第6章
"Nothin’。"
"Nothin’，Iguess。Ifyouwasflatterin’yourselfwiththeideathatIcameheretochaseafteryou，youneverwasmoremistakeninyourlife，oreverwillbe。Yousetdown。YouandIhavegottotalk。Setrightdown。"
Thelightkeeperhesitated。Thenheobeyedordersbyseatinghimselfonanoilbarrellyingonitssidenearthewall。Thelanternheplacedonthefloorathisfeet。Mrs。Bascomperchedononeofthelowerstepsoftheironstairs。
"Now，"shesaid，"we’vegottotalk。SethBascom——"
Sethstartedviolently。
"Whatisit？"askedthelady。"Whydidyoujumplikethat？Nobodycomin’，isthere？"
"No。No……ButIcouldn’thelpjumpin’whenyoucalledmethatname。"
"Thatname？It’syourname，isn’tit？Oh，"shesmiledslightly；"I
remembernow。You’vetakenthenameofAtkinssincewesaweachotherlast。"
"Ididn’ttakeit；itbelongedtome。Youknowmymiddlename。I
justdroppedtheBascom，that’sall。"
"Isee。Justasyoudropped——someotherresponsibilities。Whydidn’tyoudropthewholechristenin’andstartfresh？Whydidyouhangonto’Seth’？"
Thelightkeeperlookedguilty。Mrs。Bascom’ssmilebroadened。"I
know，"shewenton。"Youdidn’treallyliketodropitall。Itwastoomuchofathingtodoonyourhook，andtherewasn’tanybodytotellyoutodoit，andsoyoucouldn’tquitebespunkyenoughto——"
Heinterruptedher。"Thatwa’n’tthereason，"hesaidshortly。
"Whatwasthereason？"
"Youwanttoknow，doyou？"
"Yes，Ido。"
"Well，the’Bascom’partwa’n’tminenomore——notallmine。I’dgivenittoyou。"
"O——oh！oh，Isee。Andyouranawayfromyournameasyouranawayfromyourwife。Isee。And……why，ofcourse！youcamedownheretorunawayfromallthewomen。MissRuthsaidthismornin’
shewastold——Idon’tknowwhoby——thatthelightkeeperwasawoman-
hater。Areyouthewoman-hater，Seth？"
Mr。Atkinslookedatthefloor。"Yes，Ibe，"heanswered，sullenly。
"Doyouwonder？"
"Idon’twonderatyourrunnin’away；thatIshouldhaveexpected。
Butthere，"morebriskly，"thisain’tgettin’usanywhere。You’rehere——andI’mhere。Nowwhat’syourideaofthebestthingtobedone，underthecircumstances？"
Sethshiftedhisfeet。"Oneofusbettergosomewhereselse，ifyouaskme，"hedeclared。
"Runawayagain，youmean？Well，Isha’n’trunaway。I’mMissRuth’shousekeeperforthesummer。IansweredheradvertisementintheBostonpaperandweagreedastowagesandsoon。Ilikeherandshelikesme。CourseifI’dknownmyhusbandwasintheneighborhood，Ishouldn’thavecomehere；butIdidn’tknowit。NowI’mhereandI’llstaymytimeout。Whatareyougoin’todo？"
"I’mgoin’tosendinmyresignationaskeeperoftheselights。
That’swhatI’mgoin’todo，andI’lldoitto-morrow。"
"Runawayagain？"
"Yes。"
"Why？"
"Why？WHY？EmelineBascom，doyouaskmethat？"
"Ido，yes。Seehere，Seth，weain’tchildren，norsentimentalyoungfolks。We’resensible，orwe’doughttobe。Landknowswe’reoldenough。Ishallstayhereandyououghtto。NobodyknowsIwasyourwifeorthatyouwasmyhusband，andnobodyneedstoknowit。
Weain’tevengotthesamenames。We’restrangers，far’sfolksknow，andwecanstaystrangers。"
"But——buttoseeeachothereverydayand——"
"Whynot？We’veseeneachotheroftenenoughsothatthesightwon’tbesowonderful。Andwe’llkeepourbein’marriedasecret。
Isha’n’tboastofit，forone。"
"But——buttoSEEeachother——"
"Well，weneedn’tseeeachothermuch。Why，weneedn’tseeeachotherany，unlessIhavetorunovertoborrersomethin’，sameasneighborshavetoeveryonceinawhile。Icanguesswhat’stroublin’you；it’syoungBrown。You’vetoldhimyou’reawoman-
hater，haven’tyou？"
"Yes，Ihave。"
"Humph！Isheone，too？"
Thelightkeeper’smouthwastwistedwithaviolentemotion。Herememberedhisviewofthatafternoon’sswimminglesson。
"Hesaidhewas，"hesnarled。"Hepretendsheis。"
Mrs。Bascomsmiled。"Iwanttoknow，"shesaid。"Umph！I
thought……However，it’snomatter。Perhapsheis。Anyhowhecanpretendtobeandyoucanpretendtobelievehim。That’llbetheeasiestway，Iguess。Ofcourse，"sheadded，"Iain’ttellin’
youwhattodowithanyideathatyou’lldoitbecauseIsayso。
