第14章

Shespoketothehorseandhebegantomove。Itookmycouragebetweenmyteeth，ranaftertheanimalandseizedthebridle。

"Youarenotgoingalone，"Isaid，decidedly。Iwassmiling，butdetermined。

Shelookedatmeinsurprisedindignation。

"Whatdoyoumean？"shesaid。

Imerelysmiled。Herchinliftedandherbrowsdrewtogether。I

recognizedthatlook；Ihadseenitbefore，onthatafternoonwhenIannouncedmyintentionofcarryingherfromthedingytotheskiff。

"Willyoubegoodenoughtoletgoofmyrein？"sheasked。Everywordwasasortofverbalicicle。Ifeltthechillandmysmilewasratherforced；butIheldthebridle。

"No，"Isaid，serenelyasIcould。Foraminute——Isupposeitwasnotlongerthanthat，itseemedanhourtome——weremainedaswewere。Thenherlipsbegantocurlupwardatthecorners，and，tomysurprise，sheburstoutlaughing。

"Really，Mr。Paine，"shesaid，"youarethemostimpossiblepersonIevermet。Doyoualwaysorderpeopleaboutthisway？IfeelasifIwereaboutfiveyearsoldandyouweremynurse。Arewetostandheretherestoftheafternoon？"

"Yes；unlessyoupermitmetogowithyouandshowyoutheway。"

"ButIcan’t。I’mnotgoingtospoilyourpicnic。Iknowyouwantyourlunch。Youmust。Or，ifyoudon’t，Iwantmine。"

"Ifyougoalone，thereareninechancesintenthatyouwillnotgethomeintimefordinner，tosaynothingoflunch。"

Shelookedatmeoddly，Ithought，andstartedtospeak。Whateveritwasshewasgoingtosaysheevidentlythoughtbetterofit，forsheremainedsilent。

ThenIhadanewidea。WhetherornotitwasherlookwhichinspireditIdonotknow。Ithinkitmusthavebeen；Ineverwouldhavedaredsuchathingwithoutinspiration。

"MissColton，"Isaid，hesitatingly，"ifyoureallyarenot——ifyouaresureyourpeoplewillnotworryaboutyou——I——Ishouldbegladtosharemylunchwithyou。Thenwecouldgohometogetherafterward。"

Shedidnotlookatmenow。Insteadsheturnedherhead。

"Are——areyousurethereisenoughfortwo？"sheasked，inacuriouslychokedtone。

BywayofanswerIledthehorsetothebushes，drewthelunchbasketfromtheshade，andthrewbackthecover。Dorinda’spicniclunchesweretriumphsandshehadneverputupamoretemptingone。

MissColtonlookeddownintothebasket。

"Oh！"sheexclaimed。

"Thereappearstobeenough，doesn’tthere？"Iobserved，drily。

"But——butIcouldn’tthinkof……AreyousureIwon’tbe……

Thankyou。Yes，I’llstay。"

BeforeIcouldoffermyhandtohelpherfromthesaddleshesprangtotheground。Hereyesweresparkling。

"Mr。Paine，"shesaid，inaburstofconfidence，"itisshamelesstotellyouso，Iknow，butIwasdreadfullyafraidyouweren’tgoingtoaskme。IamabsolutelySTARVED。"

CHAPTERXII

"Andnow，"continuedMissColton，afteranintervalduringwhich，Ipresume，shehadbeenwaitingforsomereplytoherfrankdeclarationconcerningmindandappetite，"whatmustIdotohelp？

ShallIunpackthebasket？"

Iwasstruggling，aswesayinDenboro，togettheshipundercontrol。IhadbeentakenabacksosuddenlythatIhadloststeerageway。Myslightexperiencewiththevagariesofthefemininemindhadnotpreparedmeforthelightningchangesofthiskind。Nottwominutesbeforeshehad，ifonemightjudgebyherlookandtone，beendeeplyoffended，almostinsulted，becauseI

refusedtopermitherwanderingoffaloneintothewoods。Myinvitationtolunchhadbeengivenonthespurofthemomentandwithnoideathatitwouldbeaccepted。Andshenotonlyaccepted，buthadexpectedmetoinviteher，hadbeenfearfulthatImightnotdoso。Shetoldmeso，herself。

