第7章
"Allright，Seth，"shesaid。"SupposeIdid；whatthen？"
"Iwantitback，that’sall。"
"Youcanhaveit。Nowwhatdoyous’poseItookitfor？"
"I——I——Idon’tknow。"
"Youdon’tknow？Humph！DidyouthinkIwantedtokeepitasasouveneeroflastnight’sdoin’s？"
Hercompanionlookedratherfoolish。Hepickedupahandfulofsandandsifteditthroughhisfingers。
"No——o，"hestammered。"I——Iknowhowpartic’laryouare——youusedtobeaboutsuchthings，andIthoughtmaybeyoudidn’tlikethewaythatbuttonwassewedon。"
Heglancedupatherwithanembarrassedsmile，whichbroadenedashenoticedherexpression。
"Well，"sheadmitted，"youguessedright。There’ssomethingsI
can’tbeartohaveinmyneighborhood，andyourkindofsewin’isoneof’em。Besides，Iowedyouthatmuchforkeepin’meoutofthewetlastnight。"
"Oh！Ijudgedbythewayyoulitintomeforluggin’youacrostthatmarshthatallyouowedmewasagrudge。IDIDlugyou，though，inspiteofyourkickin’，didn’tI？"
Henoddedwithgrimtriumph。Shesmiled。
"Youdid，that’safact，"shesaid。"Iwasprettymadatthetime，butwhenIcometothinkitoverIfeltdiff’rent。AnyhowI’vesewedonthosebuttonsthewaythey’doughttobe。"
"Muchobliged。Iguessthey’llstaynowforaspell。Youalwayscouldsewonbuttonsbetter’nanybodyeverIsee。"
"Humph！"……Then，afteranintervalofsilence："Whatareyougrinnin’toyourselfabout？"
"Hey？……Oh，Iwasjustthinkin’howyoumendedupthatRogersyoungone’sdudswhenhefelloutofourBartlettpeartree。HewastheraggedestmesseverIcomeacrostwhenIpickedhimup。Yellin’
likeawildthinghewas，andhisclotheshalftoreoff。"
"Nowonderheyelled。Caughtstealin’pears——heexpectedtobethrashedforthat——andheKNEWMelindyRogerswouldwhiphim，fortearin’hisSundaysuit。Poorlittlething！LeastIcoulddowastomakehisclotheswhole。Ialwayspityachildwithastepmother，specialwhenshe’sMelindy’skind。"
"What’sbecomeofthemRogerses？Stilllivin’inthePerryhouse，arethey？"
"No。OldAbelPerryturned’emoutofthatwhentherentgotbehind。He’sthemeanestskinflintthateverstrainedskimmilk。
Hegotmarriedagainayearago。"
"NO！Whowasthevictim？SomebodyfromtheFeeble-MindedHome？"
ShegavethenameofMr。Perry’sbride，andbeforetheyknewitthepairweredeepinvillagegossip。FormanyminutestheydiscussedthehappeningsintheCapeAnnhamlet，andthenSethwasrecalledtothepresentbyacasualglanceathiswatch。
"Land！"heexclaimed。"Lookatthetime！Thistalkwithyouhasseemedso——sonaturalandold-timey，that……Well，I’vegottogo。"
Hewasscramblingtohisfeet。Shealsoattemptedtorise，butfounditdifficult。
"Here，"hecried，"givemeyourhand。I’llhelpyouup。"
"Idon’twantanyhelp。Letmealone。LetmeALONE，Itellyou。"
Hisanswerwastoseizeheraboutthewaistandswingherbodilytoherfeet。Shewasflushedandembarrassed。Thenshelaughedshortlyandshookherhead。
"Whatareyoulaughin’at？"hedemanded，peeringovertheknolltomakesurethatneitherJohnBrownnorMissGrahamwasinsight。
"Oh，notmuch，"sheanswered。"Youkindofsurpriseme，Seth。"
"Why？"
"’Causeyou’vechangedso。"
"Changed？How？"
"Oh，changed，that’sall。Youseemtohavemorespunkthanyouusedtohave。"
"Humph！Thinkso，doyou？"
"Yes，Ido。Ithinkbein’alightkeepermustbegoodforsomefolks——somekindoffolks。"
"Iwanttoknow！"
"Yes，youbetterbecareful，oryou’llbearealmansomeday。"
Hisanswerwasanangrystareandasnort。Thenheturnedonhisheelandwasstridingoff。
"Wait！"shecalled。"Holdon！Don’tyouwantyourshirt？Stayhere，andI’llgointothehouseandfetchit。"
Hewaited，sullenandreluctant，untilshereturnedwiththearticleofapparelinonehandandtheotherconcealedbeneathherapron。
"Hereitis，"shesaid，presentingtheshirttohim。
"Thankyou，"hegrumbled，takingit。"Muchobligedforsewin’onthebutton。"
"You’rewelcome。Itsquaresusforyourpilotin’meoverthemarsh，that’sall。’Twa’n’tanyfavor；Iowedittoyou。"
Hewasturningtheshirtoverinhishands。
"Well，"hebegan，thenstoppedandlookedfixedlyatthegarment。
"Iseeyou’vemendedthatholeinthesleeve，"hesaid。"Youdidn’towemethat，didyou？"
Shechangedcolorslightly。
