Keziah，inspiteofherworldlycommonsense，wasanidealistatheart。Lovematchesshebelievedinthoroughly。IfthemanhadnotbeenaRegularminister，orifhehadbeenaministerinanyothertownthannarrow，gossiping，squabblingTrumet，wherefamiliesweredividedon“religious“grounds，neighborsdidnotspeakbecausetheircreedsweredifferent，andevenafterdeathwereburiedincemeteriesthreemilesapart；ifthegirlhadbeenotherthanthewardofbigotedoldEbenHammond——then，thoughtheywerepooraspovertyitself，Keziahwouldhavejoinedtheirhandsandrejoiced。Evenasitwas，shewasstronglytemptedtodoit。
Hersenseofrightandhereveryinclinationurgedhertowardthatcourse。“Facetheworldtogetherandfightitout，“thatwastheadviceshewouldliketogivethem。Butno，thebattlewastoouneven。Theoddsweretoogreat。Theymustnotthinkofmarriage，forthepresent，andtheymustceasetomeet。Perhapssomeday——
shetriedtocomfortherselfwiththethought——perhapssomeday，yearsafterwardsandunderdifferentcircumstances，theymight——
WithElleryshefeltcertainshecouldaccomplishnothingbyargumentorpersuasion。Sheknewhimwellenoughbythistimetorealizethat，ifhismindwasmadeup，allTrumetandallcreationcouldnotchangeit。Hewouldkeeponhiscourse，and，ifwrecked，wouldgodownwithcolorssetandhelmlashed。ButGrace，perhapsshedidnotfullyrealizethesituation。Shemightbemadetosee，tolistentoreason。And，perhaps，itwaspossible——perhaps，onherpart，matterswerenotasserious。Theministerhadnotactedlikeatriumphantlover，assuredofsuccess；hehadseemed，nowthatshethoughtofit，morelikeapleader，asupplicant。
Perhaps，ifshecouldseeGraceandtalkplainlywiththegirl，itmightnotbetoolate。Shedeterminedtotrythatverynight。
Sheroseandagaindonnedherbonnetandshawl。Shewasabouttoblowoutthelampwhensheheardrapidfootsteps，thesoundofsomeonerunningalongthesidewalkinfrontofthehouse。Asshelistened，thefootstepssoundedonthepath。Whoevertherunnerwashewascomingtotheparsonage。Shesteppedtothedoorandopenedit。
Therunnerwasaboy，MariaHiggins’sboyIsaac，whosewidowedmotherliveddownbytheshore。HedidthechoresattheHammondtavern。Hisfreckledfacewasdrippingwithperspirationandhepuffedandblewlikeastrandedwhale。
“What’sthematter，Ike？“demandedKeziah。“Whatisit？“
“Haveye——haveye，“pantedIke，“haveyeseenthedoctoranywheres，MisCoffin？“
“Who？Dr。Parker？HaveIseen——whatintheworldareyoucomin’
HEREafterthedoctorfor？“
“’Cause——’causeIdidn’tknowwhereelsetocome。Ibeentohishouseandheain’ttohome。Nobodyain’ttohome。Hiswife，MisParker，she’sgoneuptoBostonyes’dayonthecoach，and——andit’salldarkandthehousedoor’sopenandtheshay’sgone，so——“
“Who’ssick？Whowantshim？“
“And——and——alltherestofthehousesroundherewasshutup’causeeverybody’stomeetin’。Ipeekedinatthemeetin’houseandheain’tthere，andIseeyourlightand——“
“Who’ssick？Tellmethat，won’tyou？“
“Cap’nEben。He’sawfulsick。Ical’latehe’sgoin’todie，andGracie，she——“
“Cap’nEben？EbenHammond！Dyin’？Whatareyoutalkin’about？“
“Huh！huh！“puffedthemessengerimpatiently。“Didn’tItellye？
Cap’nEben’sadyin’。Iseenhim。Allwhiteandstilland——andawful。AndGracie，she’sallaloneand——“
“Alone？Where’sNat？“
“Shedon’tknow。Heain’ttohome。ButIgottofindDr。Parker。“
“Holdon！Stop！I’lltellyouwherethedoctorismostlikely。
UptoMrs。Prince’s。She’sbeenpoorlyandhe’sprob’lybeencalledthere。Run！runfastaseveryoucanandgethimandI’llgotoGracethisminute。Thepoorthing！Haveyoutoldanybodyelse？“
“No，no！ain’tseennobodybutyoutotell。Theywasprayin’overtomeetin’，andthefellersthatwaitsoutsidetokeepcomp’nywiththegirlsain’tgotthereyet。AndInevermetnobody。And’twassoblasteddarkIfelldownfourtimesandtoremybestpantsand——“
