Zoeth shook his head.  His usually placid, gentle face had lost some of its placidity.  He looked worn and worried and the shadows thrown by the lamp deepened the lines in his forehead.  He looked up over his spectacles.

“Shadrach,” he said, “I can’t help it.  I try not to worry and I try to heave my burdens onto the Almighty, same as we’re commanded, but I can’t seem to heave the whole of ’em there.  If things don’t pick up pretty soon, I don’t know—­I don’t know—­and I don’t dare think,” he added despairingly.

The sheet of paper he was holding rattled as his hand shook.  Captain Shad scowled.

“If we didn’t have our winter goods to buy,” he muttered.  “Our credit’s good, that’s one comfort.”

“It is up to now, because the Boston folks don’t know.  But we know, or we’re afraid we know, and that makes it worse.  How can we go on buyin’ from folks that has stood our friends ever since we went into business, knowin’ as we do that—­”

His partner interrupted.

“We don’t know anything yet,” he declared.  “Keep a stiff upper lip, Zoeth.  Nine chances to one we’ll weather it all right.  What a summer this has been!  And when I think,” he added savagely, “of how well we got along afore those new stores came it makes me nigh crazy.  I’ll go out with a card of matches some night and burn ’em down.  Damn pirates!  Callin’ themselves good Cape Cod names—­names that don’t belong to ’em!  Baker’s Bazaar!  Ugh!  Rheinstein’s Robbers’ Roost would be nigher the truth. . . .  Say, Zoeth, we mustn’t hint a word to Mary-’Gusta about this.  We’ve got cash enough on hand to pay her clearance charges up there at school, ain’t we?”

“Yes, Shadrach, I’ve looked out for that.  I don’t know’s I’d ought to.  The money maybe had ought to go somewheres else, but—­but right or wrong it’s goin’ for her and I hope the Lord’ll forgive me.  And what you say’s true, she mustn’t know we’re worried.  She’s so conscientious she might be for givin’ up her schoolin’ and comin’ down here to help us.  She’d be just as liable to do it as not.”

“You’re right, she would.  Good thing she thinks she’s got money of her own and that that money is payin’ her schoolin’ bills.  She’d be frettin’ all the time about the expense if ’twa’n’t for that.  You and I must pretend everything’s lovely and the goose hangin’ high when she’s around.  And we mustn’t let Isaiah drop any hints.”

“No.  Isaiah has asked me two or three times lately if the new stores was hurtin’ our trade.  I shouldn’t wonder if he had some suspicions down inside him.”

“Umph!  Well, that’s all right, so long as they stay inside.  If I see signs of one of those suspicions risin’ above his Adam’s apple I’ll choke ’em down again.  I’ll put a flea in Isaiah’s ear, and I’ll put mucilage on its feet so’s ’twill stick there.”