thechokingthecatthing！Howdidyouknowthat？Ineversaidittoyou。\"
\"Oh，itisanoldsaying。Ihavehearditoften；anditdidseemtofitinthiscase。Iimaginedyouwouldunderstandandappreciate。\"
\"Um——yes，\"dryly。\"Iappreciatedallright。Astounderstanding——
well，I’llunderstandlateron。That’sanotherlittleconundrumformetoworkout。Somebody’sbeentalking，ofcourse。Here！
holdon！\"asIwaswalkingaway：\"Don’tgo。Iwanttotalktoyou。\"
HecharacteristicallydidnotaskwhetherornotIwantedtotalktohim，but，asIhappenedtobeinnohurry，Istoppedandwaitedforhimtocontinue。Hethrusthishandsintohispocketsandlookedmeover，verymuchashemighthavelookedoverahorsehewasthinkingofbuying。
\"Paine，\"hesaid，suddenly，\"doyouwanttogotowork？\"
\"Work？\"Irepeated。\"Iamatworkalready。\"
\"You’vegotajob，suchasitis。Itmightbeworkfortheaveragejay，butitisn’tforyou。I’llgiveyousomethingtoworkat——
yes，andworkfor。\"
Istaredathiminwonderingsuspicion。
\"Whatisthis；anotherDevelopmentCompany？\"Idemanded。
\"Ha！ha！notthistime。No，thisisstraight。Ifyou’llsaythatyou’llworkformeI’llmakeanopeningforyouinmyNewYorkoffice。\"
Ididnotanswer。Iwastryingtofathomthemotivebehindthisnewmove。
\"I’llputyoutoworkinmyoffice，\"hewenton。\"Itmaynotbemuchtobeginwith，butyoucanmakeitanythingyoulike；that’llbeuptoyou。Astosalary——well，Idon’tknowwhatyou’regettinginthatone—horsebank，butI’lldoubleit，whateveritis。Thatwillbethestart，ofcourse。Afterthatitisuptoyou，asI
said。\"
\"Mr。Coltonthismaybeagoodjoke，butIdon’tseeit——yet。\"
\"Idon’tjokeofteninbusiness；can’taffordto。\"
\"Youarereallyserious？Youmeanwhatyousay？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Butwhy？Youdon’tknowanythingaboutme。\"
\"Iknowallthatisnecessary。AndIhavefoundoutthatyouareallright，sofarasbankworkgoes。ThatfellowTaylorandsomeotherstoldmethat。ButIdidn’tneedtheirtelling。Why，man，itispartofmytradetoknowmenwhenIseethem。Ihavetoknow’em。Isaidawhileagothatyoudidn’tbelonginthisforsakenholeofatown。GodknowsitISforsaken！Evenmywifeisbeginningtoadmitthat，andshewasthekeenesttocomehere。
SomedayIshallgetsickofitandsellout，Isuppose。\"
\"Sellout？\"
\"Oh，notyet。Mabel——mydaughter——seemstolikeithere，forsomeunknownreason，andwantstostay。AndIdon’tintendtoselluntilI’vebought——whatIsetouttobuy。ButI’mnotthesubjectwe’retalkingaboutjustnow。Youare。Come！here’syourchancetobesomebody。MorechancethanIhad，I’lltellyouthat。Youcangotoworkinmyofficenextweek，ifyouwantto。Willyou？\"
Ilaughedattheidea。IbelievedIhadfoundthemotiveIwasseeking。\"Ofcoursenot，\"Isaid。\"Youcan’tclosetheLanebythatkindofbribery，Mr。Colton。\"
\"Briberybehanged！Come，come，Paine！Wakeup，orIshallthinkyourbrainsaren’tuptostandard，afterall。WhenIbribeI
bribe。WhenIaskamantoworkformetherearenostringstiedtotheoffer。Forgetyourpicayunelandforaminute。TimeenoughtorememberthatwhenI’vegotit，whichwillbesomedayorother，ofcourse。I’mmakingyouthisofferbecauseIwantyou。You’resharp；yousawthroughthatDevelopmentgame。You’reclever——yoursendingmethat’cat’messageprovesit。Andyournottellingmewheretheideaforthemessagecamefromprovesthatyoucankeepyourmouthshut。Icoulduseadozenfellowslikeyou，ifIcouldgetthem。Youinterestedmerightatthestart。AchapwithsandenoughtotellJimColtontogotothedevilisalwaysinteresting。
