第3章
“Now——now，Sam，“hebegged，“I’vetoldyouallaboutthateverand，eversomanytimes。Therewasn’tanything，really。”
“Therewas，too。Whatwasit？”
Jedsufferedinsilencefortwoorthreeminutes。
“Whatwastherealreason？，Outwithit，“persistedCaptain，Hunniwell。
“Well——well，’twas——’twas——“desperately，“’twasthesqueakin’and——
andsquealin’。”
“Squeakin’andsquealin’？，Graciousking！，Whatareyoutalkin’
about？”
“Why——the——themills，youknow。Themillsandvanesoutsideon——on，thepostsandthefence。Theysqueakedand——andsometimesthey，squealedawful。Andhedidn’tlikeit。”
“Whodidn’t？”
“ColonelDavidson。Hesaidthey’dgottostopmakin’thatnoise，andIsaidI’doil’emeveryday。And——andIforgotit。”
“Yes——well，Iain’tsurprisedtodeath，exactly。Whatthen？”
“Well——well，yousee，theyweresquealin’worsethanusualone，mornin’andColonelDavidsonhecameinhereand——andIremembered，Ihadn’toiled’emforthreedays。AndI——Isaidhowhorriblethe，squealin’wasandthatI’doil’emrightawayand——and——“
“Well，goon！goon！”
“AndwhenIwentouttodoittherewasn’tanywindandthemills，wasn’tgoin’atall。Yousee，’twashisoldestdaughtertakin’her，singin’lessonsinthehousewiththewindowopen。”
CaptainSamputbackhisheadandshouted。Jedlookedsadlyatthe，floor。Whenthecaptaincouldspeakheasked：
“Andyoumeantotellmethatwasthereasonyouwouldn’tletthe，houseagain？”
“Er——why，yes。”
“Iknowbetter。Youdidn’thaveanyrowwiththeDavidsons。You，couldn’trowwithanybody，anyhow;andbesidestheColonelhimself，toldmetheywouldhavetakenthehousetheverynextsummerbut，youwouldn’trentitto’em。Andyoumeantosaythatyarnyou’ve，justspunwasthereason？”
“Why——yes。”
“Rubbish！，You’vetoldmeadozenreasonsafore，butI’mboundto，saythisisthemostfoolishyet。Allright，keeptherealreason，toyourself，then。ButItellyouwhatI’mgoin’todotogeteven，withyou：I’mgoin’tosendthesefolksdowntolookatyourhouse，andIshan’ttellyouwhotheyareorwhenthey’recomin’。”
ThekneeslippeddownfromMr。Winslow’sgraspandhisfootstruck，thefloorwithacrash。Hemadeafranticclutchathisfriend’s，arm。
“Oh，now，Sam，“hecried，inhorror，“don’tdothat！，Don’ttalk，so！，Youdon’tmeanit！，Comehere！……Sam！”
Butthecaptainwasatthedoor。”YoubetImeanit！”hedeclared。
“Keepyourweathereyepeeled，Jed。They’llbecomin’’mostany，timenow。AndifyouhaveANYsenseyou’lllet’emthehouse。So，long！”
Hedroveawayinhislittlecar。JedWinslow，leftstandinginthe，shopdoorway，staringafterhim，groanedinanxiousforeboding。
Hegroanedagoodmanytimesduringthenextfewhours。Eachtime，thebellrangannouncingthearrivalofavisitorherosetoanswer，itperfectlysurethatherewerethewould-betenantswhomhis，friend，inthemistakenkindnessofhisheart，wassendingtohim。
Notthathehadtheslightestideaofrentinghisoldhome，buthe，dreadedtheordealofrefusing。Infacthewasnotsurethathe，couldrefuse，notsurethathecouldinventabelievableexcusefor，doingso。Anotherpersonwouldnothavesoughtexcuses，wouldhave，declaredsimplythatthepropertywasnotforrent，butJedWinslow，wasnotthatotherperson;hewashimself，andordinarymethodsof，procedurewerenothis。
Twoorthreegroupsofcustomerscamein，purchasedanddeparted。
CaptainJerryBurgessdroppedintobringtheWinslowmail，which，inthiscaseconsistedofanorder，abillandacircularsetting，forththetranscendenthealingqualitiesofAfricanBalm，theFoe，ofRheumatism。Mr。Bearsehappenedintodiscussthegreatnewsof，theproposedaviationcampandtotellwithgustoanddetailhow，PhineasBabbitthadmetCaptainHunniwell“rightsquareinfrontof，thebank“andhadnotspokentohim。”No，sir，neversaidaword，tohimnomore’nifhewan’tthere。Whatdoyouthinkofthat？
AndtheysayLeanderwrotehisdadthathethoughthewasgoin’to，likesoldierin’fust-rate，andMrs。SarahMaryBabbittshetold，MelissaBusteedthatherhusband’slanguagewhenhereadthatwas，somethin’sinful。Shesaidsheneverwasmorethankfulthatthey，hadlightnin’rodsontheroof，’causesuchtalkasthatwasenough，tofetchdownfirefromheaven。”
CHAPTERV
ItwasnearlynoonwhenJed，enteringthefrontshopinanswerto，thebell，foundtherethecouplethesightofwhichcausedhis，hearttosink。Heretheywere，thehousehunters——therewasno，doubtofitinhismind。Themanwasshortandbroadand，protuberantandpompous。Thewomanpossessedallthelastthree，qualities，besidesbeingtall。Heshonewithprosperityand，sunburn，shereekedofrichesandtalcum。Theywerejustthesort，ofpeoplewhowouldinsistuponhiringahousethatwasnotinthe，market;itsnotbeinginthemarketwould，intheireyes，makeit，allthemoredesirable。
Jedhadseenthembefore，knewtheywerestayingatthehoteland，thattheirnameswerePowless。Herememberednow，withathrillof，alarm，thatMr。BearsehadrecentlyspokenofthemaslikingOrham，verymuchandconsideringgettingaplaceoftheirown。Andof，courseCaptainSam，hearingthis，hadtoldthemoftheWinslow，place，hadsentthemtohim。”Oh，Lord！，Oh，Lord！”thoughtJed，althoughwhathesaidwas：“Goodmornin’。”
Hemightaswellhavesaidnothing。Mrs。Powless，loominglarge，betweenthepilesofmillsandvanes，likeabattleshipinanarrow，channel，wasloftilyinspectingthestockthroughherlorgnette。
Herhusband，hiswalkingstickunderhisarmandhishandsinhis，pockets，wasnotevenmakingthepretenseofbeinginterested;he，wasstaringthroughtheseawardwindowtowardtheyardandtheold，house。
“Thesearereallyquiteextraordinary，“theladyannounced，aftera，moment。”George，youreallyshouldseetheseextraordinary，things。”
Georgewas，evidently，notinterested。Hecontinuedtolookoutof，thewindow。
“Whatarethey？”heasked，withoutturning。
“Oh，Idon’tknow。Allsortsofqueerdollsandboats——and，creatures，madeofwood。Likethoseoutside，youknow——er——
teetotums，windmills。Docomeandlookatthem。”
