“I shall have to leave, myself,” she added, “for a little while; so perhaps you’d better try to get somebody else to help the Higgins woman.  Don’t ask me any questions, please don’t, and be sure not to say a word to anybody—­most of all to Grace.  Just do as I tell you and leave it to me.  And don’t come and see me again until after—­after he comes home.  Good-by, doctor.  Good-by, Cap’n Zeb.”

She shook hands with each of them, a rather unusual proceeding as they thought of it afterwards.  Then they went away and left her.

“Humph!” mused Parker, as they came out at the gate.  “Humph!  She seems sure, doesn’t she.  And yet she doesn’t act like herself.  Did you notice that?”

“Yup.  I noticed it.  But I expect Nat’s droppin’ out of the clouds shook her up, same as it done the rest of us.  Well, never mind.  She’s a bully good, capable woman and what she says she’ll do she gen’rally does.  I’m bettin’ on her.  By time!  I feel better.”

Captain Elkanah Daniels and his friends were feeling better also, and they were busy.  Trumet had a new hero now.  On Wednesday the Boston papers printed excerpts from Captain Hammond’s story, and these brief preliminary accounts aroused the admiration of every citizen.  It was proposed to give him a reception.  Elkanah was the moving spirit in the preparations.  Captain Nat, so they learned by telegraphing, would arrive on the noon train Thursday.  His was not to be a prosaic progress by stage all the way from Sandwich.  A special carriage, drawn by the Daniels span and escorted by other vehicles, was to meet the coach at Bayport and bring him to Trumet in triumphant procession.  All this was to be a surprise, of course.

Wednesday afternoon the Daniels following was cheered by the tidings that Grace Van Horne had left the beach and was at her old home, the Hammond tavern.  And Mrs. Poundberry reported her busy as a bee “gettin’ things ready.”  This was encouraging and indicated that the minister had been thrown over, as he deserved to be, and that Nat would find his fiancee waiting and ready to fulfill her contract.  “Reg’lar whirligig, that girl,” sniffed Didama Rogers.  “If she can’t have one man she’ll take the next, and then switch back soon’s the wind changes.  However, most likely she never was engaged to Mr. Ellery, anyhow.  He’s been out of his head and might have said some fool things that let Dr. Parker and the rest b’lieve he was in love with her.  As for pickin’ of him up and totin’ him back to the shanty that night, that wa’n’t nothin’ but common humanity.  She couldn’t let him die in the middle of the lighthouse lane, could she?”

Thursday was a perfect day, and the reception committee was on hand and waiting in front of the Bayport post office.  The special carriage, the span brushed and curried until their coats glistened in the sunshine, was drawn up beside the platform.  The horses had little flags fastened to their bridles, and there were other and larger flags on each side of the dashboard.  Captain Daniels, imposing in his Sunday raiment, high-collared coat, stock, silk hat and gold-headed cane, sat stiffly erect on the seat in the rear.  The other carriages were alongside, among them Captain Zebedee Mayo’s ancient chaise, the white horse sound asleep between the shafts.  Captain Zeb had not been invited to join the escort, but had joined it without an invitation.