"ShallIunpackthebasket？"sherepeated。Shewaslookingatmeintentlyandthetoeofherridingbootwaspattingtheleaves。

"Whatisthematter？AreyousorryIamgoingtostay？"

Itwashightimeformetogetunderway。Thereweresquallsonthehorizon。

"Oh，no，no！"Iexclaimed，hastily。"Ofcoursenot。Iamdelighted。Butyouneednottroubletohelp。JustletmeattendtoyourhorseandIwillhavelunchreadyinajiffy。"

IledDonovertothelittlegreenbeltofmeadowbetweenthetreesandthesandofthebeach，unbuckledthereinsandmadehimfasttoastoutbirch。Hebenthisheadandbegantopullbigmouthfulsoftherichgrass。He，too，wasevidentlygladtoacceptmyinvitation。

WhenIreturnedtomycampinggroundIfoundthebasketunpackedandtheyoungladyarrangingtheeatables。

"Youshouldn’thavedonethat，"Isaid。"Iamthehosthere。"

Shedidnotlookup。"Don’tbotherthetablemaid，"sheobserved，briskly。"Thatfireisnotkindledyet。"

Ilitthefireand，goingovertothebushes，selectedtwoofthefish，abassandapickerel。Icarriedthemdowntotheshoreofthepondandbegancleaningthem，usingmyjacknifeandaflatstone。Iwasnearingtheendoftheoperationwhenshecameovertowatch。

"Whyareyoudoingthat？"sheasked。"Youarenotgoingtocookthem——now——areyou？"

"Iamgoingtotry，"Ireplied。

"Buthow？Youhaven’tanythingtocookthemin。"

"Idon’tneedit。Youdon’tappreciatetheconveniencesofthishotel，MissColton。There！nowwe’reready。"

Irose，washedmyhandsinthepond，andpickeduptwootherflatstones，largeones，whichIhadpreviouslyputaside。TheseI

carriedtothefireand，rakingasidetheburninglogswithastick，laidthestonesinabedofhotcoals。

"Thoseareourfryingpans，"Iinformedher。"Whentheyarehotenoughtheywillcookthefish。Atleast，Ihopetheywill。Nowforthecoffee。"

Butshewavedmeaside。"Thecoffeeismyaffair，"shesaid。"I

insistuponmakingthecoffee。Oh，youneednotlookatmelikethat。Iamnotaltogetheruseless。IstudiedDomesticScience——alittle——inmyprepschoolcourse。AsmuchasIstudiedanythingelse，"laughingly。

"But——"

"Mr。Paine，Iamnotonhorsebacknowandyoucan’tholdmybridleasyoudidDon’s。Ifyouwillfillthecoffeepotandputitontoboil。Thankyou。Iamgladtoseethatevenyouobeyorders，sometimes。"

Ihadcookedfishinout—of—doorfashionoftenbefore，butIamquitesureInevertooksuchpainsasIdidwiththese。Theywerenotculinarytriumphs，evenatthat，butmyguestwaskindenoughtopronouncethemdelicious。Thelunchbasketcontainedtwoplates，butonlyoneknifeandfork。TheseIinsisteduponherusingandIgotonverywellwithsharpenedsticksandaspoon。

Thecoffeewas——well，ithadonequalification，strength。

Weconversedbutlittleduringthemeal。TheyoungladysaidshewastoohungrytotalkandIwassoconfoundedwiththestrangenessofthewholeaffairthatIwasgladtobesilent。Sittingoppositeme，eatingDorinda’sdoughnutsandapplepuffsandthefishthatI——_I_hadcooked，was"BigJim"Colton’sdaughter，theautomobilegirl，theheiress，the"incarnationofsnobbery，"theyoungladywhosefatherIhadbiddengotothedevilandtowhom，incompanywiththerestofthefamily，Ihadmanytimesmentallyextendedthesameinvitation。Andnowwewerepicnicingtogetherasifwewerefriendsoflongstanding。Why，NellieDeancouldnotappearmoreunpretentiousandunconsciousofsocialdifferencesthanthisgirlto—day！Whatwouldherparentssayiftheysawuslikethis？WhatwouldCaptainJed，andtherestofthoseinrebellionagainsttheEmperorofNewYork，say？ThatIwasatraitor，handandglovewiththeenemy。Well，Iwasnot；andIdidnotintendtobe。Butforherto——

