第8章

"Isee。That’sabrilliantsuggestion，Lute。WhenIadoptitI’llappointyoutoll—keeper。"

"Bytime！Iwishyouwould。I’dmakeThophNewcombpayup。Heowesmetencents；betitonetimeandneversettled。"

Yes，mypositioninDenborohadchanged。ButItooknoprideinthechange，asIhadatfirst；Iknewthereasonforthissuddenburstofpopularity。Theknowledgemadememorecynicalthanever——

cynical，andlonely。ForthefirsttimesinceIcametotheCapeIlongedforarealfriend，notarelativeoranacquaintance，butafriendtotrustandconfidein。Someone，withnostringofhisowntopull，whocaredformebecauseIwasmyself。

AndallthetimeIhadsuchafriendanddidnotrealizeit。Theknowledgecametomeinthisway。Motherhadoneofherseizures，oneofthenowinfrequent"sinkingspells，"asthedoctorcalledthem，onaneveningwhenIwasalonewithher。DorindaandLutehadgone，withthehorseandbuggy，tovisitacousininBayport。

Theyweretostayovernightandreturnbeforebreakfastthenextmorning。

Iwasaloneinthedining—roomwhenMothercalledmyname。TherewassomethinginhertonewhichalarmedmeandIhastenedtoherbedside。Oneglanceatherfacewasenough。

"Boy，"shesaid，weakly，"IamafraidIamgoingtobeill。Ihavetriednottoalarmyou，butIfeelfaintandIam——youwon’tbealarmed，willyou？Iknowitisnothingserious。"

Itoldhernottoworryandnottotalk。Ihurriedouttothekitchen，gotthehotwaterandthebrandy，madeherswallowalittleofthemixture，andbathedherforeheadandwristswithvinegar，anold—fashionedrestorativewhichDorindaalwaysused。

Shesaidshefeltbetter，butIwasanxiousand，assoonasitwassafetoleaveher，hurriedouttobringthedoctor。Shebeggedmenottogo，becauseitwasbeginningtorainandImightgetwet，butIassuredheritwasnotraininghard，andwent。

ItwasnotraininghardwhenIstarted，buttherewaseverysignofaseverestormcloseathand。ItwaspitchdarkandIwaswearyfromstumblingthroughthebushesandovertheroughpathwhenI

reachedthecorneroftheLaneandtheLowerRoad。Thenacarriagecamedownthatroad。ItwasanopenwagonandGeorgeTaylorwasthedriver。HehadbeenuptotheDeans’andwasonhiswayhome。

Ihailedthevehicle，intendingtoaskforaride，butwhenTaylordiscoveredwhohishailerwasheinsistedonmygoingbacktothehouse。Hewouldgetthedoctor，hesaid，andbringhimdownatonce。Iwasafraidhewouldbecaughtinthestorm，andhesitatedinacceptingtheoffer，butheinsisted。Ididgobacktothehouse，foundMotherinmuchthesameconditionaswhenIlefther，andhadscarcelygottenintothekitchenagainwhenTayloroncemoreappeared。

"IbroughtNelliealongtostaywithyourmother，"hesaid。"TheCap’nandtheoldlady"——meaningMatilda——"wereupatthemeeting—

houseandwejustleftanotesayingwherewe’dgone。Nellie’sallright。Betweenyouandme，shedon’ttalkyoudeaf，dumbandblindlikeherma，andshe’sgoodcompanyforsickfolks。NowI’llfetchthedoctorandberightback。"

"Butit’srainingpitchforks，"Isaid。"You’llbewetthrough。"

"No，Iwon’t。I’llhaveDocQuimbyhereinnotime。"

HedroveoffandNellieDeanwentintoMother’sroom。IhadalwaysconsideredNellieamilk—and—wateryyoungfemale，butsomehowherquietwaysandsoftvoiceseemedjustwhatwereneededinasickroom。IleftthetwotogetherandcameouttowaitforTaylorandthedoctor。

Buttheydidnotcome。Thestormwasunderfullheadwaynow，andthewindwasdashingtheraininsheetsagainstthewindows。I

waitednearlyanhourandstillnosignofthedoctor。

NelliecameoutofMother’sroomandclosedthedoorsoftlybehindher。

"She’squietnow，"shewhispered。"Ithinkshe’sasleep。WheredoyousupposeGeorgeis？"

"Goodnessknows！"Ianswered。"Ishouldn’thavelethimgo，anightlikethis。"

