Hestartedatthesoundofmyentranceandawoke。
\"I——Ibegyourpardon，sir，\"hestammered。\"I——Ibegyourpardon，sir，I’msure。I’vebeen——I’aven’tclosedmyeyesforthepasttwonights，sir，andIamtiredout。Mr。Coltonwishestoseeyouatonce，sir。Hewishesyoutocomeoverimmediately。\"
Iwassurprisednow。\"MR。Coltonwishesit，\"Irepeated。\"YoumeanMissColton，don’tyou，Johnson。\"
\"No，sir。ItisMr。Coltonthistime，sir。MissColtonisoutinthemotor，sir。\"
\"ButMr。Coltonistooilltoseeme，oranyoneelse。\"
\"No，sir，heisn’t。He’sverymuchbetter。He’squitehimself，sir，really。Andheisveryanxioustoseeyou。Onamatterofbusiness，hesays。\"
Ihesitated。Ihadexpectedthis，thoughnotsosoon。Hewantedtoaskquestionsconcerningmycrazydipintohisfinancialaffairs，doubtless。Well，Ishouldhavetoseehimsometimeorother，anditmightaswellbenow。
IcalledtoDorinda，whowasinthekitchen，andbadehertellMother，ifsheinquiredforme，thatIhadgoneout，butwouldbebacksoon。ThenJohnsonandIwalkedbrisklyalongthebluffpath。
Weenteredthebighouse。
\"Mr。Coltonisinhisroom，sir，\"explainedthebutler。\"Youaretoseehimthere。Thisway，sir。\"
ButbeforewereachedthefootofthestairsDoctorQuimbycameoutofthelibrary。HeandIshookhands。Thedoctorwasahappyman。
\"Well！\"heexclaimed，\"what’sthematterwiththeone—horse，country—jaydoctornow，hey！IfthereisanyoneoftheBostonspecialistsatahundredavisitwhocanyankamanoutofaserioussicknessandputhimonhisfeetquickerthanIcan，whytrothimalong，that’sall！Iwanttoseehim！I’vebeenthrowingbouquetsatmyselfforthelasttenhours。Ho！ho！Say，Ros，you’llthinkmyheadisswelledprettybad，won’tyou！Ho！ho！\"
Iaskedhowthepatientwasgettingon。
\"Fine！Tip—top！Theonlytroubleisthatheoughttokeepperfectlyquietandnotdoathingorthinkofathing，exceptgettinghisstrengthback，forthenextweek。Buthehadn’tbeenconsciousmorethanacoupleofhoursbeforehewasaskingquestionsaboutbusinessandsoon。Heandhisdaughterhadalongconfabthismorningandafterthathewasneithertobindortie。
Hemustseeyou，that’salltherewastoit。Say，Ros，whatdidyouandPhinCahoonandtheColtongirldoyesterday？\"
\"Oh，weputthroughoneofMr。Colton’slittletradesforhim，that’sall。\"
\"That’sall，hey！Well，whatever’twas，heandIoweyouavoteofthanks。Hebegantogetbettertheminuteheheardit。He’sfeelingsochipperthat，ifitwasn’tthatIsworeheshouldn’t，he’dhavegotoutofbedbythistime。Youmustgoupandseehim，Isuppose，butdon’tstaytoolong。He’sawonderforstrengthandrecuperativepowers，butdon’ttirehimtoomuch。IfthatwifeofhiswasinEuropeorsomewhere，I’dfeeleasier。She’sthemosttiringthinginthehouse。\"
Johnsonledthewayupstairs。Atthechamberdoorheknockedandannouncedmypresence。
\"Bringhimin！Whatishewaitingfor？\"demandedavoicewhich，consideringhowrecentlyitsownerhadbeenatdeath’sdoor，wassurprisinglystrong。Ienteredtheroom。
Hewasinbed，proppedupwithpillows。BesidehimsatMrs。
Colton。Ofthetwoshelookedthemoredisturbed。Hereyeswerewetandshewasdabbingatthemwithalacehandkerchief。Hermorninggownwasawondrouscreation。\"BigJim，\"withhisiron—
