“Ofcourse，ofcourse。Butwhatthen？”
“Idon’treallyknowwhatthen。Seemstometheveryfirstthing，wouldbeforyoutospeaktohim，putthequestionrightuptohim，sameashe’sbeenputtin’ittohimselfallthistime。Gethimto，talkitoverwithyou。Andthen——well，then——“
“Yes？”
“Oh，Idon’tknow！，IdeclareIdon’t。”
“Supposehetellsmehemeanstomarryherinspiteofeverything？
Supposehewon’tlistentomeatall？”
ThatpossibilityhadbeeninJed’smindfromthebeginning，buthe，refusedtoconsiderit。
“Hewilllisten，“hedeclared，stoutly。”Healwayshas，hasn’the？”
“Yes，yes，Isupposehehas。HelistenedtomewhenIpersuaded，himthatcominghereandhidingall——allthathappenedwasthe，rightthingtodo。Andnowseewhathascomeofit！，Anditisall，myfault。Oh，Ihavebeensoselfish！”
“Sshh！sshh！，Youain’t;youcouldn’tbeifyoutried。And，besides，Iwasasmuchtoblameasyou。Iagreedthat’twasthe，bestthingtodo。”
“Oh，“reproachfully，“howcanyousaythat？，Youknowyouwere，opposedtoitalways。Youonlysayitbecauseyouthinkitwill，comfortme。Itisn’ttrue。”
“Eh？，Now——now，don’ttalkso。Pleasedon’t。Ifyoukeepon，talkin’thatwayI’lldosomethin’desperate，starttomakea，johnnycakeoutofsawdust，sameasIdidyesterdaymornin’，or，somethin’elsecrazy。”
“Jed！”
“It’strue，thataboutthejohnnycake。Icameprettynighdoin’
thatverything。Iboughtafive-poundbagofcornmealyesterday，andfetchedithomefromthestorealldoneupinaniceneat，bundle。Comin’throughtheshophereIhaditundermyarm，and——
hum——er——well，toanybodyelseitcouldn’thavehappened，but，bein’JedShavin’sWinslow，Iwasluggin’thethingwiththetopof，thebagunderneath。Igotaboutabreastofthelathetherewhen，thestringcameoffandinless’ntwothirdsofashakeallIhad，undermyarmwasthebag;themealwasonthefloor——whatwasn’tin，mycoatpocketandstucktomyclothesandsoon。Ifetchedthe，waterbucketandstartedtosalvagewhatIcouldofthecargo。
PrettysoonIhad，asnighasIcouldreckonit，aboutfourteen，poundoutofthefivescoopedupandinthebucket。Ibegunto，thinkthemiracleofloavesandfisheswascomin’topassagain。I
wassomeshyonfish，butIwasmakin’uponloaves。ThenIsort，oflookedmattersoverandfoundwhatIhadinthebucketwasabout，onepoundofmealtosevenofsawdust。ThenIgaveitup。Seemed，tomethestuffmightbemorefillin’thannourishin’。”
Ruthsmiledfaintly。Thensheshookherhead。
“Oh，Jed，“shesaid，“you’reastransparentasawindowpane。Thank，you，though。IfanythingcouldcheermeupandhelpmetoforgetI
thinkyoucould。”
Jedlookedrepentant。”I’dnobusinesstotellyouallthat，rigamarole，“hesaid。”I’msorry。I’malwaysdoin’thewrong，thing，seemsso。But，“headded，earnestly，“Idon’twantyouto，worrytoomuchaboutyourbrother——er——Ruth。It’sgoin’tocome，outallright，Iknowit。Godwon’tletitcomeoutanyother，way。”
Shehadneverheardhimspeakinjustthatwaybeforeandshe，lookedathiminsurprise。
“AndyetGodpermitsmanythingsthatseementirelywrongtous，humans，“shesaid。
“Iknow。ThingsliketheKaiser，forinstance。Well，nevermind;
thisone’sgoin’tocomeoutallright。Ifeelitinmybones。
And，“withareturnofhiswhimsicaldrawl，“Imaybeshorton，brains，butablindmancouldseetheyneverskimpedmewhenthey，passedoutthebones。”
Shelookedathimamoment。Then，suddenlyleaningforward，she，putherhanduponhisbigredoneasitlayuponthebench。
“Jed，“shesaid，earnestly，“whatshouldIdowithoutyou？，Youare，myonepresenthelpintimeoftrouble。Iwonderifyouknowwhat，youhavecometomeantome。”
Itwasanimpulsivespeech，madefromtheheart，andwithout，thoughtofphrasingorthatanymeaningotherthanthatintended，couldbereadintoit。Amomentlater，andwithoutwaitingforan，answer，shehurriedfromtheshop。
“Imustgo，“shesaid。”Ishallthinkoveryouradvice，Jed，andI
willletyouknowwhatIdecidetodo。Thankyoueverandeverso，much。”
Jedscarcelyheardher。Aftershehadgone，hesatperfectlystill，bythebenchforalongperiod，gazingabsentlyatthebarewallof，theshopandthinkingstrangethoughts。Afteratimeheroseand，walkingintothelittlesitting-room，satdownbesidetheugly，littleoakwritingtablehehadboughtatasecond-handsaleand，openedtheupperdrawer。
Weeksbefore，Ruth，yieldingtoBabbie’surgentappeal，had，accompaniedthelattertothestudioofthelocalphotographerand，theretheyhadbeenphotographed，together，andseparately。The，results，althoughnotartistictriumphs，beingmostinexpensive，hadbeenrathersuccessfulaslikenesses。Babbiehadcometrotting，intoshowJedtheproofs。Adayorsolaterhefoundoneofthe，saidproofsontheshopfloorwherethelittlegirlhaddroppedit。
IthappenedtobeaphotographofRuth，sittingalone。
AndthenJedWinslowdidwhatwasperhapsthefirstdishonestthing，hehadeverdone。Heputthatproofinthedraweroftheoak，writingtableandsaidnothingofhishavingfoundit。Laterhe，madeawoodenframeforitandcovereditwithglass。Itfadedand，turnedblackasallproofsdo，butstillJedkeptitinthedrawer，andoften，veryoften，openedthatdrawerandlookedatit。Nowhe，lookedatitforalong，longtimeandwhenherosetogobackto，theshoptherewasinhismind，alongwiththedreamthathadbeen，therefordaysandweeks，forthefirsttimethefaintestdawning，ofahope。Ruth’simpulsivespeech，hastilyandunthinkinglymade，wasrepeatingitselfoverandoverinhisbrain。”Iwonderifyou，knowwhatyouhavecometomeantome？”Whathadhecometomean，toher？
Anhourlater，ashesatathisbench，CaptainHunniwellcame，banginginoncemore。Butthistimethecaptainlookedtroubled。
“Jed，“heasked，anxiously，“haveyoufoundanythingheresinceI
wentout？”
Jedlookedup。
“Eh？”heasked，absently。”Found？，Whathaveyoufound，Sam？”
“I？，Ihaven’tfoundanything。I’velostfourhundreddollars，though。Youhaven’tfoundit，haveyou？”
StillJeddidnotappeartocomprehend。Hehadbeenwanderingthe，rose-borderedpathsoffairylandandwasnoteagertocomebackto，earth。
“Eh？”hedrawled。”You’ve——what？”
Hisfriend’spepperytemperbrokeloose。