“S-sh-sh！Listentome！Don’ttellanybody。Notasoulbutthedoctor。Halfthistown’llberunnin’tofindoutifyoudo，andthatpoorgirlmustbedistractedalready。I’llgotoher。YougetDr。Parkerandtellhimtohurry。“
“I’lltellhim；don’tyoufret。“
Hewasgone，runningharderthanever。AmomentlaterKeziahfollowedhim，runningalso。
Itwasamisty，blacknight，andTrumetsidewalkswereunevenandhardtonavigate。Butshestumbledon，upthemainroadtotheCorners，downthe“Turn-off，“pastthechapeloftheCome-Outers，fromtheopenwindowofwhichsoundedthedroneofahigh，nasalvoice。JosiahBadgerwas“testifying，“andKeziahcaughtafragmentofthetestimonyasshehurriedby。
“Isaysto’em，saysI，Isaysto’em，’Idon’tcareaboutyoursmartmum-mum-ministerandwhatfinesermonshepreaches。LethimBEsmart，’Isays。SaysI，’Smartnesswon’tg-g-g-gityeintoheaven。’“Amen！“’No，sirree！ittakesmore’nthat。I’veseensmartfolksaforeandtheygotc-c-cuk-catchedupwithsoonerorlater。Pridegoesaheadofatumble，I’veheardtell，and——“
ThiswasallthatKeziahheardofMr。Badger’stestimony，for，assheranon，arattleofwheelsandthethudofhoofscamefrombehindher。Thenarockingchaise，drawnbyagallopinghorse，shotby。Dr。Parker’scarriage，shewassure。TheHigginsboymusthavemetthedoctoranddeliveredhismessage。
Thehorseandchaisewerestandingbythefrontgateofthetavernasshepantinglydrewnearit。Thesidedoorofthehousewasajarandsheopeneditsoftlyandentered。Thediningroomwasempty。
Therewasalightonthesitting-roomtableandlowvoicescamefromthelittlebedroomadjoining。Then，fromthebedroom，emergedDr。ParkerandGraceVanHorne。Thegirlwaswhiteandthereweredarkcirclesunderhereyes。Thedoctorwasverygrave。
Keziahsteppedforwardandheldoutbothhands。Gracelooked，recognizedher，andwithacryrantowardher。Keziahtookherinherarmsandsoothedherasifshewereachild。
“There！there！deary，“shesaid，strokingherhair。“There！there！
deary，don’ttakeitsohard。Poorthing！you’rewornout。IfI’donlyknownsooner。“
“OAuntKeziah！“sobbedthegirl。“I’msogladyou’vecome。Itwassogoodofyou。“
“Good！Landofmercy！IfIhadn’tcome，I’dhavebeenworsethanthebeaststhatperish。Don’tcry，don’t。Howishenow？Somebetter？“
Shelookedatthedoctorassheaskedit。Heshookhisheademphatically。
“Well，well，dear，“wentonMrs。Coffinhurriedly。“Hewillbeprettysoon，we’llhope。Youmustn’tgiveuptheship，youknow。
NowyougoandlaydownsomewheresandI’llgetmythingsoffandseewhatthereistodo。Somegoodstrongteamightbegoodforallhands，Iguesslikely。Where’sHannahPoundberry？“
“She’sgonetohercousin’stostayallnight。IsupposeIoughttosendforher，butI——“
“No，no，youhadn’t。Might’swellsendforapollparrot，thecritterwouldbejustasmuchgoodandtalkless。I’lllookoutforthings，meandthedoctor。Where’s——where’sNat？“
“HecameinjustafterIsenttheboyforthedoctor。He’sintherewith——withhim，“indicatingthebedroom。“PoorNat！“
Keziahlookedlonginglytowardthedoor。
“Yes，“shesaidslowly。“Poorfellow，it’sanawfulshocktohim。
Heandhisfatherare——Butthere！youlaydownonthatlounge。“
“Ican’tliedown。Ican’tdoanythingbutthink。Oh，whatadreadfuldaythishasbeen！AndIthoughtitwasgoingtobesuchahappyone！“
“Yes，yes，deary，Iknow。“
Graceraisedherhead。
“Youknow？“sherepeated，lookingupintothehousekeeper’sface。
“ImeanIknowit’sbeenadreadfulday，“explainedKeziahquickly。
“Yes，indeedithas，“withasigh。“Butthere！ourmoanin’overitdon’tcheeritupany。Willyoulaydown？No？Well，then，SET
down，there’sagoodgirl。“
Grace，protestingthatshecouldn’tsitdown，shecouldn’tleaveuncle，andthereweresomanythingstodo，wasatlastpersuadedbyKeziahandthedoctortorestforafewmomentsinthebigrocker。ThenMrs。Coffinwentintothekitchentopreparethetea。
Asshewent，shebeckonedtoDr。Parker，whojoinedheramomentlater。
“Well，doctor？“sheaskedanxiously。