grayhairawryandhiseyessnapping，lookedremarkablywideawakeandalive。
\"Howareyou，Paine？\"hesaid。\"Gladtoseeyou。Sorrytobringyouoverhere，butIhadtoseeyouandthatdoctorsaysImuststayinthisroomforawhileyet。Hemayberight。Myunderstandingisprettyshaky，I’lladmit。You’vemetMrs。Colton，haven’tyou？\"
Ibowedandexpressedmypleasureatmeetingthelady。Herbowwasrathercurt，butsheregardedmewithanastonishingamountofagitatedinterest。Alsosheshowedsymptomsofmoretears。
\"Idon’trememberwhetherornotMr。PaineandIhaveeverbeenformallyintroduced，\"sheobserved。\"Ifwehaven’titmakesnodifference，Isuppose。Theothermembersofthefamilyseemtoknowhimwellenough。And——andmothersnowadaysarenotconsidered。I——Imustsaythat——\"
Shehadrecoursetothelacehandkerchief。Icouldunderstandwhatthedoctormeantbycallingherthe\"mosttiringthinginthehouse。\"Herhusbandlaidahandonhers。
\"There，there，mydear，\"hesaid，soothingly，\"don’tbefoolish。
Sitdown，Paine。Henrietta，perhapsyouhadbetterleaveMr。PaineandItogether。Wehavesome——er——businessmatterstodiscussandyouaretiredandnervous。Ishouldgotomyroomandliedown，ifIwereyou。\"
Mrs。Coltonacceptedthesuggestion，butheracceptancewasnotthemostgracious。
\"Iamintheway，asusual，\"sheobserved，chokingly。\"Verywell，Ishouldberesignedtothatbythistime，nodoubt。Iwillgo。
ButJames，formysake，don’tbeweak。Rememberwhat——Oh，rememberallwehadhopedandplanned！WhenIthinkofit，I——I——
Anobody！Apersonwithout……WhatSHALLIdo？\"
Thehandkerchiefwasinactiveoperation。Shesweptpastmetothedoor。Theresheturned。
\"Imayforgiveyousometime，Mr。Paine，\"shesobbed。\"IsupposeI
shallhaveto。Ican’tdoanythingelse。Butdon’taskmetodoitnow。ThatwouldbeTOOmuch！\"
ThedoorclosedandIheardhersobsasshemarcheddownthehall。
TosaythatIwasamazedanddecidedlyuncomfortablewouldbeaverymildestimateofmyfeelings。WhyshouldIexpecthertoforgiveme？WhathadIdone？I——orluckandItogether——hadsavedoneofherhusband’sstockspeculationsfromendinginsmash；butthatwasnoinjuryforwhichIshouldbegforgiveness。AtleastI
couldnotseethatitwas。
Coltonlookedafterherwithatroubledexpression。
\"Nervesarethedevil，aren’tthey，\"heobserved。\"Andnervesandawomantogetherareworsethanthat。Mywife，Paine，is——well，shehasn’tbeeningoodhealthforalongtimeandMabelandIhavedoneourbesttogiveherherownway。Whenyou’vehadyourownwayforyearsitratherhurtstobecheckmated。Iknowthatfromexperience。She’llfeelbetteraboutitbyandby。\"
\"Betteraboutwhat？\"Idemanded，involuntarily。\"Idon’tunderstandMrs。Colton’smeaningintheleast。\"
Helookedatmekeenlyforamomentwithoutspeaking。
\"Don’tyou？\"heasked。\"Youaresureyoudon’t？\"
\"CertainlyIamsure。WhatIhavedonethatrequiresforgivenessI
don’tsee。\"
Anotherpauseandmorescrutiny。
\"Soyoudon’tunderstandwhatshemeans，hey？\"hesaidagain。\"Allright，allright！Wewon’tdiscussthatyetawhile。Ifyoudon’tunderstand——nevermind。Timeenoughforustotalkofthatwhenyoudo。But，say，Paine，\"withoneofhisdrysmiles，\"whotaughtyoutobuckastockpool？\"