Thetimeforthatisallpastandgone。Butitseemstomethat，foronceinmylife，I’dbemanenoughtostickitout。Iwouldn’trunawayagain。"
Sethdidnotanswer。Hescowledandstaredatthecircleoflanternlightonthestonefloor。Mrs。Bascomrosefromherseatonthestairs。
"Well，"sheobserved，"Imustbegettin’backtothehouseifIwanttogetanysleepto-night。IdoubtifIgetmuch，forabodydon’tgetoverashock，suchasI’vehad，inaminute。ButI’mgoin’togetoveritandI’mgoin’tostayrighthereanddomywork；I’mgoin’togothroughwithwhatseemstobemyduty，nomatterhowharditis。I’vedoneitafore，andI’lldoitagain。I’vepromised，andIkeepmypromises。Goodnight。"
Shestartedtowardthedoor。Herhusbandsprangfromtheoilbarrel。
"Holdon，"hecried；"youwaitaminute。I’vegotsomethin’tosay。"
Sheshookherhead。"Ican’twait，"shesaid；"I’vegottogo。"
"No，youain’t，neither。Youcanstayaspelllonger，ifyouwantto。"
"Perhaps，butIdon’twantto。"
"Whynot？Whatareyouafraidof？"
"Afraid！Idon’tknowasI’mafraidofanything——thatis，"withacontemptuoussniff，"nothin’Iseearoundhere。"
"ThenwhatareYOUrunnin’awayfor？"
Thiswasputtingthematterinanewlight。Mrs。Bascomregardedherhusbandwithwrathfulamazement，whichslowlychangedtoanamusedsmile。
"Oh，"shesaid，"ifyouthinkI’mrunnin’away，why——"
"Idon’tseewhatelse’tis。IfIain’tscarttohaveyouhere，I
don’tseewhyyoushouldbescarttostay。Setdownonthemstairsagain；Iwanttotalktoyou。"
Theladyhesitatedaninstantandthenreturnedtoherformerseat。
Sethwentbacktohisbarrel。
"Emeline，"hesaid。"I’llstayhereonmyjob。"
Shelookedsurprised，butshenodded。
"I’mgladtohearit，"shesaid。"I’mgladyou’vegotthatmuchspunk。"
"Yup；well，Ihave。Icamedownheretogetclearofeverybody，womenmostofall。Nowtheonewomanthat——that——"
"Thatyou’speciallywantedtogetclearof——"
"No！No！thatain’tthetruth，andyouknowit。Shesetouttogetclearofme——andIletherhaveherway，sameasIdoneineverythingelse。"
"Shedidn’tsetouttogetclearofyou。"
"Shedid。"
"No，shedidn’t。"
"Isayshedid。"
Mrs。Bascomroseoncemore。SethBascom，"shedeclared，"ifallyouwantedmetostayhereforistobeoneofapairofkatydids，hollerin’ateachother，I’mgoin’。I’mnobug；I’mawoman。"
"Emeline，yousetdown。You’vehoveoutawholelotofhintsaboutmynotbein’amanbecauseIrunawayfromyourhouse。DoyouthinkI’dhavebeenmoreofamanifI’dstayedinit？Stayedthereandbeenayallerdogtobekickedoutofonecornerandintoanotherbyyouand——andthatbrother-in-lawofyours。That’sallIwas——adog。"
"Humph！ifadog’stherightbreed——andbigenough——it’shisownfaultifhe’skickedtwice。"
"Notifhecaresmoreforhismasterthanhedoesforhimself——
’taint。"
"Why，yes，itis。Hecanmakehismasterrespecthimbyprovin’heain’tthekindofdogtokick。Andmaybeoneofhismasters——hisrealmaster，forhehadn’toughttohavebutone——mightbeneedin’
therightkindofwatchdogaroundthehouse。Mightbeintroubleher——himself，Imean；andbehopin’andprayin’forthedogtoprotecther——him，Ishouldsay。Andthenthe——"
"Emeline，whatareyoutalkin’about？"
"Oh，nothin’，nothin’。Seth，what’stheuseofustwosettin’hereattwelveo’clockatnightandquarrelin’overwhat’spastandsettled？Isha’n’tdoit，forone。Idon’twanttoquarrelwithyou。"
Sethsighed。"AndIdon’twanttoquarrelwithyou，Emeline，"heagreed。"Asyousay，there’snosenseinit。Dear！dear！this，whenyoucometothinkofit，isthequeerestthingaltogetherthateverwasintheworld，Iguess。Ustwohadallcreationtoroam’roundin，andwelandedatEastboroTwin-Lights。ItseemsalmostasifProvidencedoneit，forsomepurposeorother。"
"Yes；ortheothercritter，forHISpurposes。Howdidyouevercometobekeeperofalight，Seth？"
"Why——why——Idon’tknow。Iusedtobeintheservice，’foreIwenttoseamuch。YourememberItoldyouIdid。AndIsortofdrifteddownhere。Ididn’tcaremuchwhatbecameofme，andIwantedalonesomeholetohidein，andthisfilledthebill。I’vebeenhereeversinceIleft——left——whereIusedtobe。But，Emeline，howdidYOUcomehere？Youansweredanadvertisement，youtoldme；butwhy？"
