Captain Price, dumbfounded, forgot his fear and burst out: "You're a
pack of fools, the whole caboodle! I swear I--"

"Oh, _don't_ blaspheme!" said Gussie, faintly, and staggered a little,
so that all the Captain's terror returned. _If she fainted!_

"Hi, there, Cyrus! Come aft, will you? Gussie's getting white around the
gills--Cyrus!"

Cyrus came, running, and between them they get the swooning Gussie to
her room. Afterwards, when Cyrus tiptoed down-stairs, he found the
Captain at the cabin door. The old man beckoned mysteriously.

"Cy, my boy, come in here;"--he hunted about in his pocket for the key
of the cupboard;--"Cyrus, I'll tell you what happened: that female
across the street came in, and told poor Gussie some cock-and-bull story
about her mother and me!" The Captain chuckled, and picked up his
harmonicon. "It scared the life out of Gussie," he said; then, with
sudden angry gravity,--"These people that poke their noses into other
people's business ought to be thrashed. Well, I'm going over to see Mrs.
North." And off he stumped, leaving Cyrus staring after him,
open-mouthed.

If Mary North had been at home, she would have met him with all the
agonized courage of shyness and a good conscience. But she had fled out
of the house, and down along the River Road, to be alone and regain her
self-control.

The Captain, however, was not seeking Miss North. He opened the front
door, and advancing to the foot of the stairs, called up: "Ahoy, there!