"Oh，"shesaid，withatossofherhead，"that’snothin’。Justforgoodmeasure。Inevercouldabideragsonanybodythat——thatIhadtolookatwhetherIwantedtoornot。"
"’Twasrealgoodofyoutomendit，Emeline。Say，"hestirredthesandwithhisboot，"youmentionedthatyoucal’latedI’dchangedsome，wasmoreofamanthanIusedtobe。Doyouknowwhy？"
"No。Unless，"withsarcasm，"itwasbecauseIwa’n’taround。"
"Itain’tthat。It’sbecause，Emeline，it’sbecausedownhereI’mnigherbein’whereIbelongthananywhereselsebutoneplace。Thatplaceisatsea。WhenI’monsaltwaterI’maman——youdon’tbelieveit，butIam。OnlandI——Idon’tseemtofitinright。
Keepin’alightlikethisisnextdoortobein’atsea。"
"Seth，Iwanttoaskyouaquestion。Whydidn’tyougotoseawhenyouran——whenyouleftme？Is’posedofcourseyouhad。Whydidn’tyou？"
Helookedatherinsurprise。
"Gotosea？"herepeated。"GotoSEA？HowcouldI？Didn’tI
promiseyouI’dnevergotoseaagain？"
"Wasthatthereason？"
"Sartin。Whatelse？"
Shedidnotanswer。Therewasanoddexpressiononherface。Heturnedtogo。
"Well，good-by，"hesaid。
"Good-by。Er——Seth。"
"Yes；whatisit？"
"I——Iwanttotellyou，"shestammered，"thatIappreciatedyourleavin’thatmoneyandstocksatthebankinmyname。Icouldn’ttake’em，ofcourse，but’twasgoodofyou。Iappreciatedit。"
"That’sallright。"
"Wait。Here！Maybeyou’dlikethese。"Shetookthehandfrombeneathherapronandextendedittowardhim。Itheldapanheapedwithobjectsflat，brown，anddeliciouslyfragrant。Helookedatthepananditscontentsuncomprehendingly。
"What’sthem？"hedemanded。
"They’remolassescookies。I’vebeenbakin’，andthesearesomeextryonesIhadleftover。Youcanhave’emifyouwant’em。"
"Why——why，Emeline！thisismightykindofyou。"
"Notamite，"sharply。"Ibakedagoodmanymore’nMissRuthandI
candisposeof，andthatpoorhelpermanofyoursoughttobegladtoget’emafterthecast-ironpound-weightsthatyouandhehavebeentryin’toliveon。Mercyonus！thethoughtsofthecookiesheshowedmethismornin’havestayedinmyheadeversince。MademefeelasifIwaspartlyresponsibleformurder。"
"Butit’skindofyou，justthesame。"
"Rubbish！I’ddoasmuchforapiganyday。There！you’vegotyourshirt；nowyou’dbettergohome。"
Sheforcedthepanofcookiesintohishandandmovedoff。Thelightkeeperhesitated。
"I——I’llfetchthepanbackto-morrer，"hecalledafterherinaloudwhisper。
CHAPTERXII
THELETTERANDTHE’PHONE
Thecookiesappearedonthetablethatevening。Brownnoticedthematonce。
"Whendidyoubakethese？"heasked。
Atkinsmadenoreply，sothequestionwasrepeatedwithavariation。
"Didyoubakethesethisafternoon？"inquiredthesubstituteassistant。
"Humph？Hey？Oh，yes，Iguessso。Why？Anythingthematterwith’em？"
"Matterwiththem？No。They’rethefinestthingsI’vetastedsinceIcamehere。Newreceipt，isn’tit？"
"Cal’lateso。"
"Ithoughtitmustbe。I’lltakeanother。"
Hetookanother，andmanyothersthereafter。Heandhissuperiorclearedtheplatebetweenthem。
Brownwaspreparedforquestionsconcerninghisoccupationoftheafternoonandwasreadywithsomedefiantqueriesofhisown。Butnooccasionaroseforeitherdefianceorcross-examination。Sethneverhintedatasuspicionnormentionedtheyoungladyatthebungalow。Brownthereforeremainedsilentconcerningwhathehadseenfromtheatticwindow。Hewouldholdthatinreserve，andifAtkinseverdidaccusehimofbadfaithorbreachofcontracthecouldretortinkind。Hisconsciencewasclearnow——hewasnomoreofatraitorthanSethhimself——and，thisbeingso，hefeltdelightfullyindependent。Iftroublecamehewasreadyforit，andinthemeantimeheshoulddoashepleased。
Butnotroublecame。Thatday，andformanydaysthereafter，thelightkeeperwassweetnessitself。Heandhishelperhadneverbeenmoreanxioustopleaseeachother，andthehouseatTwin-Lightswas——
toallappearances——anabodeofperfecttrustandpeace。Everyday，whenSethwasasleeporoutoftheway，"workingontheDaisyM。，"theassistantswamtothecove，andeverydayhemetMissGrahamthere！Duringthefirstweekhereturnedfromhisdipsexpectingtobeconfrontedbyhissuperior，andreadywithcounteraccusationsofhisown。Afterthisheceasedtocare。SethdidnotaskaquestionandwassotrustfulandunsuspectingthatBrowndecidedhissecretwasundiscovered。Infact，thelightkeeperwassoinnocentthattheyoungmanfeltalmostwicked，asifheweredeceivingachild。Heverynearlyforgotthemeetingbehindthesanddune，havingotherandmuchmoreimportantthingstothinkof。