"’CauseIwantedtodosomethin’toearnmylivin’。Iwasalone，andIrentedmyhouseandboarded。Butboardin’ain’tmuchcomfort，’speciallywhenyouboardwhereeverybodyknowsyou，andknowsyourstory。SoI——"
"Waitaminute。Youwasalone，yousay？Wherewas——wasHE？"
"He？"
"Yes。YouknowwhoImean。"
Hewouldnotspeakthehatedname。Hiswifespokeitforhim。
"Bennie？"sheasked。"Oh，heain’tbeenwithmefor’mosttwoyearnow。He——hewentaway。He’sinNewYorknow。AndIwasaloneandIsawMissGraham’sadvertisementforahousekeeperandansweredit。
Ineededthemoneyand——"
"Holdon！Youneededthemoney？Why，youhadmoney。"
"Abnerleftmealittle，butitdidn’tlastforever。And——"
"Youhadmore’nalittle。Iwrotetobankfolksthereandturnedovermyaccounttoyou。AndIsent’emapowerofattorneyturnin’
oversomestocks——youknowwhattheywas——toyou，too。Idonethatsoon’sIgottoBoston。Didn’ttheytellyou？"
"Yes，theytoldme。"
"Well，then，thatoughttohavehelpedalong。"
"Youdon’ts’poseItookit，doyou？"
"Why——whynot？"
"Whynot！Doyous’poseI’dusethemoneythatbelongedtothehusbandthatrunoffandleftme？Iain’tthatkindofawoman。
Themoneyandstocksareatthebankyet，Is’pose；anyhowthey’rethereforallofme。"
Thelightkeeper’smouthopenedandstayedopenforsecondsbeforehecoulduseitasatalkingmachine。Hecouldscarcelybelievewhathehadheard。
"But——butIwantedyoutohaveit，"hegasped。"Ileftitforyou。"
"Well，Ididn’ttakeit；’tain’tlikely！"withfieryindignation。
"DidyouthinkIcouldbeboughtofflikea——amean——oh，Idon’tknowwhat？"
"But——butIleftitatthebank——foryou。What——what’llIdowithit？"
"Idon’tknow，I’msure。YoumightgiveittoSarahAnnChristy；I
wouldn’twonderifshewaslessparticularthanIbe。"
Seth’sgunswerespiked，forthemoment。Hefeltthebloodrushtoface，andhisfists，ashebrandishedthemintheair，trembled。
"I——I——you——you——"hestammered。"I——I——youthinkI——"
Heknewthathiscompanionwouldregardhisagitationasanevidenceofconsciousguilt，andthisknowledgedidnothelptocalmhim。Hestrodeupanddownthefloor。
"Lookout，"saidMrs。Bascom，coldly，"you’llkickoverthelantern。"
Herhusbandstoppedinhisstride。"Darnthelantern！"heshouted。
"S-sh-sh！you’llwakeuptheBrownman。"
Thiswarningwasmoreeffective。ButSethwasstillfurious。
"EmelineBascom，"hesnarled，shakinghisforefingerinherface，"you’vesaidoverandoverthatIwa’n’taman。Youhave，haven’tyou？"
Shewaslookingathisshirtcuff，thenbutafewinchesfromhernose。
"Whosewedonthatbutton？"sheasked。
Thiswassounexpectedthathiswrathwas，fortheinstant，displacedbyastonishment。
"What？"heasked。"Whatbutton？"
"Thatoneonyourshirtsleeve。Whosewediton？"
"Why，Idid，ofcourse。Whatacrazyquestionthatis！"
Shesmiled。"Iguessedyoudid，"shesaid。"Nobodybutamanwouldsewawhitebuttononawhiteshirt——oronethatwaswhiteonce——
withblackthread。"
Helookedatthebuttonandthenather。Hisangerreturned。
"YousaidIwa’n’taman，didn’tyou？"hedemanded。
"Yes，Idid。ButI’llhavetotakepartofitback。You’rehalfamananyhow；thatsewin’provesit。"
"Huh！Iwanttoknow。Well，maybeIain’taman；maybeI’monlyhalfaone。ButIain’tafool！Iain’tafool！"
Shesighedwearily。"Well，allright，"sheadmitted。"Isha’n’targueit。"
"Youneedn’t。Iain’t——oranyhowIain’tanEVERLASTIN’fool。Andnobodybuttheeverlastin’estofallfoolswouldchaseSarahAnnChristy。Ididn’t。Thatwholebusinesswasjustoneofyour——yourBennieD。’slies。Youknowthat，too。"
"Iknowsomeonelied；Iheard’em。Theydeniedseein’SarahAnn，andIsaw’emwithher——withmyowneyesIsaw’em……Butthere，there，"sheadded；"thisisenoughofsuchtalk。I’mgoin’
now。"
"Ididn’tlie；Iforgot。"
"Allright，then，youforgot。Iain’tjealous，Seth。Iwa’n’tevenjealousthen。EventhenIgiveyouachance，andyoudidn’ttakeit——you’forgot’instead。I’mgoin’backtothebungalow，butaforeIgolet’sunderstandthis：you’retostayhereatthelights，andI
