Hecouldfeelherhandnearhisownonthehandle。Hedidnotrelinquishhisgrasp。
“No，“hesaid。“Ithink，onthewhole，thatthatisunreasonable。
ISHOULDgetwetand，thoughIdon’tminditwhenitisnecessary，I——“
“Well？“rathersharply，“whatareyougoingtodo？“
“Gowithyouasfarasyourgate。I’msorry，ifmycompanyisdistasteful，but——“
Hedidnotfinishthesentence，thinking，itmaybe，thatshemightfinishitforhim。Butshewassilent，merelyremovingherhandfromthehandle。Shetookastepforward；hefollowed，holdingtheumbrellaaboveherhead。Theyplashedon，withoutspeaking，throughtherapidlyformingpuddles。
Presentlyshestumbledandhecaughtherarmtopreventherfalling。Tohissurprisehefeltthatarmshakeinhisgrasp。
“Why，MissVanHorne！“heexclaimedingreatconcern，“areyoucrying？Ibegyourpardon。OfcourseIwouldn’tthinkofgoinganotherstepwithyou。Ididn’tmeantotroubleyou。Ionly——Ifyouwillpleasetakethisumbrella——“
Againhetriedtotransfertheumbrellaandagainshepusheditaway。
“I——I’mnotcrying，“shegasped；“but——oh，dear！thisisSOfunny！“
Mr。Ellerygazedblanklyatherthroughtherain-streakeddark。
Thiswasthemostastonishingyoungpersonhehadmetinhistwenty-threeyearsofworldlyexperience。
“Funny！“herepeated。“Well，perhapsitis。Ourideasoffunseemtodiffer。I——“
“Oh，butitISsofunny。Youdon’tunderstand。WhatdoyouthinkyourcongregationwouldsayiftheyknewyouhadbeentoaCome-
Outers’meetingandtheninsistedonseeingaCome-Outergirlhome？“
JohnElleryswallowedhard。AvisionofCaptainElkanahDanielsandthestatelyMissAnnabelrosebeforehismind’seye。Hehadn’tthoughtofhiscongregationinconnectionwiththisimprompturescueofadamselindistress。
“Ha，ha！“helaughedmournfully。“Iguessitisratherfunny，afterall。“
“Itcertainlyis。Nowwillyouleavemeandgobacktoyourparsonage？“
“Notunlessyoutaketheumbrella。“
“Verywell。Itisabeautifuleveningforawalk，don’tyouthinkso？Mr。Ellery，I’mafraidweshan’thaveyouwithusinTrumetverylong。“
“Whynot？“
“Oh，becauseyou’resovery，veryoriginal。Areyoursermonsthatway，too？CaptainElkanahdoesn’tlikehisministerstobetoooriginal。“
Theministersethisteeth。AtthatmomenthefeltanintensedesiretobidtheDanielsfamilymindtheirownbusiness。Thenanotherthoughtstruckhim。
“PossiblyyourUncleEbenmightbesomewhat——er——surprisedifheknewyouwerewithme。Perhapshemighthavesomethingtosayonthesubject。“
“Iguesshewould。Weshallknowverysoon。IranawayandlefthimwithMrs。Poundberry，ourhousekeeper。Hedoesn’tknowwhereI
am。Iwonderhehasn’tturnedbacktolookformebeforethis。Weshallprobablymeethimatanymoment。“
Sheseemedtoenjoytheprospectofthemeeting。EllerywonderedwhatonearthheshouldsaytoCaptainHammond——thatis，providedhewasallowedtosayanything。
Suddenlyaheaviergustofrainandwindbeatuponthem。Theministerstruggledwiththeumbrella。Thegustpassedandwithitthefog。Aninstantbeforeithadbeenallaboutthem，shuttingthemwithininkywalls。Nowitwasnot。Throughtherainhecouldseetheshadowysilhouettesofbushesattheroadside。FiftyyardsawaythelightedwindowsoftheHammondtaverngleamedyellow。Fartheron，overaragged，movingfringeofgrassandweeds，wasablackflatexpanse——thebay。Andalittlewayoutuponthatexpansetwinkledthelightsofavessel。Achainrattled。Voicesshoutingexultinglycametotheirears。
“Why！“exclaimedGraceinexcitedwonder，“it’sthepacket！Shewasduethismorning，butwedidn’texpectherintillto-morrow。
Howdidshefindherwayinthefog？Imusttelluncle。“
Shestartedtoruntowardthehouse。Theministerwouldhavefollowedwiththeumbrella，butshestoppedhim。
“No，Mr。Ellery，“sheurgedearnestly。“No，pleasedon’t。I’mallrightnow。Thankyou。Goodnight。“
Afewstepsfartheronsheturned。
“IhopeCap’nElkanahwon’tknow，“shewhispered，thelaughreturningtohervoice。“Goodnight。“
Ellerystoodstillintherainandwatchedher。Hesawherpassthelightedwindowsandopenadoor。Intotheyellowradiancesheflashedanddisappeared。AminutemoreandthebulkyformofEbenHammond，lanterninhand，asou’westeronhisheadandhisshouldersworkingthemselvesintoanoilskincoat，burstoutofthedoorandhurriedlylimpeddowntowardtheshore。Onthethreshold，framedinlight，stoodhisward，gazingafterhim。Andtheministergazedather。