"I’mafraidyoucouldn’tstophimifhismindwasmadeup。He’sdreadfuldeterminedwhenhesetsouttobe。"

"He’sagoodfellow，"Isaid，topleaseher。Sheworshippedthecashier，afactofwhichallDenborowasaware，andwhichcausedgossiptoreportthatshedidthecourtingforthetwo。

Sheblushedandsmiled。

"Hethinksalotofyou，"sheobserved。"He’salwaystalkingtomeaboutyou。It’sagoodthingyou’reamanorIshouldbejealous。"

Ismiled。"Iseemtobetalkedaboutgenerally，justnow，"saidI。

"Areyou？Oh，youmeanabouttheShoreLane。Yes，Pacan’tmakeyououtaboutthat。Hesaysyou’vegotsomethingupyoursleeveandhehasn’tdecidedwhatitis。IaskedGeorgewhatPameantandhejustlaughed。Hesaidwhateveryouhadinyoursleevewasyouraffairand，ifhewasanyjudgeofcharacter，itwouldstaytheretillyougotreadytoshakeitout。Healwaysstoodupforyou，evenbeforetheShoreLanebusinesshappened。IthinkhelikesyoubetterthananyoneelseinDenboro。"

"Presentcompanyexcepted，ofcourse。"

"Oh，ofcourse。Ifthatwasn’texceptedIshouldREALLYbejealous。Then，"moreseriously，"Roscoe，doesitseemtoyouthatGeorgeisworriedortroubledaboutsomethinglately？"

IthoughtofTaylor’ssuddenchangeofexpressionthatdayinthebank，andofhisremarkthathewishedhehadmychance。ButI

concealedmythoughts。

"Theprospectofmarriageisenoughtomakeanymanworried，isn’tit？"Iasked。"Iimagineherealizesthatheisn’tgoodenoughforyou。"

Therewassarcasminthisremark，sarcasmofwhichIshouldhavebeenashamed。Butshetookitliterallyandasacompliment。Shelookedatmereproachfully。

"Goodenoughforme！"sheexclaimed。"He！SometimesIwonderifitisrightformetobesohappy。Ifeelalmostasifitwaswrong。Asifsomethingmusthappentopunishmeforit。"

Ididnotanswer。Totellthetruth，Iwasenvious。Therewasrealhappinessintheworld。Thiscountrygirlhadfoundit；thatMabelColtonwould，nodoubt，finditsomeday——unlessshemarriedherVictor，inwhichcaseIhadmydoubts。Butwhathappinesswasinstoreforme？

Nelliedidmostofthetalkingthereafter；principallyaboutGeorge，andwhyhedidnotcome。AtlastshewentintoseeifMotherneededher，and，twentyminuteslater，whenIlookedintothebedroom，Isawthatshehadfallenasleeponthecouch。

Mother，too，seemedtobesleeping，andIleftthemthus。

Itwasalmosteleveno’clockwhenthesoundofcarriagewheelsintheyardbroughtmetothewindowandthentothedoor。DoctorQuimbyhadcomeatlastandTaylorwaswithhim。Thedoctor，inhismackintoshandovershoes，wasdryenough，buthiscompanionwaswettotheskin。

"SorryI’msolate，Ros，"saidthedoctor。"IwaswayuptoEbenezerCahoon’sinWestDenboro。There’saneweditionofEbenezer，madeportthismorning，andIwasalittlebitconcernedaboutthemissus。She’sallright，though。How’syourmother？"

"Better，Ithink。She’sasleepnow。SoisNellie。IsupposeGeorgetoldyoushewaswithher。"

"Yes。GeorgehadaroughpassageoverthatWestDenbororoad。

It’sbadenoughindaylight，butonanightlikethis——whew！I

carriedawayawheelturningintoEbenezer’syard，andifGeorgehadn’thadhisteamalongIdon’tknowhowI’dhavegothere。I’llgorightinandseeMrs。Paine。"

HeleftusandIturnedtoTaylor。

"You’resoakedthrough，"Ideclared。"Comeouttothekitchenstove。Whatintheworldmadeyoudrivewayuptothatforsakenplace？It’sagoodsevenmiles。Comeouttothekitchen。Quick！"

Hesatdownbythestoveandputhiswetbootsonthehearth。I

mixedhimaglassofthebrandyandhotwaterandhandedhimacigar。

"Whydidyoudoit，George？"Isaid。"Ineverwouldhavethoughtofaskingsuchathing。"