I’mofferingyouthischancebecauseIthinkitisagoodchanceforbothofus。Yes，andbecauseIlikeyou，Isuppose，inspiteofyourpig—headedness。Willyoutakeit？\"
\"No，thankyou，\"Ianswered。
\"Why？Becauseyoucan’tleaveyoursickmother？She’llbeallright。Iwastalkingwiththedoctor——Quimby，hisnameis，isn’tit——andhehappenedtomentionthathewasencouragedabouther。
Saidshehadbeendistinctlybetterforthelastmonth。\"
Icouldnotbelieveit。DoctorQuimbyhadsaidnothingofthesorttome。Itwasimpossible。MotherBETTER！
\"Thatdoesn’tmeansheisgoingtobewellandstrongagain，ofcourse，\"headded，notunkindly。\"ButIthinkQuimbybelievesshemaybewellenoughto——perhaps——situponeofthesedays。Bewheeledaboutinachair，orsomethingofthatsort……Why！
whatisthematter？YoulookedasifIhadknockedyouout。
Hasn’tthedoctorsaidanythingtoyou？\"
\"No，\"Istammered。IWASknockedout。Icouldnotbelieveit。
Mother，thebed—riddeninvalidofsixlongyears，tobewellenoughtositup！touseawheeledchair！Itcouldnotbetrue。Itwastoogoodtobetrue。
\"So，yousee，youcouldleaveherallright，\"wentonColton。\"Ifitwasnecessaryyoucouldgetanursedownheretolookafterherwhileyouwereaway。Andyoumightgethomeeveryfortnightorso。
Bettertakemyoffer，Paine。Come！\"withagruntofimpatientamusement，\"don’tkeepmewaitingtoolong。Iamnotusedtocoaxingpeopletoworkforme；itisusuallytheotherwayaround。
Thisofferofminehappenstobeprettynearlyadisinterestedone，and，\"withoneofhisdrysmiles，\"allmyoffersarenotthatkind，asyououghttoknow。Willyousayyesnow？Ordoyouwanttillto—morrowtothinkitover？\"
ThenewsconcerningMotherhadupsetmegreatly，butmycommon—
sensewasnotallgone。ThattherewassomethingbehindhisofferIbelieved，but，eveniftherewerenot——ifitwasdisinterestedandmadesimplybecausemyunearthingoftheBayShore\"cat\"hadcaughthisfancy——Ididnotconsiderforamomentacceptingit。
NotifMotherwaslikeotherwomen，wellandstrong，wouldIhaveacceptedit。InDenboroIwasRoscoePaine，andmylifestorywasmyownsecret。InNewYorkhowlongwoulditbebeforethatsecretandmyrealnamewereknown，andalltheolddisgraceandscandalresurrected？
\"Whatdoyousay？\"askedColton，again。\"Wantmoretimetothinkaboutit，doyou？\"
Ishookmyhead。\"No，\"Ianswered。\"Ihavehadtimeenough。IamobligedfortheofferandIappreciateyourkindness，butIcannotaccept。\"
Iexpectedhimtoexpressimpatienceor，perhaps，anger；atleasttoaskmyreasonsfordeclining。Buthisonlyutterancewasa\"Humph！\"Foramomentheregardedmekeenly。Thenhesaid：
\"Haven’tgottheansweryet，haveI？Allright。Well，\"briskly，\"whenareyouandIgoingonthatshootingtrip？\"
\"Thereisnoshootingatpresent，\"Ianswered，assoonasIcouldadjustmymindtothisnewswitchintheconversation。
\"Thatso？Anyfishing？\"
\"Ibelievethesquiteaguearerunningoutside。Iheardtheywere。\"
\"What？Squit——which？\"
\"Squiteague。Weakfishsomepeoplecallthem。\"
