"Josiah, you're right. It's even worse when the furniture has been stolen," remarked the man. He raised his head and looked at the little gilt-framed picture on the desk. He covered his face. With a dry sob he folded his arms across the picture, and dropped his head upon them. "My G.o.d! I didn't mean to do it when I began. I must have been insane. It seemed so easy at the time. I've suffered a thousand h.e.l.ls all these years!"

"I know. You just went along the way that seemed easy-like. At fust it ain't hard to go with the greedy crowd, but the turning's mighty hard.

You sartin went the easiest way for yourself, Jim, but them you done wrong to, died in awful poverty."

"I can't stand any more!"

"John told me that Adoniah was going to get your hide after he got back here, but when he see you was married and had a little baby----"

"Stop it, Josiah! Do with me as you like, but don't tell me any more.

I'll go insane!"

"I cal'late what you said about suffering your share is as nigh the truth as you've come in many a year. If I'd been intending to give you up to that old woman, do you cal'late I'd brought you in here?"

"Josiah, do you mean that you do not intend to give me up?" asked the crumpled man incredulously. He raised his head and peered across the room.

"Not if you're willing to obey orders. Others have been suffering, and that's got to stop."

"I'll do anything you say."

"The fust thing, that Sim Hicks and his gang has got to be choked off."

"I don't know what you refer to, but----"

"Jim, I thought we'd cut out that old green line of pretending. I ain't going to nibble, so just stop casting it at me. I mean his booze-selling to them boys."

"That can be arranged," hurriedly agreed the Elder.

"Thought it likely could. The second little matter is that Mr. McGowan is going to stay right here in this church as minister."

"I'll do my best----Yes, I shall see to that."

"Now, about that money you stole from his dad. That goes back to Mack with interest."

"But, Josiah, I can't do that. It would ruin me. I wouldn't mind for myself, but my family----"

"I know, that's the hard part of paying off old debts, the innocent has got to suffer. But that can be fixed so it won't bother you much. It might do you good to take a taste of your own medicine."

"Can this be done without the village finding it out?"

"It's purty hard to give up your position as village hero, ain't it, Jim? I cal'late it's going to be purty tolerable hard to dress a hypocrite up like a saint without people finding it out sooner or later, but we'll try it for a spell. Harold said to-night that he'd draw up papers for you. We're going to try to keep this a sort of family skeleton."

"How can I ever thank you!"

"You'd best give them thanks to the Almighty."

"I do, most heartily."

"Just touch a match to this paper you dropped. Here 'tis. I cal'late you wa'n't intending for no one to see this but Beth."

"That is true, Josiah. I wished to keep her from going any further with Mr. McGowan." With trembling fingers he set fire to that piece of paper.

"One word more about money. What are you going to do about the loan on this place?"

"You may keep that, Josiah, as a token of my appreciation for what you have done."

"Not this one," said the Captain. "That's honest enough to pa.s.s. I mean that one the interest has been paid on all these years."

"I'm afraid that my lawyers foreclosed on that at noon----"

"From what Harold said, I cal'late you'll find the interest was paid afore they had a chance to foreclose. If I was you, Jim, I'd just cancel that mortgage. The interest has more than paid it back these years.

Mack's estate otter be clear."

The man before whom great ones had been made to tremble because of financial power, now meekly nodded a.s.sent to a sea captain.

"And we'll just include everything you owe Mack in the papers Harold is going to draw up?"

"I'll be only too glad to do as you say. But how about this Rogers woman?"

"I'll see to her. She'd never recognize you as the dude who beat her son-in-law. You've changed consider'ble since then. You've even changed a mite to-night."

The Captain took up his pipe from the table, shook off the ash, and relighted it.

"Is that all, Josiah?"

"Yes. I cal'late you'd best be going." He handed the Elder his hat, and lifted his walking-stick from the floor.

"Thanks, Josiah. You have been very kind to me. More than I deserve."

"There ain't no room for argument on that p'int."

As the Elder reached the door the Captain halted him.

"If I was you, Jim, I'd keep my oar out of that love affair of Mack and Beth."

"Quite right, Josiah. Good night."

The Elder got out of the house and into the road in a stumbling fashion.

He climbed the knoll to his estate, a saddened and broken old man, but with a relief of mind and heart that he had not known for years.

CHAPTER XIX

"Now, ain't you a pair to look at, and you to give your sermon this morning, Mr. McGowan! You look a heap sight worse than Edna Splinter, and she's been raving with a fever all night."

Miss Pipkin made this observation while the three of them sat at breakfast Sunday morning.