第10章

Iwaswonderingthatverything。Thatparticularthunderclapwaslouderandmoreterrifyingthanthoseprecedingit。However，therewasnouseinalarmingher。

"Iguessnot，"Ianswered。"He’llbeheresoon，Iamsure。"

Buthedidnotcome。Thestormseemedtobepassingover。Theflasheswerejustasfrequent，buttherewasalongerintervalbetweeneachflashanditsthunderpeal。Therainwasstillasteadydownpour。

MissColtonwasplainlygrowingmoreanxious。

"Wherecanhebe？"shemurmured。

"Don’tbefrightened，"Iurged。"Heisallright。I’llgoandlookhimup，ifyoudon’tmindbeingleftalone。"

"Can’t——can’twegotogether？"

"Wecould，ofcourse，butthereisnouseinyourgettingwetterthanyouare。IfyouarewillingtostayhereIwillrunuptheroadandseeifIcanfindhim。"

"Thankyou。Butyouwillgetwetyourself。"

"Oh，Iamwetalready。Taketheumbrella。I’llbebackinaminute。"

Ipressedthehandleoftheumbrellaintoherhand——itwasassteadyasmine——anddartedoutintotheflood。Ithinkshecalledmetocomeback，butIdidnotobey。IranuptheroaduntilIwassomedistancebeyondthepointwhereIhadstoppedtherunaway，buttherewerenosignsofhorse，carriageorcoachman。Icalledrepeatedly，butgotnoreply。Then，reluctantly，Igaveitupandreturnedtotheporch。

ShegavealittlegaspofreliefwhenIreachedherside。

"Oh！"sheexclaimed，"didyoufindhim？"

"No，"Ianswered。"Heseemstohavegoneon。Hecannothavegonefar。ItisonlyalittlewaytotheCorners。"

"Is——isn’tthereahouse，ahousewithpeoplelivinginit，nearthisplace？"

"Nonearerthanyourhouse，MissColton。WeseemtohavechosenthemostforsakenspotinDenborotobecastawayin。Iamverysorry。"

"Iamnotfrightenedformyself。ButIknowmyfatherandmotherwillbealarmedifIdon’tcomesoon。IamsureCaesarmusthaverunawayagain，andIamafraidJenkinsmustbehurt。"

Ihadthoughtofthat，too。Onlyanaccidentcouldexplainthecoachman’snon—appearanceor，atleast，hisnotsendinghelptohismistress。

"Ifyouarereallynotafraidtoremainhere，MissColton，"Isaid，"Iwillgotoyourhousemyself。"

"Ohno！Someonewillcomesoon。Ican’tunderstandwhereVictor——

Mr。Carver——canbe。Hewastohavejoinedmeatthechurch。"

Ididnotanswer。KnowingMr。Carver’sassociatesandtheerranduponwhichhehadgone，IimaginedIcouldguessthecauseofhisdelay。ButIdidnotspeakmyguess。

"Thestormisnotasseverejustnow，"Isaid。"Icangettoyourhouseinalittlewhile，ifyouarewillingIshouldleaveyou。"

Sheputherhandonmyarm。"Come，"shesaid。"Shallwestartnow？"

"Butyoumustnotgo。Youcouldn’tgetthereonfoot，suchanightasthis。"

"Yes，Ican。Imeanto。Pleasecome。"

Istillhesitated。Shetookherhandfrommyarmandsteppedoutintotherain。"Areyoucoming？"shesaid。

Ijoinedher，stillprotesting。Wesplashedonthroughthemudandwater，sheclinginglightlytomyarmandIholdingtheperfectlyuselessumbrellaoverherhead。Therainwasdescendingsteadilyandtheskyoverheadwasjustblack，butalongthewesternhorizon，asIcaughtaglimpseofitbetweenthetrees，Ifanciedtheblacknesswasalittlelessopaque。Thestormwaspassingover，sureenough。