“Forthundersakeswakeup！”heroared。”ItellyouI’velostfour，hundreddollarsofthefourteenhundredItoldyouIcollectedfrom，SylvesterSageovertoWapatomacthismornin’。Ihadthree，packagesofbills，twooffivehundreddollarseachandoneoffour，hundred。Thetwofivehundredpackageswereintheinsidepocket，ofmyovercoatwhereIput’em。Butthefourhundredone’sgone。
WhatIwanttoknowis，diditdropoutwhenItookoffmycoat，hereintheshop？，Doyougetthatthroughyourhead，finally？”
Ithadgottenthrough。Jednowlookedastroubledashisfriend。
Herosehastilyandwentovertothepileofboardsuponwhich，CaptainSamhadthrownhiscoatuponenteringtheshoponhis，previousvisitthatday。Togethertheysearched，painstakinglyand，atlength。Thecaptainwasthefirsttogiveup。
“’Tain’there，“hesnapped。”Ididn’tthink’twas。Whereintime，isit？，That’swhatIwanttoknow。”
Jedrubbedhischin。
“AreyousureyouhaditwhenyouleftWapatomac？”heasked。
“Sure？，No，Iain’tsureofanything。ButI’dhaveswornIdid。
Themoneywasonthetablealongwithmyhatandgloves。Ipicked，itupandshoveditinmyovercoatpocket。Andthatwasadarned，carelessplacetoputit，too，“headded，testily。”I’dhavegiven，anyfellerthatworkedformethedevilfordoin’suchathing。”
Jednodded，sympathetically。”Butyoumighthaveleftitthereto，Sylvester’s，“hesaid。”Haveyouthoughtoftelephonin’tofind，out？”
“HaveIthought？，Tut，tut，tut！，DoyouthinkI’vegotaheadlike，asix-year-oldyoung-one——oryou？，CourseI’vethought——and，’phoned，too。Butitdidn’tdomeanygood。Sylvester’shouseis，shutupandtheoldman’sgonetoBoston，sothepostmastertoldme，whenI’phonedandaskedhim。Won’tbebackforacoupleofdays，anyhow。Irememberhetoldmehewasgoin’！”
“Sho，sho！that’stoobad。”
“Badenough，butIdon’tthinkitmakesanyrealdifference。I
swearIhadthatmoneywhenIleftSage’s。Icameinhereandthen，Iwentstraighttothebank。”
“Andafteryougotthere？”
“Oh，whenIgotthereIfoundnolessthanthreemen，notcountin’
oldMrs。EmmelineBartlett，inmyroomwaitin’toseeme。Nellie，Hall——mytypewriter，youknow——sheknewwhereI’dbeenandwhata，crankoldSageisandshesays：’Didyougetthemoney，Cap’n？’
AndIsays：’Yes，it’sinmyovercoatpocketthisminute。’，ThenI
hurriedinto’tendtothefolksthatwaswaitin’forme。’Twasan，hourlateraforeIwenttomycoattogetthecash。Then，asI
say，allIcouldfindwasthetwofivehundredpackages。Thefour，hundredonewasgone。”
“Sho，sho！，Tut，tut，tut！，Wheredidyouputthecoatwhenyou，tookitoff？”
“OnthehookintheclothesclosetwhereIalwaysputit。”
“Hum-m！，And——er——whenyoutoldNellieaboutitdidyouspeak，loud？”
“Loud？，Nolouder’nIeverdo。”
“Well——er——thatain’ta——er——whisper，Sam，exactly。”
“Don’tmakeanydifference。Therewasn’tanybodyoutsidethe，railin’thatminutetohearifI’dbelleredlikeabullofBashan。
Therewasnobodyinthebank，Itellyou，exceptthethreemenand，oldAuntEmmelineandtheywerewaitin’inmyprivateroom。And，exceptforNellieandEddieEllis，themessenger，andCharlie，Phillips，therewan’tasoularound，asithappened。Themoney，hasn’tbeenstolen;Ilostitsomewheres——butwhere？，Well，Ican’t，stophereanylonger。I’mgoin’backtothebanktohaveanother，hunt。”
Hebangedoutagain。Fortunatelyhedidnotlookathisfriend’s，facebeforehewent。Forthatfacehadasingularexpressionupon，it。Jedsatheavilydowninthechairbythebench。Avivid，recollectionofarecentremarkmadeinthatveryshophadsuddenly，cometohim。CharliePhillipshadmadeitinanswertoaquestion，ofhisown。Charliehaddeclaredthathewoulddoalmostanything，togetfivehundreddollars。
CHAPTERXVII
ThenextmorningfoundJedheavy-eyedandwithoutappetite，going，throughtheformofpreparingbreakfast。Allnight，withthe，exceptionofanhourortwo，hehadtossedonhisbedalternately，fearingtheworstandtellinghimselfthathisfearswere，groundless。OfcourseCharliePhillipshadnotstolenthefour，hundreddollars。Hadnothe，JedWinslow，loudlyproclaimedto，RuthArmstrongthatheknewherbrothertobeafineyoungman，one，whohadbeenimprudent，itistrue，butmuchmoresinnedagainst，thansinningandwhowouldhenceforth，sohewaswillingtoswear，beabsolutelyuprightandhonest？，Ofcoursethefactthatasumof，moneywasmissingfromtheOrhamNationalBank，wherePhillipswas，employed，didnotnecessarilyimplythatthelatterhadtakenit。
Notnecessarily，thatwastrue;butCharliehad，inJed’spresence，expressedhimselfasneedingmoney，asumapproximatelythatwhich，wasmissing;andhehadaddedthathewoulddoalmostanythingto，getit。And——therewasnousetellingoneselfthatthefacthadno，bearingonthecase，becauseitwouldbearheavilywithany，unprejudicedperson——Charlie’srecordwasagainsthim。Jedloyally，toldhimselfoverandoveragainthattheboywasinnocent，heKNEW
hewasinnocent。But——，Thedreadful“but“camebackagainand，againtotormenthim。
Allthatdayhewentaboutinanalternatestateofdreadandhope。
Hopethatthemissingfourhundredmightbefound，dreadof——many，possibilities。TwicehestoppedatthebanktoaskCaptainSam，concerningit。Thesecondtimethecaptainwasatrifleimpatient。
“Graciousking，Jed，“hesnapped。”What’sthematterwithyou？
’Tain’tamillion。Thisinstitution’llprobablykeepafloateven，ifitneverturnsup。And’twillturnupsoonerorlater;it’s，boundto。There’sachancethatIleftitatoldSage’s。Soon’s，theoldcussgetsbackandIcancatchhimbytelephoneI’llfind，out。MeanwhileIain’tworryin’andIdon’tknowwhyyoushould。
Themainthingisnottoletanybodyknowanything’smissin’。Once，letthenewsgetout’twillgrowtoahundredthousandaforenight。
There’llbearunonusifGabBearseorMelissaBusteedgetgoin’
withtheirthrottlesopen。Sodon’tyouwhisperawordtoanybody，Jed。We’llfinditprettysoon。”
AndJeddidnotwhisperaword。Butheanxiouslywatchedthe，inmatesofthelittlehouse，watchedCharles’facewhenhecame，homeafterworkinghours，watchedthefaceofhissisterasshe，wentforthonamarketingexpedition，evenscrutinizedBabbie’s，laughingcountenanceasshecamedancingintotheshop，swinging，Petuniabyonearm。AnditwasfromBabbiehefirstlearnedthat，inspiteofallCaptainHunniwell’sprecautions，someonehad，droppedahint。Itmayaswellberecordedherethattheidentity，ofthatsomeonewasneverclearlyestablished。Therewere，suspicions，centeringaboutthebankmessenger，buthestoutly，deniedhavingtoldalivingsoul。