Julypassed，andthefirstthreeweeksofAugustfollowedsuit。Theweather，whichhadbeenglorious，suddenlygavethatpartofthecoastasurprisepartyintheformofathreedays’storm。Itwasanoffshoregale，butfierce，andthelighthousebuildingsrockedinitsgrasp。Bathingwasoutofthequestion，andoneofSeth’sdoriesbrokeitsanchorropeandwenttopiecesinthebreakers。
AtkinsandBrownsleptbutlittleduringthestorm，bothbeingondutythegreaterpartofthetime。
Thefourthdaybrokeclear，butthewindhadchangedtotheeastandthebarometerthreatenedmorebadweathertocome。WhenSethcameintobreakfasthefoundhishelpersoundasleepinakitchenchair，hisheadonthetable。Theyoungmanwasprettywellwornout。
Atkinsinsisteduponhisgoingtobedfortheforenoon。
"OfcourseIsha’n’t，"protestedBrown。"It’smywatch，andyouneedsleepyourself。"
"No，Idon’t，neither，"wasthedecidedanswer。"Isleptbetweentimesupinthetower，offandon。Yougoandturnin。I’vegottodriveovertoEastborobyandby，andIwantyoutobewideawakewhileI’maway。Weain’tdonewiththisspellofweatheryet。
We’llhaverainandaneasterlyblowbynight，seeifwedon’t。Yougorightstraighttobed。"
"Ishalldonothingofthesort。"
"Yes，youwill。I’myourbossandIorderyoutodoit。Nobacktalk，now。Go！"
SoBrownwent，unwillingbutverytired。Hewassoundasleepintenminutes。
Sethbusiedhimselfaboutthehouse，occasionallysteppingtothewindowtolookoutattheweather。Anobserverwouldhavenoticedthatbeforeleavingthewindowoneachoftheseoccasions，hisgazeinvariablyturnedtowardthebungalow。Histhoughtsweremoreconstantthanhisgaze；theyneverlefthislittlecottageacrossthecove。Infact，theyhadscarcelyleftitforthepastmonth。
Hewashedthebreakfastdishes，settheroominorder，andwasturningoncemoretowardthewindow，whenheheardafootstepapproachingtheopendoor。Heknewthestep；itwasonewithwhichhehadbeenfamiliarduringotherandhappierdays，andnow，oncemore——afteralltheyearsandhissavagedeterminationtoforgetandtohate——ithadthepowertoawakenstrangeemotionsinhisbreast。
Yethisfirstmovewastorunintothelivingroomandclosehishelper’schamberdoor。Whenhecamebacktothekitchen，shuttingtheliving-roomdoorcarefullybehindhim，Mrs。Bascomwasstandingonthesill。Shestartedwhenshesawhim。
"Landsakes！"sheexclaimed。"You？Ical’lated，ofcourse，youwasabedandasleep。"
Thelightkeeperwavedhishands。
"S-sh-h！"hewhispered。
"WhatshallIs-sh-habout？Youryoungman’sgonesomewhere，I
s’pose，elseyouwouldn’tbehere。"
"No，heain’t。He’sturnedin，tiredout。"
"Oh，thenIguessI’dbettergobackhome。’TwashimIexpectedtosee，else，ofcourse，Ishouldn’thavecome。"
"Oh，Iknowthat，"withasigh。"Where’syourboss，MissGraham？"
"She’sgoneforawalkalongshore。Icameoverto——tobringbackthemeggsIborrowed。"
"Didyou？Wherearethey？"
Thehousekeeperseemedembarrassed，andherplumpcheeksreddened。
"I——IdeclareIforgottobring’emafterall，"shestammered。
"Iwanttoknow。That’sfunny。Youdon’toften——thatis，youdidn’tusetoforgetthingshardlyever，Emeline。"
"Hum！yourememberalot，don’tyou。"
"Iremembermore’nyouthinkIdo，Emeline。"
"That’senoughofthat，Seth。RememberwhatItoldyoulasttimewesaweachother。"
"Oh，allright，allright。Iain’trakin’upbygones。Is’poseI
deserveallI’mgettin’。"
"Is’poseyoudo。Well，long’sIforgottheeggsIguessImightaswellbetrottin’back……You——you’vebeenallright——youandMr。Brown，Imean——forthelastfewdays，whilethestormwasgoin’
on？"
"Um-h’m，"gloomily。"Howaboutyoutwoovertothebungalow？
You’vekeptdryandsnug，Ijudge。"
"Yes。"
"Ididn’tknowbutyoumightbekindofnervousandscartwhen’twasblowin’。Allaloneso。"
"Humph！I’vegotusedtobein’alone。AsforMissRuth，Idon’tthinkshe’sscartofanythin’。"
