第1章

CHAPTERI

"I’mgoinguptothevillage，"ItoldDorinda，takingmycapfromthehookbehindthedining—roomdoor。

"Whatfor？"askedDorinda，pushingmetoonesideandreachingforthedust—cloth，whichalsowasbehindthedoor。

"Oh，justforthewalk，"Ianswered，carelessly。

"Um—hm，"observedDorinda。

"Um—hm"is，Ibelieve，goodScotchfor"Yes。"Ihavereadthatitis，somewhere——inoneofBarrie’syarns，Ithink。IhadneverbeeninScotland，ormuchofanywhereelse，exceptthecityIwasbornin，andmycollegetown，andBoston——andCapeCod。"Um—hm"meantyesontheCape，too，exceptwhenDorindasaidit；thenitmightmeanalmostanything。WhenMotheraskedhertolowerthewindowshadeinthebed—roomshesaid"Um—hm"andloweredit。And，fiveminuteslater，whenLutecamein，loadedtotheguardswithexplanationsastowhyhehadforgottentocleanthefishfordinner，shesaiditagain。AndtheEquatorandtheNorthPolearenoneareralike，sofarastemperatureisconcerned，thanthosetwo"Um—hms。"Andbetweenthemshehadothers，expressingalldegreesfromfrigidtosemi—torrid。

Her"Um—hm"thistimewassomewherealongthenorthernedgeofLabrador。

"It’sagoodmorningforawalk，"Isaid。

"Um—hm，"repeatedDorinda，crossingovertoGreenland，sotospeak。

Iopenedtheoutsidedoor。Thewarmspringsunshine，pouringin，wasapleasantcontrastandmademeforget，forthemoment，theglacieratmyback。Cometothinkofit，"glacier"isn’tagoodword；glaciersmoveslowlyandthatwasn’tDorinda’sway。

"Whatareyougoingtodo？"Iasked。

"Work，"snappedDorinda，unfurlingthedustcloth。"It’sagoodmornin’forthat，too。"

Iwentout，turnedthecornerofthehouseandfoundLutesoundasleeponthewashbenchbehindthekitchen。HisfullnamewasLutherMillardFilmoreRogers，andhewasDorinda’shusbandbylaw，andtheburdenwhichProvidence，orhardluck，hadorderedhertocarrythroughthisvaleoftears。ShewasagoodMethodistandtherewasnodoubtinhermindthatProvidencewasresponsible。

Whensherosetotestifyinprayer—meetingshealwaysmentionedher"cross"andeverybodyknewthatthecrosswasLuther。Shecarriedhim，butitisnomorethanfairtosaythatshedidn’tprovidehimwithcushions。Sheneverlethimforgetthathewasasteeragepassenger。However，Lutewaswellupholsteredwithphilosophy，ofakind，and，solongashedidn’thavetoworkhispassage，washappy，evenifthevoyagewasaratherroughone。

Justnowhewassupposedtoberakingthebackyard，buttherakewasbetweenhisknees，hisheadwastippedbackagainsttheshingledwallofthekitchen，andhewassleeping，withthesunshineilluminatinghisopenmouth，"foralltheworldlikealampinapotatocellar，"ashiswifehadsaidthelasttimeshecaughthiminthisposition。Shewentontosaythatitwasapityhewouldn’tstandonhisheadwhenheslept。"ThenIcouldseeifyourskullwasashollerasIbelieveitis，"shetoldhim。

LuteheardmeasIpassedhimandwokeup。The"potatocellar"

closedwithasnapandheseizedtherakehandleswithbothhands。

"Iwastakin’asortofobservation，"heexplainedhurriedly。

"Figgerin’whetherI’dbetterbeginhereoroverbythebarn。Oh，it’syou，Roscoe，isit！Landsakes！Ithoughtfirst’twasDorindy。Whereyoubound？"

"Uptothevillage，"Isaid。

"Ain’tgoin’tothepost—office，beyou？"

