\"Iunderstand，\"hesaid。\"Ihaveheardaboutyou，Mr。Paine。
This，however，isadifferentmatter。Wearenothogs，Mr。Paine，butbusinessmen。Ifourplansgothrough，Denborowillbegratefultousandtoyou。\"
\"IFtheygothrough？Ithoughtyouwerecertainoftheirgoingthrough。\"
\"Certainly，certainly。Thereis，ofcourse，an’if’inallhumanplans，butourparticular’if’isasmallone。Ihopeyouwillnameyourfigurenow，atonce。Don’tbeafraid。Wearedisposedtobeliberal。And，understand，thisisentirelyacashtransaction。Youshallhavethemoneyinonehandasyousignthecontractwiththeother。Ha！ha！Whatisthepricetobe？\"
ButIwouldnotnameaprice。IseemedtofeelasunreasonablyreluctanttoclosewiththeBayShoreDevelopmentCompanyasIhadbeenwithCaptainJedorColton。
\"ShallImakeabid？\"askedKeene。
\"No，notyetatanyrate。Tellme，this：Whoselandhaveyoualreadybought？\"
Heshookhishead。\"That，ofcourse，\"hesaid，withthesamegracioussmile，\"Icanhardlytelleventoyou。Someofthedealsarenotyetclosed，and，asabusinessmanyourself，Mr。Paine，you——\"
\"Iamnotabusinessman，\"Iinterrupted，impatiently。\"Atleast，notmuchofaone。Yousaytherearecapitalistsbehindyourscheme。Whoarethey？\"
Helaidhishandonmyknee。\"Why，that，\"hesaid，\"isasecretnooneissupposedtoknow。Men——financierssuchasweareproudtoserve——permittheirnamestobeknownonlywhenthecorporationisreadytobeginactualoperations。Thatisnaturalenough。IfI
weretomentionnames——well，someofyourYankeeneighborswouldwanttobecomemillionairesbeforeselling。\"
Therewastruthinthis。Iimaginethatheguessedhehadmadeanimpression，forhewentontoshouthispraisesofthecompanyandthegreatnessofitsplan。Hetalkedandtalked；infacthetalkedtoomuch。Ididnotliketohearhim。IdidnotlikeHIM，thatwasthetrouble。Hewastoosmoothandvolublealtogether。Andhemadeamistakeinpattingmyknee。
\"Verywell，\"saidI，risingfrommychair；\"I’llthinkitover。\"
Hewasplainlydisappointed。\"Idon’twishtohurryyou，ofcourse，\"hesaid，notmovingfromhischair，\"butweareanxioustoclose。Thisistobecash，remember，andIstandreadytomakeanoffer。Iamsurewecanreachanagreement，satisfactorytobothsides，Mr。Paine。\"
\"Perhaps，butIprefertothinkthematteroverbeforenamingapriceorhearingyouroffer。\"
AsamatteroffactIdidnotintendtosell，orconsiderselling，untilIhaddiscussedthewholeaffairwithMother。Buttherewasnoneedtotellhimthat。
\"Iamsorry，Iconfess，\"hesaid。\"Ihopedthisparticulardealmightbeclosed。Wehavesomanyoftheselittledetails，Mr。
Paine，andtimeismoney。However，ifyouinsistuponit，I
presumethecompanywillbewillingtowaitafewdays。\"
\"Iamafraiditwillhaveto。\"
\"Verywell，verywell。Ishallbedownagaininadayortwo。Ofcourse，waitingmayhavesomeeffectupontheprice。To—dayIwasempoweredto……Youdon’tcaretohear？Verywell。Sogladtohavemetyou，Mr。Paine。Ofcourseyouwillnotmentionthesubjectofourinterviewtoanyone。Businesssecrets，youknow。
Thankyou，thankyou。AndIwillseeyouagain——Thursday，shallwesay？\"
IrefusedtosayThursday，principallybecausehehadsaiditfirst。IsuggestedSaturdayinstead。Heagreed，shookhandsasifIwereanoldfriendfromwhomhepartedwithregret，andleftme。
No，IdidnotlikeMr。Keene。Hewastoopoliteandtoofamiliar。
And，asIthoughtoverhiswords，thewholeprospectusoftheBayShoreDevelopmentCompanyseemedsingularlyvague。Theproposaltobuymylandwasdefiniteenough，buttherestofitwas，apparently，verymuchintheair。Therewastoomuchsecrecyaboutit。Noonewastotellanyoneanything。IwasgladIhadinsistedupontimeforconsideration。Iintendedtoconsiderthoroughly。