"Well，Iwassortofnervousaboutyou，ifyouwa’n’taboutyourself。’Twasconsider’bleofagaleofwind。IthoughtonespellI’dblowoutofthetopofthetower。"
"SodidI。Icouldseeyourshadowmovin’’roundupthereonceinawhile。Whatmadeyoucomeoutonthegalleryintheworstofitnightaforelast？"
"Oh，thebirdswassmashin’themselvestopiecesagainsttheglasssameastheyalwaysdoinastorm，andI……Butsay！’twasaftertwelvewhenIcameout。How’dyoucometoseeme？Whatwasyourdoin’upthattimeofnight？"
Mrs。Bascom’scolordeepened。Sheseemedputoutbythequestion。
"Somuchracketabodycouldn’tsleep，"sheexplainedsharply。"I
thoughttheshingleswouldliftrightofftheroof。"
"Butyouwa’n’tlookin’attheshingles。Youwaslookin’atthelighthouses；youjestsaidso。Emeline，wasyoulookin’forme？
Wasyouworriedaboutme？"
Hebentforwardeagerly。
"Hush！"shesaid，"you’llwakeuptheotherwoman-hater。"
"Idon’tcare。Idon’tcareifIwakeupallcreation。Emeline，I
believeyouwasworriedaboutme，sameasIwasaboutyou。More’nthat，"headded，convictionandexultationinhistone，"Idon’tbelieve’twaseggsthatfetchedyouherethismornin’atall。I
believeyoucametofindoutifwe——ifIwasallright。Didn’tyou？"
"Ididn’tcometoSEEyou，besureofthat，"withemphaticscorn。
"Iknow。Butyouwasgoin’toseeBrownandfindoutfromhim。
Answerme。Answermenow，didn’t——"
Shesteppedtowardthedoor。Heextendedanarmandheldherback。
"Youanswerme，"hecommanded。
Shetriedtopasshim，buthisarmwaslikeanironbar。Shehesitatedamomentandthenlaughednervously。
"Youcertainlyhavetooktoorderin’folksroundsincetheolddays，"shesaid。"Why，yes，then；Ididcometofindoutifyouhadn’tgotcold，orsomethin’。You’resuchachildandI’msuchasoft-headedfoolIcouldn’thelpit，Ical’late？"
"Emeline，s’poseIhadgotcold。S’poseyoufoundIwassick——whatthen？"
"Why——why，thenIguesslikelyI’dhaveseenthedoctoronmywaythroughEastboro。Ishallbegoin’thatwayto-morrerwhenIleavehere。"
"Whenyouleavehere？Whatdoyoumeanbythat？"
"JustwhatIsay。MissGraham’sgoin’toBostonto-morrer，andI’mgoin’withher——asfarasthecity。"
"But——butyou’recomin’back！"
"WhatshouldIcomebackherefor？Mysummerjob’sover。Ifyouwanttoknow，myprincipalreasonforcomin’herethismornin’wastosaygood-by——toMr。Brown，ofcourse。"
Seth’sarmdropped。Heleanedheavilyagainstthedoorpost。
"You’regoin’away！"heexclaimed。"You’regoin’away！Where？"
"Idon’tknow。Backhome，Is’pose。ThoughwhatI’lldowhenIgetthereIdon’tknow。I’vesoldthehouse，soIdon’texactlyknowwhereI’llputup。ButIguessI’llfindaplace。"
"You’vesoldyourhouse？Thehouseweusedtolivein？"
"Yes。Themanthat’sbeenhirin’ithasboughtit。I’mglad，forI
needthemoney。Sogood-by，Seth。’Tain’tlikelywe’llmeetagaininthislife。"
Shestartedtowardthedooroncemore，andthistimehewastoogreatlydisturbedandshakenbywhatshehadtoldhimtodetainher。
Atthethreshholdsheturnedandlookedathim。
"Good-by，Seth，"shesaidagain。"Ihopeyou’llbehappy。And，"
withahalfsmile，"ifIwasyouI’dstaykeepin’lights；it，orsomethin’else，hasimprovedyouawholelot。Good-by。"
Thenhesprangforward。"Emeline，"hecried，"Emeline，wait。Youmustn’tgo。Ican’tletyougothisway。I……What’sthat？"
"That"wasthesoundofhorse’sfeetandtherattleofwheels。Thelightkeeperrantothewindow。
"It’sHenryG。’sgrocerycart，"hesaid。"Ical’latehe’sfetchin’
sometruckIorderedlastweek。Doyouwanthimtoseeyouhere？"
"Idon’tcare。Hedon’tknowbutwhatyouandmearethebestoffriends。Yet，Idon’tknow。Maybeit’sjustaswellhedon’tseeme；thenthere’llbenoexcusefortalk。I’llstepinsideandwait。"
Shereturnedtothekitchen，andSethwentouttomeetthewagon。
Itsdriverwastheboywhohadbroughttheflypaperand"Job。"
"Hello，"hailedtheyoungster，pullinginhissteed；"howbeyou，Mr。Atkins？I’vegotsomeofthemthingsyouordered。Therestain’tcomefromBostonyet。Soon’stheydo，HenryG。’llsend’emdown。Howyoufeelin’thesedays？Ain’tboughtnomoredogs，haveyou？"
Sethcurtlyrepliedthathe"wa’n’tspeculatin’indogstonogreatextentanymore，"andtookthepackageswhichtheboyhandedhim。
Withthemwasabundleofnewspapersandanaccumulationofmailmatter。
