"I am. I was puzzled afore I left home, and I'm just as puzzled now."

"What puzzles you? if I may ask."

"Everything. And, if you'll excuse my sayin' so, Mr. Sylvester, I guess
it puzzles you, too."

He returned his host's look. The latter pushed back his chair,
preparatory to rising.

"It is all so perfectly simple, on the face of it, Captain Warren," he
said. "Your brother realized that he must die, that his children and
their money must be taken care of; you were his nearest relative;
his trust in your honesty and judgment caused him to overlook the
estrangement between you. That's the case, isn't it?"

"Yes. That's the case, on the face of it, as you say. But you've forgot
to mention one item."

"What's that?"

"'Bije himself. You knew him pretty well, I can see that. So did I. And
I guess that's why we're both puzzled."

Captain Elisha folded his napkin with care and stood up. Sylvester rose,
also.

"Come downstairs," he said. "We can enjoy our cigars more comfortably
there, and go on with our talk. That is, unless you're in a great