“Better so,” sighed the poor tramp to himself, as, when ejected from the study, he paused in the front hall, which happened for the moment to be deserted. “Yes, better so. I came too suddenly upon them, and they had not got my letter. I did not mean to shock them so; but what did that blundering negro mean by springing me upon them in that startling manner? He told me there was no one in the study. Well, possibly he thought so. It can’t be helped now. I must be patient, though it seems harder to wait minutes now than it was to wait years in the hopeless past.” Then instead of leaving the house, as the commodore had peremptorily commanded him to do, the “cut-throat” threw himself down into a chair, dropped his hat by his side, and stretched out his limbs with the air of a man who meant to remain and make himself at home, while he continued his mental soliloquy: “The man I met on the road and questioned about the family told me there was an old Dr. Willet on a visit here—our old family physician, of course. If I could only catch sight of him now and make myself known, I could procure a decent suit of clothes before presenting myself to any one else. But would he recognize me? ‘Ay, there’s the rub.’ The old man did not; but then his sight is dimmed by age. Ah, he has grown very aged since I saw him last—more aged even than his years would warrant—not in temper, though! Whew! what a fury he was in when he turned me out! He would have hurled a chair at me and broken my head if I had hesitated another moment! It was hard to go and leave her fainting there, but I know to have stayed would have made matters so much worse, even for her. How lovely she looked! Yet colorless as marble, with the traces of sorrow on her beautiful face! _She_ recognized me, my love! my own——Hallo, who comes here? Some one who will make me welcome or show me the door?” asked the tramp to himself as he saw a white-haired old gentleman slowly descending the stairs. “It is Dr. Willet! He has grown gray since I saw him last, but I should know that eagle’s beak of a nose of his anywhere under the sun. I’ll stop him.” The good physician was about to pass the stranger with a kindly nod when the latter accosted him: “Dr. Willet.” “Well, my friend, what can I do for you?” inquired the kind-hearted physician, very naturally supposing that his professional services were required by some poor patient. And he stopped. “Sir,” said the tramp very gravely, “I wish you, if you please, to look at me well and tell me if you remember me.” The doctor, surprised and puzzled by this address, looked long and wistfully into the face of the stranger, first to see if he could recognize him, secondly to see if he was mad or drunk. “Well?” queried the tramp in an anxious tone.