Mr。Powlessdidnotcomply。Hesaid“Umph“andthatwasall。
“George，“repeatedMrs。Powless，“doyouhearme？，Comeandlookat，them。”
AndGeorgecame。Onemighthaveinferredthat，whenhiswifespoke，likethat，heusuallycame。Hetreatedawoodenporpoisetoa，thoroughlywoodenstareandrepeatedhisremarkof“Umph！”
“Aren’ttheyextraordinary！”exclaimedhiswife。”Doesthisman，makethemhimself，Iwonder？”
Sheseemedtobeaddressingherhusband，soJeddidnotanswer。
“Doyou？”demandedMr。Powless。
“Yes，“repliedJed。
Mrs。Powlesssaid“Fancy！”Mr。Powlessstrolledbacktothe，window。
“Thisviewisallright，Mollie，“heobserved。”Bettereventhan，itisfromthestreet。Comeandsee。”
Mrs。Powlesswentandsaw。Jedstoodstillandstaredmiserably。
“Ratherattractive，onthewhole，don’tyouthink，dear？”inquired，thegentleman。”Mustbeverydecentintheyardthere。”
Theladydidnotreply，butsheopenedthedoorandwentout，aroundthecorneroftheshopandintothebackyard。Herhusband，trottedafterher。Theowneroftheproperty，gazingpathetically，throughthewindow，sawthemwanderingaboutthepremises，looking，offattheview，upintothetrees，andfinallytryingthedoorof，theoldhouseandpeepinginbetweentheslatsoftheclosed，blinds。Thentheycamestrollingbacktotheshop。Jed，drawinga，longbreath，preparedtofacetheordeal。
Mrs。Powlessenteredtheshop。Mr。Powlessremainedbythedoor。
Hespokefirst。
“Youownallthis？”heasked，indicatingthesurroundingcountry，withawaveofhiscane。Jednodded。
“Thathouse，too？”wavingthepointofthecanetowardtheWinslow，cottage。
“Yes。”
“Howoldisit？”
Jedstammeredthatheguessedlikelyitwasaboutahundredyears，oldorsuchmatter。
“Umph！，Furnitureold，too？”
“Yes，Ical’latemostofitis。”
“Nobodylivinginit？”
“No-o。”
“Gotthekeytoit？”
Herewasthequestiondirect。Ifheansweredintheaffirmative，thenextutteranceofthePowlessmanwouldbeacommandtobe，showntheinteriorofthehouse。Jedwascertainofit，hecould，seeitintheman’seye。Whatwasinfinitelymoreimportant，he，couldseeitinthelady’seye。Hehesitated。
“Gotthekeytoit？”repeatedMr。Powless。
Jedswallowed。
“No-o，“hefaltered，“I——Iguessnot。”
“YouGUESSnot。Don’tyouknowwhetheryou’vegotitornot？”
“No。Imeanyes。IknowIain’t。”
“Whereisit;lost？”
Thekeywasusuallylost，thatistosay，Jedwasaccustomedto，huntforfifteenminutesbeforefindingit，so，hisconscience，backinghisinclination，herepliedthathecal’lateditmustbe。
“Umph！”gruntedPowless。”Howdoyougetintothehousewithouta，key？”
Jedrubbedhischin，swallowedhard，anddrawledthathedidn’t，veryoften。
“Youdosometimes，don’tyou？”
Thebestanswerthattheharassedwindmillmakercouldsummonwas，thathedidn’tknow。Thered-facedgentlemanstaredathimin，indignantamazement。
“Youdon’tKNOW？”herepeated。”Whichdon’tyouknow，whetheryou，gointothehouseatall，orhowyougetinwithoutakey？”
“Yes，——er——er——that’sit。”
Mr。Powlessbreatheddeeply。”Well，I’llbedamned！”hedeclared，withconviction。
Hiswifedidnotcontradicthisassertion，butshemadeoneofher，own。
“George，“shecommandedmajestically，“can’tyouseethemanhas，beendrinking。Probablyhedoesn’towntheplaceatall。Don’t，wasteanothermomentonhim。Wewillcomebacklater，whenthe，realownerisin。Come！”
Georgecameandtheybothwent。Mr。Winslowwipedhisperspiring，foreheadonapieceofwrappingpaperandsatdownuponaboxto，recover。Recovery，however，wasbynomeansrapidorcomplete。
Theyhadgone，buttheywerecomingbackagain;andwhatshouldhe，saytothemthen？，VerylikelyCaptainSam，whohadsentthemin，thefirstplace，wouldreturnwiththem。AndCaptainSamknewthat，thekeywasnotreallylost。Jed’ssatisfactioninthefactthat，hehadescapedtenantlesssofarwasnullifiedbythefearthathis，freedomwasbuttemporary。
Hecookedhisdinner，butatelittle。Afterwashingthedisheshe，crossedtheroadtothetelephoneandtelegraphofficeandcalled，uptheOrhamBank。HemeanttogetCaptainHunniwellonthewire，tellhimthatthehousehuntershadpaidhimavisit，thathedid，notlikethem，andbegthecaptaintocallthemoffthescent。But，CaptainSamhadmotoredtoOstabletoattendapreliminarysession，oftheExemptionBoard。Jedsaunteredgloomilybacktotheshop。
Whenheopenedthedoorandenteredhewasgreetedbyafamiliar，voice，whichsaid：
“Hereheis，Mamma。Goodafternoon，Mr。Winslow。”
Jedstarted，turned，andfoundMissBarbaraArmstrongbeamingupat，him。Theyounglady’sattireandgeneralappearancewereinmarked，contrasttothoseofthepreviousevening。Petuniaalsowasin，callingcostume;saveforthetriflinglackofoneeyeandachip，fromtheendofhernose，shewouldhavebeenanornamenttodoll，societyanywhere。
“Thisismymamma，“announcedBarbara。”She’scometoseeyou。”
“Howdoyoudo，Mr。Winslow？”saidMrs。Armstrong。
Jedlookeduptofindherstandingbesidehim，herhandextended。
Besideageneralimpressionthatshewasyoungandthathergown，andhatandshoeswerewhite，hewasatthatmomenttoogreatly，embarrassedtonoticemuchconcerningherappearance。Probablyhe，didnotnoticeeventhisuntillater。However，hetookherhand，moveditupanddown，droppeditagainandsaid：“I——I’mpleasedto，meetyou，ma’am。”
Shesmiled。”AndIamverygladtomeetyou，“shesaid。”Itwas，verykindofyoutobringmylittlegirlhomelastnightandshe，andIhavecometothankyoufordoingit。”
Jedwasmoreembarrassedthanever。
“Sho，sho！”heprotested;“’twasn’tanything。”
“Oh，yes，itwas;itwasagreatdeal。Iwasgettingveryworried，almostfrightened。Shehadbeengoneeversinceluncheon——dinner，Imean——andIhadnoideawhere。She’saprettygoodlittlegirl，generallyspeaking，“drawingthechildcloseandsmilingdownupon，her，“butsometimessheisheedlessandforgets。Yesterdayshe，forgot，didn’tyou，dear？”
Barbarashookherhead。
“Ididn’tforget，“shesaid。”ImeanIonlyforgotalittle。
PetuniaforgotalmostEVERYTHING。Iforgotandwentasfarasthe，bridge，butsheforgotallthewaytotheclamfield。”