Sheinterruptedmymeditations。

"Mr。Paine，"sheobserved，suddenly，"youwillexcusemymentioningit，butyouaredistinctlynotentertaining。Youhavenotspokenawordforfiveminutes。Andyouarenotattendingtomyneeds。Theapplepuffsareonyoursideofthe——table。"

Ihastenedtopassthepapercontainingthepuffs。

"Ibegyourpardon，"Isaid，hurriedly。"I——Iwasdaydreaming，I

guess。"

"SoIimagined。Iforgiveyou；thislunchwouldtemptmetoforgivegreatersinsthanyours。Didthatdelightfuloldhousekeeperofyourscookallthesenicethings？"

"Shedid。SoyouthinkDorindadelightful，doyou？"

"Yes。Sheissosincereandgood—hearted。Andsooddandbrightandfunny。Icouldlistentoherforhours。"

"Humph！Well，ifyouwereamemberofherhouseholdyouwouldhavethatprivilegeoften。Idoubtifherhusbandconsidersitsuchaprivilege。"

"Herhusband？Oh，yes！Imethim。Heisacharacter，too，isn’the？"

"Yes；aweakone。"

Sheputdownhercoffeecupandsighed，contentedly。

"IthinkInevertastedanythingsogoodasthislunch，"sheobserved。"AndI’mquitesureIneveratesomuchatonesitting。

Iamgoingtohelpyouclearaway，butpleasedon’taskmetodoitjustnow。Haveyoufinished？Youmaysmoke，ifyoulike。"

IhadbeenlongingforasmokeandnowIfilledmypipeandlightedit。

"Nowwecantalk，can’twe？"shesaid。"Iwantyoutotellmeaboutyourmother。Howisshe？"

"Justasshewaswhenyousawher，"Ianswered。"Motherisalwaysthesame。"

"Sheisadear。IhadheardsomanynicethingsaboutherandI

wasnotdisappointed。IintendedtomakeonlyashortcallandI

stayedandstayed。IhopeIdidnottireher。"

"Notatall。Motherenjoyedyourcallexceedingly。"

"Didshe？Iamsoglad。Ireallyam。Iwenttoyourhousewithagooddealofmisgiving，Mr。Paine。Ifearedthatmycomingmightbeconsideredanintrusion。"

"Itoldyouthatitwouldnot。"

"Iknow。But，underthecircumstances——Father’sdisagreementwith——

consideringallthe——the——Oh，whatshallIcallit？"

"Thelateunpleasantness，"Isuggested。

Againcamethetwinkleinhereye。Shenodded。

"Thankyou，"shesaid。"Thatisaquotation，butitwascleverofyoutothinkofit。Yes，consideringthelateunpleasantness，I

wasafraidmyvisitmightbemisunderstood。Iwasfearfulthatyourmotheror——someone——mightthinkIcametherewithanulteriormotive，somethingconnectedwiththattroublesomeLanedispute。Ofcoursenoonedidthinksuchathing？"

Sheaskedthequestionquicklyandwithintenseseriousness。I

rememberedLute’shintandmyownsecretsuspicions，butIansweredpromptly。

"Ofcoursenot，"Isaid。

"Youdidnotthinkthat，didyou？"

"No，"unblushingly。

"IcamebecausefromwhatIhadheardofyourmotherIwassureshemustbeawonderfulwoman。Iwantedtomeether。AndsheIS

wonderful；andsopatientandsweetandgood。Ifellinlovewithher。Everyonemustloveher。Youshouldbeproudofyourmother，Mr。Paine。"

"Iam，"Ianswered，simply。

"Youhavereason。Andsheisveryproudofyou。"

"Withoutthereason，I’mafraid。"

Shedidnotspeak。Hersilencehurt。IfeltthatIknewwhatshewasthinkingandIdeterminedtomakehersayit。

"Withoutthereason，"Irepeated。

"Ididnotsaythat。"

"Butyouthoughtit。"

Mystubbornpersistencewasamistake。Again，asatourmeetinginthegrove，Ihadgonetoofar。Heranswerwasascompletelyindifferentasspeechandtonecouldbe。

