第29章

"That's a mystery, even yet," he said."I'm pretty sure Hannah thinks 'twas Elvira Paine.Elvira lives acrost the road from Abbie Larkin and, bein' a single woman with mighty little hopes of recovery, naturally might be expected to enjoy upsettin' anybody else's chance.But, at any rate, Mrs.Barnes, the whole thing bears out what I said at the beginnin': takin' other folks' advice about your own affairs is mighty risky.I hope, if you do go ahead with your boardin'-house plan, it won't be because I called it a good one."Thankful smiled and then sighed."No," she said, "if I go ahead with it it'll be because I've made up my mind to, not on account of anybody else's advice.I've steered my own course for quite a long spell and I sha'n't signal for a pilot now.Well, here we are home again--or at East Wellmouth anyhow.""So we be.Better come right to Hannah's along with me, hadn't you? You must have had enough of the Holt Waldorf-Astory by this time."But Thankful insisted upon going to the hotel and there her new friend--for she had begun to think of him as that--left her.She informed him of her intention to remain in East Wellmouth for another day and a half and he announced his intention of seeing her again before she left.

"Just want to keep an eye on you," he said."With all of Mrs.

Holt's temptin' meals set afore you you may get gout or somethin'

from overeatin'.Either that or Winnie S.'ll talk you deef.Ifeel a kind of responsibility, bein' as I'm liable to be your next-door neighbor if that boardin'-house does start up, and I want you to set sail with a clean bill of health.If you sight a suspicious-lookin' craft, kind of antique in build, broad in the beam and makin' heavy weather up the hills--if you sight that kind of craft beatin' down in this direction tomorrow you'll know it's me.Good day."Thankful lay awake for hours that night, thinking, planning and replanning.More than once she decided that she had been too hasty, that her scheme involved too great a risk and that, after all, she had better abandon it.But each time she changed her mind and at last fell asleep determining not to think any more about it, but to wait until Mr.Cobb came to accept or decline the mortgage.

Then she would make a final decision.

The next day passed somehow, though it seemed to her as if it never would, and early the following forenoon came Solomon himself.The man of business was driving an elderly horse which bore a faint resemblance to its owner, being small and thin and badly in need of a hairdresser's services.If the animal had possessed whiskers and could have tugged at them Thankful was sure it would have done it.

Solomon tugged at his own whiskers almost constantly during that forenoon.He and Mrs.Barnes visited the "Captain Abner place" and Solomon inspected every inch of its exterior.For some reason or other he absolutely refused to go inside.His conversation during the inspection was, for the most part, sniffs and grunts, and it was not until it was ended and they stood together at the gate, that he spoke to the point, and then only because his companion insisted.

"Well!" said Thankful.

Mr.Cobb "weeded."

"Eh?" he said.

"That's what I say--eh? What are you goin' to do about that mortgage, Mr.Cobb?"More weeding.Then: "Waal, I--I don't cal'late to want to be unreasonable nor nothin', but I ain't real keen about takin' no mortgage on that property; not myself, I ain't.""Well, it is yourself I'm askin' to take it.So you won't, hey?

All right; that's all I wanted to know."

"Now--now--now, hold on! Hold on! I ain't sayin' I WON'T take it.

I--I'd like to be accommodatin', 'specially to a relation.But--""Never mind the relation business.I found out what you think of relations afore you found out I was one.And I ain't askin'

accommodation.This is just plain business, seems to me.Will you let me have two thousand dollars on a mortgage on this place?"Mr.Cobb fidgeted."I couldn't let you have that much," he said.

"I couldn't.I--I--" he wrenched the next sentence loose after what seemed a violent effort, "I might let you have half of it--a thousand, say."But Thankful refused to say a thousand.That was ridiculous, she declared.By degrees, and a hundred at a time, Solomon raised his offer to fifteen hundred.This being the sum Mrs.Barnes had considered in the first place--and having asked for the two thousand merely because of her judgment of human nature--she announced that she would think over the offer.Then came the question of time.

Here Mr.Cobb was firm.Three years--two years-- he would not consider.At last he announced that he would take a one-year mortgage on the Barnes property for fifteen hundred dollars; and that was all he would do.

"And I wouldn't do that for nobody else," he declared."You bein'

my relation I don't know's it ain't my duty as a perfessin'

Christian to--to help you out.I hadn't ought to afford it, but I'm willin' to go so far."Thankful shook her head."I'm glad you said, 'PROFESSIN'

Christian.'" she observed."Well," drawing a long breath, "then Isuppose I've got to say yes or no....And I'll say yes," she added firmly."And we'll call it settled."They parted before the hotel.She was to return to South Middleboro that afternoon.Mr.Cobb was to prepare the papers and forward them for her signature, after which, upon receipt of them duly signed, he would send her the fifteen hundred dollar check.

Solomon climbed into the buggy."Well, good-by,' he said."I hope you'll do fust-rate.The interest'll be paid regular, of course.

I'm real pleased to meet you--er--Cousin Thankful.Be sure you sign them papers in the right place.Good-by.Oh--er--er--sometimes I'll be droppin' in to see you after you get your boardin'-house goin'.I come to East Wellmouth once in a while.

Yes--yes--I'll come and see you.You can tell me more about Captain Abner, you know.I'd--I'd like to hear what he said to you about me.Good-by."That afternoon, once more in the depot-wagon, which had been refitted with its fourth wheel, Thankful, on her way to the Wellmouth railway station, passed her "property." The old house, its weather-beaten shingles a cold gray in the half-light of the mist-shrouded, sinking sun, looked lonely and deserted.A chill wind came from the sea and the surf at the foot of the bluff moaned and splashed and sighed.

Thankful sighed also.

"What's the matter?" asked Winnie S.

"Oh, nothin' much.I wish I was a prophet, that's all.I'd like to be able to look ahead a year."Winnie S.whistled."Judas priest!" he said."So'd I.But if I'd see myself drivin' this everlastin' rig-out I'd wished I hadn't looked.I don't know's I'd want to see ahead as fur's that, after all."Thankful sighed again."I don't know as I do, either," she admitted.