staywhereIamashousekeeper。Wedon’tseeeachotheranyoftenerthanwehaveto，andthenonlywhennobodyelseisaround。Wewon’tletmyMissGrahamnoryourBrownnoranybodyknowwe’veevermetafore——oraremeetin’now。Isthatit？"
Sethhesitated。"Yes，"hesaid，slowly，"Iguessthat’sit。But，"
headded，anxiously，"I——Iwishyou’dbe’speciallycarefulnottoletthatyoungfellerwho’sworkin’formeknow。Himandmehada——
asortofagreementand——andI——I——"
"Hesha’n’tknow。Good-by。"
Shefumbledwiththelatchoftheheavydoor。Hesteppedforwardandopeneditforher。Thenightwasverydark；aheavyfog，almostarain，haddriftedinwhiletheyweretogether。Shedidn’tseemtonoticeormindthefogorblackness，butwentoutanddisappearedbeyondthefaintradiancewhichthelanterncastthroughtheopendoor。Sheblunderedonandturnedthecornerofthehouse；thensheheardstepsbehindher。
"Whoisit？"shewhispered，insomealarm。
"Me，"whisperedthelightkeeper，gruffly。"I’llgowithyouaways。"
"No，ofcourseyouwon’t。I’mgoin’alone。"
"It’stoodarkforyoutogoalone。You’lllosetheway。"
"I’mgoin’alone，Itellyou！Goback。Idon’twantyou。"
"Iknowyoudon’t；butI’mgoin’。You’llfetchupinthecoveorsomewheresifyoutrytonavigatethispathonyourownhook。"
"Isha’n’t。I’musedtofindin’myownway，andI’mgoin’alone——asI’vehadtodoforagoodwhile。Goback。"
Shestoppedshort。Sethstopped，also。
"Goback，"sheinsisted，addingscornfully："Idon’tcareforyourhelpatall。I’mpartic’laraboutmycompany。"
"Iain’t，"sullenly。"Anyhow，I’mgoin’topilotyouaroundtheendofthatcove。Yousha’n’tsayIletyougetintotroublewhenI
mighthavekeptyououtofit。"
"Say？WhowouldIsayitto？ThinkI’msoproudofthisnight’scruisethatI’llbragofit？WILLyougoback？"
"No。"
Theydescendedthehill，Mrs。Bascominadvance。Shecouldnotseethepath，butplungedangrilyonthroughthedrippinggrassandbushes。
"Emeline——Emeline，"whisperedSeth。Shepaidnoattentiontohim。
Theyreachedthefootoftheslopeandsuddenlytheladyrealizedthathershoes，alreadywet，werenowankledeepinwater。Andthereseemedtobewateramidthelonggrassallabouther。
"Why？Whatintheworld？"sheexclaimedinvoluntarily。"Whatisit？"
"Thesaltmarshattheendofthecove，"answeredthelightkeeper。
"Itoldyouyou’dfetchupinitifyoutriedtogoalone。Beentryin’totellyouyouwasoffthetrack，butyouwouldn’tlistentome。"
Andshewouldnotlistentohimnow。Turning，shesplashedpasthim。
"Holdon，"hewhispered，seizingherarm。"Thatain’ttheway。"
Sheshookherselffromhisgrasp。
"WILLyouletmebe，andmindyourownbusiness？"shehissed。
"No，Iwon’t。I’vesetouttogetyouhome，andI’lldoitifI
havetocarryyou。"
"Carryme？You？YouDARE！"
Hisanswerwastopickherupinhisarms。Shewasnolightweight，andshefoughtandwriggledfiercely，butSethwasbigandstrongandheheldhertight。Shedidnotscream；shewastooanxiousnottowakeeitherthesubstituteassistantorMissGraham，butshemadeherbearerallthetroubleshecould。Theysplashedonforsomedistance；thenSethsetheronherfeet，andbeneaththemwasdryground。
"There！"hegrumbled，breathlessly。"NowIcal’lateyoucan’tmisstherestofit。There’sthebungalowrightinfrontofyou。"
"You——you——"shegasped，chokingly。
"Ugh！"gruntedherhusband，andstalkedoffintothedark。
CHAPTERXI
BEHINDTHESANDDUNE
"Afoglastnight，wasn’tthere？"inquiredBrown。Breakfastwasover，andSethwaspreparingforhisday’ssleep。
"Yes，someconsider’ble，"wasthegruffanswer；then，moresharply，"How’dyouknow？’Twasallgonethismornin’。"
"Oh，Iguessed，that’sall。"
"Humph！Guessed，hey？Youwa’n’tupinthenight，wasyou？"
"No。Sleptlikeatopallthrough。"
"Humph！……Well，that’sgood；sleep’sagoodthing。Cal’lateI’llturninandgetalittlemyself。"
Hemovedtowardthelivingroom。Atthedoorhepausedandaskedanotherquestion。
"How’dyou——er——guesstherewasfoglastnight？"heinquired。