"Imay；Idon’tknow。"

Lutesighed。"Iwaskindofcal’latin’togotheremyself，"heobserved，regretfully。"ThophNewcombandCap’nJedDeanandtherestofuswashavin’atalkonpoliticslastnightupthereand’twasmightyinterestin’。OldDeanhadThophprettywelloutoftheracewhenIhauledalongside，butwhenIgotintotheargument’twasdifferent。’What’sgoin’tobecomeofthelaborin’menofthiscountryifyouhavefreetrade？’Isays。Deanhadtogiveinthathedidn’tknow。’Mighthavetolettheirwivessupport’em，’

hesays，pompousasever。’Thatwouldbeacalamity，wouldn’tit，Lute？’Thatwasn’tnoanswer，ofcourse。Butyoucan’texpectsenseofaDemocrat。Ilefthimfumin’andcomeaway。I’vethoughtofalotmorequestionstoaskhimsinceandIwashopin’I

couldgetathimthismornin’。Butno！Dorindy’ssotonhavin’

thisyardraked，soIs’poseI’vegottodoit。"

Hehaddroppedtherake，butnowheleanedover，pickeditup，androsefromthewashbench。

"Is’poseI’vegottodoit，"herepeated，"unless，"hopefully，"youwantmetorunuptothevillageanddoyourerrandforyou。"

"No；Ihadn’tanyerrand。"

"Well，thenIs’poseI’dbetterstartin。Unlesstherewassomethin’elseyou’drutherI’ddoto—day。IftherewasIcoulddothisto—morrer。"

"To—morrowwouldhaveoneadvantage：therewouldbemoretorakethen。However，judgingbyDorinda’stemperthismorning，Ithink，perhaps，youhadbetterdoitto—day。"

"What’sDorindydoin’？"

"Sheisdustingthedining—room。"

"I’llbetyou！Andshedustedityesterdayandthedayafore。Doyouknow——"Lutesatdownagainonthebench——"sometimesIgetrealworriedabouther。"

"No！Doyou？"

"Yes，Ido。Ithinksheworkstoohard。Seems’sifsometimesithadkindofstrucktoherbrains——work，Imean。Shedon’tthinkofnothin’else。Nowtakethedustin’，forinstance。Dustin’sallright；Ibelieveindustin’things。ButIdon’tbelieveinwearin’

’emoutdustin’’em。Thatain’tsense，isit？"

"Itdoesn’tseemlikeit，that’safact。"

"Youbetitdon’t！Anditain’tgoodreligion，neither。Nowtake——

well，takethisyard，forinstance。WhatisitthatI’mslavin’

myselfoverthisfinemornin’？Why，rakin’thisyard！AndwhatamIrakin’？Why，deadleavesfromlastfall，andstrawsandsticksandpiecesofseaweedandsuchthathaveblowedindurin’thewinter。Andwhatblowed’emin？Why，thewind，sartin！Andwhosewindwasit？TheAlmighty’s，that’swhose！Nowthen！iftheAlmightydidn’tintendtohavedeadleavesaroundwhydidheputtreesfor’emtofalloffof？Ifhedidn’twantstrawsandseaweedandtruckaroundwhydidHesendthemeverlastin’no’theasterslastNovember？Didthatideaeverstrikeyou？"

"Idon’tknowthatiteverdid，exactlyinthatway。"

"No。Well，that’s’causeyouain’treasoneditout，sameasI

have。You’vegotthesametroublethatmostfolkshave，youdon’treasonthingsout。Now，let’slookatitstraightintheface。"

Luteletgooftherakealtogetherandusedbothhandstoillustratehispoint。"Thatfingerthere，we’llsay，isme，rakin’

andrakin’hardaseverIcan。AndthatfistthereistheAlmighty，notmeanin’anythingirreverent。Irake，sameasI’mdoin’thismornin’。Theyard’sallcleanedup。Then——zing！"