CHAPTERXIV
WhenIlefttheboathouseIdidnotgodirectlyhome，butwanderedalongthebeach。IhadpuzzledmybrainwithMr。KeeneandhiserranduntilIdeterminednottopuzzleitanylongerthatday。IfmysuspicionswereunfoundedandexistedmerelybecauseofmydislikeoftheBayShoreCompany’srepresentative，thentheywerenotworthworry。IftheywerewellfoundedIhadalmostaweekinwhichtodiscoverthefact。Iwoulddismissthewholematterfrommythoughts。ThequestionastowhetherornotIwouldsellthelandatalltoanybody，whichwas，afterall，therealquestion，I
resolvedtoputoffansweringuntilIhadhadmytalkwithMother。
Iwalkedonbythewater’sedgeuntilIreachedtheLane；turningintothatmuchcovetedstripofterritoryIcontinueduntilIcameoppositetheColtonmansion，where，turningagain，Istrolledhomewardbythepaththroughthegrove。UnconsciouslymywanderingthoughtsstrayedtoMabelColton。ItwasherethatIhadmetherontwooccasions。IhadanoddfeelingthatIshouldmeetherhereagain，thatshewasherenow。Ihadnoreasonforthinkingsuchathing，certainlythewishwasnotfathertothethought，butateverybendinthepath，astheundergrowthhidtheway，Iexpected，asIturnedthecorner，toseehercomingtowardme。
Butthepathwas，saveformyself，untenanted。Iwasalmostatitsend，wherethepinesandbusheswerescatteringandthefieldofdaisies，nowinfullbloom，began，whenIheardaslightsoundatmyleft。Ilookedinthedirectionofthesoundandsawher。Shewasstandingbeneathagnarled，moss—drapedoldpinebythebluffedge，lookingoutoverthebay。
Istopped，involuntarily。ThenImovedonagain，asnoiselesslyasIcould。Butatmyfirststepsheturnedandsawme。Iraisedmyhat。Shebowed，coldly，soitseemedtomysupersensitiveimagination，andIreplacedthehatandcontinuedmywalk。I
thoughtIheardthebushesnearwhichshestoodrustleasifshehadmoved，butIdidnotlookback。
Then，closebehindme，Iheardhervoice。
\"Mr。Paine，\"shesaid。
Iturned。Shehadfollowedmeandwasstandinginthepath，abitoutofbreath，asifshehadhurried。Iwaitedforhertospeak，butshedidnot。
\"Goodafternoon，MissColton，\"Isaid，awkwardly。Someonehadtospeak，wecouldnotstandstaringateachotherlikethat。
Shesaid\"Goodafternoon，\"also。Thentherewasanotherintervalofsilence。
\"You——youwishedtospeaktome？\"Istammered。
\"IDIDspeaktoyou，\"withsignificantemphasisonthe\"did。\"\"I
thoughtyoumight，possibly，beinterestedtoknowthatDonandI
reachedhomesafelytheotherday。\"
ConsideringthatshehadcalleduponMothersince，itseemedtomethatmyknowledgeofherreachinghomesafelymighthavebeentakenforgranted；butIsaid：
\"Iamverygladtohearit，MissColton。\"
\"Wehadnodifficultyinfindingthewayafteryouleftus。\"
Thewaybeingalmoststraight，andoverthemaintraveledroads，this，too，wasfairlyobvious。
\"Ifeltsureyouwouldhavenotrouble——afterIleftyou，\"I
answered，withasignificantemphasisofmyown。
Shedidnotreplyand，asIhadnothingfurthertosay，Iwaitedforhertocontinue，ortobreakofftheinterview。Shedidneither，butstood，asifirresolute，lookingdownandstirringwithherfoottheleavesattheedgeofthepath。Suddenlyshelookedup。
\"Mr。Paine，\"shesaid，\"youaremakingithardformetosaywhatI
intended。ButIthinkIshouldsayit，andsoIwill。IbegyourpardonforspeakingasIdidwhenIlastsawyou。Ihadnorighttojudgeorcriticizeyou，nonewhatever。\"
\"Youdonotneedtoapologize，MissColton。Whatyoutoldmewasprobablytrueenough。\"