"Indeed？"shesaid，coldly。"ItisbarelypossiblethatIdidnotthinkaboutitatall……Now，Mr。Paine，ifyouarereadyshallweclearaway？"

Theclearing，mostofit，wasdonesilently。Iwashedtheplates，thecoffeepotandotherthings，inthepondandshepackedtheminthebasket。AsIreturnedwiththeknifeandforksIfoundherlookingatthecoffeepotandsmiling。

"Whatisthematter？"Iasked，sulkily。IwasprovokedwithmyselfforforgettingwhoandwhatIwas，andwithherformakingmeforget。"Isn’titclean？"

"Why，yes，"sheanswered，"surprisinglyso。DidtheyteachDomesticScienceatyourcollege，too？"

Istarted。"MYcollege！"Irepeated。"HowdidyouknowIhadbeenatcollege？DidMothertellyou？"

Shelaughedgleefully。

"DidMothertellyou？"Idemanded。"Ifshedid——"

"Well，whatifshedid？However，shedidnot。Butyouhavetoldmenow。Harvard，wasit？orYale？"

Itossedtheknifeandforkintothebasketandturnedaway。

"Princeton，perhaps，"suggestedMissColton。

Iwalkedoverandbegantounjointmyrod。Iwasafooltobetrappedlikethis。NooneinDenboroexceptMotherandGeorgeTaylorknewofmybriefcollegecareer，andnowIhad，practically，toldthisgirlofit。Shemight——ifsheweresufficientlyinterestedtoremember，whichwasfortunatelynotprobable——tellherfatherandhemightaskotherquestionsconcerningmyhistory。

Wherewouldthosequestionslead？

IwasangrilytuggingattherodwhenIheardherstepbehindme。

Ididnotturn。

"Ibegyourpardon，"shesaid。

Ipretendednottohear。

"Ibegyourpardon，Mr。Paine，"shesaidagain。

"It’sallright，"Imuttered。"Noapologiesarenecessary。"

Isaiditlikeasullenschoolboy。Therewasanothermomentofsilence。ThenIheardhermoveaway。Ilookedovermyshoulder。

ShewaswalkingtowardthemeadowwhereDon，thehorse，waspicketed。Therewasoffendeddignityineverylineofherfigure。

ForamomentIfoughtwithmyprideandinjuredself—respect。ThenIhurriedafterher。

"MissColton，"Isaid。

"Well？"sheneitherturnednorstopped。

"MissColton，Ishouldnothaveansweredlikethat。Iwasrude。"

Shestopped。"Youwere，"shesaid。

"Iknowit。Iamsorry。Iapologize。"

"Noapologiesarenecessary。"

Herewastitfortat。Ididnotknowwhatmoretosay，soIsaidnothing。

"DoIunderstandthatyouaskmypardon？"sheinquired，stillwithoutturning。

"Ido。Ifyouwillpermitme，Iwillexplain。I——"

Shewhirledaboutandfacedme。Tomyastonishmentshewassmilingoncemore。

"Ofcourseyouwon’texplain，"shedeclared。"Ihadnorighttoaskyouaboutyourcollege。ButIcouldn’thelpguessing。ItoldyouthatIlikedpuzzles。We’llsaynomoreaboutit。IhaveenjoyedthispicnicandIwon’thaveitspoiled。Nowwhyareyoutakingyourrodapart？"

"BecauseIknowyouwanttogohomeandIamgoingwithyoutoshowyoutheway。"

"ButIdon’thavetogoyet，doI？Itisnotlate。AndIthoughtperhapsyouwouldletmeseeyoucatchanotherbass。Won’tyou？

Please。"

Oncemoreshehadmeatadisadvantage。Ihadnodesireformorefishing，andIwasfearfuloffurtherquestions，butwhatcouldI

do？Anditwasnotlate——butalittlepasttwoo’clock。

SoIriggedtherodagainandledthewaydowntheshoretothespotwherethesedgeextendedoutintothepond，withthelilypadsbeyondit。Shewalkedbesideme。ThensheseatedherselfonafallentreeandIbaitedthehookwithalivelyminnowandcast。

ForsometimeIgotnotevenanibble。AsIwaitedsheandI

talked。ButnowitwasIwhoquestioned。

"DoyoulikeDenboro？"Iasked。

"Iambeginningtolikeitverymuch。AtfirstIthoughtitverydull，butnowIamgettingacquainted。"

