INWHICHKEZIAHHEARSTWOPROPOSALSANDTHEBEGINNINGOFATHIRD
Trumetinafog；afogblowninduringthenightbythewindfromthewideAtlantic。Sowetandheavythatonemighttastethesaltinit。Sothickthathousesalongthemainroadwerebutdimshapesbehinditsgraydrapery，andonlythegatesandfencesofthefrontyardswereplainlyinevidencetothepassers-by。Thebeachplumandbayberrybushesontheduneswerespangledwithbeadydrops。ThepoleonCannonHill，wherethebeaconwashoistedwhenthepacketfromBostondroppedanchorinthebay，wasshinyandslippery。Thenewweathervane，agildedwhale，presentedtothe“Regular“churchbyCaptainZebedeeMayo，retiredwhaler，swaminaseaofcloud。Thelichenedeavesofthelittle“Come-Outer“
chapeldrippedatsedateintervals。ThebrickwalkleadingtothedoorofCaptainElkanahDaniels’sfineresidenceheldundignifiedpuddlesinitshollows。And，throughthedampstillness，themutteredgrowlofthesurf，threemilesawayatthefootofthesandybluffsbythelighthouse，soundedominously。
DirectlyoppositeCaptainElkanah’sfrontgate，ontheothersideofthemainroad，stoodthelittlestory-and-a-halfhouse，alsothecaptain’sproperty，whichforfourteenyearshadbeentenantedbyMrs。KeziahCoffinandherbrother，SolomonHall，theshoemaker。
ButSolomonhad，themonthbefore，givenuphisfightwithdebtandillnessandwassleepingquietlyinTrumet’smostpopulouscenter，thegraveyard。AndKeziah，leftalone，haddecidedthattherentandlivingexpensesweremorethanherprecariousearningsasaseamstresswouldwarrant，and，havingbargainedwiththefurnituredealerinWellmouthforthesaleofherhouseholdeffects，wasnowbusygettingthemreadyforthemorrow，whenthedealer’swagonwastocall。ShewasgoingtoBoston，whereadistantandcondescendingrichrelativehadinterestedhimselftotheextentoffindingheraplaceassewingwomaninalargetailoringestablishment。
Thefoghunglikeawetblanketoverthehouseanditssmallyard，whereafewvenerablepeartrees，tooconservativeintheiroldagetoventureabudeventhoughitwasalmostMay，stoodbareandforlorn。Thedaywasdismal。Thedismantleddiningroom，itstablesandchairspushedintoacorner，anditsfadedingraincarpetpartiallystrippedfromthefloor，wasdismal，likewise。
Consideringallthings，onemighthaveexpectedKeziahherselftobeevenmoredismal。But，toalloutwardappearances，shewasnot。
Alargeportionofherthirty-nineyearsoflifehadbeenpassedunderawetblanket，sotospeak，andshehadnotpermittedthedepressingcoveringtoshutoutmoresunshinethanwasabsolutelynecessary。“Ifyoucan’tgetcream，youmightaswelllearntoloveyoursasserofskimmilk，“saidpracticalKeziah。
Shewasonherknees，hercalicodresssleeves，patchedanddarned，butabsolutelyclean，rolledback，uncoveringapairofplump，strongarms，asauceroftacksbeforeher，andatackhammerwithaclawheadinherhand。Shewastakingupthecarpet。GraceVanHorne，CaptainEbenHammond’sward，whohadcalledtoseeiftherewasanythingshemightdotohelp，wasremovingtowels，tablecloths，andthelikefromthedrawersinatall“high-boy，“
foldingthemandplacingtheminanoldandbatteredtrunk。ThepairhadbeendiscussingthesubjectwhichallTrumethaddiscussedforthreeweeks，namely，the“calling“tothepastorateofthe“Regular“churchoftheRev。JohnEllery，theyoungdivinitystudent，whowastotaketheplaceofoldParsonLangley，ministerintheparishforoverthirtyyears。Discussioninthevillagehadnowreachedacriticalpoint，fortheReverendJohnwasexpectedbyalmostanycoach。Inthosedays，thedaysofthelatefifties，therailroaddowntheCapeextendedonlyasfarasSandwich；passengersmadetherestoftheirjourneybystage。Manycamedirectfromthecitybythepacket，thelittleschooner，butMr。Elleryhadwrittenthatheshouldprobablycomeonthecoach。
“Theysayhe’sverynice-looking，“remarkedMissVanHornesoberly，butwithaMISCHIEVOUSglanceunderherdarklashesatKeziah。Theladyaddressedpausedlongenoughtotransferseveraltacksfromthefloortothesaucer，andthenmadeanswer。