Theconventionalanswertothiswouldhavebeenahalf—hearteddenialofmystatement。IpresumeIexpectedsomethingofthesort。Butthisgirlwasnotconventional。
\"Yes，\"shesaid，thoughtfully，\"Ithinkitwas。IfIhadnotthoughtsoIshouldnothavesaidit。Butthatmakesnodifference。
YouandIarestrangers，almost，andIhadnorighttospeakasI
did。Iamimpulsive，Iknowit，andIoftendoandsaythingsonimpulsewhichIamsorryforafterward。Ioffendedyou。\"
\"Ohno，no，\"Iputin，hurriedly。Shehadoffendedme，butthisfrankconfessiontouchedmemorethantheoffensehadhurt。Shewasdoingahardthinganddoingithandsomely。
\"Yes，Ioffendedyou，\"sherepeated，firmly。\"Ihaveconsideredthematteragooddealsincethen，anditseemstomethatyouwererighttofeeloffended。YouhadbeenverykindtomeonseveraloccasionsandIhadbeenyour\"——withahalfsmile——\"yourguestthatday。Ishouldnothavehurtyourfeelings。Willyouacceptmyapology？\"
\"Why，yes，ofcourse，sinceyouinsist，MissColton。\"
\"Thankyou。\"
Shewasturningtogo；andIcouldnotlethergothus。Althoughshehadapologizedforspeakingherthoughtshehadnotretractedthethoughtitself。Iwasseizedwithadesireforjustificationinhereyes。Iwantedtoexplain；forgettingforthemomentthatexplanationswereimpossible。
\"MissColton，\"Isaid，impulsively。
\"Yes？\"
\"MayI——mayIsayaword？\"
\"Certainly，ifyouwish。\"
Sheturnedagainandfacedme。
\"MissColton，I——I——\"Ibegan，andpaused。
\"Well？\"shesaid，patiently，\"Whatisit？\"
\"MissColton，\"Iblunderedon，\"youshouldnothaveapologized。
Youwereright。Yourestimateofmewasprettynearlycorrect。I
realizedthatwhenyougaveitandIhavebeenrealizingiteversince。IdeservedwhatIgot——perhaps。ButIshouldnotwishyoutothink——thatis，I——well，Ihadreasons，theyseemedtomereasons，forbeingwhatIwas——whatIam。Idoubtiftheywerealtogethergoodreasons；Iaminclinednowtothinktheywerenot。
ButIhadcometothinkthemgood。Yousee，I——I——\"
Istopped，facetofacewiththefactthatIcouldnotgivethosereasonstoheroranyoneelse。Shewaslookingatmeexpectantly，andwith，soitseemedtome，anexpressionofreal，almosteagerinterest。Ifaltered，triedtogoon，andthensurrendered，absolutely，tothehopelessnessofthesituation。
\"Itisnouse，\"Isaid，\"Ican’ttellyouwhatthosereasonswere。\"
IturnedasIsaidit。Ididnotcaretoseeherexpressionchange。IknewwhatshemustbethinkingandIhadnodesiretoreadthethoughtinhereyes。Istoodthere，waitingforhertoleaveindisgust。
\"Ican’ttellyou，\"Irepeated，stubbornly。
\"Verywell。\"HertonewasascoldlyindifferentasIhadanticipated。\"Wasthatallyouwishedtosaytome，Mr。Paine？\"
\"MissColton，IshouldliketoexplainifIcould。ButIcannot。\"
\"Praydon’ttroubleyourself。IassureyouIhadnointentionsofaskingforyour——reasons。Goodafternoon。\"
Iheardherskirtsbrushtheleavesattheborderofthepath。Shewasgoing；andthecontemptuoussluratmy\"reasons\"provedthatshedidnotbelievethemexistent。Shebelievedmetobealiar。
\"MissColton，\"Isaid，sharply；\"wait。\"
Shekepton。
\"Wait，\"Isaidagain。\"Listentome。\"
Sheseemedtohesitateandthenturnedherhead。
\"Iamlistening，\"shesaid。\"Whatisit？\"
\"Youhavenorighttodisbelieveme。\"
\"Idisbelieveyou？WhyshouldyouthinkIdisbelieveyou？Iamnotsufficientlyinterestedtobelieveordisbelieve，Iassureyou。\"
\"Butyoudo。Youjudgeme——\"
\"_I_judgeyou！Youflatteryourself，Mr。Paine。\"
\"Butyoudo。Youapologizedjustnowforjudgingmewithoutahearingtheotherday。Youacknowledgedthatyoushouldnothavedoneit。Youaredoingthesamethingnow。\"