Butbeforeitpasseditgaveusonegoodbysalute。WehadaboutreachedthepointontheShoreLanewhereIfirstmetherandCarverintheauto。TheshakybridgeoverMullet’scranberrybrookwasjustahead。Then，withoutwarning，theblacknightsplitwideopen，ajaggedstreakoffireshotfromheaventoearthandseemedtoexplodealmostinourfaces。IwasalmostknockedoffmyfeetandmyfingerstingledasifIhadbeenholdingthehandlesofanelectricbattery。Theumbrellaflewoutofmyhandsand，sofarasIwasconcerned，vanishedutterly。IbelieveElnathanpickeduptheruinnextday，butjustthenIneitherknewnorcaredwhathadbecomeofit。Ihadotherthingstothinkof。

ButforamomentIcouldnotthinkatall。IwasconsciousofagreatcrashingandrustlingandsplinteringdirectlyinfrontofmeandthenIrealizedthattheyoungladywasnolongerclingingtomyarm。Ilookedaboutandupthroughthedarkness。Thendown。

Shewaslyingatmyfeet。

Ibentoverher。

"MissColton！"Icried。"MissColton！Areyouhurt？"

Sheneitheranswerednormoved。MybrainwasstillnumbfromtheelectricshockandIhadadazedfearthatshemightbedead。I

shookhergentlyandshemoaned。Ispokeagainandagain，butshedidnotanswer，nortrytorise。TherainwaspouringdownuponusandIknewshemustnotliethere。Sooncemore，justasIhaddoneinthedingy，butnowunderquitedifferentcircumstancesandwithentirelydifferentfeelings，Istoopedandliftedherinmyarms。

MyyearsofoutdoorlifeinDenborohadhadonegoodeffectatleast；theyhadmademestrong。Icarriedherwithlittleefforttothebridge。AndthereIstopped。Thebridgewasblocked，coveredwithamassofwetleafybranchesandsplinteredwood。Thelightningbolthadmissedusbyjustthatmuch。Ithadoverthrownanddemolishedthebigwillowtreebythebrookandtogetthroughoroverthetanglewasimpossible。

Soagainhistoryrepeateditself。IdescendedthebankatthesideofthebridgeandwadedthroughthewaterswithMabelColtoninmyarms。Istaggereduptheoppositebankandhurriedon。Shelayquiet，herheadagainstmyshoulder。Herhathadfallenoffandawet，fragrantstrandofherhairbrushedmycheek。OnceIstoppedandbentmyheadtolisten，tomakesurethatshewasbreathing。

Shewas，Ifeltherbreathuponmyface。AfterwardsIrememberedallthis；justthenIwasmerelythankfulthatshewasalive。

Ihadgonebutalittlewayfurtherwhenshestirredinmyarmsandspoke。

"Whatisit？"sheasked。"Whatisthematter？"

"Nothing，"Ianswered，withasighofrelief。"Itisallright。

Weshallbetheresoon。"

"Butwhatisthematter？Whyareyou——letmewalk，please。"

"Youhadbetterstayasyouare。Youarealmosthome。"

"Butwhyareyoucarryingme？Whatisthematter？"

"You——youfainted，Ithink。Thelightning——"

"Ohyes，Iremember。DidIfaint？Howridiculous！Pleaseletmewalknow。Iamallright。ReallyIam。"

"ButIthink——"

"Please。Iinsist。"

Isethergentlyonherfeet。Shestaggeredalittle，butshewaspluckyand，afteramoment，wasabletostandandwalk，thoughslowly。

"Youaresureyoucanmanageit？"Iasked。

"Ofcourse！ButwhydidIfaint？Ineverdidsuchathingbeforeinmylife。"

"Thatflashwasclosetous。Itstruckthebigwillowbythebrook。"

"Didit！Asnearasthat？"

"Yes。Don’ttrytotalk。"

"ButIamallright……Iamnothurtatall。Arewealmosthome？"

"Yes。Thosearethelightsofyourhouseaheadthere。"

Wemovedonmorerapidly。AsweturnedinattheColtonwalkshesaid，"Why；ithasstoppedraining。"