“Humph！“sheobserved。“AgoodmanyyearsagoIsawatheatershowuptoBoston。Don’tbeshocked；thosecircumstanceswehearsomuchtellof——thekindyoucan’tcontrol——havekeptmefromgoin’
totheatersmuch，evenifIwantedto。ButIdidseethisentertainment，andafoolone’twas，too，allsingin’insteadoftalkin’——op’ra，Ibelievetheycalledit。Well，asIstartedtosay，oneoftheleadin’folksinitwastheOldHarryhimself，andHEwasprettygood-lookin’。“
Gracelaughed，eventhoughshehadbeensomewhatshocked。
“Why，AuntKeziah！“sheexclaimed——thosewhoknewKeziahCoffinbestusuallycalledheraunt，thoughrealnephewsandniecesshehadnone——“why，AuntKeziah！Whatdoyoumeanbycomparingthe——
thepersonyoujustmentionedwithaMINISTER！“
“Oh，Iwasn’tcomparin’’em；I’llleavethatforyouCome-Outerstodo。Dratthiscarpet！Seems’sifIneversawsuchlongtacks；I
dobelievewhoeverput’emdowndrove’emcleanthroughthecenteroftheearthandlettheChinymenclinch’emont’otherside。I
haulupachunkofthecellarfloorwitheveryone。Ah，hum！“withasigh，“Ical’latetheyain’tanymoreanxioustoleavehomethanIam。But，far’stheminister’sconcerned，didn’tIhearofyourUncleEbensayin’inprayermeetin’onlyafortni’torsoagothatallhandswhowa’n’tCome-OuterswereownchildrentoSatan？Mr。
Ellerymusttakeafterhisfathersome。Surprisin’，ain’tit，whatafamilytheoldcritter’sgot。“
Thegirllaughedagain。Foronebroughtup，sinceherseventhyear，inthestrictestofCome-Outerfamilies，shelaughedagooddeal。ManyCome-Outersconsidereditwickedtolaugh。YetGracedidit，andherswasalaughpleasanttohearanddistinctlypleasanttosee。Itmadeherprettierthanever，afactwhich，ifshewasawareofit，shouldhavebeenanadditionalpreventive，fortobeprettysmacksofvanity。Perhapsshewasn’tawareofit。
“WhatdoyouthinkUncleEbenwouldsayifheheardthat？“sheasked。
“SayItookaftermyfather，too，Ipresumelikely。Doesyouruncleknowyoucomeheretoseemesooften？Andcallme’aunt’
andallthat？“
“Ofcoursehedoes。AuntKeziah，youmustn’tthinkUncleEbendoesn’tseethegoodinpeoplesimplybecausetheydon’tbelieveashedoes。He’sassweetandkindas——“
“Who？EbenHammond？Landsakes，child，don’tIknowit？Cap’nEben’sthesaltoftheearth。I’maRegularandalwayshavebeen，butI’dbegladifmyownsocietywasseasonedwithafewlikehim。
’TwouldtastebettertomeofaSunday。“Shepaused，andthenaddedquizzically：“Whatd’yous’poseCap’nElkanahandtherestofourparishcommitteewouldsayiftheyheardTHAT？“
“Goodnessknows！Still，I’mgladtohearyousayit。Andunclesaysyouareasgoodawomanaseverlived。Hethinksyou’remisled，ofcourse，butthatsomedayyou’llseetheerrorofyourways。“
“Humph！I’llhavetohurryupifIwanttosee’emwithoutspectacles。Seemyerrors！Landsakes！muchasIcandotoseetheheadsofthesetacks。Takin’upcarpetsisashardatestofabody’seyesightas’tisoftheirreligion。“
Hercompanionputdownthetableclothshewasfoldingandlookedearnestlyattheotherwoman。Toanundiscerningeyethelatterwouldhavelookedmuchasshealwaysdid——plumpandmatronly，withbrownhairdrawnbackfromtheforeheadandpartedinthemiddle；
keenbrowneyeswithahumoroustwinkleinthem——thiswastheKeziahCoffinthelatergenerationofTrumetknewsowell。
ButGraceVanHorne，whocalledherauntandcametoseehersofrequently，whileherbrotherwasaliveandduringthemonthfollowinghisdeath，couldseethechangeswhichthemonthhadwrought。Shesawthelittlewrinklesabouttheeyesandthelinesofcareaboutthemouth，thetiredlookofthewholeplucky，workadayNewEnglandfigure。Sheshookherhead。
“Religion！“sherepeated。“Idobelieve，AuntKeziah，thatyou’vegottheverybestreligionofanybodyIknow。Idon’tcareifyoudon’tbelongtoourchurch。WhenIseehowpatientyou’vebeenandhowcheerfulthroughallyourtroubles，it——“