\"Iapologizedforpresumingtoofferadvicetoastranger。Ididnotapologizefortheadviceitself。Ithinkitgood。Idonotcaretoarguethematterfurther。\"
\"Youarenotaskedtoargue。ButyoursneeratmyreasonsprovesthatyoubelievethatIhavenoneandammerelytryingtojustifymyselfwithtrumpedupandlyingexcuses。Youarewrong，andsinceyoupresumedtojudgemethenyoumustlistentomenow。Ihave——
orhad——reasonsforlivingasIhavedone，forbeingtheidlerandgood—for—nothingyoubelievemetobe。Ican’ttellyouwhattheyare；Icantellnoone。ButIdoaskyoutobelievethatIhavethem，thattheyarereal，andthatmybeingwhatyoutermedambitionlessandacountryloaferisnotmyconditionfromchoice。
Itismyrighttoinsistuponyourbelievingthat。Doyoubelieveit？\"
AtlastIhadmadeanimpression。Myearnestnessseemedtohaveshakenhercontemptuousindifference。Shelookedatmesteadily，frowningalittle，butregardingmelessasifIwereaclodandmoreandmoreasifIwerethepuzzleshehadoncedeclaredmetobe。Ididnotshunherlooknow，butmetiteyetoeye。
\"Doyoubelieveme？\"Idemanded。
Slowlyherfrownwasdisappearing。
\"Doyoubelieveme？\"Isaid，again。\"Youmust。\"
\"Must？\"
\"Yes，youmust。Ishallmakeyou。Ifnotnow，atsomeothertime。
Youmustbelieveme，MissColton。\"
Thefrowndisappearedaltogetherandshesmiled。
\"IfyouordermetoIsupposeImust，\"shesaid，withashrugofmockresignation。\"Ishouldhavelearnedbythistimethatitisuselesstosaynowhenyousayyes，Mr。Paine。\"
\"Butdoyou？\"
Sheturnedaltogetherandfacedme。
\"Iamverygladtobelieveyou，\"shesaid，withsimpledirectness。
Istammereda\"Thankyou\"andwassilent。Idarednottrustmyselftospeakatthemoment。Somehowthesincerityofherwordsmovedmefarmorethantheirtriflingimportwarranted。ShehaddeclaredherbeliefthatIwasnotaliar，thatwasall；andyetIstoodtherefightingdownallsortsofridiculousemotions。Thesituationwasdecidedlystrained，but，asusual，shesavedit。
\"Itseemstome，\"shesaid，withthetwinklewhichIhadlearnedtorecognizeasaforerunnerofmischiefonherpart，\"thatyouareinclinedtomakemountainsoutofmole—hills，Mr。Paine。Wasthereanyneedtobequitesofiercelytragic？And，besides，Ithinkthatevennowyouhavenottoldthewholetruth。\"
\"Thewholetruth？Why，MissColton，Ihavejustexplainedthat——\"
\"Oh，notthattruth！Yourmysterious’reasons’arenotmyaffair。
AndIhavetoldyouthatIwaswillingtotakethoseontrust。Butyouhavenotbeenquitetruthfulinanotherparticular。Youintimatedthatyouwereanidler。Ihavebeengiventounderstandthatyouarefarfrombeinganidlerjustnow。\"
Iwasrelieved。\"Oh，Isee！\"Iexclaimed。\"Youmean——someonehastoldyouofmyemploymentatthebank。\"
\"Anumberofpersonshavetoldme。SurelyyoudidnotexpecttokeepTHATasecret——inDenboro？\"
\"Well，scarcely，\"Iadmitted，withalaugh。\"ThatwasknownalmostbeforeIwassureofitmyself。YoushouldhaveseenEldredge’sfacewhenIannouncedmyintention。AndLute——Mrs。Rogers’
husband——hasn’tcompletelyrecoveredyet。Thesightofme，actuallytryingtoearnaliving，wastoomuchforhim。Youseewhatamiracleworkeryouare，MissColton。\"
\"DidyoureallyacceptthepositionsimplybecauseofwhatIsaidtoyou？\"
\"Yes。Thechancehadbeenofferedmebefore，butitwasyourfranknessthatshockedmeintotakingit。\"
\"Notreally？Youarejoking。\"
\"No，I’mnot。Youareresponsible。Areyousorry？\"
Heranswerwasaquestion。
\"Areyou？\"sheasked。
\"No。Atfirstitseemedridiculousandstrange，eventomyself；
butnowIlikethework。Itislikeoldtimes。\"
\"Oldtimes？\"