"Oh，thatwaseasy；everything——grassandbushes——weresowetthismorning。Thosebootsofyours，forexample，"pointingtothepairthelightkeeperhadjusttakenoff，"theylookasifyouhadwornthemwading。"
Hisbackwastowardhissuperiorashespoke，thereforehedidnotseethestartwhichthelattergaveatthisinnocentobservation，northehorrifiedglareatthesoakedboots。ButhecouldnothelpnoticingthechangeinSeth’svoice。
"Wa——wadin’？"repeatedAtkinsfaintly。"What’sthatyousay？"
"Isaidthebootswereaswetasifyouhadbeenwading。Why？"
"Wha——whatmadeyousayafoolthinglikethat？HowcouldIgowadin’ontopofalighthouse？"
"Idon’tknow……There，there！"impatiently，"don’taskanymorequestions。Ididn’tsayyouhadbeenwading，andIdidn’tsupposeyoureallyhad。Iwasonlyjoking。WhatISthematterwithyou？"
"Nothin’……nothin’。Soyouwasjustjokin’，hey？Ha，ha！Yes，yes，wadin’upinalighthousewouldbeaprettygoodjoke。I——I
didn’tseeitatfirst，youknow。Ha，ha！Ithoughtyoumustbeoffyourhead。Thoughtyou’dbeenswimmin’toomuchorsomethin’。
Solong，I’mgoin’tobed。"
Butnowitwasthehelper’sturntostartandstammer。
"Wait！"hecried。"What——whatdidyousayaboutmy——er——swimming，wasit？"
"Oh，nothin’，nothin’。Iwasjustjokin’，sameasyouwasaboutthewadin’。Ha，ha！"
"Ha，ha！"
Bothlaughedwithgreatheartiness。Thedoorshutbetweenthem，andeachstareddoubtfullyathissideofitforseveralmomentsbeforeturningaway。
ThatforenoonwasadismaloneforJohnBrown。Histroublesomeconscience，stirredbySeth’sreferencetoswimming，wasagaininfullworkingorder。Hetriedtostifleitsreproaches，triedtogivehisentireattentiontohislaborsaboutthelightsandinthekitchen，buttheconsciousnessofguiltwastoostrong。Hefeltmeanandtraitorous，aBenedictArnoldonasmallscale。HehadcertainlytreatedAtkinsshabbily；Atkins，themanwhotrustedhimandbelievedinhim，whomhehadloftilyreprovedfor"spying"andthenbetrayed。Yet，inawayhistreason，sofar，hadbeenunavoidable。Hehadpromised——hadevenOFFEREDtoteachtheGrahamgirlthe"sidestroke。"Hehadnotmeanttomakesuchanofferorpromise，butFatehadtrickedhimintoit，andhecouldnot，asagentleman，backoutaltogether。Hehadbeencompelledtogiveheronelesson。Butheneednotgiveheranother。Heneednotmeetheragain。Hewouldnot。HewouldkeeptheagreementwithSethandforgetthetenantsofthebungalowaltogether。GoodoldAtkins！
GoodoldSeth，thewoman-hater！Howtruehewastohiscreed，thecreedwhichhe，Brown，hadsolatelyprofessed。Itwasagoodcreed，too。Womenwereatthebottomofalltheworld’stroubles。
Theydeservedtobehated。Hewouldnever，never——
"Well，byGeorge！"heexclaimedaloud。
Hewaslookingoncemoreatthelightkeeper’sbigleatherboots。
Oneofthemwaslyingonitsside，andtheupturnedsoleandheelwerethicklycoatedwithblueclay。Hecrossedtheroom，pickedupthebootsandexaminedthem。Eachwassmearedwiththeclay。Heputthemdownagain，shookhishead，wanderedovertotherocking-
chairandsatdown。
Sethhadcleanedandgreasedthosebootsbeforehewenttobedthedaybefore；Brownhadseenhimdoingit。Hehadputthemonaftersupper，justbeforegoingonwatch；thesubstituteassistanthadseenhimdothat，also。Therefore，theclaymusthavebeenacquiredsometimeduringtheeveningornightjustpast。Andcertainlytherewasnoclayatthe"topofthelighthouse，"oranywhereintheneighborhoodexceptatonespot——thesaltmarshattheinnerendofthecove。Sethmusthavevisitedthatmarshinthenighttime。Butwhy？And，ifhehaddoneso，whydidhenotmentionthefact？And，nowthatthehelperthoughtofit，whyhadhebeensoagitatedatthecasualremarkconcerningwading？Whatwasheupto？NowthattheDaisyM。andstoryofthewifewerenolongersecrets，whathadSethAtkinstoconceal？
Brownthoughtandguessedandsurmised，butguessesandsurmiseswerefruitless。Hefinishedhisdishwashingandbegananotheroftheloathedhousekeepingtasks，thatofrummagingthepantryandseeingwhateatableswereavailableforhisluncheonandtheeveningmeal。