Lute’sclenchedfistsweptacrossandknockedtheoffendingfingeroutoftheway。"Zing！herecomesoneoftheAlmighty’sno’theasters，sameaswe’relikelytohaveto—morrer，andtheconsarnedyardisjustasdirtyasever。Ain’tthatso？"

Ilookedattheyard。"Itseemstobeaboutasitwas，"Iagreed，withsomesarcasm。Lutewasanimmune，sofarassarcasmwasconcerned。

"Yup，"hesaid，triumphantly。"Now，Dorindy，she’sagood，piouswoman。ShebelievesthePowersaboveordereverything。Ifthat’sso，thenain’titsacrilegioustobeallthetimeflyin’inthefaceofthemPowersbyrakin’andrakin’anddustin’anddustin’？

That’sthequestion。"

"But，accordingtothatreasoning，"Iobserved，"weshouldneitherrakenordust。Wouldn’tthatmakeoursurroundingsratheruncomfortable，afterawhile？"

"Sartin。Butwhentheygotuncomfortablethenwecouldturntoandmake’emcomfortableagain。Iain’targuin’againstwork——needfulwork，youunderstand。Ilikeit。AndIain’tthinkin’ofmyself，youknow，butaboutDorindy。Itworriesmetoseeherwearin’

herselfoutwith——withdustin’andsuch。Itain’tsenseand’tain’tgoodreligion。She’smywifeandit’smydutytothinkforherandlookoutforher。"

Hepausedandreachedintohisoverallspocketforapipe。Findingit，hereachedintoanotherpocketforthewherewithaltofillit。

"Haveyousuggestedtoherthatshe’sflyinginthefaceofProvidence？"Iasked。

Luteshookhishead。"No，"headmitted，"Iain’t。Gotanytobaccoaboutyou？Dorindyhovemyplugawayyesterday。Ileftitbackoftheclockandshefounditandwasmad——dustin’again，ofcourse。"

HetookthepouchIhandedhim，filledhispipeandabsentlyputthepouchinhispocket。

"Gotamatch？"heasked。"Thanks。No，Iain’tspoketoheraboutit，thoughit’sbeenonmymindforalongspell。Ididn’tknowbutyoumightsaysomethin’toheralongthatline，Roscoe。

’Twouldn’tsoundsopersonal，comin’fromyou。Whatdoyouthink？"

Ishookmyhead。"Dorindawouldn’tpaymuchattentiontomyideasonsuchsubjects，I’mafraid，"Ianswered。"SheknowsI’mnotaregularchurch—goer。"

Lutewasplainlydisappointed。"Well，"hesaid，withasigh，"maybeyou’reright。Shedoescal’lateyou’rekindofheathen，thoughshehopesyou’llseethelightsomeday。But，justthesame，"headded，"it’sagoodargument。Itrieditontheganguptothepost—officelastnight。Isaysto’em，saysI，’Work’sallright。Ibelieveinit。I’maworkin’man，myself。Buttoworkwhenyoudon’thavetoiswrong。TakeRosPaine，’Isays——"

"Whyshouldyoutakeme？"Iinterrupted，rathersharply。

"’Causeyou’rethebestexampleIcouldthinkof。Everybodyknowsyoudon’tdonowork。Shootin’andsailin’andfishin’ain’twork，andthat’saboutallyoudo。’TakeRos，’saysI。’Hemightbetowork。Hewasinabankuptothecityonceandheknowsthebankin’trade。Hemightbeatitnow，butwhatwouldbetheuse？’

Isays。’He’sgotenoughtoliveonandhelivesonit，’steadofkeepin’somepoorfelleroutofajob。’That’sright，too，ain’tit？"

Ididn’tansweratonce。TherewasnoreasonwhyIshouldbeirritatedbecauseLutherRogershadheldmeupasashiningexampleofthedo—nothingclasstothecrowdofhangers—oninacountrypost—office。WhatdidIcareforDenboroopinion？Sixyearsinthatgossipyvillagehadmademe，soIthought，capableofrisingabovesuchthings。