ThisquestionIcouldunderstand。Ihadexpectedthis。
\"Noonetaughtme，\"Ianswered。\"IfIhadanyknowledgeatallinthatdirectionIwasbornwithit，Iguess。Aformoforiginalsin。\"
\"It’samightyprofitablesortofwickedness——forme。Youngman，doyourealizewhatyoudid？Howdoyouexpectmetothankyouforthat，hey？\"
\"Idon’texpectyoutothankmeatall。Itwasbullluckthatwonforyou，Mr。Colton。Bullluckanddesperationonmypart。MissColtonsentformetohelpher。Yourconfidentialman，Davis，refusedtomakeamovewithoutordersfromyou。Youcouldn’tgiveanyorders。Someonehadtodosomething，or，soitseemedtoyourdaughterandme，yourLouisvilleandTranscontinentaldealwasagonegoose。\"
\"Itwasmorethanthat。Imighthavecomeprettynearbeingagonegoosealongwithit。Notquitegone，perhaps——Ishouldhavehadafewcentsleftinthestocking——butIshouldhavelostalotmorethanIcaretolose。Soitwasbullluck，hey？Idon’tbelieveit。Tellmethewholestory，frombeginningtoend，willyou？
Mabelhastoldmesome，butIwanttohearitall。Goahead！\"
IthoughtofQuimby’swarning。\"I’mafraidIshouldtireyou，Mr。
Colton。Itisalongstory，ifIgiveparticulars。\"
\"Nevermind，yougivethem。That’tiring’businessissomemoreofthatdoctor’sfoolishness。HEmakesmetired，allright。YoutellmewhatIwanttoknoworI’llgetoutofthisbedandshakeitoutofyou。\"
Helookedasifhemeanttocarryouthisthreat。Ibeganmytaleatthebeginningandwentontotheastonishingend。
\"Don’taskmewhyIdidthisorthat，Mr。Colton，\"Iconcluded。\"I
don’tknow。IthinkIwasoffmyheadpartofthetime。ButsomethingHADtobedone。Itriedtolookattheaffairinacommon—senseway，and——\"
\"And，HAVINGcommon—sense，youusedit。Paine，you’reabrick！
Yourkindofcommon—senseissorarethatit’sworthpayinganypricefor。Ha！ha！SoitwasKeeneandhis’DevelopmentCompany’
thatgaveyoutheidea。That’sgood！Thatlittlefailureofminewasn’taltogetherafailure，afterall。Yousawitwasacasewhereabluffmightwin，andyouhadthesandtobluffitthrough。
Thatcomesoflivingsolongwherethereismoresandthananythingelse，Iimagine，hey！Ha！ha！Well，bullluckorinsanityorwhateveryoucallit，itdidthetrick。OfcourseI’mmoreobligedtoyouthanIcantell。Youknowthat。\"
\"That’sallright，Mr。Colton。NowIthinkImustbegoing。
You’vetalkedenough。\"
\"Yousitstill。Ihaven’tbeguntotalkyet。Paine，beforeyoudidthisthingformeIhadtakenafancytoyou。IbelievedtherewasgoodstuffinyouandthatIcoulduseyouinmybusiness。NowIknowIcan’taffordtodowithoutyou……Stop！letmefinish。Youngman，ItoldyouoncethatwhenImadeupmymindtodoathing，Ialwaysdidit。ALWAYS；doyouunderstand？Iamgoingtogetyou。Youarecomingwithme。\"
Ihadforeseenthis，ofcourse。ButIhadhopedtogetawayfromthatroombeforehereachedthepoint。Hehadreachedit，however，andperhapsitwasaswellhehad。Wewouldendthisforalltime。
\"Mr。Colton，\"Ianswered，\"youhaveamonopolyofsomethings，butofothersyouhavenot。Iamjustasdeterminedtohavemyownwayinthismatterasyouare。IshallNOTacceptyourofferofemployment。Thatisfinal。\"
\"Finalbedamned！Youngman——\"