Hespreadthevariousoddsandendsonthekitchentable，preparatorytotakingaccountofstock。Apartofaslabofbacon，asaltcodfish，somecoldclamfritters，afewmolassescookies，andhalfaloafofbread。Hehadgottenthusfarintheinventorywhenashadowdarkenedthedoorway。HeturnedandsawMrs。Bascom，thebungalowhousekeeper。
"Goodmornin’，"saidMrs。Bascom。
Brownansweredcoldly。Whyonearthwasitalwayshislucktobepresentwhenthesefemalenuisancesmadetheirappearance？Andwhycouldn’ttheylethimalone，justashehaddeterminedtoletthemalone——inthefuture？OfcoursehewasgladthatthecallerwasnotMissGraham，butthisonewasbadenough。
"Morning，"hegrunted，andtookanotherdish，thisonecontainingasectionofdryandancientcake，Seth’smanufacture，fromthepantry。
"Whatyoudoin’？Gettin’breakfastthistimeofday？"askedthehousekeeper，enteringthekitchen。Shehadasmallbowlinherhand。
"No，"repliedBrown。
"Dinner，then？Prettyearlyforthat，ain’tit？"
"Iamnotgettingeitherbreakfastordinner——orsupper，madam，"
repliedthehelper，withemphasis。"IsthereanythingIcandoforyou？"
"Well，Idon’tknowbutthereis。Icomeoverhopin’youmight。
How’sthestings？"
"Thewhat？"
"Thewaspbites。"
"They’reall，right，thankyou。"
"You’rewelcome，I’msure。Didyouputthecoldmudon’em，sameasItoldyouto？"
"No……Whatwasityouwanted？"
Mrs。Bascomlookedaboutforaseat。Therockerwasattheoppositesideoftheroom，andtheotherchaircontainedagarmentbelongingtoMr。Atkins，onewhichthatgentleman，withcharacteristicdisregardoftheconventionalities，haddiscardedbeforeleavingthekitchenandhadforgottentotakewithhim。Theladypickedupthegarment，lookedatit，andsatdowninthechair。
"Yourbossistobed，Is’poselikely？"sheasked。
"YoumeanMr。Atkins？Isupposelikelyheis。"
"Um。Ijudgedhewasby"——withaglanceatthegarmentwhichshestillheld——"thelooksofthings。WhatintheworldAREyoudoin’——
cleanin’house？"
Theyoungmansighedwearily。"Yes，"hesaidwithforcedresignation，"somethingofthatsort。"
"Seein’whattherewastoeat，Iguess。"
"Youguessright。Yousaidyouhadanerrand，Ithink。"
"DidI？Well，IcometoseeifIcouldn’t……What’sthatstuff？
Cake？"
Sherose，pickedupasliceofthedrycake，brokeitbetweenherfingers，smelledofit，andreplaceditontheplate。
"’Tiscake，ain’tit？"sheobserved；"oritwas，sometimeorother。
Whomadeit？You？"
"No。"
"Oh，yourboss，Mr。——er——Atkins，hey？"
"Yes。Consideringthatthereareonlytwoofushere，andIdidn’tmakeit，itwouldseemprettycertainthathemusthave。"
"Yes，Iguessthat’sright；unless’twassomethatwashedashorefromNoah’sArk，andit’stoodryforthat。Whatoneartharethese？"pickinguponeofthemolassescookies；"stovelids？"
Browngrinned，inspiteofhisannoyance。
"Thosearesupposedtobecookies，"headmitted。
"Arethey？Yes，yes。Mr。Atkinsresponsibleforthem？"
"No——o。I’mafraidthoseareoneofmyexperiments，underMr。
Atkins’sdirectionsandorders。I’mratherproudofthosecookies，myself。"
"You’doughttobe。There，there！"withasmile，"IguessyouthinkI’mprettyfreewithmycriticismandremarks，don’tyou？Youmustexcuseme。Housekeepin’——’speciallythecookin’part——ismyhobby，asyoumightsay，andIwasinterestedtoseehowacoupleofmengotalongwiththejob。Imustn’tsetaroundandkeepyoufromyourwork。Youmightwanttomakesomemorecookies，orsomethin’。"
Thesubstituteassistantlaughedaloud。"Iwasn’tthinkingofit，"
hesaid；"butIshallbegladtomaketheattemptifitwouldaffordyouamusement。"
Mrs。Bascomlaughed，too。"Iguessyou’rebetternaturedthanI
thoughtyouwas，"sheobserved。"Itmightamusemesome，Iwilladmit，butIain’tgotthetime。Icametoborrowsomebutter，ifyou’vegotanytospare。Downherewe’reasfarfromsuppliesasthefellerthatruntheArkIwasmentionin’，oldNoahhimself。"