"Well，"Iaskedafteramoment，"whatdidtheysaytothat？"

"Oh，nothin’much。Theycouldn’t；Ihad’em，yousee。Someof’emlaughedandoldCap’nJedhehoveoutsomethin’aboutbirdsofafeatherstickin’upforeachother。Nosensetoit。But，asI

saidafore，whatcanyouexpectofaDemocrat？"

Iturnedonmyheelandmovedtowardthebackgate。"Ain’tgoin’，beyou？"askedLute。"Hadn’tyoubettersetdownandrestyourbreakfastaspell？"

"No，I’mgoing。Bytheway，ifyou’rethroughwiththattobaccopouchofmine，I’lltakeitoffyourhands。Imaywanttosmokebyandby。"

Lutecoollyexplainedthathehadforgottenthepouch；ithad"gonecleanoutofhishead。"However，hehandeditoverandIlefthimseatedonthewashbench，withhisheadtippedbackagainsttheshingles。Iopenedthegateandstrolledslowlyalongthepathbytheedgeofthebluff。IhadgoneperhapsahundredyardswhenI

heardashrillvoicebehindme。Turning，IsawDorindastandingbythecornerofthekitchen，dustclothinhand。Herhusbandwasrakingfordearlife。

Iwalkedon。Themorningwasabeautifulone。Besidethepath，onthelandwardside，thebayberryandbeach—plumbusheswereinbud，thegreenofthenewgrasswasshowingabovethedeadbrownoftheold，abluebirdwasswayingonthestumpofawildcherrytree，andthepinesandscruboaksofthegrovebytheShoreLanewerebright，vividsplashesofcoloragainsttheblueofthesky。Atmyrighthandtheyellowsandofthebluffbrokesharplydowntothewhitebeachandthewatersofthebay，nowbeginningtoebb。

AcrossthebaythelighthouseatCrowPointglistenedwithnewpaintandIcouldseeamovingblackspeck，whichIknewwasBenSmall，thekeeper，busywhitewashingthefencebesideit。DownonthebeachZebKendrickwasoverhaulinghisdory。Inthedistance，beyondthegrove，Icouldhearthecarpenters’hammersontheroofofthebigAtwatermansion，whichwasnowthepropertyofJamesColton，theNewYorkmillionaire，whoserumoredcomingtoDenborotolivehadfilledthecolumnsofthecountryweeklyforthreemonths。ThequahaugboatswereanchoredjustinsidethePoint；aclamdiggerwaswadingalongtheouteredgeofthesedge；alobstermanwashaulinghispotsinthechannel；eventhebluebirdonthewildcherrystumphadastrawinhisbeakandwasplainlyinthemidstofnestbuilding。Everyonehadsomethingtodoandwasdoingit——everyoneexceptLuteRogersandmyself，the"birdsofafeather。"AndevenLutewasworkingnow，undercompulsion。

Ordinarilythesightofallthisindustrywouldnothaveaffectedme。Ihadseenitallbefore，orsomethinglikeit。ThesixyearsIhadspentinDenboro，thesixeverlasting，idle，monotonousyears，hadhadtheireffect。Ihadgrownhardenedandhadcometoacceptmyfate，atfirstrebelliously，thenwithmoreofLute’speculiarkindofphilosophy。Circumstanceshaddoomedmetobeagood—for—nothing，agentlemanloaferwithouttheusualexcuse——

money——and，asitwasmydoom，Iforcedmyselftoacceptit，ifnotwithpleasure，atleastwithresignation。AndIdeterminedtogetwhateverpleasuretheremightbeinit。So，whenIsawthemajorityofthehumanrace，eachwithapurposeinlife，strugglingtoattainthatpurpose，Ipassedthembywithmygunorfishingrodonmyshoulder，andasmileonmylips。Ifmyremnantofaconsciencepresumedtoriseandreproveme，Istampeditdown。Ithadnoreasonableexcuseforrising；Iwasn’twhatIwasfromchoice。