Ithad，thoughIhadnotnoticedit。TheflashwhichsmashedthewillowhadbeentheaccompanimentofwhatLutewouldcallthe"clearing—upshower。"Thestormwasreallyover。

WesteppedupontheporticoofthebighouseandIrangthebell。

Thebutleropenedthedoor。Hisface，ashesawthepairofdripping，bedraggledoutcastsbeforehim，wasworthlookingat。Hewasshockedoutofhisdignity。

"Why！Why，MissMabel！"hestammered，withalmosthumanagitation。

"What——"

Avoice，apetulantfemalevoice，calledfromtheheadofthestairs。

"Johnson，"itquavered，"whoisit？Mabel，isthatyou？"

ThelibrarydoorflewopenandMr。Coltonhimselfappeared。

"Eh？What？"heexclaimed。"ByGeorge！Mabel，wherehaveyoubeen？Ihavebeenraisingheavenandearthtolocateyou。The’phoneseemstobeoutoforderand——GreatScott，girl！you’rewetthrough。Jenkins，what——？Hey？Why，itisn’tJenkins！"

Thefactthathisdaughter’sescortwasnotthecoachmanhadjustdawneduponhim。Hestaredatmeiniratebewilderment。Beforehecouldaskaquestionorhisdaughtercouldspeakorexplaintherecamealittleshriekfromthestairs，arustleofsilkenskirts，andaplump，white—facedwomaninanelaboratehousegownrushedacrossthehallwithbothwhitearmsoutstretched。

"Mabel！"shecried，"whereHAVEyoubeen。Youpoorchild！Ihavebeenalmostbesidemyself，and——"

MissColtonlaughinglyavoidedtherush。"Takecare，Mother，"shewarned。"Iamverywet。"

"Wet？Why！you’reabsolutelydrenched！Jenkins——Mabel，whereisJenkins？Andwhoisthis——er——person？"

Ithoughtitquitetimeformetowithdraw。

"Goodnight，MissColton，"Isaid，andsteppedtowardthedoor。

But"BigJim"roaredmyname。

"It’sthat——it’sPaine！"heexclaimed。"Here！whatdoesthismean，anyway？"

Ithinkhisdaughterwasabouttoexplain，whentherecameanotherinterruption。Fromthedrivewaysoundedtheblareofanautohorn。

Johnsonthrewopenthedoorjustasthebigcarwhirleduptotheporch。

"Hereweare！"laughedCarver，emergingfrombehindthedrawncurtainsofthemachine。"Homeagainfromaforeignshore。Comein，fellows，andhaveadrink。We’vehadwaterenoughforonenight。Comein。"

Hestumbledashecrossedthesill，recoveredhisbalance，laughed，andthenallatonceseemedtobecomeawareofthegroupinthehall。Helookedabouthim，swayingalittleashedidso。

"Ah，Mabel！"heexclaimed，genially。"Gotherefirst，didn’tyou？

SorryIwaslate，butitwasalloldParker’sfault。Wouldn’tletussaygoodby。Butwecamesomewhenwedidcome。ThebridgeisdownandwemadeOscarrunherrightthroughthewater。Greatex—

experience。Hello！Why，what’smatter？Who’sthis？What？it’sReuben，isn’tit！Mabel，whatonearth——"

Shepaidnoattentiontohim。Iwasatthedoorwhensheovertookme。

"Mr。Paine，"shesaid，"Iamverygratefulforyourkindness。Bothforwhatyouhavedonetonightandforyourhelptheotherafternoon。Thankyou。"

Sheheldoutherhand。Itookit，scarcelyknowingthatIdidso。

"Thankyou，"shesaid，again。Imurmuredsomethingorotherandwentout。AsIsteppedfromtheporchIheardVictor’svoice。

"Well，byJove！"heexclaimed。"Mabel！"