"Iknowit，"hesaid。"Courseyouwouldn’taskit。There’splentyinthistownthatwould，butyouwouldn’t。Maybethat’sonereasonIwassogladtodoitforyou。"

"Iamalmostsorryyoudid。Itistoogreatakindnessaltogether。

I’mafraidIshouldn’thavedoneasmuchforyou。"

"Goon！Yes，youwould。Iknowyou。"

Ishookmyhead。

"No，youdon’t，"Ianswered。"CaptainJed——yourprospectivefather—in—law——saidtheotherdaythathehadbeenmistaken；hethoughtheknewme，buthewasbeginningtofindhedidnot。"

"Didhesaythat？Whatdidhemean？"

"Iimaginehemeanthewasn’tsurewhetherIwasthefoolhehadbelievedmetobe，orjustasharprascal。"

Taylorlookedatmeovertheedgeofhisglass。

"Youthinkthat’swhathemeant，doyou？"

"Iknowit。"

Heputtheglassonthefloorbesidehimandlaidahandonmyknee。

"Ros，"hesaid，"Idon’tknowforsurewhattheCap’nmeant，thoughifhethinksyou’reeitheroneofthetwohe’sthefool。But_I_

knowyou——better，maybe，thanyouknowyourself。AtleastI

believeIknowyoubetterthananyoneelseinthetown。"

"Thatwouldn’tbesayingmuch。"

"Wouldn’tit？Well，maybenot。Butwhosefaultisit？It’syours，thewayIlookatit。Ros，I’vebeenmeaningtohaveatalkwithyousomeday；perhapsthisisasgoodatimeasany。YoumakeabigmistakeinthewayyoutreatDenboroandthefolksinit。"

"Whatdoyoumean？"

"Imeanjustthat。Yourwholeattitudeiswrong，hasbeenwrongeversinceyoufirstcameheretolive。Younevergaveanyofusachancetoknowyouandlikeyou——anybodybutme，Imean，andevenI

neverhadbuthalfachance。Youmakeamistake，Itellyou。

There’slotsofgoodfolksinthistown，lotsof’em。Cap’nElishaWarren’soneof’emandthere’splentymore。They’recountrymen，sameasIam，butthey’regood，plain，sensiblefolks，andthey’dliketolikeyouiftheyhadachance。YoubelongtotheTownImprovementSociety，butyounevergotoameeting。Yououghttogetoutandmixmore。"

Ishruggedmyshoulders。"Iguessmymixingwouldn’tbeverywelcome，"Isaid。"And，besides，Idon’tcaretomix。"

"Iknowyoudon’t，butyououghtto，justthesame。"

"Nonsense！George，I’mnotblind，ordeaf。Don’tyousupposeI

knowwhatWarrenandDeanandtherestthinkofme？Theyconsidermealoaferandnogood。I’veheardwhattheysay。I’venoticedhowtheytreatme。"

"Howyoutreatthem，youmean。Youareascoldandfreezingasacakeofice。Theywaswillingtobefriendsbutyouwouldn’thaveit。And，asfortheircallingyoualoafer——well，that’syourownfault，too。YouOUGHTtodosomething；notwork，perhaps，butyou’dbeawholelotbetteroffifyougotreallyinterestedinsomething。Getintopolitics；getintotownaffairs；getoutandknowthepeopleyou’relivingwith。"

"Idon’tcaretoknowthem；andI’msuretheydon’tcaretoknowme。"

"Yes，theydo。Iunderstandhowyoufeel。InthisShoreLanematternow：youthinkCap’nJedandColton，becausetheypretendtocallyouafool，don’trespectyoufortakingthestandyouhave。

Theydo。Theydon’tunderstandyou，maybe，buttheycan’thelprespectingyouand，iftheyknewyouevenaswellasIdo，they’dlikeyou。Come！Iain’tthrowin’anybouquets，butwhydoyousupposeI’dbewillingtodrivetoWestDenborofortytimesover，onfortytimesworsenightsthanthis，foryou？Why？"

"Heavenknows！Wouldyou？"

"Iwould。Ilikeyou，Ros。ItookashinetoyouthefirsttimeI

metyou。Idon’tknowwhyexactly。Whydoesanybodylikeanybodyelse？ButIthinkawholelotofyou。Iknowthissoundsfoolish，andyoudon’tfeelthatwaytowardsme，butit’sthetruth。"