"Ifetchedthemailforthebungalow，too，"saidtheboy。"There’stwoorthreelettersforthatGrahamgirlandoneforMrs。Bascom。
She’shousekeeperthere，youknow。"
"Yes。Here，youmight’swellleavetheirmailalongwithmine。
I’llseeit’sdelivered，allright。"
"Willyou？Muchobliged。Goin’totakeitoveryourself？Betterlookout，hadn’tyou？ThatGrahamgirl’sapeach；allthefellersatthestore’stalkin’abouther。Seemsapityshe’swastin’hersassietyonawoman-haterlikeyou；that’swhattheysay。Youain’tgettin’overyourfemalehate，areyou？Haw，haw！"
Mr。Atkinsregardedhisquestionerwithsterndisapproval。
"There’ssomethings——suchaschronicsassiness——somefolksnevergetover，"heobservedcaustically。"Thoughwhengreenhidesaretoofreshtheycanbetanned；don’tforgetthat，youngfeller。Anymorechattyremarksyou’vegottoheaveover？No？Well，allright；
thenI’dbetrottin’backhomeifIwasyou。HenryG。’llhavetoshutupshopifyoudeprivehimofyourvaluableservicestoolong。
Gooddaytoyou。"
Thedriver，somewhatabashed，gatheredupthereins。"Ididn’tmeantomakeyoumad，"heobserved。"Anythinginourlineyouwanttoorder？"
"No。I’mcal’latin’togotothevillagemyselfthisafternoon，andifIwantanymoregroceriesI’llorder’emthen。Asformakin’memad——well，don’tyouflatteryourself。Amoskeetercanpesterme，buthedon’tmakememadbutonce——andhisfuneral’sheldrightafterwards。Nowtrotalongandkeepintheshademuchasyoucan。
You’resofreshthesunmightspileyou。"
Theboy，lookingratherfoolish，laughedanddroveoutoftheyard。
Seth，hisarmsfull，wentbacktothekitchen。Hedumpedthepackagesandnewspapersonthetableandbegansortingtheletters。
"Hereyouare，Emeline，"hesaid。"Here’sMissGraham’smailandsomethin’foryou。"
"Forme？"Thehousekeeperwassurprised。"Aletterforme！Whatisit，Iwonder？Somethin’aboutsellin’thehousemaybe。"
Shetooktheletterfromhimandturnedtothelightbeforeopeningit。Sethsatdownintherockerandbeganinspectinghisownassortmentofcircularsandpapers。Suddenlyheheardasoundfromhiscompanion。Glancinguphesawthatshewasleaningagainstthedoorpost，theopenletterinherhand，andonherfaceanexpressionwhichcausedhimtospringfromhischair。
"Whatisit，Emeline？"hedemanded。"Anybadnews？"
Shescarcelynoticedhimuntilhespokeagain。Thensheshookherhead。
"No，"shesaidslowly。"Nothin’but——butwhatImighthaveexpected。"
"Butwhatisit？Itisbadnews。Can’tIhelpyou？Pleaseletme，ifIcan。I——I’dliketo。"
Shelookedathimstrangely，andthenturnedaway。"Iguessnobodycanhelpme，"sheanswered。"Leastofall，you。"
"Whynot？I’dliketo；honest，Iwould。Ifit’saboutthathousebusinessmaybeI——"
"Itain’t"
"Thenwhatisit？Please，Emeline。Iknowyoudon’tthinkmuchofme。Maybeyou’vegotgoodreasons；I’mpasttheplacewhereI’ddenythat。I——I’vebeenfeelin’meaner’nmeanereverydaylately。
I——Idon’tknow’sIdonerightinrunnin’offandleavin’youthewayIdid。Don’tyous’poseyoucouldgivemeanotherchance？
Emeline，I——"
"SethBascom，whatdoyoumean？"
"JustwhatIsay。Emeline，youandmewasmightyhappytogetheronce。Let’stryitagain。Iwill，ifyouwill。"
Shewasstaringathimingoodearnestnow。
"Why，Seth！"sheexclaimed。"Whatareyoutalkin’about？You——thechronicwoman-hater！"
"Thatbeblessed！Iwa’n’treallyawoman-hater。IonlythoughtI
was。And——andIneverhatedyou。RightthroughtheworstofitI
neverdid。Let’stryitagain，Emeline。You’reintrouble。Youneedsomebodytohelpyou。Givemethechance。"
Therewasawistfullookinhereyes；sheseemed，orsohethought，tobewavering。Butsheshookherhead。"Iwasintroublebefore，Seth，"shesaid，"andyoudidn’thelpmethen。Yourunoffandleftme。"
"Youjustasmuchastoldmetogo。Youknowyoudid。"
"No，Ididn’t。"
"Well，youdidn’ttellmetostay。"
"Itneverseemedtomethatahusband——ifhewasaman——wouldneedtobecoaxedtostaybyhiswife。"
"Butdon’tyoucareaboutmeatall？Youusedto；Iknowit。AndI
alwayscaredforyou。Whatisit？Honest，Emeline，younevertookanystockinthatSarahAnnChristydoin’s，youknowyoudidn’t；
now，didyou？"
Shewasclosetotears，butshesmiledinspiteofthem。
