Cap'n Jonah's being billeted in the front room made the entertainment of the guests possible. Tom and Orrin were relegated to the room the old sea captain had occupied for a few weeks over the kitchen, while Sarah was to sleep on the sitting-room sofa. For the nonce she would have been glad had Helmford been out of the house. She desired to "eat her cake and have it, too." She wanted the man's board money just as much as ever; but she wished she might put Solon Petty, the member of the Massachusetts Legislature, and his wife in the best bedroom. Pearl was not required to give up her room. In the first place it was a cramped little chamber behind the attic stairs. And, in addition, Sarah Petty had no intention of giving Cap'n Jonah any further excuse for making the girl his heiress. Besides, if worse came to worst, and it was necessary for Tom to marry Pearl to keep Cap'n Jonah's fortune in the family, Sarah wished the guests to observe how nicely she treated her daughter-in-law to be. There was looming an incident, however, that Sarah Petty did not foresee. It was something that was to relieve her of Joe Helmford's presence, whether she wanted him to go or not. Helmford, no matter what he admitted in secret to himself regarding Pearl, was scrupulously careful to display no extraordinary interest in her before the family. He had ever in his mind the several occasions on which he had observed what he supposed to be the expression of Tom's half-formed attachment for the girl. He could not understand how Pearl could endure the lout; but he knew that here on the Cape the "chief end of woman" is marriage of some kind, no matter what may be the "chief end of man" in the Catechism. He saw the hypocrisy of the Petty family in the sudden change in their treatment of Pearl. It was to be expected, if she was to be Cap'n Jonah's heir. They loved money more than they loved anything else in the world. It was not strange at all that Tom should try to win Pearl--and the money. The boarder, however, found it impossible to ignore Pearl or to completely withstand her charm. When they were together he found himself drawn to speak to her and to discuss matters of mutual interest, as he had heretofore. He could not be rude to her. Unless he actually ran away from her they were bound to be thrown often into each other's company. Pearl had no reason, Helmford supposed, to suspect his secret perturbation. She eagerly conversed with him whenever she could. Was he in Cap'n Jonah's room playing a game of checkers with the old man and she came in on an errand, Pearl was sure to linger. Cap'n Jonah seemed to encourage her to talk, much as his mind might be given to the intricacies of the game on the board. At meal time Helmford sat opposite to the girl at table. If he raised his eyes from his plate there were her dark eyes pouring all the sweet sincerity of their gaze into his. They could not stare dumbly at each other without attracting the family's attention.