Barbara，whowasonherwayhomefromschool，andhadrescuedthe，long-sufferingPetuniafromthefrontfencewhereshehadbeenleft，suspendedonapickettoawaitherparent’sreturn，wasbubbling，overwithnewsandgiggles。
“Oh，UncleJed，“shedemanded，jumpinguptoperchpantingupona，stackofthefrontelevationsofbirdhouses，“isn’tMr。GabeBearse，awfullyfunny？”
Jedsighed。”Yes，“hesaid，“Gabe’sasfunnyasajumpin’
toothache。”
Theyoungladyregardedhimdoubtfully。”Isee，“shesaid，aftera，moment，“you’rejokingagain。Iwishyou’dtellmewhenyou’re，goingtodoit，soPetuniaandIwouldknowforsure。”
“Allright，I’lltrynottoforgettoremember。Buthowdidyou，guessIwasjokin’thistime？”
“’Causeyoujusthadtobe。Ajumpingtoothacheisn’tfunny。I
hadoneonceanditmademealmostsick。”
“Um-hm。W-e-e-ll，GabeBearsemakes’mosteverybodysick。What，setyouthinkin’abouthim？”
“’CauseIjustmethimonthewayhomeandheactedsofunny。
Firsthegavemeastickofcandy。”
Mr。Winslowleanedbackinhischair。
“What？”hecried。”Hegaveyouastickofcandy？，GAVEittoyou？”
“Yes。Hesaid：’Here，littlegirl，don’tyoulikecandy？’，And，whenIsaidIdidhegavemeastick，thestripedpeppermintkind，itwas。I’dhavesavedabiteforyou，UncleJed，onlyIandthe，restateitallbeforeIremembered。I’mawfullysorry。”
“That’sallright。Stripedcandydon’tagreewithmeverywell，anyway;I’mliabletoswallowthestripescrossways，Iguess，likely。Buttellme，didGabelookwildoroutofhisheadwhenhe，gaveittoyou？”
“Why，no。Hejustlooked——oh——oh，youknow，UncleJed——MYSter’ous——
that’showhelooked，MYSter’ous。”
“Hum！，Well，I’mgladtoknowhewan’tcrazy。I’veknownhima，goodmanyyearsandthisisthefirsttimeIeverknewhimtoGIVE
anybodyanythingworthwhile。WhenIwenttoschoolwithhimhe，gavemethemeasles，Iremember，buteventhentheywasonly，imitation——theGermankind。Andnowhe’sgivin’awaycandy：Tut，tut！，Nowonderhelooked——whatwasit？——mysterious……Hum……
Well，hewantedsomethin’forit，didn’the？，Whatwasit？”
“Why，hejustwantedtoknowifI’dheardUncleCharliesay，anythingaboutalotofmoneybeinggoneuptothebank。Hesaid，hehadhearditwaseverandeversomuch——ahundredhundred，dollars——orathousanddollars，orsomething——Idon’tprecactly，remember，butitwasagreat，biglot。Andhewantedtoknowif，UncleCharliehadsaidhowmuchitwasandwhathadbecomeofit，and——andeverything。WhenIsaidUncleCharliehadn’tsaidaword，helookedsosortofdisappointedandfunnythatitmademelaugh。”
ItdidnotmakeJedlaugh。Thethoughtthattheknowledgeofthe，missingmoneyhadleakedoutandwasbeingindustriouslyspread，abroadbyBearseandhislikewasverydisquieting。Hewatched，Phillipsmorecloselythanbefore。HewatchedRuth，and，before，anotherdayhadpassed，hehaddevisedawonderfulplan，aplanto，becarriedoutincaseofalarmingeventualities。
Ontheafternoonofthethirddayhesatbeforehisworkbench，his，kneeclaspedbetweenhishands，hisfootswinging，andhisthoughts，busywiththesituationinallitsalarmingphases。Ithadbeen，badenoughbeforethisnewdevelopment，badenoughwhenthealways，presentdangerofPhillips’secretbeingdiscoveredhadbecome，complicatedbyhisfallinginlovewithhisemployer’sdaughter。
Butnow——，Supposetheboyhadstolenthemoney？，Supposehewas，beingblackmailedbysomeonewhomhemustpayorfaceexposure？
Jedhadreadofsuchthings;theyhappenedoftenenoughinnovels。
Hedidnothearthedooroftheoutershopopen。Amonthormore，agohehadremovedthebellfromthedoor。Hisexcuseforsodoing，hadbeencharacteristic。
“Ican’tstandthewearandtearonmymorals，“hetoldRuth。”I
ain’tsoldanything，exceptthroughthemail，sincethewinter，reallysetin。AndyeteverytimethatbellringsIfindmyself，jumpin’upandrunnin’towaitonacustomer。Whenitturnsoutto，beGabeBearseorsomebodylikehimIswear，andswearin’tomeis，likewhiskeytosomefolks——comfortin’butdemoralizin’。”
Sothebellhavingbeenremoved，Jeddidnothearthepersonwho，cameintoandthroughtheoutershop。Thefirstsignofthat，person’spresencewhichreachedhisearswasanunpleasantchuckle。
Heturned，toseeMr。PhineasBabbittstandinginthedoorwayof，theinnerroom。And——thiswasthemostannoyinganddisturbing，factconnectedwiththesight——thehardwaredealerwasnot，scowling，hewaslaughing。TheWinslowfootfelltothefloorwith，athumpanditsownersatupstraight。
“He，he，he！”chuckledPhineas。Jedregardedhimsilently。
Babbitt’schucklesubsidedintoagrin。Thenhespoke。
“Well，“heobserved，withsarcasticpoliteness，“how’sthegreat，Shavin’sJedidah，thefamousinventorofwhirlagigs？，He，he，he！”
Jedslowlyshookhishead。”Phin，“hesaid，“eitheryouwear，rubbersorI’mgettin’deaf，oneortheother。Howintheworld，didyougetinherethistimewithoutmyhearin’you？”
Phineasignoredthequestion。Heaskedoneofhisown。”How’sthe，onlyoriginalhighandmightypatriotthisafternoon？”hesneered。
TheWinslowhandcaressedtheWinslowchin。
“Ifyoumeanme，Phin，“drawledJed，“I’mabletositupandtake，nourishment，thankyou。Ijudgeyoumustbekindofailin’，though。Takeaseat，won’tyou？”
“No，Iwon’t。I’vegototherfishtofry，biggerfishthanyou，at，that“
“Um-hm。Well，theywouldn’thavetobespermwhalestobeatme，Phin。Bekindofhardtofry’emiftheywastoobig，wouldn’t，it？”
“They’regoin’tofry，youhearme。Yes，andthey’regoin’to，sizzle。He，he，he！”
Mr。Winslowsadlyshookhishead。”Youmustbeawfulsick，Phin，“
hedrawled。”That’sthethirdorfourthtimeyou’velaughedsince，youcameinhere。”
Hisvisitorstoppedchucklingandscowledinstead。Jedbeamed，gratification。
“That’sit，“hesaid。”Nowyoulookmorenatural。Feelin’a，littlebetter……eh？”
TheBabbittchinbeardbristled。Itswearerleanedforward。
“Shutup，“hecommanded。”Iain’ttakin’anyofyoursassthis，afternoon，Shavin’s，andIain’tcal’latin’towastemuchtimeon，you，neither。YouknowwhereI’mboundnow？，Well，I’mboundupto，theOrhamNationalBanktocallonmydearfriendSamHunniwell。
