Our dear one must have forgotten this debt years ago; or written it off as a gift.

I'm sure he would not have liked to accept it now.

Very singular indeed!" Then he hummed on for five minutes, and tried to recall what he had been thinking about before the letter came.

He fancied it was about Ratman.
Yes, Ratman was a bad man, and must be got rid of, not so much on the captain's account as for the sake of the innocent darlings whose happiness he threatened.
And as if there were some connection between the two ideas, captain Oliphant abstractedly put the two notes into his own pocket, and proceeded thoughtfully to tear up the letter and envelope of the American mayor.
He had hardly completed this function when the door opened and Rosalind sailed in, looking particularly charming after a breezy walk across the park.
She had rarely seen her father in better and more amiable spirits.
"Ah, my dear child," said he; "it does one good to see you again.

A week's absence is a long time.