Browntookthebowlfromherhandsandwenttothepantrytogetthebutter。Whenheturnedagainshewasstandingbythedoor，onehandhiddenbeneathherapron。Shetookthebowlwiththeother。
"Muchobliged，"shesaid。"I’llfetchthisbacksoon’sthegrocerycartcomes。MissGrahammadearrangementstohavehimdriveacrosseverySaturday。Or，rather，Iarrangedforitmyself。Herhead’stoofullofpaintin’andscenerytothinkofmuchelse。Itellheryoucan’teatanilepaintin’——unlessyou’rebornagoat。Good-by。"
Shewentaway。Brownchuckledandwentonwithhisaccountofstock。
Seth"turnedout"ratherearlythatday。Athalfpastoneheappearedinthekitchen，partiallydressed。
"Whereintimeismyshirt？"hedemandedimpatiently。
"Yourwhat？"
"Myshirt。IthoughtItookitoffouthere。CouldhaveswornI
did。GuesslikelyIdidn’t，though。Mustbegettin’absent-
minded。"
Hewasonhiswaybacktothebedroomwhenhishelpercalled。
"Youdidtakeitoffouthere，"hecried。"Itwasonthatchairthere。Irememberseeingit。Probablyithasfallenonthefloorsomewhere。"
Atkinsreturned，grumblingthatthekitchenfloorwasa"healthyplacetoheaveashirt。"
"Whereisit？"heaskedafterahurriedsearch。"Ican’tfinditnowheres。Didn’tputitinthefire，didye？"
"OfcourseIdidn’t。Isawit……Why，Irememberthatwoman’spickingitupwhenshesatdown。"
"Woman？Whatwoman？"
"ThatBaskin——Buskin——whateverhernameis。Thehousekeeperatthebungalow。"
"Wasshe——HERE？"Seth’squestionwasalmostashout。Hishelperstaredathim。
"Yes，"heanswered；"shewas。Shecametoborrowsomebutter。"
"To——toborrow——butter？"
"Why，yes。Youdidn’tthinkIinvitedherinforamorningcall，didyou？Don’tactasifyouhadbeenstruckbylightning。It’snotsoveryserious。We’vegottoexpectsometroubleofthatkind。
IgotridofherassoonasIcould。"
"You——youdid？"
"Yes，Idid。Youshouldthankme。Iamondutyduringtheday，andIsupposemostofthatsortofthingwillfallonme。You’relucky。
Ourneighborsaren’tlikelytomakemanycallsafterdark……
What’sthematternow？Whyareyoulookingatmelikethat？"
Sethwalkedtothedoorandleanedagainstthepost。Brownrepeatedhisquestion。"WhatISthematter？"heasked。"YouactjustasyoudidwhenIfirsthappenedintothisforsak——thisplace。Ifyou’vegotanymorehideoussecretsupyoursleeveI’mgoingtoquit。"
"Secrets！"Atkinslaughed，ortriedto。"Iain’tgotanysecrets，"
hedeclared，"anymorethanyouhave。"
Thelatterhalfofthisspeechshutofffurtherquestioning。Brownturnedhastilyaway，andthelightkeeperwentintohisbedroomandfinisheddressing。
"Findyourshirt？"askedtheyoungmananhourorsolater。
"Hey？Yes，yes；Ifoundit。"
"Inyourroom？That’sodd。IcouldhaveswornIsawitouthere。
Isthatityou’rewearing？"
"Hey？No。Thatwas——wassortofs’iled，soIputonmyotherone。
I——Ical’lateI’llgooverandworkontheDaisyM。aspell，unlessyouneedme。"
"Idon’tneedyou。Goahead。"
ThetimedraggedforJohnBrownafterhissuperior’sdeparture。
Therewasworkenoughtobedone，buthedidnotfeellikedoingit。
Hewanderedaroundthehouseandlights，gloomy，restlessanddespondent。Occasionallyheglancedattheclock。
Itwasabeautifulafternoon，justtheafternoonforaswim，andhewasdebarredfromswimming，notonlythatday，butforallthesummerdaystocome。NomatterwhatSeth’snewsecretmightbe，itwassurelynotconnectedwiththefemalesex，andBrownwouldbetruetothesolemncompactbetweenthem。HecouldnotbatheinthecovebecauseMissGrahamwouldbethere。
Atfouro’clockhestoodintheshadowofthelighttowerlookingacrossthecove。AshelookedhesawMissGraham，inbathingattire，emergefromthebungalowanddescendthebluff。Shedidnotseehimand，tomakesurethatshemightnot，hedodgedbackoutofsight。Thenhesawsomethingelse。
Outonthedunesbackofthebarnhecaughtaglimpseofafiguredartingtocoverbehindaclumpofbushes。Thefigurewasafamiliarone，butwhatwasitdoingthere？Hewatchedthebushes，buttheydidnotmove。Thenheenteredthehouse，wentupstairs，andcautiouslypeeredfromthebackatticwindow。
