And still, from behind the closed door of the dining-room the music chair tinkled on: 

“The Campbells are coming!  Hurrah!  Hurrah!” Poor little guilty, frightened Mary-’Gusta covered her face with her hands.

CHAPTER II

“And now, gentlemen,” said Judge Baxter, “here we are.  Sit down and make yourselves comfortable.  I shall have a good deal to say and I expect to surprise you.  Sit down.”

Captain Gould and Mr. Hamilton were in the Judge’s library at his home.  The funeral was over, all that was mortal of Marcellus Hall had been laid to rest in the Ostable cemetery, and his two friends and former partners had, on their return from that cemetery, stopped at the Judge’s, at the latter’s request.  He wished, so he said, to speak with them on an important matter.

“Why don’t you sit down, Captain?” asked the Judge, noticing that, although Zoeth had seated himself in the rocker which his host had indicated, Shadrach was still standing.

Captain Shadrach laid a hand on the back of the armchair and regarded the lawyer with a very grave face, but with a twinkle in his eye.

“To tell you the truth, Judge,” he said, slowly, “I don’t cal’late I ever shall set down again quite so whole-hearted as I used to.  You spoke of a surprise, didn’t you?  I’ve had one surprise this afternoon that’s liable to stay with me for a spell.  I’m an unsuspectin’ critter, generally speakin’, but after that—­Say, you ain’t got a brass band nor fireworks hitched to this chair, have you?”

Judge Baxter laughed heartily.  “No,” he said, as soon as he could speak.  “No, Captain, my furniture isn’t loaded.”

The Captain shook his head.  “Whew!” he whistled, sitting down gingerly in the armchair.  “Well, that’s a mercy.  I ain’t so young as I used to be and I couldn’t stand many such shocks.  Whew!  Don’t talk to me!  When that devilish jig tune started up underneath me I’ll bet I hopped up three foot straight.  I may be kind of slow sittin’ down, but you’ll bear me out that I can get up sudden when it’s necessary.  And I thought the dum thing never would stop.”

Mr. Hamilton stirred uneasily.  “Hush, hush, Shadrach!” he pleaded.  “Don’t be so profane.  Remember you’ve just come from the graveyard.”

“Come from it!  By fire!  There was a time there when I’d have been willin’ to go to it—­yes, and stay.  All I wanted was to get out of that room and hide somewheres where folks couldn’t look at me.  I give you my word I could feel myself heatin’ up like an airtight stove.  Good thing I didn’t have on a celluloid collar or ’twould have bust into a blaze.  Of all the dummed outrages to spring on a man, that—­”

“Shadrach!”

“There, there, Zoeth!  I’ll calm down.  But as for swearin’—­well, if you knew how full of cusswords I was there one spell you wouldn’t find fault; you’d thank me for holdin’ ’em in.  I had to batten down my hatches to do it, though; I tell you that.”