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He seemed quite oblivious of the Babbitt stare, or, for that matter, of the complete silence which had so suddenly fallen upon the group in the shop. He came forward, smoothing the crumpled notes with fingers which shook a little. He stopped in front of Captain Hunniwell. The captain was gazing at him and at the money. Jed did not meet his friend's eye; he continued to smooth the banknotes.
The consciousness of having just been talking of him, however, of having visited that shop for the express purpose of talking about him, made the explaining process a trifle embarrassing. "Oh, howd'ye do, howd'ye do, Cap'n Hunniwell?" stammered Gabriel. "Nice day, ain't it, sir? Yes, sir, 'tis a nice day. I was just er that is, I just run in to see Shavin's here; to make a little call, you know.
Captain Hunniwell closed the window and turned to face his friend. "Do you suppose that's true, Jed?" he asked. "Do you suppose it CAN be true?" Jed nodded. "Shouldn't be surprised," he said. "Good gracious king! Do you mean the boy went off up to Boston on his own hook, as that what's-his-name Gab says, and volunteered and got himself enlisted into the army?" "Shouldn't wonder, Sam."
"Even Captain Hunniwell has never, in my hearing, stated the case against Germany as clearly as you put it just now; and I have heard him talk a good deal." Jed was evidently greatly pleased, but he characteristically tried not to show it. "Well, now, ma'am," he drawled, "I'm afraid you ain't been to the post office much mail times.
If any one had been watching Jed particularly during the recent few minutes they might have observed in his face the dawning of an idea and the changing of that idea into a set purpose. The idea seemed to dawn the moment after he saw Captain Hunniwell coming up the walk. It had become a purpose by the time the captain rattled the latch.
Sam Hunniwell and every one of his chums can go to the devil. Every one of 'em; do you understand that, Jed Winslow?" Jed rubbed his chin. The solemn expression of his face did not change an atom. "Thank you, Phin," he drawled. "When I'm ready to start I'll get you to give me a letter of introduction."
Jed was speechless. Babbitt, looking like a triumphantly vicious Bantam rooster, crowed on. "You don't seem to be quite so sassy and talky as you was when I first came in, Shavin's," he sneered. "Guess likely YOU ain't feelin' well now . . . eh? Do you remember what I told you last time I was in this shop? I told you I'd pay my debts to you and Sam Hunniwell if I waited fifty year.
Then he asked: "What sort of a man is Captain Hunniwell?" "Eh? What sort of a man? You ought to know him yourself pretty well by this time. You see more of him every day than I do." "I don't mean as a business man or anything like that. I mean what sort of man is he er inside? Is he always as good-natured as he seems? How is he around his own house? With his daughter or or things like that?
"No matter what he's heard, it ain't so, because there couldn't have been anything stolen. There was only four hundred missin'. I've found that and you've got it back; so that settles it, don't it?" "It certainly would seem as if it did," observed Grover. "Congratulations, Captain Hunniwell. You're fortunate that so honest a man found the money, I should say." The captain merely grunted.
Later, when he came to reflect upon his conversation with young Phillips there were one or two things about it which puzzled him. They were still puzzling him when Maud Hunniwell came into the shop. Maud, in a new fall suit, hat and fur, was a picture, a fact of which she was as well aware as the next person. Jed, as always, was very glad to see her. "Well, well!" he exclaimed.
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