"Yes, I see that. Well, what would you advise my doin'?"To this direct question the lawyer returned a noncommittal answer.
"I'm afraid that must be answered by yourself alone, Captain Warren," he said. "Of course, the acceptance of the trust will necessarily involve much trouble and inconvenience, especially to one of your--er--settled and--er--conservative--I judge merely from what you have said--your conservative habits. The estate is large, the investments are, doubtless, many and varied, and the labor of looking into and investigating them may require some technical skill and knowledge of finance. Yes.""Um-hm. . . . Well, I judge that that kind of skill and knowledge could be hired, if a feller felt like payin' fair wages; hey?""Oh, yes, yes. Any good lawyer could attend to that, under the supervision of the executor, certainly. But there are other inconveniences to a--a--""Country jay like me. I understand. Go ahead.""I mean that you would probably be required to spend much, or all, of the next two or three years in New York.""Would, hey? I didn't know but bein' as a guardian has entire charge of the children and their money and all--I understand that's what he does have--he could direct the children fetched down to where HE lived, if he wanted to. Am I wrong?""No," the lawyer's hesitancy and annoyance was plainly evident.
"No-o. Of course, that MIGHT be done. Still, I--""You think that wouldn't cause no more rejoicin' than some other things have? Yes, yes; I cal'late I understand, Mr. Graves. Well, I guess you'll have to give me to-night to chew over this. I guess you will. It's come on me so sudden, 'Bije's death and all, that Iwant to be by myself and think. I don't want to seem unsociable or lackin' in hospitality. The whole house is yours. Help yourself to it. But when I'm caught in a clove hitch, I just have to set down and think myself out of it. I HAVE to. I was built and launched that way, I guess, and maybe you'll excuse me.""Certainly, Captain Warren. You're quite right in wishing to deliberate on so important a matter. And, if you will excuse me in return, I believe I will go to my room. I've had a rather wearing day.""And a damp evenin'. Yes, I'll excuse and sympathize with you, too. I'll see you to your room, and I'll hope you'll have consider'ble more sleep than I'm likely to get. Abbie! . . .
Abbie! . . . Fetch Mr. Graves's lamp, won't you, please?"It was after two the next morning before Captain Elisha rose from his chair by the fire and entered his bed chamber. Yet, when Atwood Graves came down to breakfast, he found his host in the sitting room awaiting him.
"Afore we tackle Abbie's pancakes and fishballs, Mr. Graves," said the captain, "let's get the rest of that will business off our minds. Then we can have the pancakes to take the taste out of our mouths, as you might say. And let me ask you one more question.
This--er--er--Caroline and Stephen, they're used to livin' pretty well--fashionable society, and the like of that, hey?""Yes. Their home was on Fifth Avenue, and the family moved in the best circles.""Hum! I should imagine life on twenty-odd thousand a year must be pretty much all circles, one everlastin' 'turn your partners.'
Well, Mr. Graves, my circles down here are consider'ble smaller, but they suit me. I'm worth twenty-odd thousand myself, not in a year, but in a lifetime. I'm selectman and director in the bank and trustee of the church. When I holler 'Boo,' the South Denboro folks--some of them, anyhow--set up and take notice. I can lead the grand march down in this neighborhood once in a while, and Ical'late I'm prettier leadin' it than I would be doin' a solitaire jig for two years on the outside edge of New York's best circles.
And I'm mighty sure I'm more welcome. Now my eyesight's strong enough to see through a two-foot hole after the plug's out, and Ican see that you and 'Bije's children won't shed tears if I say no to that will. No offense meant, you know; just common sense, that's all."This was plain speaking. Mr. Graves colored, though he didn't mean to, and for once could not answer offhand.
"So," continued the captain, "I'll ease your and their minds by sayin' that, the way I feel now, I probably sha'n't accept the trust. I PROBABLY sha'n't. But I won't say sure I won't, because--well, because 'Bije was my brother; he was that, no matter what our diff'rences may have been. And I know--I KNOW that there must be some reason bigger than 'implicit trust' and the other May-baskets for his appointin' me in his will. What that reason is IDON'T know--yet."
"Then you intend--?"
"I don't know what I intend--in the end. But for a beginnin', Ical'late to run down to New York some time durin' the next week, take a cruise 'round, and sort of look things over."