You'll thank your stars I did go, before very long. I... S-sh!
Here's Sylvester."
The door of the room opened. The person who entered, however, was not
the lawyer, but the very man of whom they had been speaking, Captain
Elisha himself. He closed the door behind him.
"Hello, Stevie," he said, with a nod to the boy. Then, turning to his
niece, he stepped forward and held out his hand. "Caroline," he began,
"I don't doubt you're some surprised to see me here; but I... Why,
what's the matter?"
The faces of the pair led him to ask the question. Stephen's was red and
he looked embarrassed and guilty. Caroline's was white, and she glanced
from her brother to her guardian and back again, with flashing eyes.
"What's the matter?" repeated the captain. "Steve," sharply, "have you
been making a fool of yourself again? What is it?"
"Nothing," was the sulky answer; "nothing of consequence. Caro is--well,
I happened to mention that I called on you last night and--and she
doesn't seem to like it, that's all. As I told her, somebody in the
family had to use common sense, and you were our guardian and naturally,
under the circumstances... Why, I'll leave it to anyone!" with a burst
of righteous indignation. "You ARE our guardian."
He proclaimed it as if he expected a denial.
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