Ilookedback。Hewasstandingbythedoor。Shewentpasthimwithoutreplyingorevenlookingathim。FromtheautomobileI

heardsmotheredchucklesandexclamations。Thebutlerclosedthedoor。

IwalkedhomeasfastasIcould。Dorindawaswaitingupforme。

WhatshesaidwhenshesawtheruinofmySundaysuithadbetternotberepeated。ShewasstillsayingitwhenItookmylampandwentuptobed。

CHAPTERIX

Thestrawberryfestivalandthe"tempest"were，ofcourse，thesubjectsmostdiscussedatthebreakfasttablenextmorning。Lutemonopolizedtheconversation，afactforwhichIwasthankful，foritenabledmetododgeDorinda’squestionsastomyownadventures。

Ididnotcaretotalkaboutthelatter。Myfeelingsconcerningthemwerecuriouslymixed。WasIgladorsorrythatFatehadchosenmetoplayoncemoretheroleofrescuerofayoungfemaleindistress？ThatmyplayingoftherolehadalteredmystandinginMabelColton’smindIfeltreasonablysure。Herwordsatpartingwithmerangtrue。Shewasgrateful，andshehadshakenhandswithme。Doubtlessshewouldtellherfatherthewholestoryandhe，too，incommondecency，wouldbegratefultomeforhelpinghisdaughter。But，afterall，didIcareforgratitudefromthatfamily？Andwhatformwouldthatgratitudetake？WouldColton，likeVictorCarver，offertopaymeformyservices？No，hardlythat，Ithought。Hewasamanofwideexperienceand，ifhedidofferpayment，itwouldbeinsomelesscrudeformthanafivedollarbill。

ButIdidnotwantpaymentinanyform。Ididnotwantcondescensionandpatronizingthanks。Ididnotwantanything——thatwasit。Uptonow，theoccupantsofthebighouseandIhadbeenenemies，openandconfessed。Ihad，sofaraspossible，keptoutoftheirwayandhopedtheywouldkeepoutofmine。Butnowthesituationwasmorecomplicated。Ididnotknowwhattoexpect。Ofcoursetherewasnochanceofourbecomingfriends。Thedifferenceinsocialposition，astheyreckonedit，madethattooridiculoustoconsiderasapossibility，evenifIwishedit，whichIdistinctlydidnot。Butsomething，aninterview，awkwardanddisagreeableforbothsides，orapatronizingnoteofthanks，was，attheveryleast，certaintofollowthehappeningsofthepreviousnight。IwishedIhadgonehomewhentheColtonsfirstcametothefestival。IwishedIhadnotpromisedTaylorthatIwouldattendthatfestival。Iwished——I

wishedagreatmanythings。ThethoughtofyoungCarver’spublicsnubbingbeforehisfriendswasmyoneunmixedsatisfaction。I

ratherimaginedthathewasmoreuncomfortablethanIwasorcouldbe。

Lutecrowedvaingloriouslyoverhisowngoodjudgmentinleavingforhomeearly。

"Idon’tknowhow’twas，"hedeclared。"Somethin’seemedtotellmewewasinforaturribletempest。Iwassettin’talkin’withAlvinBakerandeatin’mysecondsasserofberries，when——"

"SECONDsasser？"interruptedDorinda，sharply。"Where’dyougetmoneyfortwosassers？Igaveyouthirtycentswhenyoustartedforthatfestival。Itcostyoufifteentogetinsidethegate，andMatildyDeantoldmethechurchfolkswascal’latin’tochargefifteenforahelpin’ofberriesandcream。Andyouhadtwosassers，yousay。Whopaidforthesecondone？"

Herhusbandswallowedhalfacupofcoffeebeforereplying。Thenhisreplyhadnothingtodowiththequestion。

"Idon’tknowhow’twas，"hewenton。"Ijusthadthefeelin’，that’sall。Sortofapresent——presentuary，Iguess，comeoverme。

Ilookedupattheskyand’twasgettin’black，andthenIlookedtothewest—ardandIseeaflashoflightnin’。’Nothin’butheatlightnin’，’saysAlvin。’Heatlightnin’nothin’！’saysI，’Itellyou——"