Jedrubbedhischin。
“Thewhichfield？”hedrawled。
“Theclamfield。TheplacewhereMrs。Smalley’sfishmanunplants，theclamsshemakesthechowderof。Hedoesitwithasortofhoe，thingandputstheminapail。Hewasdoingityesterday;Isaw，him。”
Jed’seyestwinkledattheword“unplants，“butanotherthought，occurredtohim。
“Youwasn’toutonthoseclamflatsalone，wasyou？”heasked，addressingBarbara。
Shenodded。”PetuniaandIwentallalone，“shesaid。”Itwas，kindofwetsowetookoffourshoesandstockingsandpaddled。
I——Idon’tknow’sIrememberedtotellyouthatpart，Mamma，“she，added，hastily。”I——Iguessitmusthaveslippedmymind。”
ButMrs。ArmstrongwaswatchingJed’sface。
“Wasthereanydanger？”sheasked，quickly。
Jedhesitatedbeforeanswering。”Why，“hedrawled，“I——Idon’t，knowastherewas，but——well，thetidecomesinkindofslowoffON
theflats，butit’sliabletofillupthechannelsbetweenthemand，thebeachsomefaster。Courseifyouknowthewadin’placesit’s，allright，butifyoudon’tit’s——well，it’ssortofuncomfortable，that’sall。”
Thelady’scheekspaledabit，butshedidnotexclaim，norasJed，wouldhavesaid“makeafuss。”，Shesaid，simply，“Thankyou，I
willremember，“andthatwastheonlyreferenceshemadetothe，subjectofthe“clamfield。”
MissBarbara，towhomtheeventsofdeadyesterdayswereofno，particularconcerncomparedtothoseofthevitalandlivingto-
day，wasrummagingamongthestock。
“Mamma，“shecried，excitedly，“hereisawhalefishliketheoneI
wasgoingtobuyforCaptainHedge。Comeandseeit。”
Mrs。Armstrongcameandwasmuchinterested。SheaskedJed，questionsconcerningthe“whalefish“andothersofhiscreations。
Atfirsthisreplieswerebriefandmonosyllabic，butgradually，theybecamemorelengthy，until，withoutbeingawareofit，hewas，carryingonhisshareofarealconversation。Ofcourse，he，hesitatedandpausedanddrawled，buthealwaysdidthat，evenwhen，talkingwithCaptainSamHunniwell。
Hetookdownandexhibitedhiswaresonebyone。Barbaraasked，numberlessquestionsconcerningeachandchatteredlikeared，squirrel。Hermothershowedsuchagenuineinterestinhiswork，andwassopleasantandquietandfriendly，was，inshort，sucha，markedcontrasttoMrs。GeorgePowless，thathefoundhimself，actuallybeginningtoenjoythevisit。Usuallyhewasgladwhen，summerfolksfinishedtheirlookingandbuyingandwentaway;but，now，whenMrs。Armstrongglancedattheclockontheshelf，hewas，secretlygladthatthatclockhadnotgoneforoverfourmonthsand，hadprovidentiallystoppedgoingataquarterafterthree。
Hetookthemintotheinnershop，hisworkroom，andshowedthemthe，bandsawandthelatheandtherestofhismanufacturingoutfit。
Barbaraaskedifhelivedthereallaloneandhesaidhedid。
“Iliveoutthere，“heexplained，pointingtowardtheshop，extension。”Gotasittin’-roomandakitchenoutthere，anda，littleupstairs，whereIsleep。”
Mrs。Armstrongseemedsurprised。”Why！”sheexclaimed，“Ithought，youlivedinthatdearlittleoldhousenextdoorhere。Iwastold，thatyouownedit。”
Jednodded。”Yes，ma’am，“hesaid，“Idoownit，butIdon’tlive，init。Iusedtolivethere，butIain’tforquiteaspellnow。”
“Idon’tseehowyoucouldbeartogiveitup。Itlookssoquaint，andhomey，andiftheinsideisasdelightfulastheoutsideit，mustbequitewonderful。Andtheviewisthebestintown，isn’t，it？”
Jedwaspleased。”Why，yes，ma’am，’tisprettygood，“headmitted。
“Anyhow，mostfolksseemtocal’late’tis。Wouldn’tyouliketo，comeoutandlookatit？”
Barbaraclappedherhands。”Oh，yes，Mamma，do！”shecried。
Hermotherhesitated。”Idon’tknowthatweoughttotroubleMr。
Winslow，“shesaid。”Heisbusy，youknow。”
Jedprotested。”Itwon’tbeamiteoftrouble，“hedeclared。
“Besides，itain’thealthytoworktoolongatastretch。That，is，“hedrawled，“folkssay’tain’t，soInevertaketherisk。”
Mrs。Armstrongsmiledandfollowedhimoutintotheyard，where，MissBarbarahadalreadyprecededthem。Theviewovertheedgeof，thebluffwasgloriousandthegrassintheyardwasgreen，the，flowersbrightandprettyandtheshadowsofthetalllilacbushes，bythebackdoorofthelittlewhitehousecoolandinviting。
Barbaradancedalongthebluffedge，lookingdownatthedoriesand，netsonthebeachbelow。Hermothersighedsoftly。
“Itislovely！”shesaid。Then，turningtolookatthelittle，house，sheadded，“Anditwasyouroldhome，Isuppose。”
Jednodded。”Yes，ma’am，“hereplied。”Iwasborninthathouse，andlivedthereallmylifeuptofiveyearsago。”
“Andthenyougaveitup。Why？……Pleaseforgiveme。Ididn’t，meantobecurious。”
“Oh，that’sallright，ma’am。Nothin’secretaboutit。Mymother，diedandIdidn’tseemtocareaboutlivin’therealone，that’s，all。”
“Isee。Iunderstand。”
Shelookedasifshedidunderstand，andJed，theseldom，understood，experiencedanunusualpleasure。Thesensation，producedanunusualresult。
“It’sakindofcuteandold-fashionedhouseinside，“heobserved。
“Maybeyou’dliketogoinandlookaround;wouldyou？”
Shelookedverymuchpleased。”Oh，Ishould，indeed！”she，exclaimed。”MayI？”
Now，themomentafterheissuedtheinvitationhewassorry。It，hadbeenquiteunpremeditatedandhadbeengivenhecouldnothave，toldwhy。Hisvisitorhadseemedsogenuinelyinterested，and，aboveall，hadtreatedhimlikearationalhumanbeinginsteadofa，freak。UnderthisunaccustomedtreatmentJedWinslowhadbeen，caughtoffhisguard——hypnotized，sotospeak。Andnow，whenit，wastoolate，herealizedthepossibledanger。Onlyafewhours，agohehadtoldMr。andMrs。GeorgePowlessthatthekeytothat，househadbeenlost。
Hepausedandhesitated。Mrs。Armstrongnoticedhishesitation。
“Pleasedon’tthinkanymoreaboutit，“shesaid。”Itis，delightfulhereintheyard。BabbieandIwillstayhereafew，minutes，ifwemay，andyoumustgobacktoyourwork，Mr。
Winslow。”
ButJed，havingputhisfootinit，wasashamedtowithdraw。He，hastenedtodisclaimanyintentionofwithdrawal。
