way. If almost seemed as if he knew that in one of the letters he
held the solution of the problem that was making the Captain's brow
all criss-crossed with frowning lines.

A fifth cigar was being extracted from the case, a wrinkle was
deepening just over the left eyebrow, a twinge of something very like
gout was calling forth a word or two of "foreign language," when
Esther came in with a smile on her lips and an open letter in her
hands.

"From Mother," she said. "Yarrahappini's a wilderness, it seems, and
she wants me to go up, and take the General with me, for a few weeks."

"Ah!" he said.

It would certainly solve one of the difficulties. The place was very
far away certainly, but then it was Esther's old home, and she had
not seen it since her marriage. She would grow strong again there
very quickly.

"Oh, and Judy, too."

"Ah-h-h!" he said.

Two of the lines smoothed themselves carefully from his brow.

"And Meg, because I mentioned she was looking pale."

The Captain placed the cigar back in the case. He forgot there was
such a thing as gout.