Iwasamazed。IhadalwayslikedGeorgeTaylor，butIneverfeltanystrongaffectionforhim。IwasalittlelessindifferenttohimthantoothersinDenboro，thatwasall。AndIhadtakenitforgrantedthathislikingformewasofthesamecasual，lukewarmvariety。Tohearhimdeclarehimselfinthiswaywasastonishing——

he，thedry，keen，Yankeebanker。

"Butwhy，George？"Irepeated。

"Idon’tknowwhy；Itoldyouthat。It’sbecauseIcan’thelpit，Isuppose。Orbecause，asIsaid，Iknowyoubetterthananyoneelse。"

Isighed。"Nobodyknowsmehere，"Isaid。

"Oneknowsyou，Ros。Iknowyou。"

"Youmaythinkyoudo，butyoudon’t。YoucanthankGodforyourignorance。"

"MaybeIain’tsoignorant。"

Ilookedathim。Hewaslookingmestraightintheeye。

"Whatdoyouknow？"Iasked，slowly。

"Iknow，foronething，thatyournameain’tPaine。"

Icouldnotanswer。IamnotcertainwhetherIattemptedtospeakormove。Idorememberthatthepressureofhishandonmykneetightened。

"It’sallright，Ros，"hesaid，earnestly。"Nobodyknowsbutme，andnobodyevershallknowifIcanhelpit。"

"How——howmuchdoyouknow？"Istammered。

"Why，prettymuchall，Iguess。I’veknowneversinceyourmotherwastakensick。SomethingsIreadinthepaper，andthepicturesof——ofyourfather，putmeon，andafterwardsIgotmorecertainofit。Butit’sallright。Nobodybutmeknowsorshallknow。"

Ileanedmyheadonmyhand。Hepattedmyknee，gently。

"Are——areyousurenooneelseknows？"Iasked。

"Certainsure。Therewasonetimewhenitmighthaveallcomeout。

AreporterfellowfromoneoftheBostonpapersgotonthetracksomehowandcamedownheretoinvestigate。LuckilyIwasthefirstmanhetackled，andIsteeredhimaway。IpresumelikelyIliedsome，butmyconscienceiseasysofarasthatgoes。"

"Andyouhavetoldnoone？NotevenNellie？"

"No。ItellNelliemostthings，butnotall——notall。"

Irememberedafterwardsthathesighedashesaidthisandtookhishandfrommyknee；butthenmyagitationwastoogreattodomorethancasuallynoticeit。Irosetomyfeet。

"George！George！"Icried。"I——Ican’tsaytoyouwhatIshouldlike。Butwhy——WHYdidyoushieldme？Andlieforme？Whydidyoudoit？Iwashardlymorethanastranger。"

Hesighed。"Don’tknow，"heanswered。"Inevercouldquiteseewhyaman’ssinsshouldbevisitedonthewidowsandfatherless。

And，ofcourse，Irealizedthatyouandyourmotherchangedyournameandcamedownheretogetawayfromgossipandtalk。ButI

guesstherealreasonwasthatIlikedyou，Ros。Loveatfirstsight，sameaswereadabout；hey？"

Helookedupandsmiled。Iseizedhishand。

"George，"Isaid，chokingly，"IdidnotbelieveIhadarealfriendintheworld，exceptMotherandDorindaandLute，ofcourse。I

can’tthankyouenoughforshieldingusalltheseyears；there’snouseinmytrying。ButifeverIcandoanythingtohelpYOU——

anything——I’lldoit。I’llsweartothat。"

Heshookmyhand。

"Iknowyouwill，Ros，"hesaid。"ItoldyouIknewyou。"

"IfeverIcandoanything——"

Heinterruptedme。

"There’sonethingyoucandorightnow，"hesaid。"That’sgetoutandmix。That’llpleasemeasmuchasanything。Andbeginrightoff。Why，seehere，theMethodistsocietyisgoingtogiveastrawberryfestivalonthemeeting—houselawnnextThursdaynight。

Abouteverybody’sgoing，NellieandIincluded。Youcome，willyou？"

Ihesitated。Ihadheardaboutthefestival，butIcertainlyhadnotcontemplatedattending。

"Come！"heurged。"Youwon’tsaynotothefirstfavorIaskyou。

Promisemeyou’llbeonhand。"

BeforeIcouldanswer，weheardthedoorofMother’sroomopen。

GeorgeandIhastenedintothedining—room。DoctorQuimbyandNellieDeanwerethere。Nellierushedovertoherlover’sside。