Thebushesremainedmotionlessforsomeminutes。Thentheystirredeversoslightly，andabovethemappearedtheheadofSethAtkins。
Sethseemedtobewatchingthecoveandthelights。Foranotherminutehepeeredoverthebushes，firstatthebathingwatersbelowandthenathisowndwelling。Browngroundhisteeth。Thelight-
keeperwas"spying"again，waswatchingtoseeifheviolatedhiscontract。
Butno，thatcouldnotbe，fornowSeth，apparentlysurethatthecoastwasclear，emergedfromhishidingplaceandraninastoopingpostureuntilhereachedanotherclumpfurtheroffandnearertheendofthecove。Heremainedthereaninstantandthenran，stillcrouching，untilhedisappearedbehindahighduneattherearofthebungalow。Andtherehestayed；atleastBrowndidnotseehimcomeout。
Whathedidsee，however，wasjustasastonishing。Thelandwarddoorofthebungalowopened，andMrs。Bascom，thehousekeeper，steppedoutintotheyard。Sheseemedtobelisteningandlooking。
Apparentlyshemusthaveheardsomething，forshemovedawayforsomelittledistanceandstoodstill。Then，abovetheedgeofthedune，showedSeth’sheadandarm。Hebeckonedtoher。Shewalkedbrisklyacrosstheinterveningspace，turnedtheragged，grass-growncorneroftheknollanddisappeared，also。Brown，scarcelybelievinghiseyes，waitedandwatched，buthesawnomore。NeitherSethnorthehousekeepercameoutfrombehindthatdune。
Butthesubstituteassistanthadseenenough——quiteenough。SethAtkins，Seth，thewoman-hater，themanwhohadthreatenedhimwithallsortsofpenaltiesifheeversomuchaslookedatafemale，wasmeetingoneofthesexhimself，meetingheronthesly。WhatitmeantBrowncouldnotimagine。ProbablyitexplainedtheclaysmearsonthebootsandSeth’sdiscomfitureofthemorning；butthatwasimmaterial。Thefact，theoneessentialfact，wasthis：thecompactwasbroken。Sethhadbrokenit。Brownwasrelievedofallresponsibility。Ifhewishedtoswiminthatcove，nomatterwhomightbethere，hewasperfectlyfreetodoit。Andhewoulddoit，byGeorge！Hehadbeenbetrayed，scandalously，meanlybetrayed，anditwouldservethebetrayerrightifhepaidhiminhisowncoin。
Hedarteddowntheatticstairs，randownthepathtotheboathouse，hurriedlychangedhisclothesforhisbathingsuit，ranalongtheshoreofthecreekandplungedin。
MissGrahamwavedahandtohimasheshookthewaterfromhiseyes。
Overbehindthesandduneamoreorlessinterestinginterviewwastakingplace。Seth，havingmadesurethathiswhistleswereheardandhissignalsseen，sankdownintheshadowandawaiteddevelopments。Theywerenotlongincoming。Afirmfootstepcrunchedthesand，andMrs。Bascomappeared。
"Well，"sheinquiredcoldly，"what’sthematternow？"
Mr。Atkinswavedanagitatedhand。
"Setdown，"hebegged。"Scoochdownoutofsight，Emeline，forthelandsakes。Don’tstanduptherewhereeverybodycanseeyou。"
Theladyrefusedto"scooch。"
"IfIain’tashamedofbein’seen，"sheobserved，"Idon’tknowwhyyoushouldbe。Whatareyoudoin’overhereanyhow；skippin’’roundinthesandlikeahoptoad？"
Thelightkeeperrepeatedhisplea。
"Dosetdown，Emeline，please，"heurged。"Ithoughtyouandme’dagreedthatnobody’doughttoseeustogether。"
Mrs。Bascomgatheredherskirtsaboutherandwithgreatdeliberationseatedherselfuponahummock。
"Wedidhavesomesuchbargain，"shereplied。"That’swhyIcan’tunderstandyourhidin’atmybackdoorandwhistlin’andwavin’likeayoungone。Whatdidyoucomeherefor，anyway？"
Sethansweredwithrighteousindignation。
"Icomeformyshirt，"hedeclared。
"Yourshirt？"
"Yes，myothershirt。Ileftitinthekitchenthismornin’，andthat——thathelperofminesaysyouwasinthechairalongwithit。"
"Humph！DidhehavetheimpudencetosayItookit？"
"No——o。No，coursehedidn’t。Butit’sgoneand——and——"
"WhatwouldIwantofyourshirt？Didn’tthinkIwascal’latin’towearit，didyou？"
"No，but——"
"Ishouldhopenot。Iain’taDoctorMaryWalker，orwhateverhernameis。"
"Butyoudidtakeit，justthesame。I’msartinyoudid。Youmusthave。"
Thelady’smouthrelaxed，andtherewasatwinkleinhereye。