“No，no，“heprotested。”Idon’tneedtogotowork，notyet，anyhow。Ishouldberealpleasedtoshowyouthehouse，ma’am。
YouwaitnowandI’llfetchthekey。”
Somefiveminuteslaterhereappearedwithtriumphinhiseyeand，the“lost“keyinhishand。
“Sorrytokeepyouwaitin’，ma’am，“heexplained。”Thekeyhad——
er——stoleitsnest，asyoumightsay。Gotitnow，though。”
Hisvisitorslookedatthekey，whichwasattachedbyacordtoa，slabofwoodaboutthesizeofhalfashingle。Upononesideof，theslabwereletteredinblackpaintthewordsHEREITIS。
Barbara’scuriositywasaroused。
“Whathaveyougotthoselettersontherefor，Mr。Winslow？”she，asked。”Whatdoesitsay？”
Jedsolemnlyreadtheinscription。”Iprintedthatonthere，“he，explained，“soI’dbeabletofindthekeywhenIwantedit。”
Mrs。Armstrongsmiled。”Ishouldthinkitmighthelp，“she，observed，evidentlymuchamused。
Mr。Winslownodded。”Youwouldthinkso，“hesaid，“wouldn’tyou？
Maybe’twould，too，only’twassuchaplagueynuisance，towin’that，halfacordofwoodaround，thatIleftittohomelasttime。
Untiedthestring，youknow，andjusttookthekey。Thewoodand，thestringwashangin’upintherightplace，butthekeywan’t，amongthosepresent，astheysayinthenewspapers。”
“Wherewasit？”demandedBarbara。
“Hush，dear，“cautionedhermother。”Youmustn’tasksomany，questions。”
“That’sallright，ma’am;Idon’tmindamite。Wherewasit？
We-ll，’twasinmypantspockethere，justwhereIputitlast，timeIusedit。NaturallyenoughIshouldn’thavethoughtof，lookin’thereandIdon’tknow’sI’dhavefoundityet，butI
happenedtoshovemyhandsinmypocketstohelpmethink，and，there’twas。”
Thisexplanationshouldhavebeensatisfying，doubtless，but，Barbaradidnotseemtofinditwhollyso。
“PleasemayIaskonemorequestion，Mamma？”shepleaded。”Just，onlyone？”
Sheaskeditbeforehermothercouldreply。
“Howdoesputtingyourhandsinyourpocketshelpyouthink，Mr。
Winslow？”sheasked。”Idon’tseehowitwouldhelpabit？”
Jed’seyetwinkled，buthisreplywassolemnlygiven。
“Why，yousee，“hedrawled，“I’mbuiltagooddealliketheold，steamlaunchTobiasWixonusedtoown。EverytimeTobiasblewthe，whistleitusedupallthesteamandtheenginestopped。I’vegot，aheadaboutlikethatengine;whenIwanttouseitIhavetogive，alltherestofmealayoff……Hereweare，ma’am。Walkright，in，won’tyou。”
Heshowedthemthroughroomafterroomofthelittlehouse，opening，theclosedshutterssothattheafternoonsunlightmightstreamin，andbrightentheirprogress。Theroomsweresmall，buttheywere，attractiveandcosy。Thefurniturewasalmostalloldmahoganyand，inremarkablygoodcondition。Therugswerehome-made;eventhe，coverletsofthebedswereoftheold-fashionedblueandwhite，wovenonthehandloomsofourgreat-grandmothers。Mrs。Armstrong，wasenthusiastic。
“Itislikeaminiaturemuseumofantiques，“shedeclared。”And，suchwonderfulantiques，too。Youmusthavebeenbesiegedby，peoplewhowantedtobuythem。”
Jednodded。”Ye-es，“headmitted，“Ical’latethere’sbeenno，less’namillionantiquershereinthelastfourorfiveyear。I
don’tmeanhereinthehouse——Ineverlet’eminthehouse——but，’roundthepremises。Gotsotheykindofswarmedfirstofevery，summer，likeJunebugs。Igotridof’em，though，foraspell。”
“Didyou;how？”
Herubbedhischin。”Putupasignbythefrontdoorthatsaid：
’BewareofLeprosy。’，Thatkept’emawaywhileitlasted。”
Mrs。Armstronglaughedmerrily。”Ishouldthinkso，“shesaid。
“Butwhyleprosy，pray？”
“Oh，Iwasgoin’tomakeitsmallpox，butIaskedDoctorParkerif，therewasanythingworsethansmallpoxandhesaidhecal’lated，leprosywasaboutasbadasanydiseasegoin’。Itworkedfine，whileitlasted，buttheBoardofHealthmademetakeitdown;said，therewan’tanyleprosyonthepremises。Itold’emno，but’twas，agoodideatobewareofitanyhow，andI’dputupthesignjuston，generalprinciples。Nouse;theyhadn’tmuchuseforprinciples，generalorotherwise，seemedso。”
Theladycommentedontheneatnessandorderinthelittlerooms。
Theywereinmarkedcontrasttotheworkshop。”Isupposeyouhave，awomancomeheretocleanandsweep，“shesaid。
Jedshookhishead。
“No-o，“heanswered。”Igenerallycal’latetocomeineverylittle，whileandcleanup。Motherwasalwaysagreatoneforkeepin’
thingsslickedup，“headded，apologetically，“andI——Ikindof，liketothink’twouldpleaseher。Foolish，Ipresumelikely，but——
well，foolishthingsseemtocomenaturaltome。Gotakindofa，giftfor’em，asyoumightsay。I……”
Helapsedintosilence，hissentenceonlybegun。Mrs。Armstrong，lookingup，foundhimgazingatherwiththeabsent，far-offlook，thathisclosestassociatesknewsowell。Shehadnotmetit，beforeandfounditratherembarrassing，especiallyasitkepton，andon。
“Well？”sheasked，afteratime。Hestartedandawoketo，realities。
“Iwasjustthinkin’，“heexplained，“thatyouwastheonlywoman，thathasbeeninthishousesincethesummerIletittothe，Davidsonfolks。AndMrs。Davidsonwan’tamitelikeyou。”
Thatwastrueenough。Mrs。Davidsonhadbeenaplumpelderly，matronwithgrayhair，aratherraspingvoiceandasomewhat，aggressivemanner。Mrs。Armstrongwasyoungandslim，herhairand，eyesweredark，hermannerrefinedandhervoicelowandgentle。
And，ifJedhadbeeninthehabitofnoticingsuchthings，hemight，havenoticedthatshewaspleasanttolookat。Perhapshewas，consciousofthisfact，but，ifso，itwasonlyinavague，general，way。
HisgazewanderedtoBarbara，who，withPetunia，wascurledupina，bigold-fashionedrocker。
“Andachild，too，“hemused。”Idon’tknowwhenthere’sbeena，childinhere。NotsinceIwasone，Iguesslikely，andthat’stoo，longagoforanybodytoremembersingle-handed。”
ButMrs。Armstrongwasinterestedinhispreviousremark。
“Youhaveletothersoccupythishousethen？”sheasked。
“Yes，ma’am，onesummerIdid。Letitfurnishedtosomefolksname，ofDavidson，fromChicago。”
“Andyouhaven’trenteditsince？”
“No，ma’am，notbutthatonce。”