\"Mr。Colton，ifyoupersistIshallgoaway。\"
\"Goaway！BeforeItellyouto？Why，you——\"
Irose。\"Thedoctortoldmethatyoumustnotexciteyourself，\"I
said。\"Iamgoing。Good—by。\"
Hewasexcited，therewasnodoubtofthat。Hesatupinbed。
\"Youcomeback！\"heordered。\"Comeback！Ifyoudon’t——Well，bytheLord，ifyoudon’tI’llgetupandcomeafteryou！\"
Ibelievehewouldhavetriedtodoit。Iwasfrightened，onhisaccount。Iturnedreluctantly。Hesankbackonthepillow，grinningtriumphantly。
\"Sitdownthere，\"hepanted。\"Sitdown。NowIwantyoutotellmetherealreasonwhyyouwon’tworkforme。Bygad！you’rethefirstoneinmanyadayIhavehadtoasktwice。Why？Tellmethetruth！Why？\"
Ihesitated。\"Well，foronereason，\"Isaid，\"Idon’tcareforyourbusiness。\"
\"Don’tCAREforit！Afterwhatyoujustdid！\"
\"IdidthatbecauseIwasdriventoit。ButIdon’tcareforthestockgame。OnceIusedtothinkIlikedthatsortofthing；nowI
knowIdon’t。IfIamanythingIamabankman，apoorsortofone，perhaps，but——\"
\"Bankman！Why，youidiot！Idon’tcarewhatyouare。Icanuseyouinadozenplaces。Youdon’thavetobuckthemarket。I’lldothatmyself。Butthereareplentyofplaceswhereyourbrainsandthatcommon—senseyoutalkaboutwillbeinvaluabletome。Idoabankingbusiness，ontheside，myself。Iownaminingproperty，agoodone，outWest。Itneedsafinancialmanager，andneedsonebadly。Youcomewithme，doyouhear！I’llplaceyouwhereyoufit，beforeIgetthroughwithyou，andI’llmakeyouarichmanintenyears。There！nowwillyousayyes？\"
Ishookmyhead。\"No，\"Isaid。
\"NO！Youareenoughtodriveawellmancrazy，tosaynothingofahalf—sickreliclikeme。_I_sayyes——yes——YES！SoonerorlaterI’llMAKEyou。You’velostyourplacehere。YoutoldmeyourselfthatthatoldcrankDeanisgoingtomakethistowntoohottoholdyou。You’llHAVEtogoaway。Nowwon’tyou？\"
Inodded。\"Ishallgoaway，\"Ianswered。\"Ihavemadeupmymindtogo，nowthatMotherseemswellenoughformetoleaveher。\"
\"Wherewillyougo？\"
\"Idon’tknow。\"
Hestaredatmeinsilenceforwhatseemedalongtime。Ithoughthemustbeexhausted，andoncemoreIrosetogo。
\"Stop！Staywhereyouare，\"heordered。\"Ihaven’tgottheanswertoyouyet，andIknowit。There’ssomethingbackofallthis，somethingIdon’tknowabout。I’mgoingtofindoutwhatitis，ifittakesmeayear。Youcantellmenow，ifyouwantto。Itwillsavetime。Whatistherealreasonwhyyouwon’ttakemyoffer？\"
Idon’tknowwhyIdidit。Ihadkeptthesecretalltheyearsandcertainly，whenIenteredthatroom，Ihadnointentionofrevealingit。Yet，now，whenheaskedthisquestionIturnedonhimandblurtedoutwhatIhadswornnoone——leastofallheorhis——shouldeverknow。
\"I’lltellyouwhy，\"Icried，desperately。\"Ican’ttaketheplaceyouofferbecauseyouknownothingaboutme。Youdon’tknowwhoI
am。Ifyoudidyou……Mr。Colton，youdon’tevenknowmyname。\"
Helookedatmeandshookhishead，impatiently。\"EitheryouARE
crazy，orIam，\"hemuttered。\"Don’tknowyourname！\"
\"No，youdon’t！YouthinkIamRoscoePaine。Iamnot。IamRoscoeBennett，andmyfatherwasCarletonBennett，theembezzler。\"
Ihadsaidit。AndthemomentafterwardIwassorry。Iwouldhavegivenanythingtotakebackthewords，butrepentancecametoolate。Ihadsaidit。