"Youbadboy，"shecried。"You’rewetthrough。"

DoctorQuimbyturnedtome。

"Yourma’sgettingonallright，"hedeclared。"Aboutallthatailshernowisthatshewantstoseeyou。"

GeorgewasassistingNellietoputonherwraps。

"Gottoleaveyounow，Ros，"hesaid。"Cap’nJedandMatildy’llthinkwe’veelopedaheadoftime。Good—night。Oh，say，willyoupromisemetotakeinthestrawberryfestival？"

"Why"Ianswered，"Isuppose——Yes，Mother，I’mcoming——Why，yes，George，I’llpromise，topleaseyou。"

IhaveoftenwonderedsincewhatmylifestorywouldhavebeenifI

hadnotmadethatpromise。

CHAPTERVIII

TheMethodistchurchstoodontheslopeofalittlehill，backfromtheMainRoad，andtheparsonagewasnextdoor。Betweenthechurchandtheparsonagewasastretchoflawn，dottedwithshrubsandcedarsandshadedbytwobigsilver—leafpoplars。Itwasonthislawnthat，providedthenightwasfair，thestrawberryfestivalwastobeheld。Iftheweathershouldbeunpropitiousthefestivalwastobeinthechurchvestry。

AllthatdayDorindawasbusybakingandicingcake。Shewasnotgoingtothefestival——partlybecauseIwasgoingandshecouldnotleaveMother——butprincipallybecausesuchaffairswerealtogethertoofrivoloustofitinherschemeoforthodoxy。"Idon’trecollect，"shesaid，"thattheapostlesdidmuchstrawberryfestivalin’；theyhadotherthingstoattendto。"Lute，however，wasgoingandifhehadbeeninvitedtoaPresidentialreceptionhecouldnothavebeenmuchmoreexcited。Hewasdressedandreadyatsuppertime，althoughthefestivaldidnotbeginuntilseven—

thirty。

"ThinkI’mallright，Dorindy，doyou？"hequeried，anxiouslyturninghimselfaboutforhiswife’sinspection。"Howaboutthesenewpants？Furenoughdownonmyboots，bethey？"

Dorindalookedhimoverwithacriticaleye。"Um—hm，"sheobserved，"thatendof’emseemstobeallright。ButIcal’latetheupperendain’tbeenintroducedtoyourvestyet。Anyhow，thetwodon’tseemtobewellenoughacquaintedtoassociateclose。"

Lutebentforwardtoinspectthehiatusbetweentrousersandwaistcoat。"Bytime！"heexclaimed，"ItoldSimEldredgetheywastooshortinthewaist。Hesaidiftheywasanylongerthey’dwrinkleunderthearms。Idon’tknowwhattodo。IfIhist’emupthey’llbewhatthefellerscallhigh—water，won’tthem？"

"Humph！I’drutherhave’emhigh—waterthanshoalinthemiddleofthechannel。You’llhavetoaverageupsomehow。Ioughttohaveknownbetterthantotrustyoutobuyanythingallbyyourself。"

Shecondescendedtoapproveofmyappearancewhen，anhourlater，I

camedownstairs，garbedinmybest。

"Humph！"shevouchsafed，afteralonglook。"Ideclare！I’dhardlyknowyou，Roscoe。Youlookmoreasyouusedtowhenyoufustcomeheretolive。"

"Thanks，"Ianswered，drily。"I’mgladtoseethatyourespectoldage。Thissuitisvenerableenoughtocommandthatkindofrespect。"

"’Tain’tthesuit，thoughthat’sallrightenough。It’sthewayyouwearit，Iguess。YoulookBETTERthanyouusedto。You’rebrownedupandbroadenedoutandit’srealbecomin’。But，"sheadded，withcharacteristiccaution，"youmustrememberthatgoodlooksdon’tcountformuch。Myfatherusedtosaytomethathandsomeisthathandsomedoes。NotthatIwassohomelyI’dscarethecrows，buthedidn’twantmetobevain。Nowdon’tfalloverboardinTHATsuit，willyou？"

MothernoticedmyunwontedgrandeurwhenIwentintosaygood—

nighttoher。

"Why，Roscoe！"sheexclaimed。"Youmustconsiderthisstrawberryfestivalveryimportant。"

"Why，Mother？"

"Becauseyou’vetakensuchpainstodressforit。"

"Itdidnotrequireagreatdealofpains。ImerelyputonwhatDorindacallsmySundayclothes。Idon’tknowwhyIdid，either。