But，somehow，onthisparticularmorning，myunreasonableconsciencewasagainaliveandkicking。Perhapsitwasthequickeninginfluenceofthespringwhichresurrectedit；perhapsLuther’squotationfromtheremarksofCaptainJedediahDeanhadstirredittorebellion。Amanmayknow，inhisheart，thatheisnogoodandstillresenthavingotherssaythatheis，particularlywhentheysaythatheandLutherRogersarebirdsofafeather。I

didn’tcareforDean’sgoodopinion；ofcourseIdidn’t！NorforthatofanyoneelseinDenboro，mymotherexcepted。ButDeanandtherestshouldkeeptheiropinionstothemselves，confoundthem！

Thepathfromourhouse——thelattereveryDenboronativespokeofasthe"PainePlace"——woundalongtheedgeofthebluffforperhapsthreehundredyards，thenturnedsharplythroughthegroveofscruboaksandpitchpinesandemergedontheShoreLane。TheShoreLanewasnotapublicroad，inthestrictestsenseoftheterm。Itwasreallyapartofmylandand，leading，asitdid，fromtheLowerRoadtothebeach，wasusedasapublicroadmerelybecausemotherandIpermittedittobe。Ithadbeensoused，bysufferanceoftheformerowner，foryears，andwhenwecameintopossessionofthepropertywedidnotinterferewiththecustom。Landalongtheshorewasworthpreciouslittleatthattimeand，besides，itwaspleasant，ratherthandisagreeable，tohearthefishcartsgoingouttotheweirs，andthewagonscomingtothebeachforseaweed，or，filledwithpicnicparties，rattlingdowntheLane。Wecouldnotseethemfromthehouseuntiltheyhadpassedthegroveandemergeduponthebeach，buteventhenoiseofthemwaswelcome。

ThePainePlacewasagoodhalf—milefromtheLowerRoadandtherewerefewneighbors；therefore，especiallyinthewintermonths，anysoundsofsocietywerecomforting。

Istrodethroughthegrove，kickingthedeadbranchesoutofmyway，formymindwasstillbusywithLutherandCaptainDean。AsI

cameoutintotheLaneIlookedacrossattheAtwatermansion，nowthepropertyofthegreatandonlyColton，"BigJim"Colton，whosedealsandcornersinWallStreetsuppliedsomanyandsuchvariedsensationsforthefinancialpagesofthecitypapers，justasthoseofhiswifeandfamilysuppliednewsforthesocietycolumns；

Ilookedacross，Isay，andthenIstoppedshorttotakealongerlook。

Icouldseethecarpenters，whosehammersIhadheard，atworkupontheroofofthebarn，nowdestinedtododoubledutyasastableandgarage。They，andthepaintersandplumbers，hadbeenbusyonthepremisesformonths。Theestablishmenthadbeenabigone，evenwhenMajorAtwaterownedit，butthenewownershadtorndownandaddedandrebuiltuntilthehouseloomeduplikeapalaceoraNewportvilla。ANewportvillainDenboro！WhyonearthanyoneshoulddeliberatelychooseDenboroasaplacetoliveinIcouldn’tunderstand；butwhyamillionaire，withallcreationtoselectfrom，shouldbuildaNewportvillaonthebluffoverlookingDenboroBaywasbeyondcomprehension。ThereasongivenintheCapeCodItemwasthatMrs。Coltonwas"indebilitatedhealth，"whateverthatis，andhadbeencommandedbyherdoctorstoseekseaairandseclusionandrest。Well，therewasseaairandrest，nottomentionseclusionorsandandmosquitoes，forasquaremileaboutthenewvilla，andnooneknewthatbetterthanI，condemnedtolivewithinthesquare。ButifMrs。Coltonhaddeliberatelychosenthespot，withmaliceaforethought，theplaceforherwasahomeforthefeebleminded。Atleast，thatwasmyopiniononthatparticularmorning。