\"Theyareprettyfairsport，aren’tthey？\"
\"Yes，fair。Nothinglikebluefish，however。\"
\"Allright。Whatisthematterwithourgoingsquint——squint——
somethingorotheringoneofthesedays？Willyougo？Orareyouaspig—headedaboutthatasyouareaboutotherthings？\"
Ilaughed。\"Notquite，\"Isaid。\"Ishouldbegladofyourcompany，Mr。Colton。\"
\"NextSaturdaysuityou？\"
\"Yes。Afterbankhours。\"
\"Allright。I’lllookaftertheboat。Youprovidethebaitandtackle。That’sfair，isn’tit？Right。Beonhandatmydockatoneo’clock。Morning。\"
Hewalkedoff。Neitherofushadthoughtofthetide——he，probably，notrealizingthathighwaterwasanimportantfactor，andIbeingtoomuchagitatedbywhathehadsaidaboutMother，andthesuddennesswithwhichthefishingtripwasplanned，tothinkcalmlyofanything。
Thatweekwasastrangeonetome，andthefirstofmanystrangeones。Mymanneroflifewaschanging，althoughIdidnotrealizeitandalthoughthechangecamethroughnoeffortofmyown。Ourhouse，whichhadbeensolongalmostahermitage，ifahomecontainingfourpersonsmightbecalledthat，wasgraduallybecomingasocialcenter。MatildaDeanhadcalledonceaweekregularlyforsometimeandthisparticularweekCaptainJedcamewithher。CaptainElishaWarrenandhiscousinandhousekeeper，MissAbbieBaker，drovedownforahalf—hour’sstay。GeorgeTaylorandNelliespentaneveningwithus。IfearedtheunaccustomedrushofcompanymighthaveabadeffectuponMother，butsheseemedactuallythebetterforit。SheprofessedtobelievethatDenborowasawakeningtothefactofmymeritsasamanandacitizen。
\"Theyarefindingyououtatlast，Boy，\"shesaid。Ilaughedather。Iknewbetter。Itwasbecauseofmypositioninthebankthatthesepeoplecame。Iwasmakinggoodthere，apparently，andthesurpriseatthiscausedCaptainWarrenandtheresttotakeanew，andnodoubttransitoryinterestinme。
AndIthoughtIknewCaptainJed’sreasonforcoming。Aninterviewbetweenusgavemetheinkling。MatildawasinMother’sroomandDeanandIweretogetherinthedining—room。
\"Ros，\"saidthecaptain，suddenly，\"youain’tbackin’water，areyou？\"
\"Backingwater？Whatdoyoumeanbythat？\"
\"InthisLanebusiness。Youain’tcal’latin’tosellouttoColton，afterall？\"
\"Well，hardly。Whydoyousaythat？\"
\"Nothin’，maybe。Buttheytellmeyou’rekindofthickwiththeR’yalfamilylately。BeriahHoltsaysheseeyouandtheColtongirlcomeoutofthewoodsbackofhisplaceoneafternoonaspellago。Shewasonhorsebackandyouwaswalkin’，butBeriahsaysyouandshewasmightyfriendly。\"
Imighthaveexpectedthis。InDenboroonedoesfewthingsunnoticed。
\"ShehadlostherwayinthewoodsandIhelpedhertofindtheroadhome，\"Isaid，\"thatwasall。\"
\"Hum！Youhelpedhertofindtheroadthenightofthestrawberryfestival，too，didn’tyou？\"
\"Howintheworlddidyoufindthatout？\"
\"Oh，itjustsortofdriftedaround。I’vegotprettybigears——
maybeyou’venoticed’em——andtheygen’rallycatchsomeofwhat’sblowin’past。Therewasacoachmanmixedupinthatnight’sworkandhetalkedsome，Ishouldn’twonder；mostofhiskinddo。\"
\"Well，whatofit？\"Iasked，sharply。\"IhelpedherasIwouldyourdaughterifshehadbeencaughtaloneinastormlikethat。I
shouldhavebeenashamednotto。\"