Fromthebaycamethesoundofoarsinrow-locks。Aboatwasapproachingthewharf。Andsuddenlyfromtheboatcameahail。
“Halloo！Ahoy，dad！Isthatyou？“
Therewasanansweringshoutfromthewharf；ashoutofjoy。Thenarattleofoarsandaclamoroftalk。AndGracestillstoodinthedoorway，waiting。
Thelanternbobbeduptheslope。Asitreachedthetaverngateway，theministersawthatitwasnowcarriedbyatall，activeman，whowalkedwithaseaman’sstrideandroll。CaptainEbenwasclosebesidehim，talkingexcitedly。
Theyenteredtheyard。
“Grace！Grace！“screamedCaptainEben。Gracie，girl，lookwho’scome！Look！“
Thetallmanranforward。
“Hi，Grace！“hecriedinadeep，heartyvoice。“Isthatyou？
Ain’tyougotawordforyouroldmessmate？“
Thegirlsteppedoutintotherain。
“Why！why，NAT！“shecried。
Thebigmanpickedherupbodilyinhisarmsandcarriedherintothehouse。CaptainEbenfollowedandthedoorclosed。
JohnEllerypickedhiswayhomewardthroughthepuddlesandthepouringrain。
HefoundKeziahinthesittingroom，seatedbythetable，evidentlywritingaletter。Shelookedtiredandgrave——forher。
“Well！“sheexclaimedasheentered。“Iguessyou’resoppin’now，sartinsure。There’salightinyourroom。Takeoffyourwetthingsandthrow’emdowntome，andI’lldry’eminthekitchen。
Betterleaveyourbootsherenowandstandthatumbrellainthesink。Thekettle’sonthestove；you’dbetterhavesomethin’hot——
gingerteaorsomethin’。Itoldyounottogooutsuchanightasthis。Whereintheworldhaveyoubeen？“
Theministersaidhewouldtellherallaboutitinthemorning。
Justnowhethoughthehadbettergoupandtakeoffhiswetclothes。Hedeclinedthegingertea，and，afterremovinghisboots，wentupstairstohisroom。
Keziahdippedherpenintheinkandwentonwithherletter。
“Iinclosetendollars，“shewrote。“ItisallIcansendyounow。
MorethanIoughttoafford。GoodnessknowswhyIsendanything。
Youdon’tdeserveit。ButwhileIliveandyoudoIcan’t——“
Theministercalledfromthelanding。
“Hereismycoat，“hesaid。“Thecuffsandlowerpartofthesleevesareprettywet。Bytheway，thepacketcameinto-night。
Theydidn’texpecthersosoononaccountofthefog。TherewasapassengeraboardwhomIthinkmustbethatNathanielHammondyoutoldmeof。“
Keziah’spenstopped。Thewetcoatstruckthehallfloorwithasoftthump。Thetickoftheclocksoundedloudintheroom。A
sheetofwind-drivenrainlashedthewindows。
“Didyouhear？“calledtheminister。“IsaidthatNathanielHammond，CaptainEben’sson，cameonthepacket。Ididn’tmeethim，butI’msureitwashe。Er——Mrs。Coffin，areyouthere？Doyouhearme？“
Thehousekeeperlaidthependownbesidetheunfinishedletter。
“Yes，“shesaid，“Ihearyou。Goodnight。“
Forminutesshesatthere，leaningbackinherchairandstaringatthewall。Thensherose，wentintothehall，pickedupthecoat，andtookitoutintothekitchen，whereshehungitontheclotheshorsebythecookstove。Afterawhileshereturnedtothetableandtookupthepen。Herfaceinthelamplightlookedmoretiredandgravethanever。
ItwasalongtimebeforeJohnElleryfellasleep。Hehadmuchtothinkof——ofthemorrow，ofthetalkhisrashvisittothechapelwouldcause，oftheexplanationhemustmaketoCaptainElkanahandtherest。ButthepicturethatwasbeforehisclosedeyesashelaytherewasneitherofCaptainElkanahnortheparishcommittee；
itwasthatofagirl，withdarkhairandaslim，gracefulfigure，standinginalighteddoorwayandpeeringoutintotherain。
CHAPTERVI
INWHICHOLDFRIENDSMEET
WhenEllerycamedowntobreakfasttherainwasover，thewindhadgonedown，andthemorningsunshinewaspouringinatthedining-
roomwindows。Outsidethelilacswereinbud，thebluebirdsweresinging，andtherewasasniffofrealspringintheair。Thestormwasatanendandyettheyoungministerwasconsciousofatroublesomefeelingthat，forhim，itwasjustbeginning。
However，hehaddeterminedwhiledressingtomakeacleanbreastofittohishousekeeper——anominallycleanbreast，thatis。Thereweresomethingshewouldnottellher，somethathewouldnotspeakoftoanyone，thepictureinthedoorwayforinstance。True，itwasonlyapictureandofnomoment，butitwaspleasanttoremember。Oneoftheveryfewpleasantthingsconnectedwiththepreviousevening。