"Whopaidforthatsecondsasserofberries？"repeatedhiswife，relentlessly。

"Whynow，Dorindy——"

"Whopaidfor’em？If’twasAlvinBakeryououghttobeashamedofyourself，spongin’onhimforyourvittles。"

"Alvin！Goodland！didyoueverknowhimtopayforanythinghedidn’thaveto？"

"NevermindwhatIknow。Didyougettrustedfor’em？HowmanytimeshaveItoldyou——"

"Inevergottrusted。Iain’tthatkind。AndIdidn’tsponge’em，neither。Ipaidcash，rightoutofmyownpocket，likeaman。"

"Youdid！Um—hm。Iwanttoknow！Wellthen——MAN，wheredidthecashinthatpocketcomefrom？"

Lutesquirmed。"I——I——"hestammered。

"Wherediditcomefrom？Answerme。"

"Well——well，Dorindy，yousee——whenyousentmeuptothestoret’otherdayafterthebrownsugarand——andnumber50spoolcottonyougivemeseventy—fivecents。Yourememberyoudid，yourself。"

"Yes，andIrememberyousaidtherewasaholeinyourpocketandyoulostthechange。Iain’tlikelytoforgetit，andIshouldn’tthinkyou’dbe。"

"Ididn’tforget。Bytime！myearsain’tdonesingin’yet。Butthatshowshowrecklessyoutalktome。Ineverlostthatchangeatall。Ifounditafterwardsinmyvest，soallyourjawin’wasjustfornothin’。Ros，sheoughttobegmypardon，hadn’tshe？

Hadn’tshenow？"

Dorindasavedmethetroubleofanswering。

"Um—hm！"sheobserved，dryly。"Well，I’llbegmyownpardoninstead，forbein’sodumbasnottogothroughyourvestmyself。

SoTHAT’Swheretheotherfifteencentscomefrom！Isee。Well，youmarchouttothewoodpileandchoptillItellyoutoquit。"

"But，Dorindy，I’vegotoneofmydyspepsyspells。Idon’tfeelrealgoodthismornin’。ItoldyouIdidn’t。"

"Folksthatmakepigsofthemselvesonstolenberrieshadn’toughttofeelgood。Exerciseisfinefordyspepsy。Youmarch。"

Lutemarched，andImarchedwithhimasfarasthebackyard。

ThereIlefthim，groaningbeforethewoodpile，andwentdowntotheboathouse。

TheComfort’soverhaulingwascompleteandIhadlaunchedhertheweekbefore。Nowshelayanchoredattheedgeofthechannel。ForthewantofsomethingmoreimportanttodoItookdownmyshotgunandbegantopolishitsalreadyglitteringbarrels。

TryasImightIcouldnotgetthememoryofmyadventureinthe"tempest"outofmyhead。Irevieweditfromendtoend，thinkingofmanythingsImighthavedonewhich，inthelightofwhatfollowed，wouldhavebeenbetterandmoresensible。If，insteadofleavingthecoachman，Ihadremainedtohelphimwiththefrightenedhorse，Ishouldhavebeenbetteremployed。BetweenuswecouldhavesubduedtheanimalandMissColtonmighthaveriddenhome。I

wonderedwhathadbecomeofJenkinsandthehorse。IwonderedifthegirlknewIcarriedherthroughthebrook。Victorhadsaidthebridgewasdown；shemustknow。Iwonderedwhatshethoughtoftheproceeding；probablythatsplashingaboutwithyoungladiesinmyarmswasahabitofmine。

ItoldmyselfthatIdidnotcarewhatshethought。Iresolvedtoforgetthewholeaffairandtofocusmyattentionuponcleaningthegun。ButIcouldnotforget。IwadedthatbrookadozentimesasIsatthere。Irememberedeverydetail；howstillshelayinmyarms；howwhiteherfacelookedasthedistantlightningflashesrevealedittome；howherhairbrushedmycheekasIbentoverher。Iwasusingawadofcottonwastetopolishthegunbarrel，andIthrewitintoacorner，havingtheinsanenotionthat，insomeway，theassociationofideascamefromthatbunchofwaste。