\"Sartin！Needn’tgetmadaboutit。What’sthisaboutyourtakin’
hisMajestyofffishin’nextSaturday？\"
Allofmypersonalaffairsseemedtobecommonproperty。Iwaslosingmytemperinspiteofmyrecentgoodresolutions。
\"Lookhere，CaptainDean，\"Isaid，\"Ihavearighttotakeanyonefishing，ifIchoose。Mr。ColtonaskedmetodoitandIsawnoreasonforsayingno。\"
\"Funnyheshouldaskyou。Heain’taskedanybodyelseintown。\"
\"Idon’tknowthatandIdon’tcare。IshalldoasIplease。I
havenogrievanceagainsttheColtons。Ishallnotsellthemmyland，butIreservetherighttomeetthem——yes，andtoassociatewiththem——ifIchoose。Youandyourfriendsmayaswellunderstandthat，Captain。\"
\"There！there！don’tgethuffy。Iain’tgottherighttosaywhatyourrightsare，Ros。AndIdon’tthinkforaminuteyou’dbackwaterontheLanebusinessa—purpose。ButIdothinkyou’retakin’
chances。Itellyou，honest，I’mscartofoldColton，inaway，andIain’tscartofmanyfolks。He’safighterandhe’ssmart。
HeandIhavehadsometalks——\"
\"Youhave？\"Iinterrupted。
\"Yup。Livelysquabblestheywas，too。Eachofusexpressin’ouropinionoft’otherandnotholdin’backanythingtospeakof。I
don’tknowhowhefeltwhenwequit，butIknowIrespectedhim——
forhisoutandopencussednessandgrit，ifnothin’else。AndI
thinkhefeltthesamewayaboutme。Buthe’ssmart——consarnhim，heis！AndHEneverbackswater。That’swhyIthinkyou’retakin’
chancesinbein’toofriendlywithhim。He’slayin’lowand，ifyougetoffyourguardjustoncehe’llgrab。\"
Ihesitated；thenImadeupmymind。
\"CaptainDean，\"Isaid，\"hissmartnesshasn’tcaughtmeyet。I’mgoingtotellyousomething，butfirstyoumustpromisenottotellanyoneelse。\"
HepromisedandItoldhimofMr。KeeneandtheBayShoreCompany。
Helistened，interruptingwithchucklesandexclamations。WhenI
hadfinishedheseizedmyhandandwrungit。
\"Bytheeverlastin’！\"heexclaimed，\"thatwasgreat！Isayagain，you’reallright，RosPaine。Even_I_swalleredthatDevelopmentCompany，hook，line，andsinker。ButYOUsawthroughit！\"
\"Itellyouthis，\"Isaid，\"sothatyouwillunderstandIhavenointentionofbackingwater。\"
\"Iknowyouain’t。KnewitaforeandnowIknowitbetter。ButI
can’tunderstandwhattheColtongameis——andthereisagame，sure。Thatdaughterofhis，now——shemaybeinitorshemaynot。
She’sprettyandIwillgiveinthatshe’sfolksyandsociablewithusnatives；it’ssurprisin’，considerin’herbringin’up。NellieandMatildylikeher，Nellieespecial。They’rerealchummy，asyoumightsay。Talkandtalk，justaseasyandcommonasyouandI
thisminute。I’veheard’emtwoorthreetimesatmyhousewhentheythoughtIwasn’tlistenin’andtwiceoutofthethreetheywastalkin’aboutyou。\"
\"AboutME？\"Irepeated。
\"Yes。Idon’twonderyou’resurprised。Iwasmyself。AskedNellieaboutitandshejustlaughed。Saidyouwastheprincipalobjectofinterestintownjustnow，whichismoreorlesstrue。
Butitmakesmesuspicious，allthesame。WhyshouldagirllikethatColtononetalkaboutafellerlikeyou？You’reasfurapart，fur’sanythingincommonisconcerned，asmolassesisfromvinegar。
Ain’tthatso？\"
Itwasso，ofcourse，butheneednothavebeensobrutallyfrankintellingme。However，Inoddedandadmittedthathewasright。