Shewassilentforamoment。Thenshesaid：“Iamsurprisedthat，ithasn’tbeenoccupiedalways。DoyouasksuchaVERYhighrent，Mr。Winslow？”
Jedlookeddoubtful。”Why，no，ma’am，“heanswered。”Ididn’t，cal’late’twassoveryhigh，considerin’that’twasjustfor，’summerandfurnishedandall。TheDavidsonspaidfortydollarsa，month，but——“
“FORTYdollars！，Amonth？，Andfurnishedlikethat？，Youmeana，week，don’tyou？”
Mr。Winslowlookedather。Theslowsmilewanderedacrosshis，face。Heevidentlysuspectedajoke。
“Why，no，ma’am，“hedrawled。”Yousee，theywasrentin’the，place，notbuyin’it。”
“ButfortydollarsamonthisVERYcheap。”
“Isit？，Sho！，NowyouspeakofitIrememberthatCaptainSam，seemedtocal’late’twas。HesaidIoughttohaveaskedahundred，orsomesuchfoolishness。Itoldhimhemusthavethenotionthat，Iwasleftoutofthesweetilewhentheypickledtheotherthirty-
ninethieves。Perhapsyou’vereadthestory，ma’am，“hesuggested。
Hisvisitorlaughed。”Ihavereadit，“shesaid。Thensheadded，plainlymoretoherselfthantohim：“Butevenfortyisfartoo，much，ofcourse。”
Jedwassurprisedandalittlehurt。
“Yes——er——yes，ma’am，“hefaltered。”Well，I——Iwaskindof’fraid，’twas，butColonelDavidsonseemedtothink’twasaboutfair，so——“
“Oh，youmisunderstandme。Ididn’tmeanthatfortydollarswas，toohigharent。Itisn’t，itisaverylowone。Imeantthatit，wasmorethanIoughttothinkofpaying。Yousee，Mr。Winslow，I
havebeenthinkingthatwemightlivehereinOrham，BarbaraandI。
Ilikethetown;andthepeople，mostofthoseIhavemet，have，beenverypleasantandkind。Anditisnecessary——thatis，it，seemstomepreferable——thatwelive，forsomeyearsatleast，away，fromthecity。Thislittlehouseofyoursisperfect。Ifellin，lovewiththeoutsideofitatfirstsight。NowIfindtheinside，evenmoredelightful。I“——shehesitated，andthenadded——“Idon’t，supposeyouwouldcaretoletitunfurnishedat——atalowerrate？”
Jedwasverymuchembarrassed。Theideathathiscallerwouldmake，suchapropositionasthishadnotoccurredtohimforamoment。
Ifithadthelostkeywouldalmostcertainlyhaveremainedlost。
HelikedMrs。Armstrongevenonsuchshortacquaintance，andhehad，takenarealfancytoBarbara;buthisprejudiceagainsttenants，remained。Herubbedhischin。
“Why——why，now，ma’am，“hestammered，“you——youwouldn’tlike，livin’inOrhamalltheyear’round，wouldyou？”
“IhopeIshould。IknowIshouldlikeitbetterthanliving——
elsewhere，“with，soitseemedtohim，alittleshudder。”AndI
cannotaffordtoliveotherwisethanverysimplyanywhere。Ihave，beenboardinginOrhamforalmostthreemonthsnowandIfeelthat，Ihavegivenitatrial。”
“Yes——yes，ma’am，butsummer’sconsiderablemorelivelythanwinter，hereontheCape。”
“Ihavenodesireforsociety。IexpecttobequietandIwishto，be。Mr。Winslow，wouldyouconsiderlettingmeoccupythishouse——
unfurnished，ofcourse？，Ishoulddearlylovetotakeitjustasit，is——thisfurnitureisfarmorefittingforitthanmine——butI
cannotaffordfortydollarsamonth。Providedyouwerewillingto，letmehirethehouseofyouatall，notforthesummeralonebut，foralltheyear，whatrentdoyouthinkyoushouldcharge？”
Jed’sembarrassmentincreased。”Well，now，ma’am，“hefaltered，“I——Ihopeyouwon’tmindmysayin’it，but——butIdon’tknow’sI
wanttoletthishouseatall。I——I’vehadconsider’blemany，chancestorentit，but——but——“
Hecouldnotseemtofindasatisfactoryendingtothesentenceand，soleftitunfinished。Mrs。Armstrongwasevidentlymuch，disappointed，butshedidnotgiveupcompletely。
“Isee，“shesaid。”Well，inawayIthinkIunderstand。You，prefertheprivacy。IthinkIcouldpromiseyouthatBarbaraandI
woulddisturbyouverylittle。Astotherent，thatwouldbepaid，promptly。”
“Sartin，ma’am，sartin;Iknow’twould，but——“
“Won’tyouthinkitover？，Wemightevenlivehereforamonth，withyourfurnitureundisturbedandattheregularrental。You，couldcallitatrialmonth，ifyouliked。Youcouldseehowyou，likedus，youknow。Attheendofthattime，“withasmile，“you，mighttelluswewouldn’tdoatall，or，perhaps，thenyoumight，considermakingamorepermanentarrangement。Barbarawouldlike，ithere，wouldn’tyou，dear？”
Barbara，whohadbeenlistening，noddedexcitedlyfromthebig，rocker。”Everandeversomuch，“shedeclared;“andPetuniawould，justadoreit。”
PoorJedwasgreatlyperturbed。”Don’ttalkso，Mrs。Armstrong，“
heblurted。”Pleasedon’t。I——Idon’twantyouto。You——youmake，mefeelbad。”
“DoI？，I’msosorry。Ididn’tmeantosayanythingtohurtyour，feelings。Ibegyourpardon。”
“No，youdon’t。I——Imeanyouhadn’toughtto。Youdon’thurtmy，feelin’s;Imeanyoumakemefeelbad——wicked——cussedmean——all，thatandsomemore。IknowIoughttoletyouhavethishouse。
Anycommon，decentmanwithcommondecentfeelin’sandsensewould，letyouhaveit。But，yousee，Iain’tthatkind。I——I’mselfish，and——andwickedand——“Hewavedabighandindesperation。
Shelaughed。”Nonsense！”sheexclaimed。”Besides，itisn’tso，desperateasallthat。Youcertainlyarenotobligedtorentthe，houseunlessyouwantto。”
“ButIdowantto;thatis，Idon’t，butIknowI’doughttowant，to。AndifIwasgoin’toletanybodyhaveitI’drather’twould，beyou——honest，Iwould。Andit’stherightthingformetodo，I
knowthat。That’swhatbothersme;thetrouble’swithME。Idon’t，wanttodotherightthing。”，Hebrokeoff，seemedtoreflectand，thenaskedsuddenly：
“Ma’am，doyouwanttogotoheavenwhenyoudie？”
Theladywasnaturallysomewhatsurprisedatthequestion。”Why，yes，“shereplied，“I——，Why，ofcourseIdo。”
“There，that’sit！，Anydecent，sensiblepersonwould。ButIdon’t。”
Barbara，startledintoforgettingthatchildrenshouldbeseenand，notheard，utteredashocked“Oh！”
Jedwavedhishand。”Yousee，“hesaid，“eventhatchild’smorals，areupsetbyme。IknowIoughttowanttogotoheaven。Butwhen，IseethecrowdthatKNOWthey’regoin’there，aresartinofit，theonesfromthistown，agoodmanyof’emanyhow;whenIhearhow，theytalkinprayer-meetin’andthenseehowtheyactoutsideof，it，I——，Well，“withadeepsigh，“Iwanttogowheretheyain’t，that’sall。”，Hepaused，andthendrawledsolemnly，butwitha，suspicionofthetwinkleinhiseye：“Thegeneralopinionseemsto，bethatthat’swhereI’llgo，so’sIdon’tknow’sIneedtoworry。”