It——thewaste——wasgrimyandanythingbutfragrant，asdifferentfromthedarklockwhichthewindhadblownagainstmyfaceasanythingwellcouldbe，butthehurrywithwhichIdiscardeditprovesmyimbecilityatthattime。Confoundthegirl！shewasanuisance。Iwantedtoforgetherandherfamily，andthesulphurouspersonagetowhosecareIhadonceconsignedtheheadofthefamilyapparentlytookacharacteristicdelightinarrangingmatterssothatIcouldnot。

Theshotgunwas，atlast，sospotlessthatevenapretenseoffurthercleaningwasridiculous。Ihelditlevelwithmyeyeandsquintedthroughthebarrels。

"Don’tshoot，"saidavoicefromthedoorway；"I’llcomedown。"

Iloweredthegun，turnedandlooked。"BigJim"Coltonwasstandingthere，cigarinmouth，caponthebackofhisheadandbothhandsinhispockets，exactlyashehadappearedinthatsamedoorwaywhenheandIfirstmet。Theexpectedhadhappened，partofitatleast。Hehadcometoseeme；thedisagreeableinterviewIhadforeseenwasathand。

Henoddedandenteredwithoutwaitingforaninvitation。

"Morning，"hesaid。

"Goodmorning，"saidI，guardedly。Iwonderedhowhewouldbegintheconversation。Ourpreviousmeetinghadendedalmostinafight。Wehadbeenfightingbyproxyeversince。Iwaspreparedformoretrouble，forhaughtycondescension，forperfunctoryapology，foralmostanythingexceptwhathappened。Hisnextremarkmighthavebeenaddressedtoanacquaintanceuponwhomhehadcasuallydroppedinforafriendlycall。

"That’sagoodlookinggunyou’vegotthere，"heobserved。"Let’sseeit。"

Iwastooastonishedtoanswer。"Let’slookatit，"herepeated，holdingouthishand。

MechanicallyIpassedhimthegun。Heexamineditasifhewasusedtosuchthings，brokeit，snappeditshut，triedthelockswithhisthumbandhandeditbacktome。

"Anythingworthshootingaroundhere？"heasked，pullingthearmchairtowardhimandsitting。

IthinkIdidnotlethimseehowastonishedIwasathisattitude。

Itriednotto。

"Whyyes，"Ianswered，"intheseason。Plentyofcoots，someblackduck，andquailandpartridgeinthewoods。"

"Thatso！Peters，thatcarpenterofmine，saidsomethingofthesort，Iremember，butIwouldn’tbelievehimunderoath。IcouldshootHIMwithmoreorlesspleasure，butthereseemstobenoopensessionforhisspecies。Where’syourlaunch？"

"Outyonder。"IpointedtotheComfortathermoorings。Helooked，butmadenocomment。Iroseandputthegunintherack。

ThenIreturnedtomychair。Heswungaroundinhisseatandlookedatme。

"Well，"hesaid，grimly，butwithatwinkleinhiseye，"thelasttimeyouandIchattedtogetheryoutoldmetogotothedevil。"

ThiswasquitetrueandImighthaveaddedthatIwasgladofit。

Butwhatwouldbetheuse？Ididnotansweratall。

"Ihaven’tgonethereyet，"hecontinued。"Cameoverhereinstead。

Gotdryyet？"

"Dry？"

"Yes。YouwereanythingbutdrywhenIsawyoulastnight。Havemanysuchcloudburstsasthatintheseparts？"

"Notmany。No。"

"Ihopenot。Idon’twantanotheruntilIsellthathorseofmine。

Thechapwhostuckmewithhimisafriendofmine。Hewarrantedthebeastperfectlysafeforaninfantinarmstodriveandnotafraidofanythingshortofanearthquake。Heisalovelyliar。I

admirehisqualificationsinthatrespect，andhopetotradewithhimagain。Hebucksthestockmarketoccasionally。"