Itwasnotthecarpenterswhocausedmetopauseinmywalkandlookacrossthelaneandoverthestonewallatmynewneighbor’sresidence。Whatcaughtmyattentionwasthattheplacelookedtobeinhabited。Thewindowswereopen——fiftyorsoofthem——smokewasissuingfromoneofthesixchimneys；amaidinawhitecapandapronwasstandingbytheservants’entrance。Yes，andatall，bulkymanwithayachtingcaponthebackofhisheadandacigarinhismouthwastalkingwithAsaPeters，thebosscarpenter，bythebigdoorofthebarn。

Ihadnotbeenuptothevillagefortwodays，havingbeenemployedatourboat—houseonthebeachbelowthehouse，gettingmymotordoryintocommissionforthesummer。ButnowIrememberedthatLutehadsaidsomethingabouttheColtonsbeingexpected，orhavingarrived，andthatheseemedmuchexcitedoverit。Hewouldhavesaidmore，butDorindahadpouncedonhimandsenthimouttoshutupthechickens，whichgavehimtheexcusetoplaytruantandtakehisevening’striptothepost—office。ItwasplainthattheColtonsHADarrived。Verylikelythestoutmanwiththeyachtingcapwasthemighty"BigJim"himself。Well，Ididn’tenvyhiminhispresentsituation。Hehadmypity，ifanything。

PossiblythefactthatIcouldpitysomeoneotherthanmyselfhelpedtoraisemyspirits。AtanyrateImanagedtoshakeoffalittleofmygloomandtrampedonuptheLane，feelingmorelikeahumanbeingandlesslikeayellowdog。LessasIshouldimagineayellowdogoughttofeel，Imean，for，asamatteroffact，mostyellowdogsofmyacquaintanceseemtobeashappyastheirbrownorwhiteorblackrelatives。IwalkeduptheLane，turnedintotheLowerRoad，andheadedforthevillage。Thedaywasagorgeousone，theairbracingasatonic，andmythirtiethbirthdaywasnotyetsofarasternastobelostinthefog。Afterall，thereweresomeconsolationsinbeingaliveandinastateofhealthnot"debilitated。"Ibegantowhistle。

AquarterofamilefromthejunctionoftheShoreLane，ontheLowerRoad，wasawillow—shadedspot，wherethebrookwhichirrigatedElnathanMullet’scranberryswampranunderasmallwoodenbridge。ItwastherethatIfirstheardthehornand，turning，sawtheautomobilecomingfrombehindme。Itwasapproachingataspeedof，Ishouldsay，thirtymilesanhour，andIjumpedtotherailofthebridgetoletitpass。AutoswerenotascommonontheCapethenastheyhavebecomesince。Nowtheaveragepedestrianofcommon—sensejumpsfirstandlooksafterwards。

However，Ijumpedintime，andstoodstilltowatchthecarasitwentby。Butitdidnotgoby——notthen。Itsspeedslackenedasitapproachedanditcametoahaltonthebridgebesideme。Abigcar；anaristocraticcar；amachineofpompandpriceandpolish，suchasDenborosawbutseldom。Itcontainedthreepersons——acappedandgoggledchauffeuronthefrontseat，andayoungfellowandagirlinthetonneau。Theyattractedmyattentioninjustthatorder——firstthechauffeur，thentheyoungfellow，and，lastofall，thegirl。

Itwasthechauffeurwhohailedme。Heleanedacrosstheupholsterybesidehimand，stillholdingthewheel，said：

"Say，Bill，what’sthequickestwaytogettoBayport？"

Nowmynamedoesn’thappentobeBillandjustthenIobjectedtothere—christening。AtanothertimeImighthaveappreciatedthejokeandgivenhimtheinformationwithoutcomment。ButthismorningIdidn’tfeellikejoking。Mydissatisfactionwiththeworldingeneralincludedautomobilistswhomadecommonfolksgetoutoftheirway，andIwasresentful。

