“There, now I cal'late I'll go aloft and turn in,” he observed. Then he added, with a little hesitation, “Say, Al, maybe we'd better not trouble your grandma about all this fool business--the row this afternoon and all. 'Twould only worry her and--” he paused, looked embarrassed, cleared his throat, and said, “to tell you the truth, I'm kind of ashamed of my part---er--er--that is, some of it.” His grandson was very much astonished. It was not often that Captain Zelotes Snow admitted having been in the wrong. He blurted out the question he had been dying to ask. “Grandfather,” he queried, “had you--did you really mean what you said about starting to come to my room and--and propose this scheme of ours--I mean of Rachel's and Labe's--to me?” “Eh? . . . Ye-es--yes. I was on my way up there when I met you just now.” “Well, Grandfather, I--I--” “That's all right, boy, that's all right. Don't let's talk any more about it.” “We won't. And--and--But, Grandfather, I just want you to know that I guess I understand things a little better than I did, and--and when my father--” The captain's heavy hand descended upon his shoulder. “Heave short, Al!” he commanded. “I've been doin' consider'ble thinkin' since Labe finished his--er--discourse and pronounced the benediction, and I've come to a pretty definite conclusion on one matter. I've concluded that you and I had better cut out all the bygones from this new arrangement of ours. We won't have fathers or--or--elopements--or past-and-done-with disapp'intments in it. This new deal--this four year trial v'yage of ours--will be just for Albert Speranza and Zelotes Snow, and no others need apply. . . . Eh? . . . Well, good night, Al.” CHAPTER VIII So the game under the “new deal” began. At first it was much easier than the old. And, as a matter of fact, it was never as hard as before. The heart to heart talk between Captain Zelotes and his grandson had given each a glimpse of the other's inner self, a look from the other's point of view, and thereafter it was easier to make allowances. But the necessity for the making of those allowances was still there and would continue to be there. At first Albert made almost no mistakes in his bookkeeping, was almost painfully careful. Then the carefulness relaxed, as it was bound to do, and some mistakes occurred. Captain Lote found little fault, but at times he could not help showing some disappointment. Then his grandson would set his teeth and buckle down to painstaking effort again. He was resolved to live up to the very letter of the agreement.