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Captain Eli made a step forward, his face very much flushed.

“Your brother, Mrs. Trimmer–did you really say it was your brother?”

“Of course it is,” said she.”Who else could it be?”Then she paused for a moment and looked steadfastly at the captain.

“You don’t mean to say, Captain Eli,” she asked, “that you thought it was–“

“Yes, I did,” said Captain Eli, promptly.

Mrs. Trimmer looked straight in the captain’s eyes, then she looked on the ground. Then she changed color and changed back again.

“I don’t understand,” she said
hesitatingly, “why–I mean what difference it made.”

“Difference!” exclaimed Captain Eli.”It was all the difference between a man on deck and a man overboard–that’s the difference it was to me. I didn’t expect to be talkin’ to you so early this Christmas mornin’, but things has been sprung on me, and I can’t help it I just want to ask you one thing:Did you think I was gettin’ up this Christmas tree and the Christmas dinner and the whole business fer the good of the little gal, and fer the good of you, and fer the good of Captain Cephas?”

Mrs. Trimmer had now recovered a very fair possession of herself.”Of course I did,” she answered, looking up at him as she spoke.”Who else could it have been for!”

“Well,” said he, “you were mistaken. It wasn’t fer any one of you. It was all fer me–fer my own self.”

“You yourself?” said she.”I don’t see how.”

“But I see how,” he answered.”It’s been a long time since I wanted to speak my mind to you, Mrs. Trimmer, but I didn’t ever have no chance. And all these Christmas doin’s was got up to give me the chance not only of speakin’ to you, but of showin’ my colors better than I could show them in any other way. Everything went on a-skimmin’ till this mornin’, when that stranger that we brought in from the shoal piped up and asked fer you. Then I went overboard–at least, I thought I did–and sunk down, down, clean out of soundin’s.”

“That was too bad, captain,” said she, speaking very gently, “after all your trouble and kindness.”

“But I don’t know now,” he continued, “whether I went overboard or whether I am on deck. Can you tell me, Mrs. Trimmer?”

She looked up at him. Her eyes were very soft, and her lips trembled just a little.”It seems to me, captain,” she said, “that you are on deck–if you want to be.”

The captain stepped closer to her.”Mrs. Trimmer,” said he, “is that brother of yours comin’ back?”

“Yes,” she answered, surprised at the sudden question.”He’s just gone up to the store to buy a shirt and some things. He got himself splashed trying to push his boat off last night.”

“Well, then,” said Captain Eli, “would you mind tellin’ him when he comes back that you and me’s engaged to be married?I don’t know whether I’ve made a mistake in the lights or not, but would you mind tellin’ him that?”

Mrs. Trimmer looked at him. Her eyes were not so soft as they had been, but they were brighter.”I’d rather you’d tell him that yourself,” said she.

The little girl sat on the floor near the Christmas tree, just finishing a large piece of red-and-white candy which she had taken out of her stocking.”People do hug a lot at Christmas- time,” said she to herself. Then she drew out a piece of blue- and-white candy and began on that.

Captain Cephas waited a long time for his friend to return, and at last he thought it would be well to go and look for him. When he entered the house he found Mrs. Trimmer sitting on the sofa in the parlor, with Captain Eli on one side of her and her brother on the other, and each of them holding one of her hands.