The latter smiled and pressed Mrs. Hampton's hand more firmly. Then her eyes became moist, and a tear stole down her cheek. At once Mrs.

Hampton aroused to action, and dropping upon her knees by the sofa she put her arms lovingly about the girl and kissed her upon the lips. Her heart was too full for utterance. This was her own child, she had no doubt about that now. Her dream was fulfilled in a wonderful manner.

She looked into the clear eyes, drank in the beauty of her face, and stroked her soft hair. So this was her own child, the one she had longed to behold for so many years. She was with her at last. But the girl must never know. She must never call her "mother." The thought was terrible. Her own daughter, and yet not her own. She had sold her for money, and how she would spurn her should she ever hear of it. It was almost more than she could endure. In her confusion she tried to say something, to utter words of welcome. But all in vain. A feeling of helplessness and despair swept upon her, so throwing her arms impulsively about the girl's neck, and burying her face upon her breast, she sobbed as if her heart would break. The maddening tension of long years had at last given way, and tears, unknown before, brought a blessed relief.

CHAPTER XVII

CAPTAIN SAM'L GOES HOME

As Mrs. Tobin walked with her husband from the sh.o.r.e the evening she took him off the "Eb and Flo," she maintained a rigid silence. The captain was well accustomed to this mood, and it always affected him more than the scolding. He knew then that his wife's anger was more than ordinary, and it was necessary for him to use all the diplomacy at his command.

"I've been thinkin', Martha, that you need a holiday," he at length ventured. "Ye haven't taken one fer a long time now. A trip to Fredericton would do ye a world of good. Yer nephew wrote fer ye to come an' see him."

Mrs. Tobin, however, was not inclined to discuss this subject, dear though it was to her heart. She had often planned such a trip, but she had something more serious to think about just now. She strode rapidly forward, causing the captain to puff at a great rate in his effort to keep up with her. He became annoyed.

"Say, Martha," he panted, "I'm not used to sich a gait as this, even if you are. Yer hittin' the ground so fast an' hard with them boots of yours that it's gittin' hot. I kin almost see the gra.s.s smokin'.

Phew, I'm all in!" He slowed down, pulled out his handkerchief, and mopped his brow. "Go on, if ye want to. I'll be home after a while."

This appeal had some effect, for Mrs. Tobin stayed her steps a little.

"Thar, that's better, Martha," the captain encouraged.

"Ye kin slow up when ye want to. I wish to goodness ye'd slow up in other ways. Ye've been settin' me a lively pace ever since we was married, an' it's gittin' faster every year. Me heart can't stand much more, so if yer not keerful ye'll be lookin' around fer another husband before long. But I pity him, poor chap, an' if I only knew who he might be I'd give him a note of warnin' while I'm in the flesh."

It was quite evident that Mrs. Tobin was longing to express her feelings in no uncertain language, but as she had made up her mind to treat Samuel with silent contempt, it would not do to make any reply.

She was greatly agitated, however, to find that this method was not so effective as in the past. Her husband was getting beyond her, and it worried her a great deal.

The captain was not slow to notice this, and it pleased him. He wondered why he had allowed her to ride rough-shod over him for so long. Perhaps a little more such treatment might break her spell.

"Martha," he continued, "if ever ye marry agin after I'm dead, I'll come back to ye from the spirit world. I'll be so anxious to see how ye git along with yer new husband that nuthin' could keep me from comin'."

He ceased and glanced at his wife to note the effect of this startling announcement. But no change in her att.i.tude could he observe.

"I'll come, Martha," he went on, "when yer least expectin' me, mebbe in the night, an' when ye open yer eyes ye'll see me standin' before ye.

If ye never had a creepy feelin' before, ye'll have one then. Yer hair'll stand right on end, an' yer blood'll about freeze in yer veins.

An' I'll step right up to the side of yer bed, an' look straight into yer eyes, an' hold out me hands----"

The captain never finished his sentence, for with a bound Martha had left him. She ran as he had never seen her run before, and by the time he reached the house she was in the kitchen, and did not even look at him as he entered. The table was set for supper, but Flo was nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Tobin busied herself about the stove, while the captain washed himself at the sink. He was hungry, for not even his wife's anger could take away his hearty appet.i.te. Some cold lamb on the table appealed to him, and he was about to sit down and help himself when the kitchen door was suddenly opened and Flo burst into the room. She was greatly excited, and was about to announce some startling bit of news when her mother checked her. She thrust her hand into a pocket in her dress, and held up the side-comb for inspection.

The captain stood transfixed, staring upon the innocent cause of his wife's wrath.