He，he，he！，I’vegotalittlebitofnewsforhim。He’sin，trouble，theytellme，andIwanttohelphimout……Blast，him！”
ThistimeJedmadenoreply;buthe，too，leanedforwardandhis，gazewasfixeduponthehardwaredealer’sface。Therewasan，expressionuponhisownfacewhich，whenPhineassawit，causedthe，lattertochuckleoncemore。
“He，he！”helaughed。”What’sthematter，Shavin’s？，Youlookkind，ofscaredaboutsomethin’。’Tain’tpossibleyou’veknownallalong，whatI’vejustfoundout？，Iwonderifyouhave。Haveyou？”
StillJedwassilent。Babbitgrunted。
“Itdon’tmakeanydifferencewhetheryouhaveornot，“hesaid。
“Butifyouain’tIwonderwhatmakesyoulooksoscared。There’s，nothin’tobescaredabout，asIsee。I’mjustcal’latin’todo，ourdearoldchummie，Cap’nSam，akindness，that’sall。He’slost，somemoneyuptheretothebank，Iunderstand。Somesaysit’sfour，thousanddollarsandsomesaysit’sforty。Itdon’tmakeany，difference，thatpartdon’t。Whatever’tisit’smissin’andI’m，goingtotellhimwheretofindit。That’srealgoodofme，ain’t，it？，Ain’tit，Shavin’s;eh？”
Thelittleman’smalignantspiteandevidenttriumphwereactually，frightening。AnditwasquiteevidentthatJedwasfrightened。
Yethemadeaneffortnottoappearso。
“Yes，“heagreed。”Yes，yes，seems’sif’twas。Er——er——，Where，isit，Phin？”
Phineasburstoutlaughing。”’Whereisit，Phin？’“herepeated，mockingly。”Bygodfreysmighty，Ibelieveyoudoknowwhere’tis，Shavin’s！，Youain’tgettin’anyofit，areyou？，Youain’t，dividin’upwiththeblastedjailbird？”
Jedwasverypale。Hisvoiceshookasheessayedtospeak。
“Wh-whatjailbird？”hefaltered。”Whatdoyoumean？，What——what，areyoutalkin’about，Phin？”
“’Whatareyoutalkin’about，Phin？’，Godsakes，hearhim，will，you！，Allright，I’lltellyouwhatI’mtalkin’about。I’mtalkin’
aboutSamHunniwell’spet，hisnewbookkeeperuptheretothebank。
I’mtalkin’aboutthatstuck-up，thievin’hypocriteofaCharlie，Phillips，that’swhoI’mtalkin’about。Icalledhimajailbird，didn’tI？，Well，heis。He’sservedhistermintheConnecticut，State’sprisonforstealin’。AndIknowit。”
Jedgroanedaloud。Hereitwasatlast。Thesinglehairhad，partedandtheswordhadfallen。Andnow，ofalltimes，now！，He，madeapitifulattemptatdenial。
“Itain’tso，“heprotested。
“Oh，yes，itisso。Sixoreightweeksago——inJanuary’twas——
therewasadrummerinmystoresellin’alineoftoolsandhewas，lookin’outofthewindowwhenthisPhillipscusswentbywithMaud，Hunniwell，bothof’emstruttin’alongasifcommonfolks，honest，folks，wasdirtundertheirfeet。Andwhenthisdrummersee’emhe，sworerightoutloud。’Why，’sayshe，’that’sCharliePhillips，of，Middleford，ain’tit？’，’Hisname’sPhillipsandhecomesfrom，Connecticutsomewheres，’saysI。’Ithoughthewasinstate’s，prison，’sayshe。’Whatdoyoumean？’saysI。Andthenhetold，me。’Bygodfreys，’saysI，’ifyoucanfixitso’sIcanprove，that’strueI’llgiveyouthebiggestorderyouevergotinthis，store。’，’’Twon’tbeanytroubletoproveit，’sayshe。’All，you’vegottodoislookuphisrecordinMiddleford。’，AndI’ve，lookeditup。Yes，sir-ee，I’velookeditup。Ho，ho！”
Jed，whiteandshaking，madeonemoreattempt。
“It’sallalie，“hecried。”Ofcourseitis。Besides，ifyou，knewsomuchwhyhaveyoubeenwaitin’allthistimebeforeyou，toldit？，Ifyoufoundoutallthis——thispackofrubbishin，JanuarywhydidyouwaittillMarchbeforeyoutoldit？，Humph！
That’sprettythin，I——“
Phineasinterrupted。
“Shutup！”heordered。”WhydidIwait？，Well，now，Shavin’s，seein’it’syouandIloveyouso，I’lltellyou。AtfirstIwas，forrunnin’rightoutinthestreetandhollerin’toallhandsto，comeandhearthegoodnewsaboutSamHunniwell’spet。Andthen，thinksI：’Holdon！don’tbeinanyhurry。There’stimeenough。
Justwaitandseewhathappens。Acrookthatstealsonceisliable，totryitagain。Let’swaitandsee。’，AndIwaited，and——，He，he，he！——hehastrieditagain。Eh，Shavin’s？”
Jedwasspeechless。Babbitt，lookinglikeatriumphantlyvicious，Bantamrooster，crowedon。
“Youdon’tseemtobequitesosassyandtalkyasyouwaswhenI
firstcamein，Shavin’s，“hesneered。”GuesslikelyYOUain’t，feelin’wellnow……eh？，DoyourememberwhatItoldyoulast，timeIwasinthisshop？，ItoldyouI’dpaymydebtstoyouand，SamHunniwellifIwaitedfiftyyear。Well，here’sHunniwell’spay，comin’tohimnow。He’spraisedthatPhillipsthieffromoneend，ofOstablecountytotheother，toldhowsmarthewasandhow，honestandgoodhewastill——LordA’mighty，it’senoughtoturna，decentman’sstomach！，Andnotonlythat，buthere’sthefeller，courtin’hisdaughter。Oh，ho，ho，ho！that’sthebestofthe，wholebusiness。Thatwasanotherthingmademehangoffandwait;
Iwantedtoseehowthecourtin’camealong。Andit’scomealong，allright。Everybody’sonto’em，hangin’overeachother，and，lookin’softateachother。She’sjustfairlyheavin’herselfat，hishead，allhandssaysso。Thereain’tbeenanybodyinthistown，goodenoughforhertillheshowedup。Andnowit’scomin’out，thathe’sacrookandajailbird！，Andhe’llbejailedforstealin’
THIStime，too。Ho，ho！”
Hestopped，outofbreath，toindulgeinanotherlongchuckle。Jed，leanedforward。
“Whatareyoutalkin’about，Phin？”hedemanded。”Evenallowin’
allthis——thisrigmaroleofyoursabout——aboutMiddlefordbusiness——
wastrue——“
“Itistrueandyouknowitis。Ibelieveyou’veknownitall，along。”
“Isayallowin’itis，youhaven’tanyrighttosayCharlietook，thismoneyfromtheOrhambank。Youcan’tproveanysuchthing。”
“Aw，bestill！，Prove——provenothin’。Whenacatandasasserof，milk’sshutuptogetherandthemilk’sgone，youdon’tneedproof，toknowwhereit’sgone，doyou？，Don’ttalktomeaboutproof，Jed，Winslow。Putathiefalongsideofmoneyandanybodyknowswhat’ll，happen。Why，YOUknowwhat’shappenedyourself。Youknowdarn，wellCharliePhillipshasstolethemoneythat’sgonefromthe，bank。Downinsideyouyou’resartinsureofit;andIdon’twant，anybetterproofofTHATthanjustyourface，Shavin’s。”
ThistimeJeddidnotattempttocontradict。Insteadhetrieda，newhazard。
“Phin，“hepleaded，“don’tbetoohard。Justthinkofwhat’ll，happenifyoucomeoutwiththat——thatwild-gooseyarnofyours。
