Captain Obed snorted.  “That’s plaguy nonsense!” he declared.  “I know better.  John ain’t that kind of feller.  You wouldn’t help anybody to turn a woman out of her house and home, would you, John?  Course you wouldn’t.  The swab!  Just ’cause he’s got money he cal’lates he can run everything.  Well, he can’t.”

“Goodness knows I hope he can’t!” moaned Thankful.

“And in the meantime we are waiting to hear what his lawyer has to say,” observed Heman.

John stepped forward.  “Daniels,” he said, “it strikes me that your ‘we’s’ are a bit frequent.  Why are you interfering in this affair?”

Mr. Daniels drew himself up.  “I am not interfering,” he replied.  “My interest is purely that of a friend.  As a friend I told Miss Howes what your cousin said to me.  She seemed to doubt my word.  In justice to myself I propose to prove that I have spoken the truth, that is all.  So far I think I may say that I have proved it.  Now I demand to know what you intend doing.  Are you for Mrs. Barnes or against her?”

“So you demand that, do you?”

“I do.  Will you answer?”

“No.”

“Ah ha!  I thought not.”

“I’ll answer no demands from you.  Why should I?  If Mrs. Barnes or Miss Howes asks me I will answer, of course.”

“Mr. Kendrick—­” began Thankful.  Emily interrupted.

“Wait, Auntie,” she said.  “He must answer me first.  Mr. Kendrick, when that man came to you with his ‘orders,’ as you call them, you must have had some opportunity to speak.  Why didn’t you refuse at once?”

For the first time John hesitated.  “Well,” he said, slowly, “for one reason I was taken completely by surprise.”

“So was Aunt Thankful, when he came to her.  But she refused.”

“And, for another, there were certain circumstances which made it hard to refuse point-blank.  In a way, I suppose Mr. Kendrick was justified in assuming that I would work for his interests.  I accepted his retaining fee.  You remember that I hesitated before doing so, but—­but I did accept, and I have acted as his attorney since.  I—­”

“Stop!  I did not ask for excuses.  I ask you, as Mr. Daniels asked, are you for my cousin or against her?”

“And I ask you what is Mr. Daniels’ warrant for asking me anything?”

“Answer my question!  Will you fight for my cousin’s rights, or have you sold yourself to—­to this benefactor of yours?”

John flushed at the repetition of the word.

“I have tried to give value received for whatever benefactions have come my way,” he said, coldly.  “This matter may be different; in a way it is.  But not as Mr. Holliday Kendrick sees it.  When a lawyer accepts a retaining fee—­not for one case but for all cases which his client may give him—­he is, by the ethics of his profession, honor bound to—­”

“Honor!” scornfully.  “Suppose we omit the ’honor’.”

“That is not easy to do.  I am my cousin’s attorney.  But, as Mrs. Barnes’ friend and yours, I—­”