"Therearefewcottagersandsummerpeoplehere。ButinHarnissthereisalargecolony。Verynicepeople，Ibelieve。"

"Yes，Ihavemetsomeofthem。ButitwasnotthesummerpeopleI

meant。Iambeginningtoknowthetownspeopleandtolikesomeofthem。ImetthatdelightfuloldCaptainWarrentheotherday。"

"Heisasgoodastheymake。"

"Indeedheis。AndIhadaninterviewwithanothercaptain，MissDean’sfather，yesterday。Wehadaninterestingencounter。"

"SoIshouldimagine。CaptainJed！Whew！ItMUSThavebeeninteresting。"

"Itwas。Oh，wewereveryfierceatfirst——atleasthewas，andI

foughtformysideashardasIcould。HesaidFatherwasaselfishpigforwantingtoclosetheLane，andIsaiditwasbecauseofitsusebythepigsthathewishedtocloseit。"

"Ha！ha！Howdiditend？"

"Oh，weagreedtodisagree。IrespectCaptainDeanforhisfight；

butFatherwillwin，ofcourse。Healwaysdoes。"

"Hewon’twinthistime，MissColton。"

"Whynot？Oh，IactuallyforgotIwastalkingtotheheadandfrontoftheopposition。Soyouthinkhewillnotwin，Mr。Paine？"

"Iamsureofit。HecannotclosethatLaneuntilIsellit，andI

shallnotsell。"

Sheregardedmethoughtfully，herchinuponherhand。

"Itwouldbeoddifheshouldnot，afterall，"shesaid。"Heprideshimselfonhavinghisownway。Itwouldbestrangeifheshouldbebeatendownhere，afterwinningsoofteninNewYork。

Yourmothertoldmesomethingofyourfeelinginthematter，Mr。

Paine。Fatherhasofferedyouagoodpricefortheland，hasn’the？"

"Hehasofferedmeadozentimeswhatitisworth。"

"Yes。Hedoesnotcountmoneywhenhehassethisheartuponanything。Andyourefused？"

"Yes。"

"ButNellieDeansaysthetownalsowishedtobuyandyourefuseditsoffer，too。"

"Yes。"

"Youdon’tseemtocareformoney，either，Mr。Paine。AreallCapeCodpeoplesounmercenary？Orisitthatyouallhavemoneyenough——……Pardonme。Thatwasimpolite。Ispokewithoutthinking。"

"Oh，nevermind。Iamnotsensitive——onthatpoint，atleast。"

"ButIdomind。AndIamsorryIsaidit。AndIshouldliketounderstand。IseewhythetownspeopledonotwanttheLaneclosed。

Butyouhavenotlivedherealways。Onlyafewyears，soMissDeansays。Shesaid，too，thatthatMr。Taylor，thecashier，wasalmosttheonlyintimatefriendyouhavemadesinceyoucame。Otherswouldliketobefriendly，butyouwillnotpermitthemtobe。

And，yetforthesepeople，mereacquaintances，youaresacrificingwhatFatherwouldcallaprofitabledeal。"

"Notaltogetherforthem。Ican’texplainmyfeelingexactly。I

knowonlythattosellthemoutandmakemoney——andheavenknowsI

needmoney——attheirexpenseseemstomedeadwrong。"

"Thenwhydon’tyouselltoTHEM？"

"Idon’tknow。Unlessitwasbecausetorefuseyourfather’sofferandacceptaloweroneseemedameantrick，too。AndIwon’tbebulliedintosellingtoanyone。Iguessthatisit，asmuchasanything。"

"My！howstubbornyoumustbe。"

"Idon’tknowwhyIhavepreachedthissermontoyou，MissColton。

yoursympathiesinthefightarewithyourfather，naturally。"

"Oh，no，theyarenot。"

Ialmostdroppedtherod。

"Not——with——"Irepeated。

"Notaltogether。Theyarewithyou，justatpresent。Ifyouhadsold——ifyouhadgivenintoFather，feelingasyoudo，Ishouldnothaveanysympathywithyouatall。Asitis——"