ThinkofMaud，poorgirl。Youhaven’tgotanythingagainsther，haveyou？”
“Yes，Ihave。She’sstuck-upandnoseintheairandlooksatme，asifIwassomesortof——ofabugshewouldn’twanttosteponfor，fearofmussin’uphershoes。Ineverdidlikeher，blasther。
Butleavin’thatalltooneside，she’sSamHunniwell’syoung-one，andthat’senoughforme。”
“Butshe’shisonlychild，Phin。”
“Goodenough！，Ihadaboy;hewasanonlychild，too，you’ll，remember。Whereishenow？，Outsomewhereswherehedon’tbelong，fightin’andbein’killedtohelpWallStreetgetrich。Andwho，senthimthere？，Why，SamHunniwellandhisgang。You’reoneof，’em，JedWinslow。Tohellwithyou，everyoneofyou，daughters，andallhands。”
“But，Phin——justaminute。Thinkofwhatit’llmeantoCharlie，pooryoungfeller。It’llmean——“
“It’llmeantenyearsthistime，andagoodjob，too。Youpoor，fool，doyouthinkyoucantalkmeoutofthis？，You，yousawdust-
head？，WhatdoyouthinkIcameintoyourholeherefor？，Icame，hereso’syou’dknowwhatIwasgoin’todotoyourpreciouschums。
Iwantedtotellyouandhavethefunofwatchin’yousquirm。
Well，I’mhavin’thefun，plentyofit。Squirm，youWallStreet，bloodsucker，squirm。”
Hefairlystoodontiptoetoscreamthelastcommand。Toa，disinterestedobserverthescenemighthavehadsomeelementsof，farcecomedy。CertainlyPhineas，hishatfallenoffandunder，foot，hisscantygrayhairtousledandhispugnaciouschinbeard，bristling，wasfunnytolookat。AndtheideaofcallingJed，Winslowa“WallStreetbloodsucker“wasthecreamofburlesque。
ButtoJedhimselfitwasalltragedy，deepanddreadful。Hemade，onemoredesperateplea。
“But，Phin，“hebegged，“thinkofhis——hissister，Charlie’s，sister。What’llbecomeofherand——andherlittlegirl？”
Phineassnorted。”Hissister，“hesneered。”Allright，I’llthink，aboutherallright。She’sanotherstuck-upthatdon’tspeakto，commonfolks。Whoknowsanythingaboutheranymore’ntheydid，abouthim？，Betterlookupherrecord，Iguess。Theboy’sturned，outtobeathief;maybethesister’llturnouttobe——“
“Stop！，Bestill！”
Jedactuallyshoutedit。Babbittstopped，principallybecausethe，suddennessoftheinterruptionhadstartledhimintodoingso。But，thepausewasonlymomentary。Hestaredattheinterrupterin，enragedamazementforaninstantandthendemanded：“Stop？，Whoare，youtellin’tostop？”
“You。”
“Iwanttoknow！，Well，I’llstopwhenIgetgoodandreadyandif，youdon’tlikeit，Shavin’s，youcanlumpit。ThatPhillipskid，hasturnedouttobeathiefand，sofarasanybody’roundhere，knows，hissistermaybe——“
“Stop！”AgainJedshoutedit;andthistimeherosetohisfeet。
Phineasglaredathim。
“Humph！”hegrunted。”You’llmakemestop，Ipresumelikely。”
“Yes。”
“Isthatso？”
“Yes，it’sgottobeso。Lookhere，Phin，Irealizeyou’remadand，don’tcaremuchwhatyousay，butthere’salimit，youknow。It’s，badenoughtohearyoucallpoorCharlienames，butwhenyoustart，inonRuth——onMrs。Armstrong，Imean——that’stoomuch。You’vegot，tostop。”
ThisspeechwasmadequietlyandwithallthecustomaryWinslow，deliberationandapparentcalm，buttherewasonelittleslipinit，andthatslipBabbittwasquicktonotice。
“Oh，my！”hesneered。”Ruth’swhatwecallher，eh？，Ruth！，Gotso，chummywecalleachotherbyourfirstnames。RuthieandJeddie，I
presumelikely。Aw，haw，haw！”
Jed’spallorwas，forthemoment，succeededbyavividcrimson。He，stammered。Phineasburstintoanotherscornfullaugh。
“Haw，haw，haw！”hecrowed。”SheletshimcallherRuth。Oh，my，LordA’mighty！，Let’sShavin’sWinslowcallherthat。Well，I
guessIsizedherupallright。Shemustbeaboutonherbrother’s，level。Athiefand——“
“Shutup，Phin！”
“Shutup？，YOUtellmetoshutup！”
“Yes。”
“Well，Iwon’t。RuthArmstrong！，WhatdoIcarefor——“
Thespeechwasnotfinished。Jedhadtakenonelongstrideto，whereBabbittwasstanding，seizedthefuriouslittlecreatureby，therightarmwithonehandandwiththeothercoveredhisopen，mouth，coverednotonlythemouth，butalargesectionoffaceas，well。
“Youkeepquiet，Phin，“hedrawled。”Iwanttothink。”
Phineasstruggledfrantically。Hemanagedtogetonecornerofhis，mouthfrombehindthatmammothhand。
“RuthArmstrong！”hescreamed。”RuthArmstrongis——“
Theyelldiedawaytoagurgle，pinchedshortbytheWinslow，fingers。Thenthedoorleadingtothekitchen，thedoorbehindthe，pair，openedandRuthArmstrongherselfcamein。Shewaspaleand，shestaredwithfrightenedeyesatthelittlemanstrugglinginthe，tallone’sclutch。
“Oh，Jed，“shebreathed，“whatisit？”
Jeddidnotreply。Phineascouldnot。
“Oh，Jed，whatisit？”repeatedRuth。”Iheardhimshoutingmy，name。IwasintheyardandIheardit……Oh，Jed，whatIS
it？”
Babbittatlastmanagedtowrigglepartiallyclear。Hewascrazy，withrage，buthewasnotfrightened。Fearofphysicalviolence，wasnotinhismake-up;hewasnocoward。
“I’lltellyouwhatitis，“hescreamed。”I’lltellyouwhatit，is：，I’vefoundoutaboutyouandthatstuck-upcrookofabrother，ofyours。He’sathief。That’swhatheis，athiefanda，jailbird。HestoleatMiddlefordandnowhe’sstoleagainhere。
AndJedWinslowandyouare——“
Hegotnofurther，beingoncemorestopperedlikeabottlebythe，WinslowgripandtheWinslowhand。Hewriggledandfought，buthe，waspinnedandhelpless，hands，feetandvocalorgans。Jeddidnot，somuchaslookathim;helookedonlyatRuth。
Herpallorhadincreased。Shewastrembling。
“Oh，Jed，“shecried，“whatdoeshemean？，Whatdoeshemeanby——by，’again——here’？”
Jed’sgriptightenedoverhiscaptive’smouth。
“Hedoesn’tmeananything，“hedeclared，stoutly。”Hedon’tknow，whathemeans。”
Frombehindthesmotheringfingerscameadefiantmumble。Ruth，leanedforward。
“Jed，“shebegged，“doeshe——doesheknowabout——about——“
Jednodded。Sheclosedhereyesandswayedslightly，butshedid，notcollapseorgiveway。
“Andheisgoingtotell？”shewhispered。
Afuriousmumblefrombehindthefingersandavenomousflashfrom，theBabbitteyeswereanswerssufficient。
“Oh，Jed，“shepleaded，“whatSHALLwedo？”
FortheinstantabitoftheoldJedcametothesurface。Hislip，twitchedgrimlyashelookeddownatthecrimsonfaceabovehisown，hand。
