It was like a stroke to Cap'n Jonah's heart--this last. He thought Pearl was referring to his promise of making her his heir. He was near to being as suspicious about the avariciousness of those around him as was Eliphalet Truitt. And good reason he had for that. To live with people like the Pettys was enough to canker the most generous and unsuspicious nature. "Whatever! I got to see Cap'n Abe. He's my only hope now," murmured the master mariner. "Won't never do for Pearly, poor gal, to be disappointed." But the girl had no thoughts of a mercenary nature. That Cap'n Jonah should have faced the Pettys and browbeaten them in her behalf was sufficient to fill Pearl's heart with gratitude. She never thought a second time of the old man's threat. In her confusion of mind at the time, she had scarcely apprehended what his speech meant. What Pearl shrank from most of all this morning was meeting Joe Helmford. When she returned from giving Cap'n Jonah his tray, the boarder was at the table. He greeted her, as he had all, with his customary "good morning." But no smile accompanied it, and he confined his speech during the meal to requests relating to the food. In fact a pall seemed to hang over the Petty household; and yet the family were less acrimonious and fault-finding than usual. To Pearl they were scrupulously polite, and Sarah Petty more than once expressed her anxiety regarding the absent Cap'n Jonah. "You'd better step up after breakfast, Orrin, and see if you can do anything for him," Mrs. Petty said. "Uncle Jonah is beginning to feel his years, I shouldn't wonder." But Orrin slipped out of the house immediately after breakfast without venturing above to Cap'n Jonah's chamber. He felt some awkwardness about appearing before the old man after what had occurred the previous evening. Of course, the lout could not be expected to confront his great-uncle at such a time; and even Sarah herself felt some unwonted embarrassment in greeting Cap'n Jonah. So it was Pearl who went up to get the tray and to inquire solicitously for a bulletin of health. She found Cap'n Jonah out of bed and struggling with the crooked mirror and a dull razor. Every morning the old man scrupulously shaved his cheeks and lips. The fringe of gray beard and his hair were carefully brushed as well. The captain always looked as neat as a new pin. He looked out at her from behind a mask of cold lather and tried to grin cheerfully. "Purty hard scrabblin', Pearly," he remarked. "My fingers are stiffer than a frozen bowline." "You should have a fire, Cap'n Jonah," she said tenderly. "It's real mean! This is the coldest end of the house anyway. And you have had no warm water." "Ne'er mind. Don't fuss. I'll be out o' here all right. There'll be a change o' wind before long, my gal." Pearl did not fully understand him, but she thought the statement likely to be so. At the bottom of the stairs, listening, she found Sarah Petty.