"Well，no，Seth，"sheanswered。"IwillconfessthatSarahAnnneverworriedmemuch。"
"ThenDON’Tyoucareforme，Emeline？"
"IcareforyoumuchasIeverdid。Ineverstoppedcarin’foryou，foolthatIam。Butasforlivin’withyouagainandrunnin’theriskof——"
"Youwon’trunanyrisk。YousayI’veimproved，yourself。Yourprincipalfaultwithmewas，asIunderstandit，thatIwastoo——
too——somethin’orother。ThatIwa’n’tmanenough。Byjiminycrimps，I’llshowyouthatI’maman！Givemethechance，andnothin’nornobodycanmakemeleaveyouagain。Besides，there’snobodytocomebetweenusnow。Wewasallrightuntilthat——thatBennieD。camealong。Hewastheonethattookthestarchoutofme。Nowhe’soutoftheway。HEwon’tbotherusanymoreand……
Why，whatisit，Emeline？"
Forshewaslookingathimwithanexpressionevenmorestrange。
Andagainsheshookherhead。
"Iguess，"shebegan，andwasinterruptedbythejingleofthetelephonebell。
Theinstrumentwasfastenedtothekitchenwall，andthelightkeeperhastenedtoanswerthering。
"Testin’thewireafterthestorm，mostlikely，"heexplained，takingthereceiverfromthehook。"Hello！……Hello！……
Yep，thisisEastboroLights……I’mthelightkeeper，yes……
Hey？……MissGraham？……Rightnextdoor……Yes……
WHO？"Then，turningtohiscompanion，hesaidinanastonishedvoice："It’ssomebodywantstotalkwithyou，Emeline。"
"WithME？"Mrs。Bascomcouldhardlybelieveit。"Areyousure？"
"Sotheysay。AskedmeifIcouldgetyoutothe’phonewithoutanytrouble。She’srightherenow，"headded，speakingintothetransmitter。"I’llcallher。"
Thehousekeeperwonderinglytookthereceiverfromhishand。
"Hello！"shebegan。"Yes，thisisMrs。Bascom……Who？……
What？……OH！"
Thelastexclamationwasalmostagasp，butSethdidnothearit。
Asshesteppedforwardtothe’phoneshehaddroppedherletter。
Atkinswentoverandpickeditup。Itlayfacedownwardonthefloor，andthelastpage，withthefinalsentenceandsignature，wasuppermost。Hecouldnothelpseeingit。"Soweshallsoonbetogetherasofold。Yourlovingbrother，Benjamin。"
WhenMrs。Bascomturnedawayfromthe’phoneafteraratherprotractedconversationshelookedmoretroubledthanever。ButSethwasnotlookingather。Hesatintherocking-chairanddidnotmovenorraisehishead。Shewaitedforhimtospeak，buthedidnot。
"Well，"shesaidwithasigh，"IguessImustgo。Good-by，Seth。"
Thelightkeeperslowlyrosetohisfeet。"Emeline，"hestammered，"youain’tgoin’without——"
Hestoppedwithoutfinishingthesentence。Shewaitedamomentandthenfinisheditforhim。
"I’llansweryourquestion，ifthat’swhatyoumean，"shesaid。
"Andtheanswerisno。Allthingsconsidered，Iguessthat’sbest。"
"ButEmeline，I——I——"
"Good-by，Seth。"
"Sha’n’tI，"desperately，"sha’n’tIseeyouagain？"
"Iexpecttobearoundhereforanotherdayorso。ButIcan’tseeanythin’tobegainedbyourmeetin’。Good-by。"
TakingherletterandthoseaddressedtoMissGrahamfromthetableshewentoutofthekitchen。Sethfollowedherasfarasthedoor，thenturnedandcollapsedintherocking-chair。
CHAPTERXIII
"JOHNBROWN"CHANGESHISNAME
"Soweshallsoonbetogetheragainasofold。Yourlovingbrother，Benjamin。"
Thesentencewhichhadmethiseyesashepickedupthenotewhichhiscallerhaddroppedwasstillbeforethem，burnedintohismemory。Benjamin！"BennieD。"！theloathedandfearedandhatedBennieD。，causeofalltheBascommatrimonialheartbreaks，hadwrittentosaythatheandhissister-in-lawweresoontobetogetherastheyusedtobe。Thatmeantthattherehadbeennoquarrel，butmerelyatemporaryseparation。Thatsheandhewerestillfriendly。Thattheyhadbeenincorrespondenceandthatthe"inventor"wascomingbacktotakehisoldplaceasautocratinthehouseholdwithallhisoldinfluenceoverEmeline。Seth’snew-foundcourageandmanhoodhadvanishedatthethought。BennieD。’snamehadscarcelybeenmentionedduringthevariousinterviewsbetweenthelightkeeperandhiswife。Shehadsaidherfirsthusband’sbrotherhadbeeninNewYorkfortwoyears，andhermannerofsayingitledSethtoimagineapermanentseparationfollowingsomesortofdisagreement。Andnow！andnow！HerememberedBennieD。’ssuperiorairs，hispolitesneers，hiswayofturningeverytricktohisadvantageandofpervertingandmisrepresentinghis，Seth’s，mostinnocentspeechandactionintocrimesofthefirstmagnitude。HerememberedthemeaningofthoselastfewmonthsintheCapeAnnhomestead。Allhisfierydeterminationtobewhathehadoncebeen——