"Asitis？"Iaskedeagerly——tooeagerly。Ishouldhavedonebettertopretendindifference。

"Asitis，"sheanswered，lightly，"IrespectyouasIwouldanysincerefighterforalosingcause。AndIshallprobablyfeelsomesympathyforyouafterthecauseislost。Excusemybreakinginonyoursermon，provideditisnotfinished，but——Ithinkyouhaveabite，Mr。Paine。"

Ihad，verymuchofabite。Theminnowonmyhookhadbeenforgottenandallowedtosinktothebottom，andabigpouthadswallowedit，alongwiththehookandasectionofline。Idraggedthecreatureoutofthewaterandperformedasurgicaloperation，resultingintherecoveryofmytackle。

"There！"Iexclaimed，indisgust。"IthinkIhavehadenoughfishingforoneday。Supposewecallitoff。Unlessyouwouldliketotry，MissColton。"

Imadetheofferbywayofajoke。Sheaccepteditinstantly。

"MayI？"shecried，eagerly。"IhavebeendyingtoeversinceI

came。

"But——butyouwillgetwet。"

"Nomatter。Thisisanoldsuit。"

Itdidnotlookoldtomycountrifiedeyes，butIprotestednomore。Therewasarockalittlebelowwherewethenwere，oneofthetypicalglacialbouldersoftheCape——lyingjustattheedgeofthewaterandprojectingoutintoit。Ihelpedherupontothisrockandbaitedherhookwithshrimp。

"ShallIcastforyou？"Iasked。

"Noindeed。Icandoit，thankyou。"

Shedid，anddiditwell。Moreover，thelinehadscarcelystraightenedoutinthewaterwhenitwassavagelyjerked，thepolebentintoahalf—circle，andoutofthefoamingeddybeneathitstipleapedthebiggestbassIhadseenthatday，orinthatpondonanyday。

"ByGeorge！"Iexclaimed。"Canyouhandlehim？ShallI——"

Shedidnotlookatme，butIreceivedmyorders，nevertheless。

"Pleasedon’t！Keepaway！"shesaidsharply。

Fornearlyfifteenminutesshefoughtthatfish，inandoutamongthepads，keepingthelinetight，handlinghimatleastaswellasIcouldhavedone。Iranforthelandingnetand，asshebroughthercaptiveupbesidetherock，reachedforwardtouseit。Butshestoppedme。

"No，"shesaid，breathlessly，"Iwanttodothisallmyself。"

Ittookherseveralmoreminutestodoit，andshewasprettywellsplashed，whenatlast，withtheheavynetdraggingfromonehandandtherodintheother，shesprangdownfromtherock。Togetherwebentoverthefish。

"Afour—pounder，ifheisanounce，"saidI。"Icongratulateyou，MissColton。"

"Poorthing，"shemused。"Iamalmostsorryhedidnotgetaway。

HeISabeauty，isn’the！NowIamreadytogohome。"

Thatjourneyhomewasastrangeexperiencetome。SherodeDonandborethelunchbasketandthenetbeforeheronthesaddle。I

walkedalongside，carryingtherod，boots，andthefishintheotherwiseemptybaitpail。Thesunshine，streamingthroughtheleavesofthearchingboughsoverhead，dappledthenarrow，overgrownpathswithshiftingblotchesoflightandshadow。Arounduswasthedeep，livinggreenofthewoods，thesongsofbirds，thechatterofredsquirrels，andthescentofwildhoneysuckle。Andaswemovedonwardwetalked——thatis，shedidmostofthetalkingandIlistened。YetImusthavetalkedmorethanIknew，becauseI

rememberexpressingopinionsconcerningbooksandoperasandpictures，subjectsIhadnotdiscussedforyearsexceptoccasionallywithMother，andthenonlybecauseshewasstillinterestedinthem。

Iseemed，somehow，tohavebecomeadifferent，ayoungerman，undertheinfluenceofthesefewhourswiththegirlIhadprofessedtohatesocordially。Ourcompanionship——perfectlymeaninglessasitwas，themerecapriceofanidledayonherpart——hadrejuvenatedme。DuringthathomewardwalkIforgotmyselfentirely，forgotthatIwasRosPaine，thecountryloafer；forgot，too，thatshewastheonlychildofthecitymillionaire，thatwehad，orcouldhave，nothingincommon。She，also，seemedtoforget，andwechattedtogetherasunconsciouslyandeasilyasifwehadknowneachotherallourlives。