto，Heman；itsartinwill。“
Thereferencetothe“sugarriver“wasthefinalstraw。Evidentlythismankneweverything。
“I——I"lltrymybest，“affirmedHeman。“Thankyou，Cyrus。YouhavebeenmoremercifulthanIhadarighttoexpect。“
“Yes，IguessIhave。WhydoIdoit？”Hesmiledandshookhishead。“Well，Idon"tknow。Fortworeasons，maybe。First，I"dhatetoberesponsiblefortippin"oversuchasky-towerin"idolasyou"vebeentomakeruinsforAngiePhinneyandtheotherblackbirdstopeckatandcawover。Andsecond——well，itdoessoundpresumin"，don"tit，butIkindofpityyou。Say，Heman，“headdedwithachuckle，“that"sakindofdistinction，inaway，ain"tit？Agoodmanyfolkshavehurrahedoveryouandworshippedyou——someof"em，I
guesslikely，haveenviedyou；but，bythebigdipper！IdobelieveI"mtheonlyoneinthisroundworldthateverPITIEDyou。Good-by。
Theelevator"srightdownthehall。“
ItrequiredsomeresolutionfortheHonorableAtkinstowalkdownthatcorridorandpresstheelevatorbutton。Buthedidit，somehow。Aguestcameoutofoneoftheroomsandapproachedhimashestoodthere。Itwasamanheknew。Hemansquaredhisshouldersandseteverynerveandmuscle。
“Goodevening，Mr。Atkins，“saidtheman。“Amiserablenight，isn"tit？”
“Miserable，indeed，“repliedthecongressman。Thestrengthinhisvoicesurprisedhim。Themanpassedon。Hemandescendedintheelevator，walkedsteadilythroughthecrowdedlobbyandouttothecurbwherehiscabwaswaiting。Thedrivernoticednothingstrangeinhisfare"sappearance。HenoticednothingstrangewhentheAtkinsresidencewasreachedanditstenantmountedthestonestepsandopenedthedoorwithhislatchkey。But，ifhehadseenthedignifiedformcollapseinalibrarychairandmoanandrockbackandforthuntilthemorninghours，hewouldhavewonderedverymuchindeed。
MeanwhileCaptainCy，coughingandshiveringbytheradiator，hadbeensummonedfromthatwarmhavenbyaknockathisdoor。Abellboystoodatthethreshold，holdingabrownenvelopeinhishand。
“Theclerksentthisuptoyou，sir，“hesaid。“Itcameaweekago。Whenyouwentaway，youdidn"tleaveanyaddress，andwhateverletterscameforyouweresentbacktoBayport，Massachusetts。Theclerksaysyouregisteredfromthere，sir。
Buthekeptthistelegram。Itwasinyourbox，andthedayclerkforgottogiveittoyouthisafternoon。“
Thecaptaintoreopentheenvelope。Thetelegramwasfromhislawyer，Mr。Peabody。Itwasdatedaweekbefore，andreadasfollows：
“Comehomeatonce。Important。“
CHAPTERXX
DIVIDEDHONORS
Theblizzardbeganthatnight。Bayporthasagenerousallowanceofstormsandgalesduringawinter，although，asausualthing，thereismorerainthansnowandmorewindthaneither。ButwecancountwithcertaintyonatleastoneblizzardbetweenNovemberandApril，andaboutthetimewhenCaptainCy，feverishandill，thedelayedtelegraminhispocketandagreatfearinhisheart，boardedthesleeperoftheEast-boundtrainatWashington，snowwasbeginningtofallinourvillage。
Nextmorning，whenGeorgiannacamedownstairstoprepareBos"n"sbreakfast——thehousekeeperhadceasedto“gohomenights“sincethecaptain"sabsence——theworldoutsidewasatumbled，drivingwhirlofwhite。Thewoodshedandbarn，dimlyseenthroughthesmother，werebutgrayshapes，emergingnowandthenonlytobewipedfromthevisionasbyagreatflappingclothwieldedbythemightyhandofthewind。Theoldhouseshookintheblasts，thewindowpanesrattledasifhandfulsofsmallshotwerebeingthrownagainstthem，andthecarpetonthefloorofthediningroompuffedupinminiaturebillows。