SethBascom，theself-respectingmanandhusband——collapsedandvanished。Hegroanedinabjectsurrender。Hecouldnotgothroughitagain；hewasafraid。Ofanyotherpersononearthhewouldnothavebeen，buttheunexpectedresurrectionofBennieD。madehimahesitatingcoward。Thereforehewassilentwhenhiswifelefthim，andherealizedthathisopportunitywasgone，goneforever。
Inuttermiseryandself-hatredhesat，withhisheadinhishands，besidethekitchentableuntileleveno’clock。Thenherose，gotdinner，andcalledBrowntoeatit。Heatenothinghimself，sayingthathe’dlosthisappetitesomehoworother。AfterthemealheharnessedJoshuatothelittlewagonandstartedonhisdrivetoEastboro。"I’llbebackearly，Ical’late，"werehislastwordsashedroveoutoftheyard。
Afterhehadgone，andBrownhadfinishedclearingawayandtheotherhousekeepingtaskswhichwerenowsuchaburden，thesubstituteassistantwentouttositonthebenchandsmoke。Thethreatenedeasterlywindhadbeguntoblow，andtheskywasdarkwithtumblingclouds。Theyoungmanpaidlittleattentiontotheweather，however。Allskiesweregloomysofarashewasconcerned，andthedarkestdaywasnoblackerthanhisthoughts。Occasionallyheglancedatthebungalow，andononesuchoccasionwassurprisedtoseeacarriage，oneoftheturnoutssuppliedbytheEastboroliverystable，rolluptoitsdoorandMrs。Bascom，thehousekeeper，emerge，climbtotheseatbesidethedriver，andbedrivenawayinthedirectionofthevillage。Heidlywonderedwhereshewasgoing，butwasnotparticularlyinterested。When，ahalfhourlater，RuthGrahamleftthebungalowandstrolledoffalongthepathatthetopofthebluff，hewasverymuchinterestedindeed。Herealized，ashehadbeenrealizingforweeks，thathewasmoreinterestedinthatyoungwomanthaninanythingelseonearth。Also，thathehadnoright——miserableoutcastthathewas——tobeinterestedinher；andcertainlyitwouldbethewildestinsanitytoimaginethatshecouldbeinterestedinhim。
Forwhatthelightkeepermightsayordo，intheeventofhissecretbeingdiscovered，hedidnotcareintheleast。Hewaslongpastthatpoint。Andforthebreakingoftheirsolemncompacthedidnotcareeither。Sethmightormightnothaveplayedthetraitor；that，too，wasamatterofnoimportance。Sethhimselfwasofnoimportance；neitherwashe。Therewasbutoneimportantpersoninthewholeworld，andshewasstrollingalongthebluffpathatthatmoment。Thereforehelefthisseatonthebench，hurrieddowntheslopetotheinnerendofthecove，notingabsentlythatthetideofthepreviousnightmusthavebeenunusuallyhigh，climbedtothebungalow，turnedthecorner，andwalkedslowlyinthedirectionofthetrimfigureinthebluesuit，whichwaswalking，evenmoreslowly，justaheadofhim。
ItmaybegatheredthatJohnBrown’sfeelingsconcerningtheoppositesexhadchanged。Theyhad，andhehadchangedinotherways，also。Howmuchofachangehadtakenplacehedidnothimselfrealize，untilthisveryafternoon。Hedidnotrealizeiteventhenuntil，afterheandthegirlinbluehadmet，andthecustomaryexpressionsofsurpriseattheircasualmeetinghadbeenexchanged，theyoungladyseatedherselfonaduneoverlookingthetumblingseaandobservedthoughtfully：
"Ishallmissallthis"——withawaveofherhandtowardthewaves——
"nextweek，whenIambackagaininthecity。"
Brown’scapwasinhishandasshebegantospeak。Aftershehadfinishedhestoopedtopickupthecap，whichhadfallentotheground。
"Youaregoingaway——nextweek？"hesaidslowly。
"Wearegoingto-morrow。IshallremaininBostonforafewdays。
ThenIshallvisitafriendintheBerkshires。AfterthatImayjoinmybrotherinEurope；I’mnotsureastothat。"
"To-morrow？"
"Yes！"
Therewasanotheroneofthoseembarrassingintervalsofsilencewhichoflateseemedtooccursooftenintheirconversation。MissGraham，asusual，wasthefirsttospeak。
"Mr。Brown，"shebegan。Thesubstituteassistantinterruptedher。
