"Julia," he said at last, "I am going into the cabin to read the paper. Will you go in, or do you wish to stay here?"
"Yes," doubtfully, "I suppose so, if you won't climb on the rail, or--or anything."
Jewel laughed in gleeful appreciation of the joke. Her grandfather met her blue eyes unsmilingly and vanished.
"I wish grandpa didn't look so sorry," she thought regretfully. "He is a very important man, grandpa is, and perhaps he has a lot of error to meet and doesn't know how to meet it."
Watching the dancing waves and constantly calling Anna Belle's attention to some point of interest on the water front or a passing craft, she nevertheless pursued a train of thought concerning her important relative, with the result that when the gong sounded for landing, and Mr. Evringham's impassive countenance reappeared, she met him with concern.
"Doesn't it make you sorry to read the morning paper, grandpa?"
"Sometimes. Depends on the record of the Exchange." There was somewhat less of the irritation of a newsless man in the morning in the speaker's tone.
"Mother calls the paper the Daily Saddener," pursued Jewel, again slipping her hand into her grandfather's as a matter of course as they moved slowly off the boat. "I've been thinking that perhaps you're in a hurry to get to business, grandpa."
The child did not quote his words about the ingoing ferry boat lest he should feel regret at having spoken them.
"Well, there's no use in my being in a hurry this morning," he returned.
"I was going to ask, couldn't you show me how to go to Bel-Air, so you wouldn't have to take so much time?"
A gleam of hope came into Mr. Evringham's cold eyes and he looked down on his companion doubtfully.
"We have to go out on the train," he said.
"Yes," returned the child, "but you could put me on it, and every time it stops I would ask somebody if that was Bel-Air."
The prospect this offered was very pleasing to the broker.
"Be what?" asked Jewel, looking up at him with a certain reproachful surprise.
"Well, I believe it would do well enough, since you don't mind. Zeke is going to meet this train. I'll tell the conductor to see that you get off at Bel-Air, and when you do, ask for Mr. Evringham's coachman. You'll see Zeke, a light-haired man driving a brown horse in a brougham. He'll take you home to his mother, Mrs. Forbes. She is my housekeeper. Now, do you think you'll understand?"