Iheardhimdrawadeepbreath。Ididnotlookathim。IdidnotcaretoseehisfaceandreadonitthedisgustandcontemptIwassureitexpressed。
\"Humph！\"heexclaimed。\"Humph！DoyoumeantotellmethatyourfatherwasCarletonBennett——BennettofBennettandCompany？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Well！well！well！CarletonBennett！Nowondertherewassomethingfamiliaraboutyourmother，somethingthatIseemedtoremember。Imetheryearsago。Well！well！Soyou’reCarletonBennett’sson？\"
\"Yes，Iamhisson。\"
\"Well，whatofit？\"
Ilookedathimnow。Hewassmiling，actuallysmiling。Hisillnesshadaffectedhismind。
\"WhatOFit！\"Igasped。
\"Ye—es，whatofit？Whathasthatgottodowithyourworkingforme？\"
Icouldhavestruckhim。IfhehadnotbeenweakandillandirresponsibleforwhathewassayingIthinkIshould。
\"Mr。Colton，\"Isaid，strivingtospeakcalmly，\"youdon’tunderstand。MyfatherwasCarletonBennett，theembezzler，thethief，themanwhosenamewasandisadisgracealloverthecountry。MotherandIcameheretohidefromthatdisgrace，tobeginanew，cleanlifeunderacleanname。Doyouthink——？Oh，youdon’tunderstand！\"
\"Iunderstandallright。ThisisthefirsttimeIHAVEunderstood。
IseenowwhyaclevermanlikeyouwaswillingtospendhisdaysinaplacelikeDenboro。Well，youaren’tgoingtospendanymoreofthemthere。You’regoingtoletmemakesomethingworthwhileoutofyou。\"
Thissounded，inoneway，likesanity。Butinanother——
\"Mr。Colton，\"Icried，\"evenifyoumeantit，whichyoudon’t——doyousupposeIwouldgobacktoNewYork，wheresomanyknowme，andenteryouremployunderanassumedname？Runtheriskof——\"
\"Hush！Enteritunderyourownname。It’sagoodname。TheBennettsareoneofouroldestfamilies。Askmywife；she’lltellyouthat。\"
\"Agoodname！\"
\"Yes。Ideclare，Paine——Bennett，Imean——Ishallbegintobelieveyouhaven’tgotthesenseIcreditedyouwith。Icanseewhathasbeenthematterwithyou。Youcamehere，youandyoursickmother，withthescandalofyourfather’scrookednesshangingoveryouandhersicknessmakinghersuper—sensitive，andyoutwokeptthesecretandbroodedoveritsolongthatyouhavecometothinkyouarecriminals，too。You’renot。Youhaven’tdoneanythingcrooked。What’sthematterwithyou，man？Besensible！\"
\"Sensible！\"
\"Yes，sensible，ifyoucan。Idon’tcarewhoyourfatherwas。Hewasasmartbanker，beforehewentwrong，andIcanseenowwhereyouinheritedyourability。Butnevermindthat。He’sdead；lethimstayso。I’mnottryingtogethim。It’syouIwant。\"
\"YouwantME！Doyoumeanyouwouldtakemeintoyouremploy，knowingwhoIam？\"
\"Sure！ItisbecauseIknowWHATyouarethatIwantyou。\"
\"Mr。Colton，you——Idon’tknowwhattosaytoyou。\"
\"Trysaying’yes’andseehowitseems。Itwillbeachange，anyhow。\"
\"No，no！Icannot；itisimpossible。\"
\"Oh，youmakemeweary！……Humph！Whatisitnow？Anymore’reasons’？\"
’Yes。\"Ifacedhimsquarely。\"Yes，\"Isaid，\"thereisanotherreason，onethatmakesitimpossible，utterlyimpossible，ifnothingelsedid。WhenItellyouwhatitisyouwillunderstandwhatImeanandagreewithme。YourdaughterandIhavebeenthrowntogetheragreatdealsinceshecametoDenboro。Ourmeetingshavenotbeenofmyseeking，norofhers。OflateIhaverealizedthat，formyownsake，forthesakeofmypeaceofmind，I