Schoolwasoutofthequestion，andBos"n，herbreakfasteaten，preparedtoputinacozydaywithherdollsandChristmasplaythings。
“WhenDOyous"poseUncleCyruswillgethome？”sheaskedofthehousekeeper。Shehadaskedthesamethingatleastthreetimesadayduringthefortnight，andGeorgianna"sanswerwasalwaysjustasunsatisfactory：
“Idon"tknow，dearie，I"msure。He"llbehereprettysoon，though，don"tyoufret。“
“Oh，Iain"tgoingtofret。Iknowhe"llcome。Hesaidhewould，andUncleCyalwaysdoeswhathesayshewill。“
AbouttwelveAsaphmadehisappearance，awhitestatue。
“Godfreyscissors！”hepanted，shakinghissnow-plasteredcapoverthecoalhod。“Say，thisisoneof"em，ain"tit？Don"tknow"sI
everseemoreofaone。Driftoutbythefrontfenceprettynighuptomywaist。This"llbeanastynightalongtheOrhambeach。
Thelifesavers"llhavetheirhandsfull。Whew！I"mabouttuckeredout。“
“Beentothepostoffice？”askedGeorgiannainalowtone。
“Yup。Ibeenthere。Mornin"mailjustthisminutesorted。
Train"stwohourslate。Gabesaysmore"nlikelytheevenin"trainwon"tbeabletogetthroughatall，ifthiskeepsup。“
“Wasthereanythingfrom——“
Mr。TiddittglancedatBos"nandshookhishead。
“Notaword，“hesaid。“Funny，ain"tit？Itdon"tseemabitlikehim。Andhecan"tbetoWashin"ton，becauseallthemletterscameback。I——Iswantoman，I"mbeginnin"togetworried。“
“Worried？I"mprettynighcrazy！WhatdoesPhoebeDawessay？”
“Shedon"tsaymuch。It"sprettytough，wheneverythingelseisworkin"outsofine，thankstoher，tohavethishappen。No，shedon"tsaymuch，butsheactsprettysolemn。“
“Say，Mr。Tidditt？”
“Yes，whatisit？”
“Youdon"ts"poseanythingthathappenedbetwixtherandCap"nWhittakerthatafternoonisresponsiblefor——forhisstayin"awayso，doyou？Youknowwhathetoldmetotellher——abouthernotcomin"here？”
Asaphfidgetedwiththewetcap。
“Aw，thatain"tnothin"，“hestammered。“Thatis，Ihopeitain"t。
Ididsaysomethin"tohimthat——butPhoebeunderstands。She"sasmartwoman。“
“Youhaven"ttoldthemboardin"housetattletalesaboutthe——Emmie，yougofetchmeacardofmatchesfromthekitchen，won"tyou——ofwhat"sbeenfoundoutaboutthatThomasthing？”
“CourseIain"t。Didn"tPeabodysaynottotellasoultillwewassure？S"poseI"dtellKeturahandAngie？Might"swellpaintitonasignandbedonewithit。No，no！I"vekeptmumandyoudothesame。Well，Imustbegoin"。HopetogoodnesswehearsomegoodnewsfromWhitbyto-morrer。“
Butwhento-morrowcamenewsofanykindwasunobtainable。Notrainscouldgetthrough，andthetelephoneandtelegraphwireswereoutofcommission，owingtothegreatstorm。Bayportwasburiedunderawhitecoverlet，threefeetthickonalevel，whichshoneinthewintersunasifpowderedwithdiamonddust。Thestreet-shovelingbrigade，meaningmostoftheactivemalecitizens，wasbusywithplowsandshovels。Simmons"swasdesertedintheevenings，formostoftheregularhabitueswenttobedaftersupper，tiredout。
Twodaysofthis。ThenGabeLumley，hisdepotwagonreplacedbyasleigh，drovethepantingDanielintotheyardoftheCyWhittakerplace。Gabewasmuchexcited。Hehadnewsofimportancetocommunicateandwaspuffedupinconsequence。
“Thewire"sallrightagain，Georgianna，“hesaidtothehousekeeper，whohadhurriedtothedoortomeethim。“Fustmessagejustcomethrough。Guesswhoit"sfor？”
“Stopyourfoolishness，GabeLumley！”orderedMissTaylor。“Handoverthattelegramthisminute。Don"tyoustoptotalk！Handitover！”
Gabedidn"tintendtobe“corked“thusperemptorily。
“It"sprettyimportantnews，Georgianna，“hedeclared。“Kindofbadnews，too。IthinkI"doughttoprepareyouforit，sortof。