Mrs。Armstrongmadenocommentonthisconfession。Hedidnotseem，toexpectany。
“Ma’am，“hecontinued，“youseewhatImean。Thetrouble’swith，me，Iain’tmaderight。Ioughttoletthathouse;SamHunniwell，toldmesothismornin’。ButI——Idon’twantto。Nothin’personal，toyou，youunderstand;but……Eh？，Who’sthat？”
Astepsoundedonthewalkoutsideandvoiceswereheard。Jed，turnedtothedoor。
“Customers，Ical’late，“hesaid。”Makeyourselvesrighttohome，ma’am，youandthelittlegirl。I’llberightback。”
Hewentoutthroughthedining-roomintothelittlehall。Barbara，inthebigrocker，lookedupoverPetunia’sheadathermother。
“Isn’theafunnyman，Mamma？”shesaid。
Mrs。Armstrongnodded。”Yes，hecertainlyis，“sheadmitted。
“Yes，“thechildnoddedreflectively。”ButIdon’tbelievehe’s，wickedatall。Ibelievehe’srealnice，don’tyou？”
“I’msureheis，dear。”
“Yes。PetuniaandIlikehim。Ithinkhe’swhatyousaidour，Bridgetwas，aroughdamson。”
“Notdamson;diamond，dear。”
“Oh，yes。ItwasdamsonpreserveMrs。Smalleyhadforsupperlast，night。Iforgot。Petuniatoldmetosaydamson;shemakessomany，mistakes。”
Theyheardthe“roughdiamond“returning。Heseemedtobeina，hurry。Whenhere-enteredthelittlesitting-roomhelookedvery，muchfrightened。
“Whatisthematter？”demandedMrs。Armstrong。
Jedgulped。
“They’vecomeback，“hewhispered。”Godfreys，Iforgot’em，and，they’vecomeback。WHAT’LLIdonow？”
“Butwho——whohascomeback？”
Mr。Winslowwavedbothhands。
“TheOldScratchandhiswife，“hedeclared。”Ihopetheydidn’t，seeme，but——Landoflove，they’recomin’in！”
Amajestictreadsoundedinthehall，inthedining-room。Mrs。
GeorgePowlessappeared，severe，overwhelming，withMr。George，Powlessinherwake。TheformersawMr。Winslowandfixedhimwith，herglitteringeye，astheAncientMarinerfixedtheweddingguest。
“Ah！”sheobserved，withmajesticirony，“thelostkeyisfound，it，wouldseem。”
Jedlookedguilty。
“Yes，ma’am，“hefaltered。”Er——yes，ma’am。”
“So？，Andnow，Ipresume，asitisapparentthatyoudoshowthe，interiorofthishousetootherinterestedpersons，“withaglance，likeasharpenedicicleinthedirectionoftheArmstrongs，“perhapsyouwillshowittomyhusbandandme。”
Jedswallowedhard。
“Well，ma’am，“hefaltered，“I——I’dliketo，but——butthefactis，I——“
“Well，what？”
“Itain’tmyhouse。”
“Isn’tyourhouse？，George，“turningtoMr。Powless，“didn’tIhear，thismandistinctlytellyouthatthishouseWAShis？”
Georgenodded。”Certainly，mydear，“hedeclared。Thenturningto，Mr。Winslow，hedemanded：“Whatdoyoumeanbysayingitisyours，onemomentandnotyoursthenext;eh？”
Jedlookedaround。Foroneinstanthisgazerestedupontheface，ofMrs。Armstrong。Thenhedrewhimselfup。
“Because，“hedeclared，“I’verenteditfurnishedtothislady，here。And，thatbein’thecase，itain’tminejustnowandIain’t，gotanyrighttobeinit。And，“hisvoicerisingindesperation，“neitherhasanybodyelse。”
Mrs。GeorgePowlesswentafewmomentslater;beforeshewentshe，expressedheropinionofMr。Winslow’sbehavior。Mr。George，Powlessfollowedher，expressinghisopinionashewent。The，objectoftheiradjurationsatdownuponarush-bottomedchairand，rubbedhischin。
“Lord！”heexclaimed，withfervor。Mrs。Armstronglookedathimin，amazement。
“Why，Mr。Winslow！”sheexclaimed，andburstoutlaughing。
Jedgroaned。”IknowhowJonahfeltafterthewhaleunloadedhim，“
hedrawled。”Thatwomanallbuthadmeswallered。Ifyouhadn’t，beenhereshewould。”
“Jed！”shoutedavoiceoutside。”Jed，whereareyou？”
Mr。Winslowraisedhishead。”Eh？”hequeried。”That’sSam，hollerin’，ain’tit？”
ItwasCaptainHunniwellandamomentlaterheenteredthelittle，sitting-room。Whenhesawwhohisfriend’scompanionswerehe，seemedgreatlysurprised。
“Why，Mrs。Armstrong！”heexclaimed。”Areyouhere？，Nowthat’sa，funnything。ThelasttimeIsawJedIwarnedhimIwasgoin’to，sendyouheretolookatthishouse。Andyoucamewithoutbein’
sent，afterall;eh？”
Jedstaredathim。Beforetheladycouldreplyhespoke。”What？”
hecried。”Wasshe——SamHunniwell，wasitHERyouwasgoin’to，sendtoseeabouthirin’thishouse？”
“Sureitwas。Whynot？”
Jedpointedtowardthedoor。”Then——thenwho，“hedemanded，“sent，thosePowlesseshere？”
“NoonethatIknowof。Andanyhowtheydon’twanttorentany，houses。They’veboughtlandoveratHarnissportandthey’regoin’
tobuildahouseoftheirownthere。”
“Theyare？，Theyare？，Then——thenWHATdidthatwomansayI’dgot，toshowhertheinsideofthishousefor？”
“Idon’tknow。Didshe？，Oh，Itellyouwhatshewasafter，probably。Someonehadtoldheraboutyouroldfurnitureand，things，Jed。She’sthegreatestantiquehunteronearth，sothey，tellme。That’swhatshewasafter——antiques。”
Jed，havingpauseduntilthishadsunkin，groaned。
“Lord！”hesaid，again。”AndIwentand——“
Anothergroanfinishedthesentence。
Mrs。Armstrongcameforward。
“Pleasedon’tworryaboutit，Mr。Winslow，“shesaid。”Iknowyou，didn’tmeanit。Ofcourse，knowingyourfeelings，Ishouldn’t，thinkoftakingthehouse。”
ButJedslowlyshookhishead。
“Iwantyouto，“hedeclared。”Yes，Imeanit。Iwantyoutocome，andliveinthishouseforamonth，anyhow。Ifyoudon’t，that，Powlesswomanwillcomebackandbuyeverystickandragonthe，place。Idon’twanttosell’em，butIcouldn’tsaynotoherany，morethanIcouldtotheOldHarry。IcalledhertheOldScratch’s，wife，didn’tI，“headded。”Well，Iwon’ttakeitback。”
CaptainSamlaugheduproariously。
“Youain’tverycomplimentarytoMr。Powless，“heobserved。
Jedrubbedhischin。
“IwouldbeifIwasreferrin’tohim，“hedrawled，“butIjudge，he’shersecondhusband。”
CHAPTERVI
