the regular after-supper amusement. Now they played whist, Captain Eri
and Elsie against him and his former opponent. As Elsie and her partner
almost invariably won, and as Perez usually found fault with him because
they lost, this was not an agreeable change. But it was but one. He
didn't like muslin curtains in his bedroom, because they were a nuisance
when he wanted to sit up in bed and look out of the window; but the
curtains were put there, and everybody else seemed to think them
beautiful, so he could not protest. Captain Perez and Captain Eri had
taken to "dressing up" for supper, to the extent of putting on neckties
and clean collars. Also they shaved every day. He stuck to the old
"twice-a-week" plan for a while, but looked so scrubby by contrast that
out of mere self-respect he had to follow suit. Obviously two females in
the house were one too many. Something had to be done.

Ralph Hazeltine's frequent calls gave him the inspiration he was looking
for. This was to bring about a marriage between Ralph and Miss Preston.
After deliberation he decided that if this could be done the pair would
live somewhere else, even though John Baxter was still too ill to be
moved. Elsie could come in every day, but she would be too busy with her
own establishment to bother with the "improvement" of theirs. It wasn't
a very brilliant plan and had some vital objections, but Captain Jerry
considered it a wonder.

He broached it to his partners, keeping his real object strictly in the
background and enlarging upon his great regard for Ralph and Elsie, and
their obvious fitness for each other. Captain Perez liked the scheme
well enough, provided it could be carried out. Captain Eri seemed to
think it better to let events take their own course. However, they both
agreed to help if the chance offered.