Thestout，gray-hairedoldphysician——hehadpracticedinTrumetfornearlythirtyyears——shookhishead。
“Notasinglechance，“hewhispered。“Hemaypossiblylivetillmorning，butIdoubtifhelastsanhour。It’shisheart。I’veexpecteditatanytime。Eversincehehadthatshock，I’vebeenathimtotakethingseasy；butyoumightaswelltalktoagravenimage。ThatCome-Outerfoolishnessiswhatreallykilledhim，thoughjustwhatbroughtonthisattackIcan’tmakeout。Gracesaysshefoundhimlyingonthefloorbythesofa。Hewasunconsciousthen。I’mratherworriedabouther。ShewasveryneartofaintingwhenIgothere。“
“Nowonder。Allaloneinthisarkofahouseandnobodytohelportosend。LuckyshefoundthatIkeHiggins。Say，Iwonderiftheyoungone’saroundherenow？Ifheis，hemuststandatthegateandscareoffCome-Outers。Thewholechapel，mates，crew，andcabinboy，’llbedownheresoon’smeetin’sovertoseewhatkeptEben。Andtheymustn’tgetin。“
“Ishouldsaynot。I’llhuntupIke。IfaCome-Outergetsintothishouseto-nightI’lleathim，that’sall。“
“Someof’emwouldgiveyoudyspepsy，Iguess。Yes，Grace，I’llbethereinajiffy。“
ThedoctorleftthehousetofindyoungHigginsandposthimatthegate。Theboy，whohadbeenlisteningunderthewindow，wasproudofhisnewresponsibility。
“I’llfix’em，doctor，“hedeclared。“IonlyhopeoldZekeBassettcomes。Helammedmewithahorsewhipt’otherday，’causeIwasridin’behindhisoxcart。Ifhetriedtogitbyme，I’llbouncearockoff’nhisSundayhat。“
“Doctor，“whisperedKeziahfromthekitchenwindow。“Doctor，comequick。Natwantsyou。“
CaptainNatwasstandingatthedoorofthebedroom。Hisfacewasdrawnandhehadseeminglygrownyearsoldersincenoon。
“He’scometohimself，doc，“hewhispered。“Hedon’trememberhowithappenedoranything。Andhewantsusall。Why！why，Keziah！
areyouhere？“
“Yes，Nat。I’vebeenherealittlewhile。“
Helookedathersteadilyandhiseyesbrightenedjustatrifle。
“Didyoucometoseeme？“heasked。“WasitaboutwhatIsaidthis——“
“No，no，Nat；no。IheardthenewsandthatGracewasalone；soI
comerightdown。“
Henoddedwearily。
“Youcancomein，too，“hesaid。“IknowdadlikesyouandI
guess——Waitaminute；I’llaskhim。“Hesteppedbackintothebedroom。“Yes，“henodded，returning，“youcome，too。Hewantsyou。“
Thelittleroom，CaptainEben’sown，wasmorelikeaskipper’scabinthanachamberonland。Anarrow，singlebed，aplainwashstand，abattered，paintedbureauandasinglechair——thesemadeupthelistoffurniture。Twopictures，bothofschoonersunderfullsail，hungonthewalls。Besidethemhungaship’sbarometer，asextant，andaclockthatstruckthe“bells，“insteadofthehoursasthelandsmanunderstandsthem。Inthecornerstoodthecaptain’sbigbootsandhisoilskinshungabovethem。HisSundaycanewastherealso。Andonthebureauwasaworn，heavyBible。
Dr。Parkerbrushedbytheothersandbentoverthebed。
“Well，cap’n，“hesaidcheerily，“how’ssheheaded？Howareyoufeelingnow？“
Theoldfaceonthepillowsmiledfeebly。
“She’sheadedforhome，Iguess，doc，“saidCaptainEben。“Boundforhome，andtheharborlightbroadabeam，Ical’late。“
“Oh，no！you’llmakeagoodmanyvoyagesyet。“
“Notinthishulk，Iwon’t，doctor。IhopeI’llhaveanewcommandprettysoon。I’mtrustin’inmyownersandIguessthey’lldothefairthingbyme。Halloo，Gracie，girl！Well，yourolduncle’sonhisbeamends，ain’the？“
Graceglancedfearfullyathisface。Whenhespokehernamesheshrankback，asifshefearedwhathemightsay。Butheonlysmiledas，withthetearsstreamingdownherface，shebentoverandkissedhim。
“There！there！“heprotested。“Youmustn’tcry。Whatareyoucryin’aboutmefor？Weknow，youandme，who’sbeenlookin’outforusandkeepin’usonthecoursealltheseyears。Weain’tgotanythingtocryfor。Youjustkeeponbein’a’goodgirl，Gracie，andgoin’totherightchurchand——Is’poseEzekiel’llleadinmeetin’now，“headded。“Idowishhewasastrongerman。“
Thedoctor，whosefingershadbeenupontheoldman’swrist，lookedupatNatsignificantly。