OfcourseMrs。Armstrongstillinsistedthat，knowing，asshedid，Mr。Winslow’sprejudiceagainstoccupyingthepositionoflandlord，shecouldnotthinkofacceptinghisoffer。”OfcourseIshall，not，“shedeclared。”Iamflatteredtoknowthatyouconsider，BarbaraandmepreferabletoMr。andMrs。Powless;buteventhere，youmaybemistaken，and，beside，whyshouldyoufeelyoumust，endurethelesserevil。IfIwereinyourplaceIshouldn’tendure，anyevilatall。Ishouldkeepthehouseclosedandempty，justas，youhavebeendoing。”
CaptainSamshookhisheadimpatiently。”Ifyouwasinhisplace，“
heobserved，“youwouldhaveletiteveryyear。Don’tinterfere，withhim，Mrs。Armstrong，forthelandsakes。He’sshowedthe，firststreakofcommonsenseaboutthathousethathe’sshowed，sincetheDavidsonswentout。Don’taskhimtotakeitback。”
AndJedstubbornlyrefusedtotakeitback。”I’veletittoyou，foramonth，ma’am，“heinsisted。”It’syours，furnitureandall，foramonth。Youwon’tsellthatMrs。Powlessanyofit，will，you？”headded，anxiously。”Anyofthefurniture，Imean。”
Mrs。Armstrongscarcelyknewwhethertobeamusedorindignant。
“OfcourseIshouldn’tsellit，“shedeclared。”Itwouldn’tbe，minetosell。”
Jedlookedfrightened。”Yes，’twould;yes，’twould，“hepersisted。
“That’swhyI’mlettin’ittoyou。ThenIcan’tsellittoher;I
CAN’T，don’tyousee？”
CaptainSamgrinned。”Fur’sthatgoes，“hesuggested，“Idon’t，see’syou’vegottoworry，Jed。Youdon’tneedtosellit，toher，oranybodyelse，unlessyouwantto。”
ButJedlookeddubious。”IsupposeJonahcal’latedhedidn’tneed，tobeswallowed，“hemused。”Youtakeit，ma’am，foramonth，asa，favortome。”
“ButhowcanI——likethis？，Wehaven’tevensettledthequestionof，rent。Andyouknownothingwhateveraboutme。”
Heseemedtoreflect。Thenheasked：
“Yourdaughterdon’tsinglikeawindmill，doesshe？”
Barbara’seyesandmouthopened。”Why，Mamma！”sheexclaimed，indignantly。
“Hush，Babbie。Singlikea——what？，Idon’tunderstand，Mr。
Winslow。”
Thecaptainburstoutlaughing。”Nowonderyoudon’t，ma’am，“he，said。”IttakesthesevenwisemenofGreecetounderstandhim，mostofthetime。Youleaveittome，Mrs。Armstrong。HeandI
willtalkitovertogetherandthenyouandhecantalkto-morrow。
ButIguesslikelyyou’llhavethehouse，ifyouwantit;Jed，doesn’tgobackonhisword。Ialwayssaythatforyou，don’tI，oldsawdust？”turningtothegentlemanthusnicknamed。
Jed，hummingamournfulhymn，wasapparentlymilesawayin，dreamland。Yethereturnedtoearthlongenoughtoindulgeina，mildbitofrepartee。”Yousay’mosteverythingforme，Sam，“he，drawled，“exceptwhenItalkinmysleep。”
Mrs。ArmstrongandBarbaraleftamomentlater，theladysaying，thatsheandMr。Winslowwouldhaveanotherinterviewnextday。
Barbaragravelyshookhandswithbothmen。
“IandPetuniahopeawfullythatwearegoingtolivehere，Mr。
Winslow，“shesaid，“’speciallyPetunia。”
Jedregardedhergravely。”Oh，shewantstomore’nyoudo，then，doesshe？”heasked。
Thechildlookeddoubtful。”No-o，“sheadmitted，afteramoment’s，reflection，“butshecan’ttalk，youknow，andsoshehastohope，twiceashardelseIwouldn’tknowit。Good-by。Oh，Iforgot;
CaptainHedgelikedhisswordfishEVERsomuch。Hesaiditwasa——
a——oh，yes，humdinger。”
Shetrottedoffafterhermother。CaptainHunniwell，aftera，chuckleofappreciationoverthe“humdinger，“begantotellhis，friendwhatlittlehehadlearnedconcerningtheArmstrongs。This，was，ofcourse，merelywhatMrs。Armstrongherselfhadtoldhimand，amountedtothis：Shewasawidowwhosehusbandhadbeena，physicianinMiddleford，Connecticut。HisnamewasSeymour，Armstrongandhehadnowbeendeadfouryears。Mrs。Armstrongand，Barbara，thelatteranonlychild，hadcontinuedtooccupythe，houseatMiddleford，butrecentlytheladyhadcometofeelthat，shecouldnotaffordtolivetherelonger，butmustfindsomeless，expensivequarters。
“Shedidn’tsayso，“volunteeredCaptainSam，“butIjudgeshelost，agooddealofhermoney，badinvestmentsorsomethin’likethat。
Ifthere’sanybadinvestmentanywheresintheneighborhoodyoucan，’mostgenerallytrustawidowtohuntitupandputherinsurance，moneyintoit。Anyhow，’twassomethin’likethat，forafterlivin’
thereaspell，justasshedidwhenherhusbandwasalive，sheall，atoncedecidestoupanchorandfindsomecheapermoorin’s。First，off，though，shedecidedtospendthesummerinacoolplaceand，somefriend，somebodywithgood，soundjudgment，suggestsOrham。
SosheletsherownplaceinMiddleford，comestoOrham，fallsin，lovewiththeplace——sameasanysensiblepersonwouldnaturally，ofcourse——and，havin’spent’mostthreemonthshere，decidesshe，wantstospendninemoreanyhow。Shecomestothebanktocasha，check，sheandIgettalkin’，shetellsmewhatshe’slookin’for，ItellherIcal’lateI’vegotaplaceinmyeyethatIthinkmight，bejustthething，and——“
Hepausedtobitetheendfromacigar。Hisfriendfinishedthe，sentenceforhim。
“Andthen，“hesaid，“you，knowin’thatIdidn’twanttoletthis，houseanytimetoanybody，naturallysentherdowntolookatit。”
“Nosuchthing。CourseIknewthatyou’dOUGHTtoletthehouse，and，likin’thelooksandwaysoftheseArmstrongfolksfirstrate，IgiveinthatIhadmadeupmymindTOsendherdowntolookat，it。But，aforeIcoulddoit，theAlmightysentheronHisown，hook。Whichproves，“headded，withagrin，“thatmyjudgmenthas，prettygoodbackin’sometimes。”
Jedrubbedhischin。”Careful，Sam，“hedrawled，“careful。The，Kaiser’llbegettin’jealousofyouifyoudon’tlookout。But，what，“heinquired，“madeherandthelittlegirlmoveoutof，Middleford，orwherever’twastheylived？，Theycouldhavefound，cheaperquartersthere，couldn’tthey？，CourseIain’tneverbeen，there，butseemsasiftheycould。”
“Sartintheycould，butthefactoftheirmovin’iswhatmakesme，prettysurethewidow’sinvestmentshadturnedsour。It’sa，plagueysighteasiertobegintocutdownandliveeconomicalina，placewherenobodyknowsyouthan’tisinonewhereeverybodyhas，knownyouforyears。Seethat，don’tyou？”