Hesmiledashesaidit。Therewasnottheslightestmaliceinhistone，but，ifIhadbeenthe"friend，"Ishouldhavekeptclearofstocksforawhile。

"Whatbecameofthehorse？"Iasked。

"Ranawayagain。Jenkinshadjustgotbackintothecarriagewhenanotheroneofthosethunderclapsstartedmoretrouble。Thehorseranfourmiles，moreorless，andstoppedonlywhenthewheelsgotjammedbetweentwotrees。Ipaidninehundreddollarsforthatcarriage。"

"Andthecoachman？"

"Oh，helitonhishead，fortunately，andwasn’thurt。Spenthalfthenighttryingtofindaphonenotoutofcommissionbutfailed。

Gothomeaboutfouro’clock，leadingthehorse。Paine——"

"Yes？"

"OfcourseyouknowwhatI’vecomeherefor。I’mmuchobligedtoyou。"

"That’sallright。You’rewelcome。"

"MaybeIam，butIamobliged，justthesame。NotonlyforthehelpyougaveMabel——mydaughter——lastnight，butforthatbusinessinthebaytheotherafternoon。"

Soshehadtoldhimthewholestory。Rememberingherlastwords，asIleftherinthehall，Ihadratherimaginedshewould。

"Thatdidn’tamounttoanything，"Isaid，shortly。

"Why，yes，itdid。Itmighthaveamountedtoawholelot。IaskedPeterssomequestionsaboutthetidesouthereand，fromwhathesaid，Ijudgethatbeingstuckontheshoalsinasquallmightnotbealtogetherajoke。Mabelsaysyouhandledtheaffairmightywell。"

Ididnotanswer。Hechuckled。

"HowdidyoungCarverenjoyplayingsecondfiddle？"heasked。

"FromwhatI’veseenofhimhegenerallyexpectstoleadtheband。

Happy，washe？"

Iremainedsilent。Hesmiledbroadly。

"Heisn’tanytoohappythismorning，"hewenton。"Thatyoungmanwon’tdo。Ineverquotedhimwithintwentypointsofpar，butMabelseemedtolikehimandhermotherthoughthewastherealthing。Mrs。C。couldn’tforgetthathisfamilyisoneoftheoldestonthelist。PersonallyIdon’tgamblemuchonfamilies；

knowalittleaboutmyownandthatlittleisenough。Butwomenaredifferent。However，familyornot，hewon’tdo。Ishouldtellhimsomyself，butIguessMabelwillsavemethetrouble。She’sgotasurprisingamountofcommon—sense，consideringthatshe’sanonlychild——andwhoherparentsare。Bytheway，Paine，whatdidCarversaywhenyouputhimashore？"

"He——hesaid——oh，nothingofimportance。"

"Yes，Iknowthat。Ilistenedtohisexplanationslastnight。Butdidhesayanything？"

"Why，heofferedtopaymeformywork。"

"Didhe？Howmuch？"

"Ididnotwaittofindout。"

"Andyouhaven’theardfromhimsince？"

Ihesitated。

"Haveyou？"herepeated。

"Well，I——Ireceivedanotefromhimnextday。"

"Humph！Offeringapologies？"

"No。"

"Sentyoumoney，didn’the？"

Ilookedathiminsurprise。"Didhetellyou？"Iasked。

"No，nobodytoldme。I’monlytryingtofindoutwhetherornotI

havelostallmyjudgmentofhumannaturesinceIstruckthissandheap。Hedidsendyoumoneythen。Howmuch？"

"Mr。Colton，I——"

"Comenow！Howmuch？"

"Well——hesentmefivedollars。"

"No！hedidn’t！"

"Iamtellingyouthetruth。"

"Yes，"slowly，"Iknowyouare。I’vegotthatmuchjudgmentleft。

Sentyoufivedollars，didhe。Andyousentitback。"

"Yes。"

"Anymessagewithit？"