\"Yes，\"hesaid。\"Ablindhorsecouldseetherewasnosensible，openandabove—boardreasonforHERbein’interestedinYOU。Sothere’sanotherreason，thewayIlookatit，andthat’swhyI’dbemightycareful，mightycareful，Ros。Herpa’sgotanewtrickuphissleeveandshe’shelpin’himplayit，that’smynotion。Sobecareful，won’tyou。\"
\"I’llbecareful，\"saidI。Iknew，aswellasIknewmyrealname——
whichhedidnot——thatMabelColtonwasnothelpingherfatherplayanytricks。Ihadseenenoughofhertobecertainshewasnottricky。And，besides，ifshewereinsympathywithherparent，whyhadshegivenmethehintwhichputmeonthetrailoftheDevelopmentCompany？Whyhadshegivenmethehintatall？Thatwastherealriddle，andIhadnot，asyet，hituponaplausibleanswer。ThoseIhadhituponwereridiculousandimpossible，andI
putthemfrommymind。Butshewasnottricky，thatIknew。
CaptainJedchangedthesubjectandwetalkedofNellie’swedding，whichwastotakeplaceinamonth。Thecaptainwasfullofvariousemotions，regretatlosinghisdaughterandjoybecauseofhergettingsuchagoodhusband。Hislastwordswerethese：
\"Ros，\"hesaid，\"becareful，formysakefullasmuchasyours。
ThisLanebusinessandNellie’sgettin’marriedhavesortofpossessedme，sameastheevilspiritsdidtheswine，inscriptur’。
Ilayawakenightsfussin’forfearthemarriagewon’tturnouthappyorforfearyou’llselltheLaneafterall。Andone’sjustaslikelytohappenast’other——whichmeansthey’rebothimpossible，Ical’late。ButlookoutforthatColtongirl，whateverelseyoudo。She’sagooddealbetterlookin’thanherdad，butshe’sjustasdangerous。Youmarkmywords，son，thefellerthatplayswithfiretakeschances。Sodon’tbeTOOsociablewithanyofthetribe。\"
AndtheverynextafternoonthedangerouspersonherselfcalledandsheandIspentanhourinMother’sroom，wherethethreeofuschattedlikeoldfriends。ShehadtherarepowerofmakingoneforgetselfandpersonalworriesandIcouldreadilyunderstandwhyMotherhadbeensocompletelywonbyher。Shewasbrightandcheeryandsympathetic。Heretherewasnotraceoftheprideofclassandthearrogancewhichhadcausedmetohatehersoheartilyatfirst。Itseemedalmostasifshehadsetherselfthetaskofmakingmelikeherinspiteofmyprejudices。Myreasontoldmethatthiscouldnotbe；itwasmerelyherfancyforMotherwhichcausedhertonoticemeatall；shehadasmuchassaidsomorethanonce。ButIdidlikeher；Iacknowledgeditinmythoughts；
and，aftershehadgone，theroom，withitsdrawnshades，seemeddoublydarkandgloomy。MotherwassilentforafewminutesandI，too，saidnothing。Then：
\"Sheisawonderfulgirl，isn’tshe，Roscoe，\"saidMother。
Shewasaltogethertoowonderful，thatwasthetrouble。Agirllikeherhadnoplaceinourlives。Iwentoutforawalkandasmokebythebluffedge；and，almostbeforeIknewit，Ifoundmyselfstandingattheborderofthegrove，lookingatthegreathouseandtryingtoguesswhichwasherroomandifshewasthereandofwhatorwhomshemightbethinkingjustthen。\"Markmywords，son，\"CaptainJedhaddeclared，\"thefellerthatplayswithfiretakeschances。\"
Iturnedonmyheelandsetoutforhome。Iwouldtakenochances。
Imustnotplaywithfire，eventhoughtheflameshad，forthemoment，dazzledme。Ihadcalledmyselfafoolmanytimesinthepastfewyears，butIwouldnotbesogreatafoolasthat。
