them. Why, we even heard that you were worth a million. Naturally, THAT was absurd, wasn't it? Ha! ha!"
Captain Dan opened his mouth to reply, but his wife flashed a glance in his direction, and he closed it again.
"Yes," said Serena, addressing Mrs. Black, "that was absurd, of course."
"So I told Phelps. I said that the way in which these country people exaggerated such things was too funny for anything. Why, we heard that your cousin had died--that is, _I_ heard it was a cousin; Phelps heard it was an uncle. An uncle was what you heard, wasn't it, Phelps?"
"Yes," said Phelps. It was his second contribution to the conversation.
"So," went on Mrs. Black, "we didn't know which it was."
She paused, smilingly expectant. Again Captain Dan started to speak, and again a look from his wife caused him to change his mind. Before he had quite recovered, Mrs. Black, who may have noticed the look, had turned to him.
"Wasn't it funny!" she gushed. "I don't wonder you laugh. Here was I saying it was a cousin and Phelps declaring it was an uncle. It was so odd and SO like this funny little town. Do tell us; which was it, really, Captain Dott?"
Daniel, staggering before this point blank attack, hesitated. "Why," he stammered, "it was--it was--" He looked appealingly at Serena.
"Why don't you answer Mrs. Black?" inquired his wife, rather sharply.
"It was my Aunt Laviny," said the captain.
Mrs. Black nodded and smiled.
"Oh! your aunt!" she exclaimed. "There! isn't that funny! And SO characteristic of Trumet. Neither an uncle nor a cousin, but an aunt. What did you say her name was?"
"Laviny?"
"Yes, I know. Laviny--what an odd name! I don't think I ever heard it before. Was the rest of it as odd as that?"
Serena, who had been fidgeting in her chair, cut in here.
"It wasn't Laviny at all," she said. "That is only Daniel's way of pronouncing it. It is what he used to call her when he was a child. A--a sort of pet name, you know."
"Why, Serena! how you talk! She never had any pet name, far's I ever heard. You might as well give a pet name to the Queen of Sheba. She--"
"Hush! it doesn't make any difference. Her name, Mrs. Black, was Lavinia. She was Mrs. Lavinia Dott, and her husband was James Dott, Daniel's father's brother. I shouldn't wonder if you knew her. She has spent most of her time in Europe lately, but her home, her American home, was where you live, in Scarford."
This statement caused a marked sensation. Mrs. Black gasped audibly, and leaned back in her chair. B. Phelps evinced his first sign of interest.
"What!" he exclaimed. "Mrs. Lavinia Dott, of Scarford? You don't say! Why, of course we knew her; that is, we knew who she was. Everybody in Scarford did. Her place is one of the finest in town."
Serena bowed. Life, for her, had not offered many sweeter moments than this.
"Yes," she said, calmly, "so we understand. The place--er--that is, the estate--is a PART--" she emphasized the word--"a PART of what she left to my husband."
"Great Scott!" exclaimed Mr. Black. His wife said nothing, but her face was a study.
Captain Dan crossed his knees.
"I remember seein' that place after Uncle Jim first built it," he observed, reminiscently. "I tell you it looked big enough to me! I was only a young feller, just begun goin' to sea, and that house looked big as a town hall, you might say. Ho! ho! when I got inside and was sittin' in the front parlor, I declare I was all feet and hands! didn't know what to do with 'em.... Hey? did you speak, Serena?"
"I was only going to say," replied his wife, "that that was a good while ago, of course. You have been about the world and seen a great deal since. Things look different after we grow up, don't they, Mrs. Black?"
Annette's composure, a portion of it, had returned by this time. Nevertheless, there was an odd note in her voice.
"They do, indeed," she said. "I remember the Dott house, of course. It was very fine, I believe, in its day."
Her husband interrupted. "In its day!" he repeated. "Humph! there's nothing the matter with it now, that I can see. I wish I had as good. Why--"
"Phelps!" snapped Annette, "don't be silly. Mrs. Dott understands what I meant to say. The place is very nice, very attractive, indeed. Perhaps some might think it a bit old-fashioned, but that is a matter of taste."
"Humph! it's on the best street in town. As for being old-fashioned--I thought you just said you loved old-fashioned things. That's what she said, wasn't it, Dan?"
Mrs. Black's gloved fingers twitched, but she ignored the remark entirely. Daniel, too, did not answer, although he smiled in an uncertain fashion. It was Serena who spoke.
"I haven't any doubt it is lovely," she said. "We're just dying to see it, Daniel and I. I hope you can be with us when we do, Mrs. Black. You might suggest some improvements, you know."
"Improvements!" the visitor repeated the word involuntarily. "Improvements! You're not going to LIVE there, are you?"
"I don't know. We may. Now, Daniel, don't argue. You know we haven't made up our minds yet what we shall do. And Scarford is a beautiful city. Mrs. Black has told us so ever so many times. What were you going to say, Mrs. Black?"
The lady addressed looked as if she would like to say several things, particularly to her husband, who was grinning maliciously. But what she did was to smile, a smile of gracious sweetness, and agree that Scarford was beautiful.
"And so is the place, my dear Mrs. Dott," she added. "A very charming, quaint old house. But--you'll excuse my saying so, won't you; you know Phelps and I have had some experience in keeping up a city estate--don't you think it might prove rather expensive for you to maintain?"
Serena's armor was not even dented. "Oh," she said, lightly, "that wouldn't trouble us, I'm sure. Really, we've hardly thought of the expense. The Scarford place wasn't ALL that Aunt Lavinia left us, Mrs. Black."
"Indeed!" rather feebly, "wasn't it?"
"My goodness, no! But there! I mustn't talk about ourselves and our affairs any more. Have you seen the lodge rooms to-day? I must find time to run down there this afternoon for a last look around. I want this open meeting to go off nicely. Who knows--well, I may not have the care of the next one."
Azuba appeared in the doorway.
"The minister and his wife's comin'," she announced.
Mrs. Dott turned.
"The minister and his wife?" she repeated. "The bell hasn't rung, has it? How do you know they're coming here?"
"See 'em through the window," replied Azuba, cheerfully. "They was at the gate quite a spell. She was gettin' her hat straight, and he was helpin' her. Here they be," as the callers' footsteps sounded on the porch. "Shall I let 'em in?"
"Let them in! Why, of course! Why shouldn't you let them in?"
"Well, I didn't know. The way the cap'n was talkin' when you was havin' dinner, I thought--oh, that reminds me," addressing the horror stricken Daniel, "Sam was in just now and wanted you to come right out to the store. Ezra Taylor's there and he wants another pair of them checkered overalls, same as he had afore."
That evening when, having closed the Metropolitan Store at an early hour, the captain and his wife were on their way to the lodge meeting, Daniel voiced a feeling of perplexity which had disturbed his mind ever since the Blacks' call.
"Say,