"Nothin' of it, 'special. Only when a party comes to me and commences by sayin' he or she's a relation I know what's comin' next. Relations!

Humph! My relations never done much for me."

Thankful's fingers twitched. "'Cordin' to all accounts you never done much for them, either," she declared. "You don't even ask 'em to sit down. Well, you needn't worry so far's I'm concerned. Good-by."

She was on her way out of the office, but he called her back.

"Hi, hold on!" he called. "You ain't told me what that business was yet.

Come back! You--you can set down, if you want to."

Thankful hesitated. She was strongly tempted to go and never return.

And yet, if she did, she must go elsewhere to obtain the mortgage she wished. And to whom should she go? Reluctantly she retraced her steps.

"Set down," said Mr. Cobb, pulling forward a chair. "Now what is it you want?"

Mrs. Barnes sat down. "I'll tell you what I don't want," she said with emphasis. "I don't want you to give me any money or to lend me any, either--without it's bein' a plain business deal. I ain't askin' charity of you or anybody else, Solomon Cobb. And you'd better understand that if you and I are goin' to talk any more."

Mr. Cobb tugged at his whiskers.

"You've got a temper, ain't you," he declared. "Temper's a good thing to play with, maybe, if you can afford it. I ain't rich enough, myself.

I've saved a good many dollars by keepin' mine. If you don't want me to give you nor lend you money, what do you want?"

"I want you to take a mortgage on some property I own. You do take mortgages, don't you?"

More whisker pulling. Solomon nodded.

"I do sometimes," he admitted; "when I cal'late they're safe to take.

Where is this property of yours?"

"Over in East Wellmouth. It's the old Abner Barnes place. Cap'n Abner willed it to me. He was my uncle."

And at last Mr. Cobb showed marked interest. Slowly he leaned back in his chair. His spectacles fell from his nose into his lap and lay there unheeded.

"What? What's that you say?" he asked, sharply. "Abner Barnes was your uncle? I--I thought you said your name was Cahoon."

"I said it used to be afore I was married, when I knew you. Afterwards I married Eben Barnes, Cap'n Abner's nephew. That made the captain my uncle by marriage."

Solomon's fingers groped for his spectacles. He picked them up and took his handkerchief from his pocket. But it was his forehead he rubbed with his handkerchief, not the gla.s.ses.

"You're--you're Abner Barnes' niece!" he said slowly.

"Yes--niece by marriage."

"The one he used to talk so much about? What was her name--Patience--Temp'rance--"

"Thankful--that's my name. I presume likely Uncle Abner did use to talk about me. He always declared he thought as much of me as if I was his own child."

There was an interval of silence. Mr. Cobb replaced his spectacles and stared through them at his visitor. His manner was peculiar--markedly so.

"I went mate for Cap'n Abner a good many v'yages," he said, after a moment.

"Yes, I know you did."

"He--he told you so, I suppose."

"Yes."

"What else did he tell you; about--about me, I mean?"

"Why, nothin' 'special that I know of. Why? What was there to tell?"

"Nothin'. Nothin' much, I guess. Abner and me was sort of--sort of chums and I didn't know but he might have said--might have told you considerable about me. He didn't, hey?"

"No. He told me you was his mate, that's all."

It may have been Thankful's imagination, but it did seem as if her relative was a trifle relieved. But even yet he did not seem quite satisfied. He pulled at his whiskers and asked another question.

"What made you come here to me?" he asked.

"Mercy on us! I've told you that, haven't I? I came to see about gettin'

a mortgage on his old place over to East Wellmouth. I knew you took mortgages--at least folks said you did--and bein' as you was a relation I thought--"

A wave of the hand interrupted her.

"Yes, yes," broke in Solomon, hastily. "I know that. Was that the only reason?"

"I presume likely 'twas. I did think it was a natural one and reason enough, but I guess THAT was a mistake. It looks as if 'twas."

She made a move to rise, but he leaned forward and detained her.

"There! there!" he said. "Set still, set still. So you're Abner Barnes'

niece?"

"My soul! I've told you so three times."

"Abner's niece! I want to know!"

"Well, I should think you might know by this time. Now about that mortgage."

"Hey? Oh, yes--yes! You want a mortgage on Abner's place over to East Wellmouth. Um! Well, I know the property and about what it's wuth--which ain't much. What are you cal'latin' to do--live there?"

"Yes, if I can carry out the plan I've got in my head. I'm thinkin' of fixin' up that old place and livin' in it. I'm figgerin' to run it as a boardin'-house. It'll cost money to put it in shape and a mortgage is the simplest way of raisin' that money, I suppose. That's the long and short of it."

The dealer in mortgages appeared to hear and there was no reason why he should not have understood. But he seemed still unsatisfied, even suspicious. The whiskers received another series of pulls and he regarded Thankful with the same questioning stare.

"And you say," he drawled, "that you come to me just because--"

"Mercy on us! If you don't know why I come by this time, then--"