Mrs。Coffinwavedthehammerdeprecatingly。“There！there！“sheinterrupted。“Iguessit’sagoodthingI’mgoin’away。Here’syouandIpraisin’upeachother’sbeliefs，justasifthatwasn’tacrimehereinTrumet。SometimeswhenIseehowthetwosocietiesinthislittleone-horseplacerowwitheachother，Ideclareifitdoesn’tlookasifthey’dcrossedoutthefirstwordof’Loveyourneighbor’andwrotein’Fight，’instead。YetI’maprettygoodRegular，too，andwhenitcomestowhoopin’andcarryin’onliketheCome-Outers，I——Well！well！nevermind；don’tbegintobristleup。Iwon’tsayanotherwordaboutreligion。Let’spickthenewministertopieces。ANYkindofaChristiancandothat。“
Butthenewministerwasdestinedtoremainundissectedthatmorning，inthathouseatleast。Gracewasseriousnowandshevoicedthematterwhichhadbeenuppermostinhermindsinceshelefthome。
“AuntKeziah，“shesaid，“whydoyougoaway？Whatmakesyou？Isitabsolutelynecessary？“
“WhydoIgo？Why，forthesamereasonthatthefellerthatwashoveoverboardlefttheship——causeIcan’tstay。You’vegottohavevittlesandclothes，eveninTrumet，andaplacetoputyourheadinnights。Long’sSolwasaliveandcoulddohiscobblin’wemanagedtogetalongsomehow。WhatIcouldearnsewin’helped，andwelivedsimple。Butwhenhewastakendownanddied，thedoctor’sbillsandtheundertaker’susedupwhatlittlemoneyIhadputby，andthesewin’alonewouldn’tkeepahealthycanaryinbirdseed。
DearlandknowsIhatetoleavetheoldhouseI’velivedinforfourteenyearsandthetownIwasbornin，butI’vegotto，forallIsee。Thankmercy，IcanpayCap’nElkanahhislastmonth’srentandgowithaclearconscience。Iwon’toweanybody，that’sacomfort，andnobodywilloweme；thoughIcouldstandthat，I
guess，“sheadded，pryingatthecarpetedge。
“Idon’tcare！“Thegirl’sdarkeyesflashedindignantly。“I
thinkit’stoobadofCap’nElkanahtoturnyououtwhen——“
“Don’ttalkthatway。Heain’tturnin’meout。Heain’tlettin’
housesforhishealthandhe’llneedthemoneytobuyhisdaughter’ssummerrigs。Sheain’thadanewdressforamonth，prettynear，andhere’sayoungandgood-lookin’parsonheavin’insight。MaybeCap’nElkanahwouldthinkaministerwashigh-tonedenoughevenforAnnabeltomarry。“
“He’sonlytwenty-three，theysay，“remarkedGrace，atriflemaliciously。“Perhapsshe’lladopthim。“
AnnabelwastheonlychildofCaptainElkanahDaniels，whoownedthefinesthouseintown。ShewasthebelleofTrumet，andhadbeenforagoodmanyyears。
Keziahlaughed。
“Well，“shesaid，“anyhowI’vegottogo。MaybeI’lllikeBostonfirstrate，youcan’ttell。OrmaybeIwon’t。Ah，hum！’twouldn’tbethefirstthingI’vehadtodothatIdidn’tlike。“
Herfriendlookedather。
“Aunt，“shesaid，“Iwanttomakeaproposaltoyou，andyoumustn’tbecrossaboutit。“
“Aproposal！Sakesalive！What’llIsay？’Thisissosudden！’
That’swhatBeckyRyder，uptothewestpartofthetown，saidwhenJimBaker，thetinpeddler，happenedtoaskherifshe’deverthoughtofgettin’married。’OJames！thisissosudden！’saysBecky。Jimsaidafterwardsthatthesuddenestthingaboutitwasthewayheclearedoutofthathouse。Andhenevercalledthereafterwards。“
Gracesmiled，butquicklygrewgrave。
“Now，auntie，“shesaid，“pleaselisten。I’minearnest。Itseemstomethatyoumightdoquitewellatdressmakinghereintown，ifyouhadalittle——well，readymoneytohelpyouatthestart。I’vegotafewhundreddollarsinthebank，presentsfromuncle，andmyfather’sinsurancemoney。Ishouldlovetolendittoyou，andI
knowunclewould——“
Mrs。Coffininterruptedher。
“Cat’sfoot！“sheexclaimed。“IhopeIhaven’tgotwhereIneedtoborrowmoneyyetawhile。Thankyoujustasmuch，deary，butlong’sI’vegottwohandsandamouth，I’llmakethetwokeept’otherreasonablyfull，Iwouldn’twonder。No，Ishan’tthinkofit，sodon’tsayanotherword。NO。“
ThenegativewassodecidedthatGracewassilenced。Herdisappointmentshowedinherface，however，andKeziahhastenedtochangethesubject。
“Howdoyouknow，“sheobserved，“butwhatmygoin’toBostonmaybethebestthingthateverhappenedtome？Youcan’ttell。Nousedespairin’，Annabelain’tgivenuphopeyet；whyshouldI？
Hey？Ain’tthatsomebodycomin’？“
Hercompanionsprangtoherfeetandrantothewindow。Thenshebrokeintoasmotheredlaugh。