Cap'n Jonah Hand was an old-fashioned seaman. No matter how long he had sailed master of passenger or merchant ships, the Cape Cod tang clung to his speech. Especially did he clip his words and use provincial turns of speech now that he was among those who habitually took such liberties with academic English. "I suppose," began Sarah Petty, trying to drive a conversational wedge in the right direction, "that well-to-do widowers do have to dodge the wiles of designing females. We've got some along the Shell Road that you'll ha'f to keep your sails trimmed for, Uncle Jonah." "Oh, pshaw!" ejaculated the captain, rather sheepishly, "I guess the women'll leave me alone--'specially when they l'arn I ain't no millionaire." The flashed glances between Sarah Petty and her husband were laden with suspicion. Sarah's sharp voice punctured the following silence as a needle might prick a toy balloon. "I presume you've got aplenty saved up after all these years for your board and keep, Uncle? You was the forehandedest of all the Hands, I guess." "Oh," said the captain dryly, "I can pay my way for quite a spell yet, before I ha'f to look up lodgin's at the poor farm. And that brings up a leetle matter we might's well discuss right now at the start, Niece Sarah. "O' course," the old man went on placidly, "you air my only livin' relative, Sarah. If I should drag my anchor to-night you'd stand to git sech prop'ty as I might die possessed of. But a straight out and out understanding, even betwixt kith and kin, is the only way to fend off friction. I want, if I won't be crowdin' you an' your folks, Sarah, to stop along o' you instead of tryin' to bach it as so many of us old salts have to when we leave the sea for good and all. I ain't never been used to doin' for myself, and I shouldn't know how to tackle the job. I sh'd be jest as awkward about housework as a whale." "Well, now, Uncle!" ejaculated Sarah in much perturbation. "Belay there!" interrupted Cap'n Jonah. "I ain't finished payin' out my line yet. What I want to know is, will you board an' lodge me, and do for me as the sayin' is, an' for how much a month? I ain't no millionaire, as I tell you, but I have always paid my shot an' I allus calc'late to while there's any shot left in the locker." Sarah's smile fairly dripped honey again. Orrin's expression of countenance changed so suddenly that it must have hurt him. Tom looked relieved. "Well, now, Uncle!" his niece again ejaculated as though the subject of money was quite a painful one. And it was. She was in a nervous flutter for fear she would not tax the old sea captain all that he would possibly stand. The thought of fixing his monthly stipend below the figure Uncle Jonah might be willing to pay was positively torturing to Sarah's mind.