“Oh, father, it’s all fixed for a sitting-room!  Father dear, I told you!”

This was something they had not dreamed of.  They had understood the offer to be merely of rooms in which they could live rent-free.  In fact, that had been Captain Melville’s first intention.  But his generous sailor’s heart revolted from the thought of stripping the rooms of furniture for which he had no use.  So Emma had rearranged the plain old-fashioned things, and adding a few more which could be spared as well as not, had fitted up a sitting-room and two bed-rooms with all that was needed for comfort.  Reuben and Jane and Draxy were all crying when Mrs. Carr came back with her pitcher of smoking tea.  Reuben tried to explain to her why they were crying, but she interrupted him with,—­

“Well, now, I understand it jest’s if ‘twas to me it’d all happened; an’ I think it’s lucky after all that Mis’ Melville wasn’t here, for she’s dreadful easy upset if people take on.  But now you drink your tea, and get all settled down’s quick’s you can, for Captain Melville ’ll be here any minute now I expect, an’ he don’t like tantrums.”

This frightened Draxy, and made a gloomy look come on Reuben’s face.  But the fright and the gloom disappeared in one minute and forever when the door burst open, and a red-faced, white-haired old man, utterly out of breath, bounced into the room, and seizing Reuben by the hand gasped out, puffing between the words like a steam-engine:—­

“Wreck me, if this isn’t a hard way to make port.  Why, man, we’ve been looking for some hail from you for two weeks, till we began to think you’d given us the go-by altogether.  Welcome to Melville Harbor, I say, welcome!” and he had shaken Reuben’s hand, and kissed Jane and turned to Draxy all in a breath.  At the first full sight of Draxy’s face he started and felt dumb.  He had never seen so beautiful a woman.  He pulled out a red silk handkerchief and wiped his face nervously as she said, “Kiss me too, uncle,” but her warm lips were on his cheek before he had time to analyze his own feelings.  Then Reuben began to say something, about gratitude, and the old sailor swore his favorite oath again:  “Now, may I be wrecked if I have a word o’ that.  We’re glad enough to get you all here; and as for the few things in the rooms, they’re of no account anyhow.”

“Few things!  Oh, uncle,” said Draxy, with a trembling voice, and before he knew what she was about to do she had snatched his fat, weather-beaten old hand and kissed it.  No woman had ever kissed John Melville’s hand before.  From that moment he looked upon Draxy as a princess who had let him once kiss hers!

Captain Melville and Reuben were friends before bed-time.  Reuben’s gentle simplicity and unworldliness, and patient demeanor, roused in the rough sailor a sympathy like that he had always felt for women.  And to Reuben the hearty good cheer, and brisk, bluff sailor ways were infinitely winning and stimulating.