“Iain’tsartin——yet，“hedrawled。”Howdoyoustartinkillin’
a——asnappin’turtle？，Iain’ttackledthejobsinceIwasaboy。”
Phineaslookedasifhecouldhavefurnishedsomepointsonthe，subject。Hiseyeswerebulging。Thenallthreeheardthedoorof，theoutershopopen。
Ruthlookeddesperatelyabouther。Shehastenedtothedoorby，whichshehadentered。”There’ssomeonecoming，“shewhispered。
Jedglancedoverhisshoulder。”Yougoaway，“hewhisperedin，reply。”Goaway，Ruth。Hurry！”
Herhandwasonthelatchofthedoor，butbeforeshecouldopenit，theotherdoor，thatleadingfromtheoutershop，openedand，LeonardGrovercamein。Hestaredatthepicturebeforehim——at，RuthArmstrong’spale，frightenedface，atBabbittstrugglingin，hiscaptor’sclutch，atJed。
“Why！”heexclaimed。”Whatisit？”
Nooneanswered。Phineaswastheonlyonewhostirred。Heseemed，anxioustoturnthetableauintoamovingpicture，buthissuccess，waslimited。TheMajorturnedtoRuth。
“Whatisit？”heaskedagain。
Shewassilent。Groverrepeatedhisquestion，addressingJedthis，time。
“Well？”heasked，sharply。”Whatisthetroublehere？，Whathas，thatfellowbeendoing？”
Jedlookeddownathiswrigglingcaptive。”He’s——he’s——“he，stammered。”Well，yousee，Major，he……Hum……well，I’m，afraidIcan’ttellyou。”
“Youcan’ttellme！，Whatonearth——，Mrs。Armstrong，willyoutell，me？”
Shelookedathimappealingly，pitifully，butsheshookherhead。
“I——Ican’t，“shesaid。
Helookedfromonetotheother。Then，withashrug，heturnedto，thedoor。
“Pardonmeforinterrupting，“heobserved。”Goodafternoon。”
ItwasRuthwhodetainedhim。”Oh，please！”shecried，involuntarily。
Heturnedagain。
“Youwishmetostay？”heasked。
“Oh——oh，Idon’tknow。I——“
Shehadnotfinishedthesentence;shewasfalteringlytryingto，finishitwhenMr。Babbitttookthecenterofthestage。Oncemore，hemanagedtofreehimselffromJed’sgripandthistimehedarted，acrosstheshopandputtheworkbenchbetweenhimselfandhisenemy。
“I’lltellyouwhatitis，“hescreamed。”I’vefoundoutsome，thingstheydon’twantanybodytoknow，that’swhat。I’vefound，outwhatsortoffolkstheyare，sheandherbrother。He’sa，common——，Letgoofme！，By——“
Thescreamendedinanothermumble。Jedhadswarmedoverthebench，andoncemorepinnedhimfast。
“You’llhavetoexcuseme，Major，“hepanted。”I——Ican’thelpit。
Thisfeller’sgotwhatailedtheparrot——hetalkstoodarnmuch。
He’sgottostop！，He’sGOTto！”
ButGroverwaspayinglittleattention。HewaslookingatRuth。
“Mrs。Armstrong，“heasked，“hashebeensaying——sayingthingshe，shouldnotsayaboutyou？，Isthatthetrouble？”
Sheansweredwithoutreturninghislook。
“Yes，“shesaid，almostinawhisper。”Aboutmeand——andmy——
Yes，thatwasit。”
TheMajor’seyesflashed。”Letgoofhim，Jed，“hecommanded。Jed，hesitated。
“IfIdohe’llblowupagain，“hesaid。
“Letgoofhim。”
Jedletgo。Phineascaughthisbreathandopenedhismouth。Major，Groversteppedinfrontofhimandleveledaforefingerstraightat，thecrimsonBabbittnose。
“Stop！”heordered，sharply。
“Stop？，Whatrighthaveyougottotellmetostop？，By——“
“Stop！，Listentome。Idon’tknowwhatyou’vebeensayingabout，thislady——“
“Iain’tbeensayinganything，exceptwhatIknow，andthatis，that——“
“Stop！，AndIdon’tcare。ButIknowaboutyou，sir，becauseitis，mybusinesstoknow。TheGovernmenthashaditseyeonyoufor，sometimeandithasaskedmetolookintoyourrecord。Ihave，lookedintoit。Youarenotaverydangerousperson，Mr。Babbitt，butthatisbecauseofyourlackofabilitytoharm，notbecauseof，anygoodwillonyourparttowardtheUnitedStates。Youhavedone，alltheharmyoucould，youhavetalkedsedition，you’vewritten，andtalkedagainstthedraft，youhavecorrespondedwithGerman，agentsinBostonandNewYork。”
“That’salie。”
“No，it’sthetruth。Ihavecopiesofyourlettersandthe，Governmenthastheoriginals。Theyarenotverydangerous，but，thatisbecauseyouarenotbigenoughtobedangerous。The，authoritieshaveleftyouprettymuchtomydiscretion，sir。It，restswithmewhethertohaveyoutakeninchargeandheldfor，trialormerelytowarnyouandwatchyou。Verywell。Iwarnyou，nowandyoumaybecertainthatyouarewatched。You’llstopyour，silly，seditioustalkatonceandyou’llwritenomoreletterslike，thoseIhaveseen。Ifyoudoitwillbeaprisontermforyouas，sureasIstandhere。Doyouunderstand？”
ApparentlyPhineasunderstood。Hisfacewasnotasredasithad，beenandtherewasadifferentlookinhiseye。Jed’srough，handlinghadnotfrightenedhim，buttheMajor’scold，incisive，tonesandthethreatofaterminprisonhadtheireffect。
Neverthelesshecouldstillbluster。
“Youcan’ttalktomethatway，“hesputtered。”I——Iain’tscared，ofyouevenifyouarealldressedupinfussandfeatherslikea，hand-organmonkey。Thisisafreecountry。”
“Yes，itis。Fordecentpeopleitisabsolutelyfree。Theother，sorthavetobeputwheretheycan’tinterferewiththatfreedom。
Whetheryou，Babbit，remainfreeornotdependsentirelyuponwhat，youdo——andsay。Isthisperfectlyclear？”
Phineasdidnotanswerthequestiondirectly。Foramomenthe，stoodthere，hisfistsclenchingandunclenching，andhiseyes，snapping。Thenheturnedaway。
“Allright，“hesaid，sullenly。”Ihearwhatyousay。NowIcan，go，Ipresumelikely——unlessyou’vegotsomemorelyin’and，bullyin’todo。Getoutofmyway，Shavin’s，youfool。”
ButGroverhadnotfinishedwithhim。
“Justaminute，“hesaid。”Thereisonethingmore。Idon’tknow，whatitis，andIdon’twishtoknow，butevidentlyyouhavebeen，saying，orthreateningtosay，somethingconcerningthislady，Mrs。
Armstrong，whichshouldnotbesaid。Youarenottomentionher，name。Doyouunderstandthat？”
Thelittlehardwaredealeralmostjumpedfromthefloorashisrage，againgotthebetterofhim。
“TheblazesIain’t！”heshrieked。”WhosaysIain’t？，Isthatany，ofyourbusiness，Mr——Mr。BrassMonkey？，What’syouortheUnited，Statesgov’mentgottosayaboutmymentionin’names？，Tothedevil，withtheUnitedStatesandyou，too！，Youhearthat？”
MajorGroversmiled。”Yes，“hesaid，quietly。”Ihearit。So，doesMr。Winslowhere，andMrs。Armstrong。Theycanbecalledas，witnessesifitisnecessary。Youhadbetterletmefinish，Babbitt。AsIsay，youarenottomentionMrs。Armstrong’sname，youarenottorepeatorcirculateanyscandalorstoryreflecting，uponhercharacter——“
