“Shall I put on another plate, Cap’n Abe?  You expected somebody else to supper?”

“Nope.  All set.  I’m always ready for a messmate; but ’tain’t often one boards me ’cept Cap’n Joab now and then.  His woman likes to git him out from under foot.  You see, when a woman’s been useter seein’ her husband only ’twixt v’y’ges for forty year, I ’spect ’tis something of a cross to have him litterin’ up the house ev’ry day,” he confessed.  “But as I can’t leave the shop myself to go visitin’ much in return, Joab acks offish.  We Silts was always bred to be hospitable.  Poor or rich, we could share what we had with another.  So I keep an extry plate on the table.

“I’ve had occasion,” pursued the philosophical storekeeper, drawing up his own chair across the table from the girl, “to be at some folks’ houses at meal time and had ’em ask me to set up and have a bite.  But it never looked to me as if they meant it ’nless there was already an extry plate there.

“Just like having a spare bedroom.  If you can say:  ’Stay all night, we got a room for ye,’ then that’s what I call hospitality.  I wouldn’t live in a house that warn’t big enough to have at least one spare room.”

“I believe I must be very welcome here, Cap’n Abe,” Louise said, smiling at the kindly old man.

“Land sakes, I sh’d hope ye felt so!” ejaculated Cap’n Abe.  “Now, if you don’t mind, Niece Louise.”  He dropped his head suddenly and closed his eyes in reverence.  “For what we are about to partake of, Lord, make us duly thankful.  Amen!” His countenance became animated again.  “Try them biscuit.  I made ’em this morning ‘twixt Marcy Coe selectin’ that piece of gingham for a new dress and John Peckham buying cordage for his smack.  But they warmed up right nice in the oven.”

Meanwhile he heaped her plate with codfish and fried potatoes cooked to a delicate brown.  There was good butter, fat doughnuts, and beach-plum preserve.  It was a homely meal but Louise ate it graciously.  Already the air of Cardhaven had sharpened her appetite.

“Lend me your apron,” insisted the girl when they had finished, “and I will wash these dishes.”

“I us’ally let them go till Betty Gallup comes in the morning,” the storekeeper said rather ruefully.  “It don’t look right to me that you should mess with these greasy dishes jest as we get under way, as ye might say.”

“You must not make company of me, Cap’n Abe,” Louise declared.  “There, I hear a customer in the store,” and she gave him a little pat on the shoulder as he delivered the huge apron into her hand.

“I dunno,” he said, smiling upon her quizzically, “as I shall really want to cast off if Cap’n Am’zon does come.  Seems to me ’twould be hi-mighty nice to have a girl like you around the place, Louise.”

“Then don’t go,” she said, briskly beginning to clear off. “I sha’n’t mind having two of you for me to boss.  Two captains!  Think of it.”