WhenCap"nObedPepperdied，I——“
“DIED！Forthelandsakes！WHATareyousayin"？Givemethat，youfoolhead！Giveittome！”
Shesnatchedthetelegramfromhimandtoreitopen。Itwasnotasbadasmighthavebeen，butitwasbadenough。LawyerPeabodywiredthatCaptainCyrusWhittakerwasathishomeinOstable，sickinbed，andthreatenedwithpneumonia。
CaptainCy，hurryinghomewardinresponsetotheattorney"sformertelegram，hadreachedBostonthedayoftheblizzard。HehadtakenthetrainforBayportthatafternoon。ThetrainhadreachedOstableafternineo"clockthatnight，butcouldgetnofarther。
Thecaptain，burningwithfeverandtornbychills，hadwallowedthroughthedriftstohislawyer"shomeandcollapsedonhisdoorstep。Nowhewasveryilland，attimes，delirious。
Fortwoweekshelay，fightingoffthethreatenedattackofpneumonia。Buthewonthefight，and，atlast，wordcametotheanxiousonesatBayportthathewaspastthedangerpointandwouldpullthrough。TherewasrejoicingattheCyWhittakerplace。TheBoardofStrategycameandperformedanimpromptuwardancearoundthedining-roomtable。
“Whe-e-e！”shoutedBaileyBangs，tossingBos"nabovehishead。
“YourUncleCy"sweatheredtheHornandisboundforclearwaternow。Threecheersforourside！Won"twegivehimareceptionwhenwegethimbackhere！”
“Won"twe？”crowedAsaph。“Well，Ijustguesswewill！YououghttohearAngieandtherestof"emchanthymnsofgloryabouthim。
Abody"dthinktheyalwaysknewhewasthesaltoftheearth。
MaybeIdon"trubitinalittle，hey？Oh，no，maybenot！”
“AndHeman！”chimedinMr。Bangs。“AndHeman！WouldyoueverbelieveHE"Dchangesoallofasudden？BullyoldWhit！IcanmentionhisnamenowwithoutKetury"slandin"ontomelikeasnowslide。Whee！Isay，wh-e-e-e！”
Hecontinuedtosayit；andGeorgiannaandAsaphsaidwhatamountedtothesamething。AchangehadcomeoverourBayportsocialatmosphere，amarvelouschange。AndatSimmons"sand——morewonderfulstill——atTadSimpson"sbarber"shop，planswerebeingmadeandperfectedforproceedingsinwhichCyrusWhittakerwastoplaythemostprominentpart。
Meanwhiletheconvalescencewentonatarapidrate。Assoonashewaspermittedtotalk，CaptainCybegantoquestionhislawyer。
Howabouttheappeal？HadAtkinsdoneanythingfurther？Theanswersweresatisfactory。Thecasehadbeendropped：theHonorableHemanhadannounceditswithdrawal。HehadsaidthathehadchangedhismindandshouldnotcontinuetoespousetheThomascause。Infact，heseemedtohavewhirledcompletelyaboutonhispedestaland，likeacompass，nowpointedonlyinonedirection——
towardhis“boyhoodfriend“andpresentneighbor，CyrusWhittaker。
“It"sperfectlyastounding，“commentedPeabody。“Whatintheworld，captain，didyoudotohimwhileyouwereinWashington？”
“Oh！nothin"much，“wastheratherdisinterestedanswer。“Himandmehadatalk，andhesawtheerrorofhisways，Ical"late。How"sBos"nto-day？Didyougivehermylovewhenyou"phoned？”
“Sofarasthecaseisconcerned，“wentonthelawyer，“Ithinkweshouldhavewonthat，anyway。It"sacuriousthing。Thomashasdisappeared。Howhegotword，orwhohegotitfrom，_I_don"tknow；buthemusthave，andhe"sgonesomewhere，nooneknowswhere。AndyetI"mnotcertainthatwewereontherighttrail。
Itseemedcertainaweekago，butnow——“
Thecaptainhadnotbeenlistening。Hewasthinking。Thomashadgone，hadhe！Good！Hemanwaslivinguptohispromises。AndBos"n，Godblessher，wasfreefromthatdanger。
“HaveyouheardfromEmmie，Iaskedyou？”herepeated。