“Orherbrother’seither，“putinJed，eagerly。”Tellhimhecan’t，talkagainstCharlie，either。”
“Certainly。Youarenottorepeatorcirculateanythingderogatory，tothecharacterofeitherMrs。ArmstrongorMr。Phillips。Inany，wayderogatory。”
Phineastossedbothfistsintheair。
“Youcan’tordermearoundthatway，“heyelled。”Besides，ifyou，knewwhatIknowaboutthatgangyou’d——“
“Hush！，Idon’twanttoknowanythingyouknow——orpretendtoknow。
Asfororderingyouabout——well，we’llsee。”
“Itellyouyoucan’t。Youain’tgottheright。”
“Perhapsnot。ButIhavetherighttousemydiscretion——my，judgmentinyourcase。AndmyjudgmentisthatifIhearone，scandalousstoryabouttownreflectinguponthecharacterofMrs。
Armstrongorherbrother——yes，orherfriends——Ishallknowwhois，responsibleandIshallhaveyouarrestedandheldfortrialasan，enemyofthecountry。YoucondemnedtheUnitedStatestothedevil，onlyamomentagoinmyhearing。Doyouthinkthatwouldhelpyou，incourt，Babbitt？，Idon’t。”
Thelittleman’sfacewasasight。AsJedsaidafterward，he，lookedasifhewouldhaveenjoyedbitinghiswayoutoftheshop。
“Huh！”hesnarled;“Isee。You’reallintogether，thewholelot，ofyou。Andyou，youbrassbuttons，you’reusin’yoursoldierin’
jobtokeepyourfriendsoutoftrouble……Huh！，Yes，that’s，whatyou’redoin’。”
TheMajor’ssmilewasprovokinglycool。
“PerhapsIam，“headmitted。”ButIshouldn’tadviseyoutoforget，whatIhavejusttoldyou，Babbitt。Imeaneverywordofit。”
ItwasRuthwhospokenext。Sheutteredastartledexclamation。
“There’ssomeonecomingupthewalk，“shecried。”Listen。”
Sureenough，heavyfootstepssoundeduponthewalkleadingfromthe，frontgatetotheshop。Jedrantothewindow。
“It’sSam，“heexclaimed。”Goodheavensabove！，It’sSamHunniwell，ofallfolks——now！”
Groverlookedfromonefacetotheother。
“IsthereanyparticularreasonwhyCaptainHunniwellshouldn’t，come？”heasked。
JedandRuthweresilent。Phineaschuckledmalevolently。Jed，heardthechuckleandspoke。
“’Twas——’twasCap’nSamhewasgoin’totell，“hewhispered，pointingatBabbitt。Ruthcaughtherbreathwithafrightened，gasp。
Grovernodded。”Oh，Isee，“hesaid。”Well，Idon’tthinkhe，will。He’llbemore——more——careful，I’msure。Babbitt，remember。”
Theyheardthecaptainrattlethelatchofthefrontdoor。Ruth，openedthedoorbehindher。”Imustgo，Jed，“shewhispered。
“I——Ican’tstay。”
TheMajorturned。”I’llgowithyou，Mrs。Armstrong，“hesaid。
ButJedleanedforward。
“I——Iwishyou’dstay，MajorGrover，“hewhispered。”I——I’dlike，tohaveyoustayherejustaminuteortwo。”
Groverhesitated。Ruthwentout，closingtheliving-roomdoor，afterher。AmomentlaterCaptainSamcameintotheworkshop。
“Hello，Jed！”hehailed。”Why，hello，Major！，What——“Thenfor，thefirsttimehesawandrecognizedthethirdmemberofthegroup。
HelookedatPhineasandthelittlemanlookedathim。Thelooks，werestudiesinexpression。
“Humph！”gruntedCaptainSam。”Whatintime——？……Humph！……
Well，Phin，youlookawfulgladtoseeme，Imustsay。Gracious，king，man，don’tgloweratmelikethat！，Ihaven’tdoneanything，toyou，ifyou’donlyhavesenseenoughtobelieveit。”
Babbittdidnotanswer。Helookedasifheweregoingtoburst。
MajorGroverwasregardinghimwithawhimsicaltwinkleinhiseye。
“Mr。BabbittandIhavejustbeendiscussingsomepointsconnected，withthewar，“heobserved。”Idon’tknowthatweagree，exactly，butwehave——well，wehavereachedanunderstanding。”
Thecaptainwasplainlypuzzled。”Humph！”hegrunted。”Youdon’t，say！……Well，I——，Eh，whatisit，Jed？”
IfanyonehadbeenwatchingJedparticularlyduringtherecentfew，minutestheymighthaveobservedinhisfacethedawningofanidea，andthechangingofthatideaintoasetpurpose。Theideaseemed，todawnthemomentafterhesawCaptainHunniwellcomingupthe，walk。Ithadbecomeapurposebythetimethecaptainrattledthe，latch。WhileCaptainSamandthemajorwerespeakinghehad，hastenedtotheolddeskstandingbythewallandwasrummagingin，oneofthedrawers。Nowhecameforward。
“Sam——“hebegan，butbrokeofftoaddressMr。Babbitt，whowas，stridingtowardthedoor。”Don’tgo，Phin，“hecried。”I’drather，youdidn’tgojustthisminute。I’dliketohaveyoustay。Please。”
Phineasansweredoverhisshoulder。Theanswerwasasavagesnarl，andacommandfor“Shavings“tomindhisownbusiness。Grover，spokethen。
“Mr。Babbitt，“hesuggested，“don’tyouthinkyouhadbetterstaya，moment？，Mr。Winslowseemstowishit。”
Babbittreachedforthehandleofthedoor，butGrover’shandwas，lightlylaidonhisshoulder。
“Dostay，Mr。Babbitt，“beggedtheMajor，sweetly。”Toobligeme，youknow。”
Phineassworewithsuchvehemencethattheoathmighthavebeen，heardacrosstheroad。Whathemighthavesaidthereafterisa，question。Atthatmomenthisattentionwascaughtbysomething，whichJedWinslowhadinhishandsandhestayedtostareatit。
Thesomethingwasabundleofcrumpledbanknotes。
CHAPTERXVIII
Jedcameforward，therollofbillsinhishand。Heseemedquite，obliviousoftheBabbittstare，or，forthatmatter，ofthe，completesilencewhichhadsosuddenlyfallenuponthegroupinthe，shop。Hecameforward，smoothingthecrumplednoteswithfingers，whichshookalittle。HestoppedinfrontofCaptainHunniwell。
Thecaptainwasgazingathimandatthemoney。Jeddidnotmeet，hisfriend’seye;hecontinuedtosmooththebanknotes。Captain，Samspokefirst。
“What’sthat？”hedemanded。”Whatmoney’sthat？”
Jed’sfingersmovedbackandforthacrossthebillsandheanswered，withoutlookingup。Heseemedmuchembarrassed。
“Sam，“hefaltered。”Sam——er——yourememberyoutoldmeyou’d——er——
lostsomemoneyaspellago？，Some——er——moneyyou’dcollectedover，toWapatomac。Yourememberthat，don’tyou？”
CaptainSamlookedathiminpuzzledsurprise。”Rememberit？”he，repeated。”CourseIrememberit。Graciousking，’tain’tlikely，I’dforgetit，isit？”
Jednodded。”No-o，“hedrawled，solemnly。”No，courseyou，couldn’t。’Twasfourhundreddollarsyouwasshort，wan’tit？”
TheCaptain’spuzzledlookwasstillthere。