Jedwhistledsadly，breakingoffinthemiddleofabartoreply，thathedidn’tknowashedid。
“I’venevercutup，socuttin’downdon’tworrymemuch，“he，observed。”ButIpresumelikelyyou’reright，Sam;yougenerally，are。”，Hewhistledamomentlonger，hisgazeapparentlyfixedupon，apointinthemiddleofthewhiteplasteredceiling。Thenhe，said，dreamily：“Well，anyhow，’twon’tbebutamonth。They’llgo，somewhereselseinamonth。”
CaptainSamsniffed。”Betyouadollartheywon’t，“heretorted。
“Notunlessyouturn’emout。AndIseeyouturnin’anybodyout。”
ButMr。Winslowlookedhopeful。”They’llgowhenthemonth’sup，“
hereiterated。”Nobodycouldstandmemorethanamonth。Mother，usedtosayso，andshe’dknownmelongerthananybody。”
Andso，inthiscuriousfashion，didtenantscometotheold，Winslowhouse。TheymovedinonthefollowingMonday。Jedsawthe，wagonwiththetrunksbackinguptothedoorandhesighed。Then，hewentovertohelpcarrythetrunksintothehouse。
Forthefirstweekhefoundthesituationratheruncomfortable;not，asuncomfortableashehadfeared，butatrifleembarrassing，nevertheless。Hisnewneighborswerenottooneighborly;theydid，notdowhathewouldhavetermed“pester“himbyrunninginandout，oftheshopatallhours，nordidtheycontinuallyaskfavors。On，theotherhandtheydidnot，likehisformertenants，the，Davidsons，treathimasifheweresomesortofoddwoodenimage，likeoneofhisownweathervanes，acreaturewithoutfeelings，to，bedisplayedand“shownoff“whenitpleasedthemandignoredwhen，itdidnot。Mrs。Armstrongwasalwaysquietlycheerfuland，friendlywhentheymetintheyardoraboutthepremises，butshe，neitherintrudednorpatronized。Jed’sfirstimpressionofher，a，favorableone，wasstrengtheneddaily。
“Ilikeherfirst-rate，“hetoldCaptainSam。”Sheain’ttoo，folksyandsheain’ttoostandoffish。Why，honesttruth，Sam，“he，added，ingenuously，“shetreatsmejustthesameasifIwaslike，thecommonrunoffolks。”
Thecaptainsnorted。”Graciousking！，Dostoprunnin’yourself，down，“hecommanded。”Supposeyouarealittlemite——er——different，fromthe——well，fromtheheftofmackerelinthekeg，whatofit？
That’syourownprivatebusiness，ain’tit？”
Jed’sliptwitched。”Isuppose’tis，“hedrawled。”Ifitwan’t，therewouldn’tbesomanyfolksinterestedinit。”
Atfirsthemissedthefreedomtowhichhehadaccustomedhimself，duringhisyearsofsolitude，thelibertyofpreparingforbedwith，thedoorsandwindowstowardtheseawideopenandtheshadesnot，drawn;ofstrollingouttothewellatunearthlyhoursoftheearly，morningsingingatthetopofhislungs;ofwashingfaceandhands，inatinbasinonabenchbythatwellcurbinsteadofwithin，doors。Thereweresomenecessaryconcessionstoconventionto，whichhisattentionwascalledbyCaptainHunniwell，whotookit，uponhimselftoactasasortofsocialmentor。
“Doyoualwayswashoutdoorsthere？”askedthecaptain，after，watchingonesetofablutions。
“Why——er——yes，I’mostgenerallydoingoodweather。It’ssortof——
er——well，sortofcoolandroomy，asyoumightsay。”
“Roomy，eh？，Graciousking！，Well，Ishouldsayyouneededroom。
Yousplashintothatbasinlikeakedgeanchorgoin’overboardand，whenyoucomeoutofityoupufflikeagrampuscomin’uptoblow。
Howdoyoucal’lateMrs。Armstrongenjoysseein’youdothat？”
Jedlookedstartledandmuchdisturbed。”Eh？”heexclaimed。”Why，Ineverthoughtabouther，Sam。IdeclareIneverdid。I——I’ll，fetchthewashbasininsidethisveryminute。”
Andhedid。Theinconvenienceattachedtothebreakingoffofa，summer-timehabitofyearstroubledhimnothalfasmuchasthe，fearthathemighthaveoffendedafellowcreature’ssensibilities。
JedWinslowwasfartoosensitivehimselfandhisownfeelingshad，beenhurttoomanytimestomakehurtingthoseofanotherasmall，offenseinhiseyes。
Butthesewereminorinconveniencesattachedtohisnewpositionas，landlord。Therewererecompenses。Atworkinhisshophecould，seethroughthewindowthewhite-clad，gracefulfigureofMrs。
Armstrongmovingabouttheyard，sittingwithBarbaraonthebench，bytheedgeofthebluff，orwritingaletteratatableshehad，takenoutundertheshadowofthesilver-leaftree。GraduallyJed，cametoenjoyseeingherthere，toseethewindowsoftheoldhouse，open，tohearvoicesoncemoreonthatsideoftheshop，andto，catchglimpsesofBabbiedancinginandoutovertheshiningmica，slabatthedoor。
Helikedthechildwhenhefirstmether，buthehadbeenalittle，fearfulthat，asaneighbor，shemighttroublehimbyrunningin，andoutoftheshop，interferingwithhisprivacyandhisworkor，makingasmallnuisanceofherselfwhenhewaswaitingon，customers。Butshedidnoneofthesethings，infactshedidnot，comeintotheshopatalland，afterthefirstweekhadpassed，he，begantowonderwhy。Latethatafternoon，seeinghersittingon，thebenchbythebluffedge，herdollinherarms，hecameoutof，thedoorofhislittlekitchenatthebackoftheshopandcalled，her。
“Goodevenin’，“hehailed。”Takin’intheview，wasyou？”
Shebobbedherhead。”Yes，sir，“shecalledinreply;“Petuniaand，Iwerelookingatit。”
“Sho！，Well，whatdoyouand-er——What’s-her-namethinkofit？”
Barbarapondered。”Wethinkit’sverynice，“sheannounced，after，amoment。”Don’tyoulikeit，Mr。Winslow？”
“Eh？，Oh，yes，Ilikeit，Iguess。Iain’treallyhadtimetolook，atitto-day;beentoobusy。”
Thechildnodded，sympathetically。”That’stoobad，“shesaid。
Jedhad，forhim，acuriousimpulse，andacteduponit。
“MaybeImightcomeandlookatitnow，ifIwasasked，“he，suggested。”Plentyofroomonthatbench，isthere？”
“Oh，yes，sir，there’slots。Idon’ttakemuchroomandPetunia，almostalwayssitsonmylap。Pleasecome。”
SoJedcameand，sittingdownuponthebench，lookedoffatthe，inletandthebeachandtheoceanbeyond。Itwasthescenemost，familiartohim，onehehadseen，undervaryingweatherconditions，throughmanysummersandwinters。Thisverythoughtwasinhis，mindashelookedatitnow。
Afteratimehebecameawarethathiscompanionwasspeaking。