CHAPTERXV
SoIresolved，moreresolutelythanever，tokeepoutofherway，toseeaslittleofheraspossible！and，ashadhappenedbeforetosimilarresolutionsofminewithwhichshewasconcerned，thisonewasrenderednon—effective，throughnofaultofmyown，almostassoonasitwasmade。ForonSaturdayafternoon，asIapproachedtheColtonwharf，ladenwithbaitandrodsforthefishingexcursionintheColtonboat，Isawherstandingtherebesideherfather，waitingforme。
\"We’vegotapassenger，Paine，\"said\"BigJim。\"\"You’vemetherbefore，Ibelieve——onthewaterandinit。Noobjectionstomydaughter’sgoingalong，haveyou？\"
WhatcouldIsay；excepttoannouncedelightattheadditiontoourparty？PerhapsIdidnotsayitasheartilyasImight，for，MissColton，whowasregardingmewithamischievoussmile，observeddemurely：
\"Iamsurehemustbedelighted，Father。Mr。PaineknowsIamveryfondoffishing；don’tyou，Mr。Paine？\"
\"Yes；oh，yes，ofcourse，\"Istammered。
\"Hedoes，eh！\"Herfatherseemedsurprised。\"Howdidhefindthatout？\"
Ithoughtthequestionwasaddressedtoher，soIdidnotanswer。
Sheseemedtothinkotherwise，forshesaid：
\"Didyouhear，Mr。Paine？FatheraskshowyouknewIwasfondoffishing。\"
\"Why——er——youtoldmeso，MissColton，\"Ireplied。IfshehadnotrelatedherSeaburyPondexperiencetoherparentsIdidnotproposetobetrappedintodoingso。Shelaughedmerrily。
\"DidI？\"sheasked。\"Yes，IbelieveIdid。\"
Mr。Coltonlookedatus，eachinturn。
\"Humph！\"heobserved；\"Idon’tseemtobeaboardthistrain。
What’sthejoke？\"
Shesavedmetheproblemofinventingasatisfactoryanswer。
\"Oh，it’salittlejokeofMr。Paine’sandmyown，\"sheexplained。
\"I’lltellyouaboutitbyandby，Father。Itwouldtaketoolongtotellnow。Hesavedmylifeoncemore，that’sall。\"
\"Oh！that’sall！Humph！Andyoudidnotthinkatriflelikethatworthmentioningtome，Isuppose。Wouldyoumindtellingmewhatitwashesavedyoufromthistime？\"
\"Fromstarvation。Iwasafamishedwayfarerandhetookmein。
There，Daddy，don’tpuzzleyourpoorbrainanylonger。ItisallrightandI’lltellyouallaboutitwhenwegethome。NowIamsureweshouldbestartingifwearetohaveanyfishingatall。
Shallwecastoff，Mr。——thatis，CaptainPaine？\"
Thatfishingtripwasnotahugesuccessifjudgedsolelybythesizeofthecatch。Theweakfishwerenothungryorwedidnottemptthemwithbaittotheirtastethatday。Wegotahalfdozen，ofwhichIcaughtthree，MissColtontwo，andherfatherbutone。
His，however，wasabigone，muchthebiggestofthesix，andhehadaglorioustimelandingit。Hefishedasheappearedtodoeverythingelse，withintenseearnestnessanddetermination。Heevidentlyconsideredthestruggleasortofpersonaldisagreementbetweenthefishandhimselfand，asusual，intendedtohavehisway。Hesucceededafterawhile，andannouncedthathehadnotenjoyedanythingasmuchsincearrivinginDenboro。
Hisdaughteralsoseemedtobeenjoyingherself。Shewasquiteasgoodafisherasherfather，and，whenthesportwasover，andwereeledinourlinespreparatorytostartingforhome，ralliedhimnotalittleathavingbeentheleastsuccessfuloftheparty。Hetookherteasinggood—naturedly。
\"Youthinkitisquiteafeattogetthebetterofyourolddad，don’tyou，mylady，\"heobserved。