"Pleasedon’tcallmethat，"heblurtedinvoluntarily。"It——oh，confoundit，itisn’tmyname！"
Sheshouldhavebeenverymuchsurprised。Heexpectedhertobe。
Insteadsheansweredquitecalmly。
"Iknowit，"shesaid。
"YouDO？"
"Yes。Youare’Russ’Brooks，aren’tyou？"
RussellBrooks，aliasJohnBrown，droppedhiscapagain，butdidnotpickitup。Heswallowedhard。
"Howonearthdidyouknowthat？"heaskedassoonashecouldsayanything。
"Oh，itwassimpleenough。Ididn’treallyknow；Ionlyguessed。
Youweren’tareallightkeeper，thatwasplain。Andyouweren’tusedtowashingdishesordoinghousework——that，"withtheirrepressiblecurlofthecornersofherlips，"wasjustasplain。
WhenyoutoldmethatfibaboutmeetingmybrotherherelastsummerIwassureyouhadmethimsomewhere，probablyatcollege。SoinmynextlettertohimIdescribedyouaswellasIcould，mentionedthatyouwereasgoodorabetterswimmerthanhe，andaskedforparticulars。Heansweredthattheonlyfellowhecouldthinkofwhofittedyourdescriptionwas’Russ’Brooks——Russell，Isuppose——ofNewYork；thoughwhatRussBrookswasdoingaslightkeeper’sassistantatEastboroTwin-LightsheDIDN’Tknow。NeitherdidI。
Butthen，THATwasnotmybusiness。"
Thesubstituteassistantdidnotanswer：hecouldnot，onsuchshortnotice。
"So，"continuedthegirl，"IfeltalmostasifIhadknownyouforalongtime。YouandHoraceweresuchgoodfriendsatcollege，andhehadoftentoldmeofyou。Iwasverygladtomeetyouinreallife，especiallyhere，whereIhadnoonebutMrs。Bascomtotalkto；Mr。
Atkins，byreasonofhisaversiontomyunfortunatesex，beingbarred。"
Mr。Brown’s——orMr。Brooks’——nextspeechharkedbacktoherpreviousone。
"I’lltellyouwhileI’mhere，"hebegan。
"Youneedn’t，unlessyouwish，"shesaid。"Ihavenorighttoknow"——adding，withcharacteristicfemininity，"thoughI’mdyingto。"
"ButIwantyoutoknow。AsItoldAtkinswhenIfirstcame，I
haven’tmurderedanyoneandIhaven’tstolenanything。I’mnotacrookrunningfromjustice。I’mjustaplainidiotwhofelloverboardfromasteamerand"——bitterly——"hadn’tthegoodlucktodrown。"
Shemadenocomment，andhebeganhisstory，tellingitmuchashehadtoldittothelightkeeper。
"There！"hesaidinconclusion，"that’sthewholefoolbusiness。
That’swhyI’mhere。Noneedtoaskwhatyouthinkofit，I
suppose。"
Shewassilent，gazingatthebreakers。Hedrewhisownconclusionsfromhersilence。
"Isee，"hesaid。"Well，Iadmitit。I’malowdownchump。Still，ifIhadittodooveragain，Ishoulddoprettymuchthesame。A
fewthingsdifferently，butingeneraltheverysame。"
"Whatwouldyoudodifferently？"sheasked，stillwithoutlookingathim。
"Foronething，Iwouldn’trunaway。I’dstayandfacethemusic。
Earnmylivingorstarve。"
"Andnowyou’regoingtostayhere？"
"NolongerthanIcanhelp。IfIgettheappointmentasassistantkeeperI’llbegintosaveeverycentIcan。JustassoonasIgetenoughtowarrantriskingitI’llheadforBostononcemoreandbegintheearningorstarvingprocess。And，"withasnapofhisjaws，"Idon’tintendtostarve。"
"Youwon’tgobacktoyourfather？"
"IfheseesfittobegmypardonandacknowledgethatIwasright——
nototherwise。Andhemustdoitofhisownaccord。ItoldhimthatwhenIwalkedoutofhisoffice。Itwasmycontributiontoourfondfarewell。Hiswasthathewouldseemedamnedfirst。Possiblyhemay。"
Shesmiled。
"Youmusthavebeenacharmingpairofpepperpots，"sheobserved。
"Andtheyounglady——whatofher？"
"SheknowsthatIamfired，cutoffevenwithouttheusualshilling。
Thatwillbequitesufficientforher，Ithink。"
"Howdoyouknowitwill？Howdoyouknowshemightnothavebeenwillingtowaitwhileyouearnedthatlivingyouaresosureiscoming？"
"Wait？Shewaitforme？AnnDavidsonwaitforamanwithoutacentwhilehetriedtoearnagoodmanydollars？Humph！youamuseme。"
"Whynot？Youdidn’tgiveherachance。Youcalmlytookitforgrantedthatshewantedonlymoneyandsocialpositionandyouwalkedoffandlefther。Howdoyouknowshewouldn’thavelikedyoubetterfortellingherjusthowyoufelt。Ifagirlreallycaredforamanitseemstomethatshewouldbewillingtowaitforhim，yearsandyearsifitwerenecessary，providedthat，duringthattime，hewastryinghisbestforher。"