he could not help appreciating Captain Elisha's conversation.

Caroline said little during dinner. Her brother glowered at his plate
and was silent. But the captain talked and talked.

"Maybe you think I didn't have a time findin' your new lodgin's,"
he said. "I come over on the cars, somethin' I don't usually do when
there's anything afloat to carry me. But I had an errand or two to do
in Boston, so I stopped over night at the hotel there and got the nine
o'clock train. I landed here in New York all shipshape and on time, and
started in to hunt you up."

"How did you get our address?" asked his niece. "Mr. Graves couldn't
have given it to you, for we only decided on this apartment a few days
ago."

"Ho! ho!" chuckled Captain Elisha, rolling in his chair, like a ship in
a cross sea. "Ho! ho! You remind me of Abbie, Caroline. That's what she
said. 'I never heard of such a crazy cruise,' she says. 'Startin' off
to visit folks when you haven't the least idea where they live!' 'Oh,
yes, I have,' I says, 'I know where they live; they live in New York.'
Well, you ought to have seen her face. Abbie's a good woman--none
better--but she generally don't notice a joke until she trips over it.
I get consider'ble fun out of Abbie, take her by the large. 'New York!'
she says. 'Did anybody ever hear the beat of that? Do you cal'late New
York's like South Denboro, where everybody knows everybody else? What
are you plannin' to do? run up the fust man, woman or child you meet and
ask 'em to tell you where 'Bijah Warren lives? Or are you goin' to trot
from Dan to Beersheby, trustin' to meet your nephew and niece on the
way? I never in my born days!'