"Ishouldsaythatyouhadpickedaboutasquickawayasany，"I

answered。

Thechauffeurdidn’tseemtograspthetrueinwardnessofthisbrilliantbit。

"Aw，what——"hestammered。"Say，what——lookhere，Iaskedyou——"

Thentheyoungmaninthetonneautookchargeoftheconversation。

Hewasaveryyoungman，withblondhairandasilkymustache，andhisclothesfittedhimasclotheshavenorighttofit——onCapeCod。

"That’lldo，Oscar，"heordered。Then，turningtome，hesaid：

"Seehere，myman，wewanttogotoBayport。"

Iwasnothisman，andwouldn’thavebeenforsomething。Thechauffeurhadirritatedme，butheirritatedmemore。Ididn’tlikehim，hislooks，hisclothes，and，particularly，hismanner。

Therefore，becauseIdidn’tfeellikeanswering，Ishowedmyindependencebyremainingsilent。

"What’sthematter？"hedemanded，impatiently。"Areyoudeaf？I

saywewanttogotoBayport。"

AnewspaperjokewhichIhadrecentlyreadcametomymind。"Verywell，"Isaid，"youhavemypermission。"

Itwasarudethingtosay，andnotevenoriginal。Idon’tattempttoexcuseit。Infact，IwassorryassoonasIhadsaidit。Ithaditseffect。Theyoungmanturnedred。Thenhelaughedaloud。

"Well，byJove！"heexclaimed。"Whathavewehere？Ahumorist，I

dobelieve！Mabel，we’vediscoveredagenuine，ruralhumorist。

AnotherDavidHarum，byJove！Lookathim！"

Thegirlinthetonneausweptasideherveilandlooked，asdirected。AndIlookedather。ThefacethatIsawwassweetandrefinedanddelicate，abeautifulyoungface，thefaceofalady，bornandbred。AllthisIsawandrealizedataglance；butwhatI

wasmostconsciousofatthetimewasthelookinthedarkeyesastheysurveyedmefromheadtofoot。Indifferencewasthere，andcontemptuousamusement；shedidn’tevencondescendtosmile，muchlessspeak。Underthatlookmyself—importanceshrankuntiltheyellowdogwithwhichIhadcomparedmyselfloomedaslargeasanelephant。Shemighthavelookedthatwayatsomecuriousandratherridiculousbug，justbeforecallingaservanttosteponit。

Theyoungmanlaughedagain。"Isn’titawonder，Mabel？"heasked。

"Thenativewitonhisnativeheath！Reuben——pardonme，yournameisReuben，isn’tit？——nowthatyou’vehadyourlittlejoke，wouldyoucondescendtotellustheroadwhichweshouldtaketoreachBayportintheshortesttime？Wouldyouobligeustothatextent？"

Theyoungladysmiledatthis。"Victor，"shesaid，"howidioticyouare！"

Iagreedwithher。Idiotwasoneoftheterms，themildest，whichIshouldhaveappliedtothatyoungman。IwantedverymuchtoremovehimfromthatcarbywhatLutewouldcallthescruffoftheneck。Butmostofall，justthen，Iwantedtobealone，toseethelastoftheautoanditsoccupants。

"Firstturntotheright，secondtotheleft，"Isaid，sullenly。

"Thankyou，Reuben，"vouchsafedtheyoungman。"Here’shopingthatyourvegetablesarefresherthanyourjokes。Goahead，Oscar。"

Thechauffeurthrewintheclutchandthecarbuzzeduptheroad，turningthecorneratfullspeed。Therewasalooseboardprojectingfromthebridgejustundermyfeet。Asamember——thoughaninactiveone——oftheVillageImprovementSocietyIshouldhavetroddenitbackintoplace。Ididn’t；Ikickeditintothebrook。

ThenIwalkedon。Buttheremainderofmymarchwasasilentone，withoutmusic。Ididnotwhistle。