Icertainlydon’tconsiderthefestivalimportant。"

"Iamgladyoudid。Ihavebeenalittletroubledaboutyouoflate，Boy。Ithasseemedtomethatyouweregrowing——well，notcareless，exactly，butindifferent。Asifyouwerelosinginterestinlife。Idon’tblameyou。Compelledtowasteyourtimehereinthecountry，acompaniontoabedriddenoldwomanlikeme。"

"Hush，Mother。You’renotold；andastowastingmytime——why，Mother，youknow——"

"Yes，yes，Boy，Iknowwhatyouwouldsay。Butitdoestroubleme，nevertheless。Ioughttobidyougobackintotheworld，andtakeyourplaceamongmen。AhundredtimesIhavebeenuponthepointoftellingyoutoleaveme，but——but——IamSOselfish。"

"Hush，Mother，please。"

"Yes，IAMselfishandIknowit。Iamgrowingstrongereveryday；

Iamsureofit。Justalittlelonger，Roscoe，justalittlelonger，andthen——"

"Mother，I——"

"There，there！"shestrokedmyhand。"Wewon’tbesad，willwe。

Itpleasesmetoseeyoutakinganinterestinaffairs。IthinkthisShoreLanemattermaybeagoodthing，afterall。DorindasaysthatLuthertellsheryouarebecomingverypopularintownbecauseofyourindependentstand。Everyonerecognizesyourpublicspirit。"

"Didshetellyouthat？"

"Notinthosewords。YouknowDorinda。Butwhatamountstothat。

IamsuretheDenboropeopleareveryproudofyou。"

Ithoughtofmy"popularity"andtheadmirationofmy"publicspirit"asmanifestedintheattentionsofCaptainJedandEldredgeandtheirfollowers，andIturnedmyheadawaysothatshemightnotseemyface。

"AndIamgladyouaregoingtothestrawberryfestival。Ican’trememberwhenyouattendedsuchafunctionbefore。Boy——"

"Yes，Mother。"

"Thereisn’tanyreason，anyspecialreason，foryourgoing，isthere？"

"Why，whatdoyoumean？"

"Imean——well，youareyoungandIdidnotknowbut，perhaps，someoneelsewasgoing，someoneyouwereinterestedin，and——and——"

Ilaughedaloud。"Mother！"Isaid，reproachfully。

"Whynot？Iamveryproudofmyhandsomeboy，andIknowthat——"

"There！there！Ihaven’tnoticedthatmybeautyissofascinatingastobedangerous。No，Mother，thereisno’specialreason’formygoingto—night。IpromisedGeorgeTaylor，thatwasall。"

"Well，Iamsureyouwillhaveagoodtime。Kissme，Boy。Good—

night。"

Iwasbynomeanssosureofthegoodtime。Infact，Iloiteredonmywaytothevillageanditwaswellpasteighto’clockwhenI

paidmyfifteencentsadmissionfeetoElnathanMulletatthegateofthechurchgroundsandsauntereduptheslopetowardthelightsandgaietyofthestrawberryfestival。

TheladiesoftheMethodistsociety，underwhosemanagementtheaffairwasgiven，werefortunateintheirchoiceofanevening。

TheearlyrisenmoonshonefromacloudlessskyandtherewassolittlebreezethattheJapaneselanterns，hungabovethetables，wentoutonlyoccasionally。The"beautyandeliteofDenboro"——seenextweek’sCapeCodItem——werepresentinforceand，minglingwiththem，or，ifnotmingling，atleastinspectingthemwithinterest，weresomeoftheearlyarrivalsamongthecottagersfromSouthDenboroandBayport。IsawLute，proudlyconsciousofhisnewlavendertrousers，inconversationwithMatildaDean，andI

wonderedwhowasthewinnerinthatwordyrace。CaptainJedediahstruttedarminarmwiththeminister。ThophNewcombandAlvinBakerweretherewiththeirwives。SimeonEldredgehadnotyetputinanappearancebutIknewthathewouldassoonastheeveningmailwassorted。

IfoundNellieDeaninchargeofatable，andGeorgeTaylorseatedatthattable。Iwalkedoverandjoinedthem。

"Goodevening，Nellie，"saidI。"Well，George，hereIam，yousee。"

Heshookmyhandheartily。"Iseeyouare，"hesaid。"Goodboy！

Howdoesitseemtosplashintosociety？"

"Ihaven’tsplashedyet。Ihaveonlyjustarrived。"