HewouldnotlistentoanythingfurtherconcerningThomas，eitherthenorlater。Hewassickofthewholebusiness，hedeclared，andnowthateverythingwasallright，didn"twishtotalkaboutitagain。Heaskednothingabouttheappropriation，andthelawyer，actingunderstrictorders，didnotmentionit。
OnlyoncedidCaptainCyinquireconcerningapersoninhishometownwhowasnotamemberofhishousehold。
“Howis——er——how"stheteacher？”heinquiredonemorning。
“How"swho？”
“Why——PhoebeDawes，theschool-teacher。Smart，isshe？”
“Yes，indeed！Why，shehasbeenthemost——“
Thedoctorcameinjustthenandtheinterviewterminated。Itwasnotresumed，becausethatafternoonMr。PeabodystartedforBostononabusinesstrip，tobegonesometime。
Andatlastcamethegreatday，thedaywhenCaptainCywastobetakenhome。Hewasupandabout，hadbeenoutforseveralshortwalks，andwasverynearlyhisownselfagain。Hewasingoodspirits，too，attimes，buthadfitsofseemingdepressionwhich，underthecircumstances，wereunexplainable。Thedoctorthoughttheywereduetohisrecentillnessandforbadequestioning。
TheoriginalplanhadbeenforthecaptaintogotoBayportinthetrain，butthemorningsetforhisdeparturewassuchabeautifulonethatMr。Peabody，whohadthedaybeforereturnedfromthecity，suggesteddrivingover。Sotheopencarriage，drawnbythePeabody“span，“wasbroughtaroundtothefrontsteps，andthecaptain，bundledupuntil，ashesaid，hefeltlikeawharfratinsideacottonbale，emergedfromthehousewhichhadshelteredhimforawearymonthandclimbedtothebackseat。Theattorneygotinbesidehim。
“Allashorethat"sgoin"ashore，“observedCaptainCy。Thentothedriver，whostoodbythehorses"heads，headded：“Standbytogetshipunderway，commodore。I"mhomewardbound，andthere"salittlemessmateofminewaitin"onthedockalready，Iwouldn"twonder。Sodon"thangaroundthesewatersnolonger"nyoucanhelp。“
ButMr。Peabodysmiledandlaidahandonhisshoulder。
“Justaminute，captain，“hesaid。“We"vegotanotherpassenger。
Shecametothehouselastevening，butDr。Colethoughtthiswouldbeanexcitingdayforyou，andyoumustsleepinpreparationforit。Sowekeptherinthebackground。Itwassomethingofajobbut——Hurrah！heresheis！”
Mrs。Peabody，thelawyer"swife，openedthefrontdoor。Shewaslaughing。Thenextmomentasmallfigureshotpasther，downthesteps，andintothecarriagelikeared-hoodedbombshell。
“UncleCyrus！”shescreamedjoyously。“UncleCyrus，it"sme！HereIam！”
AndCaptainCy，springingupandsheddingwrapsandrobes，receivedthebombshellwithopenarmsandhuggedittight。
“Bos"n！”heshouted。“Bythebigdipper！BOS"N！Why，youlittle——
you——you——“
Thatwasawonderfulride。Emilysatinthecaptain"slap——hepositivelyrefusedtolethersitbesidehimontheseat，althoughPeabodyurgedit，fearingthechildmighttirehim——andhertonguerattledlikeasewingmachine。Shehadathousandthingstotell，aboutherschool，aboutGeorgianna，aboutherdolls，aboutLonesome，thecat，andhowmanymicehehadcaught，aboutthebigsnowstorm。
“Georgiannawantedmetostayathomeandwaitforyou，UncleCy，“
shesaid，“butIteasedandteasedandfinallytheysaidIcouldcomeover。Icameyesterdayonthetrain。Mr。Tiddittwentwithmetothedepot。Mrs。PeabodyletmepeekintoyourroomlastnightandIsawyoueatingsupper。Youdidn"tknowIwasthere，didyou？”
“YoubetIdidn"t！There"dhavebeenamutinyrightthenifI"dcaughtsightofyou。Youlittlesculpin！Playin"itonyourUncleCy，wasyou？Ididn"tknowyoucouldkeepasecretsowell。“
“Oh，yesIcan！Why，Iknowaneversomuchbiggersecret，too。