So，astheysatoppositeeachotheratthetable，hebeganhisconfession。Themuffinsscorchedintheovenandthecoffeepotboiledoverashetoldhisstory，forKeziahwastoomuchinterestedtothinkoftrifles。Interestedandastounded，for，sinceCome-OutershadbeenCome-Outersandthesplitinthesocietytookplace，noRegularministerhadcrossedthethresholdofaseceder’sdwelling，muchlessattendedtheirservicesandwalkedhomewithamemberoftheircongregation。Sheknewwhatthisamazingprocedurewaslikelytomean，ifherparsondidnot。
“Well！“sheexclaimedwhentherecitalwasfinished。“Well！“
“I——I’mafraidIwastoohasty，“observedMr。Ellerythoughtfully。
“Perhapsitwouldhavebeenwisernottohavedoneit。“
“Perhaps’twould。Yes，Iwouldn’twonderamite。“
“Itwillbetalkedaboutsome，Isuppose。Don’tyouthinkso？“
“Some，yes。“
“I’mafraidsomeofmyownpeoplemaythinkitqueer。“
“Queer！Say，Mr。Ellery，youremindmeofahalf-breedPortugeefeller——halfPortugeeandahalfIndian——thatwenttoseawithmyfather，backintheolddays。Hehardlyeverspokeaword，mainlygruntedandmadesigns。Onedayheandanotherfo’masthandwentaloftinacalmtodosomethin’tothetops’l。Thehalf-breed——
theycalledhimBillyPeterandhealwayscalledhimselfthat——wasoutontheendoftheyard，withhisfootontheropeunderneath，I
forgetthenameofit，whenthetarredtwinehehadforashoestringcaught。Tryin’togetitlooseitbrokesudden，hisshoepulledoff，helosthisbalanceandfell。Hegrabbedattheyard，savedhimselfforasecond，fellagain，grabbedthenextyard，thenaropeandsoondown，grabbin’andpullin’alltheway。Firsthisshoehitthedeck，thenhissheathknife，thenapieceofrope，andfinallyhimself，landin’rightontopoftheIrishcookwhowasgoin’aftfromthegalleywithfather’sdinner。
“Therewasthegreatestracketyoueverheard，pansfallin’，dishessmashin’，menyellin’，andthecookswearin’。Fatherrunondeck，thinkin’theshipwasdismasted。HefoundthecookandBillyPetersittin’inthemiddleofthemess，lookin’ateachother。Neitherwashurtamite。Thematesandthecrew，partof’em，wasstandin’
starin’atthepair。
“’ForHeavensakes！’saysfather；’whathappened？’
“Thehalf-breedlookedupandrubbedhishead。’Ugh！’sayshe，’BillyPeterbusthisshoestring。’
“Thecook，hisnamewasO’Neill，lookedathimdisgusted。’Well，begorra！’sayshe，’BillyPeter，youdon’texaggeratenone，doye！
It’sagoodthingBOTHof’emdidn’tbustorwe’dhavefoundered。’
“YouremindmeofBillyPeter，Mr。Ellery，youdon’texaggerate。
Queer？Somefolksthinkyourgoin’tothatmeetin’lastnightQUEER？AtthismomentonehalfofTrumetistalkin’aboutitandrunnin’outtotelltheotherhalf。IguessI’dbetterhurryupwiththisbreakfast。We’regoin’tohavecallers。“
Strangetosay，however，thisprophecyofearlymorningvisitorsdidnotprovetrue。Nineo’clock，thenten，andnovisitorcametotheparsonage。Mrs。Coffinaffirmedthatshedidnotunderstandit。WherewasDidama？WhereLaviniaPepper？Hadthe“TrumetDailyAdvertiser“suspendedpublication？
Athalfpasttenthegateslammed。Keziahpeeredfromthewindow。
“Humph！“sheejaculated。“HerecomesElkanahandhe’sgotstormsignalsset，bythelooks。He’scomin’afteryou，Mr。Ellery。“
“Verywell，“wasthecalmreply；“lethimcome。“
“Whatareyougoin’tosaytohim？“
“Nothing，exceptthatIdidwhatIconsideredrightatthetime。
Showhimintothestudy，Mrs。Coffin，please。“
CaptainDanielsmarchedtothedining-roomdoor，hisgold-headedcanemarkingtimelikeadrumbeat。HenoddedcurtlytoKeziah，whoansweredtheknock，andsteppedacrossthethreshold。
“Hum——ha！“hebarked。“Istheminister——hum——ha！isMr。Elleryin？“
“Yes，he’sin。“
“TellhimIwanttoseehim。“
Thehousekeeperannouncedthevisitor。
“He’sassourasaskimmin’oflastweek’smilk，“shewhispered。
“Don’tbeafraidofhim，though。“
“Oh，I’mnot。Showhimin。“
“Allright。Say，Mr。Ellery，it’snoneofmybusiness，butI
wouldn’tsayanythingaboutyourseein’Gracehome。That’snoneofHISbusiness，either，oranybodyelse’s。“