Iwasforgettingmyselfagain；talkingtoomuchwasadangeroustrain——forme。Ilaughed，withpretendedcarelessness。
\"Why，yes；Iwasemployedinabankatonetime。IthinkItoldyouthat。Haveyoubeenmotoringmuchoflate，MissColton？\"
\"Yes。Tellme，please：Youreallylikeyourwork？\"
\"Yes，Ido。\"
\"ThenIwillansweryourquestion。Iamnotabitsorry。IamgladIwasimpertinentandintrusive，especiallynowthatIhaveapologizedandyouhaveacceptedtheapology。IamverygladI
toldyouyoushoulddosomethingworthwhile。\"
\"EvenifitwerenothingmorethantofollowThophNewcomb’sexampleandsellfish。\"
\"Yes，\"laughingly，\"eventhat。IWASimpertinent，wasn’tI！I
don’twonderyouwereoffended。\"
\"Ineededtheimpertinence，Iguess。Butfrankly，MissColton，I
can’tseewhyyoushouldbegladbecauseIhavegonetowork。I
can’tseewhatdifferencemyworkingoridlingcanpossiblymaketoyou。\"
\"Oh，itdoesn’t，ofcourse——exceptongeneralprinciples。Iamadreadfulidlermyself；butthen，Iamawoman，andidlenessisawoman’sright。\"
IthoughtofDorindaandoftheotherhousewivesofDenboroandhowlittleofthatparticular\"right\"theyenjoyed；whichthoughtbroughtagainandforciblytomymindthedifferencebetweenthisgirl’slifeandtheirs——andMother’s——andmyown。
\"Aman，\"continuedMissColton，sagely，\"shouldnotidle。Heshouldworkandworkhard——sothattherestofusmaybeasgoodfornothingasweplease。Thatisphilosophy，isn’tit？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Youweregoodenoughnottosaywhatsortofphilosophy。Thankyou。Butseriously，Mr。Paine，Iamfondofyourmother——veryfond，consideringourshortacquaintance——andwhenIsawherlyingthere，sopatient，anddeprivedofthelittleluxuriesandconvenienceswhichsheneeds，andwhichalittlemoremoneymightbringtoher，itseemedtome……Gracious！whatalotofnonsenseIamtalking！Whatisthematterwithmethisafternoon？
Dolet’schangethesubject。Haveyousoldyourlandyet，Mr。
Paine？Ofcourseyouhaven’t！Thatismorenonsense，isn’tit。\"
Ithinkshehadagainspokenmerelyontheimpulseofthemoment；
doubtlesstherewasnodeliberateintentiononherparttobringmetoarealizationofmyposition，thepositionIoccupiedinherthoughts；butifshehadhadsuchanintentshecouldnothavedoneitmoreeffectively。ShebelievedmetohavebeenneglectingMother，andherinterestinmy\"doingsomethingworthwhile\"wasinspiredmerelybecauseshewishedMothertobesuppliedwiththose\"luxuriesandconveniences\"shehadmentioned。Well，myquestionwasanswered；thiswasthedifferencemyworkingoridlingmadetoher。And，foraminuteortwo，Ihadbeenfoolishenoughtofancyherinterested，asafriend，inmysuccessorfailureinlife。I
mighthaveknownbetter。Andyet，becauseofthenoveltyofthething，becauseIhadsofewfriends，Ifeltapangofdisappointment。
ButIresolvedsheshouldnotknowshehaddisappointedme。I
mighthavebeenafool，butIwouldkeepmyfoolishnessasecret。
\"No，MissColton，\"Isaid，withasmile，\"Ihaven’tsoldyet。\"
\"Fathersaidhesawyouatthebank。Didhesayanythingabouttheland？\"
\"Hesaidhisofferwasstillopen，thatwasall。\"
\"Youareresolvednottosell。\"
\"Tohim？Yes，Iamresolved。Ithinkheknowsit。Itriedtomakeitplain。\"
\"Yousaytohim。Areyouthinkingofsellingtoanyoneelse？Tothetown？\"
\"No。Probablynottoanyone。Certainlynottoyourfatherorthetown。\"
Shelookedatme，withanoddexpression，andseemedtohesitate。
\"Mr。Paine，\"shesaid，slowly，\"wouldyouresentmygivingyouanotherbitof——advice？\"
\"Notatall。Whatisitthistime？\"