“Yes，“hereplied。”Whatofit？”
“Why——why，justthis，Sam：I——Iwantittobeplain，you，understand。IwantMajorGroverandPhineasheretounderstand，the——thewholeofit。There’salotoftalk，seemsso，aroundtown，aboutmoneybein’missin’fromthebank——“
CaptainSaminterrupted。”Thedeucethereis！”heexclaimed。
“That’sthefirstI’veheardofanysuchtalk。Who’stalkin’？”
“Oh，a——agoodmanyfolks，Ijudgelikely。GabeBearseasked，Babbieaboutit，andPhinherehe——“
“Eh？”Thecaptainturnedtofacehisoldenemy。”Soyou’vebeen，talkin’，haveyou？”heasked。
Mr。Babbittleanedforward。”Iain’tbegunmytalkin’yet，Sam，Hunniwell，“hesnarled。”WhenIdoyou’ll——“
Hestopped。Groverhadtouchedhimontheshoulder。
“Sshh！”saidtheMajorquietly。Totheabsoluteamazementof，CaptainSam，Phineassubsided。Hisfacewasblazingredandhe，seemedtobeboilinginside，buthedidnotsayanotherword。Jed，seizedtheopportunitytocontinue。
“I——Ijustwanttogetthisallplain，Sam，“heputin，hastily。
“Ijustwantitsoallhands’llunderstandit，that’sall。You，wentovertoSylvesterSage’sinWapatomacandhepaidyoufour，hundreddollars。Whenyougotbackhomeherefourteenhundredof，itwasmissin’。No，no，Idon’tmeanthat。Imeanyoucouldn’t，findfourteenhundred——Imean——“
Thecaptain’spatiencewas，ashehimselfoftensaid，mooredwitha，shortcable。Thecablepartednow。
“Graciousking！”hesnapped。”Jed，ifthatyarnyou’retryin’to，spinwaswoundinaballandakittenwasplayin’withityou，couldn’tbeworsesnarledup。Whathe’stryin’totellyou，“he，explained，turningtoGrover，“isthattheotherday，whenIwas，overtoWapatomac，oldSylvesterSageovertherepaidmefourteen，hundreddollarsincashandwhenIgotbackhereallIcouldfind，wasathousand。That’swhatyou’retryin’tosay，ain’tit？”
turningtoJedoncemore。
“Yes——yes，that’sit，Sam。That’sit。”
“Courseit’sit。Butwhatdoyouwantmetosayitfor？，Andwhat，areyourunnin’aroundwithallthatmoneyinyourhandsfor？
That’swhatIwanttoknow。”
Jedswallowedhard。”Well，Sam，“hestammered，“that——that’swhat，Iwasgoin’totellyou。Yousee——yousee，that’sthefourhundred，youlost。I——Ifoundit。”
MajorGroverlookedsurprised。PhineasBabbittlookedmore，surprised。But，oddlyenough，itwasCaptainSamHunniwellwho，appearedtobemostsurprisedbyhisfriend’sstatement。The，captainseemedabsolutelydumbfounded。
“You——youWHAT？”hecried。
Jedsmoothedthebillsinhishand。”Ifoundit，Sam，“he，repeated。”Here’tis——here。”
Heextendedthebundleofbanknotes。Thecaptainmadenomoveto，takethem。Jedheldthemalittlenearer。
“You——you’dbettertakeit，Sam，“heurged。”Itmightgetlost，again，youknow。”
StillCaptainSammadenomove。HelookedfromthebillsinJed’s，handstoJed’sfaceandbackagain。Theexpressiononhisownface，wasastrangeone。
“Youfoundit，“herepeated。”YOUdid？”
“Yes——yes，Ifoundit，Sam。Justhappenedto。”
“Wheredidyoufindit？”
“Overyonderbehindthatpileofboards。Youknowyousaidthe，moneywasinyourovercoatpocketand——andwhenyoucameinhereon，yourwaybackfromSylvester’syouhoveyourcoatoverontothose，boards。Ipresumelikelythe——themoneymusthavefelloutofthe，pocketthen。Yousee，don’tyou，Sam？”
Thetoneinwhichthequestionwasaskedwasone，almost，of，pleading。Heappearedvery，veryanxioustohavethecaptain，“see。”，Butthelatterseemedaspuzzledasever。
“Here’sthemoney，Sam，“urgedJed。”Takeit，won’tyou？”
CaptainSamtookit，butthatisallhedid。Hedidnotcountit，orputitinhispocket。Hemerelytookitandlookedattheman，whohadgivenittohim。
Jed’sconfusionseemedtoincrease。”Don’tyou——don’tyouthink，you’dbettercountit，Sam？”hestammered。”If——iftheMajorhere，andPhinseeyoucountitand——andknowit’sallright，then，they’llbeabletocontradictthestoriesthat’sgoin’aroundabout，somuchbein’stolen，youknow。”
Thecaptaingrunted。
“Stolen？”herepeated。”Yousaidfolksweretalkin’aboutmoney，bein’lost。Havetheybeensayin’’twasstolen？”
ItwasGroverwhoanswered。”Ihaven’theardanysuchrumors，“he，said。”IbelieveLieutenantRayburnsaidheheardsomeidlereport，aboutthebank’shavinglostasumofmoney，buttherewasnohint，atdishonesty。”
CaptainSamturnedtoMr。Babbitt。
“YOUhaven’theardanyyarnsaboutmoneybein’stolenatthebank，haveyou？”hedemanded。
BeforePhineascouldanswerGrover’shandagainfelllightlyonhis，shoulder。
“I’msurehehasn’t，“observedtheMajor。Thecaptainpaidno，attentiontohim。
“Haveyou？”herepeated，addressingBabbitt。
Thelittlemanshookfromheadtofoot。Theglarewithwhichhe，regardedhishatedrivalmighthavefrightenedatimidperson。But，CaptainSamHunniwellwasdistinctlynottimid。
“Haveyou？”heasked，forthethirdtime。
Phineas’mouthopened，butGrover’sfingerstightenedonhis，shoulderandwhatcameoutofthatmouthwasmerelyasavage，repetitionofhisfavoriteretort，“Noneofyourdarnedbusiness。”
“Yes，’tismybusiness，“beganCaptainSam，butJedinterrupted。
“Idon’tseeasitmakesanydifferencewhetherhe’sheardanything，ornot，Sam，“hesuggestedeagerly。”Nomatterwhathe’sheard，it，ain’tso，becausetherecouldn’thavebeenanythingstolen。There，wasonlyfourhundredmissin’。I’vefoundthatandyou’vegotit，back;sothatsettlesit，don’tit？”
“Itcertainlywouldseemasifitdid，“observedGrover。
“Congratulations，CaptainHunniwell。You’refortunatethatso，honestamanfoundthemoney，Ishouldsay。”
Thecaptainmerelygrunted。Theoddexpressionwasstillonhis，face。Jedturnedtotheothertwo。
“Er——er——MajorGrover，“hesaid，“if——ifyouhearanyyarnsnow，aboutmoneybein’missin’——or——orstolenyoucancontradict’em，now，can’tyou？”
“Icertainlycan——andwill。”
“Andyou’llcontradict’em，too，eh，Phin？”
BabbittjerkedhisshoulderfromGrover’sgraspandstrodetothe，door。
“Letmeoutofhere，“hesnarled。”I’mgoin’home。”
Nooneofferedtodetainhim，butashethrewopenthedoortothe，outershopLeonardGroverfollowedhim。
“Justamoment，Babbitt，“hesaid。”I’llgoasfarasthegate，withyou，ifyoudon’tmind。Goodafternoon，Jed。Goodafternoon，Captain，andoncemore——congratulations……Here，Babbitt，wait，amoment。”