\"OfcourseIdo。Itis，isn’tit？\"
Hechuckled。\"Well，maybeyou’reright，\"headmitted。\"Youdoitoftenerthananyoneelse，thatiscertain。Paine，youmighttakelessonsfromher，ifyouarestillhopingtokeepupyourendinthelittlefightyouandIhaveonhand。\"
Sheturnedtomeandsmiled。Hergracefulheadwassilhouettedagainsttheredglowofthesunsetandaloosenedstrandofherhairwavedinthelightbreeze。
\"IthinkMr。Painedoesnotneedlessonsfromanyone，\"shesaid。
\"Heseemstobeholdinghisownverywell。\"
\"Buthe’sfrightened，allthesame。Come，Paine，ownupnow。Youknowyouarefrightened，don’tyou？\"
\"Notvery，\"Ianswered，truthfully。
\"So？Thenyouaren’tassensibleasyououghttobe。Awisemanknowswhentobescared。Let’smakealittlebetonit。I’llbetyoutwotoonethatI’llownthatlandofyoursinsideofsixmonths。\"
Ishookmyhead。\"Ineverbetoncertainties，\"Ideclared。\"I
shouldbeashamedtocollectmywinnings。\"
Thisseemedtoamusethemboth，fortheybothlaughed。
\"Father，\"saidMissColton，\"Iamafraidyoudon’tlearnbyexperience。Youhavelostonebetalready，youknow。\"
\"That’sso。AndIhaven’tpaidityet，either。Imust，oryou’llbetellingeveryonethatIamapoorsport。Paine，thisyoungladybetmeanewpipeagainstaboxofglovesthatyouwouldn’t——\"
\"Father，\"brokeintheyounglady，herself，\"stop。\"
\"Oh，allright，allright。Justasyousay。ButItellyouthis，Paine；SHEhasn’tanyscruplesagainstbettingoncertainties。\"
Shewasleaningagainstthecockpitrail，lookingforward，andI
couldnotseeherface。Shespokewithoutturning。
\"Youthoughtyourswasthecertainty，\"shesaid。\"YouwarnedmethatIwassuretolose。\"
\"DidI？Well，youmay，evenyet。Onthewhole，IthinkI’llwaitawhilebeforebuyingthosegloves。Remember，therewasnotimelimit。Whenyousaidthat——\"
\"Father，\"morefirmly，\"pleasebequiet。Youhavesaidquiteenough。Mr。Paineisnotlikelytobeinterestedinthefamilygambling。\"
Iwasinterestedinthisparticular\"gamble。\"Thewagerhad，obviously，somethingtodowithme。IsupposeIshouldhavefeltflatteredatbeingmadethesubjectofabetinsuchselectcircles，butIdidnot。Ihadnotbeeninformedastothedetailsofthatbet。
Therewasnothingmoresaidaboutitatthetimeandmypassengerstalkedofotherthingsaswesailedhomebeforethefastdyingbreeze。ItdiedalmostaltogetheraswepassedthelighthouseatCrowPointandenteredthebayand，foranhour，webarelyheldourownagainstthetide。Thesunset，twilightcame，andthestarsappearedonebyone。Colton，lyingatfulllengthonthedeckforwardofthecockpit，smokedinlazyenjoyment。Hisonlyremarkintenminuteswastotheeffectthathiswifehadprobablydrownedusall，inhermind，adozentimesoverbynow。
Hisdaughter，sittingbytherailandlookingoutoverthesmooth，darklyglimmeringwater，badehimbequiet。
\"Youmustnottalk，\"shesaid。\"ThisisthemostwonderfulnightI
everexperienced。Howstillitis！Youcanheareverysound。
Hark！\"
Fromthedusk，toport，cametheclearstrokesofachurchbellstrikingeight。
\"ThatistheclockattheMethodistChurch，isn’tit？\"askedMissColton。
\"Yes，\"saidI。
\"Thechurchwherethestrawberryfestivalwasheld？\"
\"Yes。\"
Coltonstruckamatchtorelighthiscigar。
