The possession of money did not necessarily imply omnipotence.
This was Cape Cod, not New York.

His Majesty might, as Captain Jed put it, have blown his Imperial nose, but I, for one, wouldn't "lay in a supply of handkerchiefs"-- not yet.
I heard a rustle in the bushes and, turning my head, saw Lute coming along the path.

He was walking fast--fast for him, that is--and seemed to be excited.

His excitement, however, did not cause him to forget prudence.

He looked carefully about to be sure his wife was not in sight, before he spoke.
"Dorindy ain't been here sence I've been gone, has she ?" was his first question.
"I guess not," said I."She has been in the house since I got back.