“But, at any rate, you will order your carriage around to the livery stable and spend the day with us. That will give Mr. Grandiere time to see about your rooms, here or elsewhere,” said Odalite to the two elder ladies, who were seated on the sofa, with Rosemary between them, with each of her little hands clasped one in each of theirs. “Yes, my dear, thank you, we will spend the day,” announced Mrs. Hedge, for her party. “Come up now and lay off your wraps,” said Rosemary, leading the way to what, in party parlance, was now called the room. “Uncle,” inquired Sam Grandiere, very anxiously, “are matters really serious with Roland Bayard?” “So serious, my lad, that I fear for the worst. Unless he can be disabused of this idea that Silver has impressed upon him—that he is the pirate’s own son—he will never be induced to give the testimony that will convict that pirate and vindicate himself.” “If Miss Sibby Bayard were only here; she might be of use at this time,” mused Sam, aloud. “Miss Sibby Bayard is here, you bet! Talk of the devil and you know what follows,” said a voice on the threshold, and the form of the lady in question appeared at the door. “When a thing is got to be done, sez I, the sooner the better, sez I! And so here I am, good folks.” CHAPTER XXII NEW HOPE “Miss Sibby!” exclaimed the assembled party, in one breath, as they all arose to welcome her. “Oh, yes!” said the good woman, after she had shaken hands all around, and had sunk breathless into the nearest easy chair. “It is all mighty fine to cry out ‘Miss Sibby,’ as if you were overjoled at the sight of me; but deeds speak louder than words, sez I. And them as runs away to the city and leave me behind, sez I, and then pretends to be glad to see me, sez I, is nothing but ‘sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal,’ sez I. Yes, it’s you I mean, Sam Grandiere!” “But, Miss Sibby, I didn’t run away and leave you, ma’am,” pleaded the young fellow. “And plenty of room in the carryall, too, as might have incommodated me very well. The old saying sez as ‘Where there is a will there is a way,’ and I sez, correspondimentally, sez I, ‘where there is a way, sez I, there out to be a will,’ sez I. Yes! I’m talking to you, Sam Grandiere. You had the way to take me, but you hadn’t got the will.” “Indeed, Miss Sibby, I didn’t know you wanted to come. I should have been glad enough to take you.” “Why didn’t you ask me, then? You might a knowed, soon as the news reached our neighborhood as all the folks had come back from furrin parts, and Gideon Grandiere among ’em, as I would want to come up and hear news of my lad. But you run away and left me behind. And when I found it out I just said to myself, sez I, I’ll just harness up my old mule, sez I, and I won’t be long behind ’em, sez I. And so here I am.” “How did you find us out?” inquired Capt. Grandiere.