\"Shouldn’tthinkthatwouldbeapleasantremindertoeitherofyou，\"heobserved。\"Iammightysureitwasn’ttome。\"
MissColtondidnotanswer，nordidI。
Thebreezesprangupagainsoonafter，fromadifferentquarterthistime，butthetidehadebbedsofarthatIwasobligedtomakethedetouraroundtheendoftheflatuponwhichVictorhadgroundedthedingy。\"BigJim\"raisedhimselfonhiselbow。
\"Hello！\"heexclaimed，\"here’sanotherjoyfulspot。Mabel，itwasalongheresomewherethatPaineacquiredthehabitofcarryingyouaboutlikeabundle。Itmusthavebeenapicturesqueperformance。
WishImighthaveseenit。\"
Helaughedheartily。
\"Father，\"saidtheyounglady，coldly，\"don’tbesilly——please。\"
Hechuckledandlaydownagain，andnoonespokeduringtherestofthevoyage。ItwasafterninewhenIbroughttheboatuptothewharf，madeherfast，andloweredandfurledthesail。
\"Bettercomeuptothehousewithusandhaveabittoeat，Paine，\"
urgedColton。\"Youmustbehungry；IknowIam。\"
\"Oh，no，thankyou，\"saidI。\"Supperwillbewaitingformeathome。\"
\"Gladtohaveyou，ifyou’llcome。Tellhimtocome，Mabel。\"
MissColton’sinvitationwasnotover—cordial。
\"IpresumeMr。Paineknowswhatisbestforhimtodo，\"shesaid。
\"Ofcourseweshallbegladtohavehim，ifhewillcome。\"
Ideclined，and，afterthankingmeforthesailandthepleasureofthefishingtrip，theyleftme，Coltoncarryinghisbigsquiteaguebythegills，itstailslappinghislegasheclimbedthebluff。A
momentlaterIfollowed。
Thenightwas，asmyfemininepassengerhadsaid，wonderfullyquiet，andsoundscarriedalongway。AsIreachedthejunctureofthepathandtheLaneIheardavoicewhichIrecognizedasMrs。
Colton’s。ShewasevidentlystandingontheverandaofthebighouseandIheardeveryworddistinctly。
\"Youaresounthinking，James！YouandMabelhavenoregardformyfeelingsatall。Ihavebeenworriedalmosttodeath。Doyourealizethetime？IwarnedyouagainsttrustingyourselftothecareofthatcommonFELLOW——\"
The\"fellow\"heardnomore。Hedidnotwishto。Hewastrampingheavilythroughthedew—soakedundergrowth。Heneedednownocounselagainst\"playingwithfire。\"ThecuttingcontemptofMrs。
JamesW。Colton’sremarkwasfire—extinguishersufficientforthatnight。
MissColtonandImetagainatthedoorofthebankadayortwolater，justatclosingtime。SamWheelerhadalreadygoneandI
leftGeorgeathisdesk，poringoverpapersandbusilyfiguring。
Hewasworkingovertimemuchoflateandexplainedhisindustrybythefactofhisapproachingmarriageandhisdesiretomakethingseasyformetohandlewhilehewasonhisbriefweddingtrip。I
wasnotmuchalarmedbytheprospect。HewastobegonebutaweekandIhadbecomesufficientlyfamiliarwiththeroutinetofeelconfidentinassumingtheresponsibility。Small，mypredecessor，hadabrotherwhohadformerlybeenemployedinthebankandwasnowoutofwork，andhewascomingintohelpduringthecashier’sabsence。Iwasnotworriedbytheprospectofbeingleftincharge，butIwasworriedaboutGeorge。He，soitseemedtome，hadgrownpaleandthin。Alsohewasnervouslyirritableandnotatalllikehisusualgood—naturedself。Itriedtojokehimintobetterhumor，buthedidnotrespondtomyjokes。Heseemed，too，torealizethathisoddbehaviorwasnoticeable，forhesaid：