"Look at that," Mrs. Tobin, cried, holding it out before her daughter.

"Is it any wonder that I'm heart-broken?"

The girl's eyes grew wide with amazement as she glanced first at the comb, and then at her father and mother. She surmised at once that there was trouble between them, but what the comb had to do with it she could not understand.

"Why, mother," Flo at last found voice to say, "I don't see anything wrong about that comb. It's mine, I must have left it in the cabin the last time I came up the river. I knew I had lost it, but could not tell where."

With a whoop of joy the captain sprang forward, and caught his daughter in his arms.

"Bully fer you, Flo!" he shouted. "Ye've saved me neck all right this time, an' I shan't fergit it soon. Ye'll have a new dress, by gum, ye will. Ho, ho, Martha," and he turned to his discomfited wife, "ye thought that I was entertainin' ladies on the 'Eb an' Flo,' didn't ye?

An' it was all on account of that comb. Ha, ha, that's a good one."

"Hold your tongue, Sam'l." Mrs. Tobin had at last found her voice. "I admit that I was mistaken about the comb, but I want to know why you didn't stop on your way up river? I really believe there's something wrong with your mind, Sam'l. I never heard you speak to me the way you did on the boat, and then coming to the house you talked such nonsense about dying, and appearing to me from the spirit world. You haven't been drinking, have you?"

Before the captain could reply Flo interposed. She was bubbling over with excitement, and her parents' troubles did not concern her in the least. She was too well accustomed to such scenes to take them seriously to heart.

"Mother," she began, "there's a girl visiting the Hamptons, and I believe she and John are engaged."

This startling announcement had a profound effect upon Mrs. Tobin.

Whatever took place across the road was of special interest to her.

She sat down suddenly upon the nearest chair, and stared at her daughter. Flo laughed outright at her mother's excitement.

"That's more interesting than the comb, isn't it?" she bantered. "But it's true. I saw her myself, and my, she's beautiful!"

"A girl visiting the Hamptons!" Mrs. Tobin slowly repeated, "and engaged to John! Are you sure? When did you hear all this?"

"I was just over there, and saw things for myself. You don't need to have your eyes and ears very wide open in that house to understand how she and John love each other."

"Who is she, for pity's sake? and where did she come from? I never knew that John had a girl."

"Neither did I, mother. But if you saw them together you would have no doubt about it. They seem to be so happy. John brought her in his car last night. She met with an accident somewhere, and she has a bandage across one side of her forehead."

"Met with an accident!" Mrs. Tobin exclaimed. "In what way?"

"I have no idea, and I didn't like to ask."

"Didn't like to ask!" Mrs. Tobin sniffed in disgust. "If I'd been in your place I would have found out everything. You don't even know her name, I suppose."

"Oh, yes, I found that out. It's a funny one, Betty Bean."

During this conversation the captain had been rubbing his hands vigorously with the towel. He had to be doing something, so this was just as well as anything else. When he learned that a visitor was at the Hamptons, and that she had met with an accident, he began to fear the worst. Who else could it be but the girl he had taken up river on his boat? But when he heard that her name was Betty Bean he was greatly relieved, hung up the towel, and started for the table. The girl interested him no longer, and it did not matter to him whether John Hampton had a sweetheart or not.

"Come on, an' let's have supper," he ordered. "I'm 'most starved. One would think from the way you two talk that thar is a menagerie over the way. I don't care how many girls John has."

"But I care," his wife retorted. "And what's more, I'm going over this very night to see her myself. You are away from home so much, Sam'l, that you see people and have a good time. But with me it's different.

I have to stay right here week in and week out, and see nothing but the same things and the same people. It isn't very often we have a visitor here, especially at the Hamptons. Yes, I'm going over to see and hear what I can."

"Yer right, Martha," the captain agreed. "Ye sartinly do need a change, an' as I told ye comin' from the sh.o.r.e ye must take that trip to Fredericton. It'll do ye a world of good. Flo kin come with me fer a trip, an' it'll be nice to have her to look after things an' cook fer us."

"And leave another comb to give you trouble, daddy," the girl replied, while her eyes twinkled with merriment.

"Sure, sure, I don't mind how many combs ye leave, so long as yer mother lets me alone afterwards."

When supper was ended, Mrs. Tobin rose from the table.

"Come, Sam'l, fix yourself up," she ordered, "and let us go over to see that girl."

"But I'm not goin'," the captain protested. "I'm not anxious to see her an' John spoonin'. I want to stay right here at home, an' have a quiet smoke all to meself. You an' Flo go along. I'll look after the dishes."