\"Why，nothing。Imustnotgiveyouanyadviceatall。Iwon’t。
InsteadI’llgiveyouoneofFather’spetproverbs。Itisn’tanelegantone，butheisveryfondofrepeatingit。’Therearemorewaysofkillingacatthanchokingittodeathwithbutter。’
There！youwilladmititisnotelegant。\"
\"ButMissColton！Killingacat！Whatintheworld？\"
\"Youmustn’taskme。Ishouldn’thavesaideventhat。Butremember，itisfather’spetproverb。Imustgo。PleasegivemylovetoyourmotherandtellherIshallcallagainsoon。
Good—by。\"
Shewalkedbrisklyawayanddidnotlookback。Iwenthome。I
thoughtagreatdealduringtheeveninganduntillatethatnight。
When，atlast，IdidgotobedIhadnotmademuchprogressintheproblemofthecat，butIdidbelievethattherewasaratinthevicinity。Iwasbeginningtoscentone。IfIwasnotmistakenitcalleditselftheBayShoreDevelopmentCompany。
IsaidnothingtoMotherofthenewproposaltobuyourland，butnextmorningatthebankIwrotealettertothecashierofabankinBoston，oneofourcorrespondents，andwithwhichourlittleinstitutionwasonveryfriendlyterms。IaskedthecashiertomakesomeguardedinquiriesconcerningtheBayShoreCompany，tofindout，ifpossible，whowasbehinditandalsotoinquireconcerningBarclayandKeene，therealestatebrokersofMilkStreet。
ThereplytomyletterreachedmeonFriday。Itwassatisfactory，eminentlyso。Andwhen，onSaturdayafternoon，Mr。Keene，blandandsmilingasever，madehisappearanceatthehouse，Iwasreadyforhim。Istoodonthestepandmadenomovetoinvitehimwithin。\"Well，Mr。Paine，\"hesaid，cordially，\"areyoureadytotalkbusiness？\"
\"Quiteready，\"Ianswered。
Hebeamedwithsatisfaction。
\"Good！\"heexclaimed。\"Thenwhatisyourfigure？\"
\"Myfigureisanaught，\"Ireplied，withemphasis。\"YoumaytellyouremployerthatIdonotcaretosellthelandtohim，nomatterwhetherhecallshimselfJamesColtonortheBayShoreDevelopmentCompany。Ohyes；and，ifyoulike，youmayaddthatthisparticularcatdeclinestobechoked。\"
Mr。Keeneshowedsignsofchoking，himself，andIshutthedoorandlefthimoutside。Lute，whohadbeenlisteningatthedining—roomwindowandhadheardonlyfragmentsofthebriefinterview，wasinastateofaddedincoherence。
\"Well，bytime！\"hegasped。\"What——whatsortoftalkwasthat？
Chokin’acat！Acat！！Weain’tgotnocat。\"
\"Haven’twe？\"Iobserved。\"Why，no，sowehaven’t！PerhapsyouhadbetterexplainthattoMr。Keene，Lute。Itmayhelphimtounderstandthesituation。AndaddthatIsuggesthistellingthepersonwhosenthimherethatsoft—soapisnoimprovementonbutter。\"
IthinkLutedidtellhimjustthat，doubtlesswithallsortsofexcusesformyinsanity，forthenextday，Sunday，asIwalkedalongthebeach，abigbodycameploughingdownthesandyslopeandjoinedme。
\"Hello！\"saidColton。
\"Goodmorning，\"saidI。
\"Howareindependenceandpublicspiritthesedays？\"
\"Verywell，thankyou。HowareDevelopmentCompaniesdeveloping？\"
Heputbackhisheadandlaughed。Hedidnotseemabitchagrinedordiscomfited。Thejokewasonhim，buthecouldenjoyit，nevertheless。InspiteofmyantagonismtowardthismanIcouldnothelpadmiringcertaintraitsofhischaracter。Hewasbig，ineveryway。Littlerepulsesorsetbacksdidnottroublehim。
\"Say，\"hesaid，\"howdidyouknowaboutthatcat？\"
\"Sawhisfootprints，\"Ireplied。\"Theywerealloverthescheme。
AndyourfriendKeenepurredtooloud。\"
\"Idon’tmeanthat。Keenewasafool；thatwasplainenoughforanyonetosee。Ihadtousehim；ifBarclayhadn’tbeensickitmighthavebeendifferent。Buthowdidyoucometosendmethatmessageaboutthebutter？Man，thatisoneofmyfavoritesayings——