"You ain't goin'," she declared, "till I've finished. 'Twon't take me long to say it, but it's goin' to be said. I told Cap'n Sears that Eg Phillips was chasin' 'round with your mother. He is. And if she ain't glad to have him chase her then I never see anybody that was. I said them two was cal'latin' to get married. Well ... well, if they ain't then they'd ought to be, that's all I'll say about _that_. And don't you ever call me a spy again as long as you live, 'Liz'beth Berry." She hopped again, to the doorway this time. There she turned for a farewell cackle. "One thing more," she said. "I told the cap'n I believed the reason that that Eg man wanted to marry Cordelia was on account of her bein' able to give him five thousand dollars and the Fair Harbor to live in. I do believe it. And you can tell her so--or him so. But afore I told anybody I'd think it over, if I was you, 'Liz'beth Berry. And I'd think _him_ over a whole lot afore I'd let him and his 'ily tongue make trouble between you and your _real_ friends.... There! Good-by." She went away. Kendrick pulled at his beard. "Elizabeth," he began, hastily, "I'm awfully sorry that this happened. Of course you know that I----" She interrupted him. "I know," she said, "that if I ever speak to you again it will be because I am obliged to, not because I want to." She followed Mrs. Tidditt. Sears Kendrick sat down once more in the rocking chair. He did a great deal of hard and unpleasant thinking before he rose from it. When he did rise it was to go to the drawer in the bureau of the spare stateroom where he kept his writing materials, take therefrom pen, ink and paper and sit down at the table to write a letter. The letter was not long of itself, but composing it was a rather lengthy process. It was addressed to Elizabeth Berry and embodied his resignation as trustee and guardian of her inheritance from Judge Knowles. * * * * *