mustnotmeether。Imustnotbewheresheis。I——\"
\"Here！Stop！\"hebrokeinsharply。\"Whatisthis？DoyoumeantotellmethatyouandMabel——\"
\"Itisnotherfault。Itismyown，entirely。Mr。Colton，I——\"
\"Stop，Itellyou！Doyoumeantotellmethatyouare——thatyouhavebeenmakinglovetomydaughter？\"
\"No。Certainlynot。\"
\"Thenwhatdoyoumean？Thatshehasbeenmakinglovetoyou？\"
\"Mr。Colton——\"
\"There！Don’tactliketheWildManofBorneo。Doyoumeanthatyouareinlovewithher？\"
\"Don’tyouseenowwhyIcannotaccept？Imustgoaway。Iamgoing。\"
\"Humph！Thatwilldo……Humph！Well，Paine——Bennett，I
shouldsay；itishardtokeeptrackofyournames——youarerather——
er——reckless，itseemstome。MabelisouronlychildandhermotherandI，naturally，hadplannedforherfuture……Haveyoutoldherofyour——recklessness？\"
\"Ofcoursenot！Ishallnotseeheragain。IshallleaveDenboroassoonasIcan。Shewillneverknow。\"
\"Humph！Isee……Isee……Well，Idon’tknowthatthereisanythingformetosay。\"
\"Thereisnot。\"
\"Iamsorryforyou，ofcourse。\"
\"Thankyou。\"
Therewasasharprapatthedoor。DoctorQuimbyopeneditandenteredtheroom。Heglancedfrommetohispatientandhisfaceexpressedsharpdisapproval。
\"You’dbettergo，Ros，\"hesnapped。\"Whatisthematterwithyou？
Didn’tItellyounottoexcitehim。\"
\"I’Mnotexcited，\"observedColton，drily。
\"Clearoutthisminute！\"continuedtheangrydoctor。\"RosPaine，I
thoughtyouhadmoresense。\"
\"SodidI，\"thisfrom\"BigJim\"。\"However，Iamlearningalotthesedays。Good—by，Paine。\"
Iwasatthedoor。
\"Oh，bytheway，\"hecalledafterme，\"letmemakeasuggestion。
IfIwereyou，Roscoe，Iwouldn’tleaveDenboroto—day。Notbeforeto—morrowmorning，atanyrate。\"
IdidnotunderstandhimandIaskedfornoexplanation。ItwasthefirsttimehehadaddressedmebymyChristianname，butitwasnotuntilafterwardthatIrememberedthatfact。
ThatafternoonIwasaloneinmyhavenofrefuge，theboathouse。
MotherandIhadhadalongtalk。Itoldhereverythingthathadtranspired。Ikeptbacknothing，eitherofmyactsormyfeelings。
ShesaidshewasnotsorryforwhatIhaddone。Shewasratherglad，thanotherwise，thatIhaddisclosedoursecrettoMr。
Colton。
\"Heknowsnow，Roscoe，\"shesaid。\"Andhewasright，too。YouandIhavebroodedoveroursorrowandwhatweconsideredourdisgracemuchmorethanweshould。Heisright，Boy。Weareinnocentofanywrong—doing。\"
\"Yes，Mother，\"Ianswered，\"Isupposeweare。Butwemustkeepthesecretstill。NooneelseinDenboromustknow。Youknowwhatgossiptherewouldbe。Thereisenoughnow。IpresumeIamcalledatraitorandablackguardbyeverypersoninthetown。\"
\"Whyno，youarenot。Thatisthestrangethingaboutit。Lutherwasupatthepost—officethismorningandnooneseemstoknowofyoursaleoftheland。CaptainDeanhas，apparently，keptthenewstohimself。Whydoyousupposehedoesthat？\"
\"Idon’tknow。Idon’tknow，unlessitisbecausehe——no，Ican’tunderstanditatall。However，theywillknowsoonenough。Bytheway，IhaveneveraskedDorindawhereLutewasthatnoon——itseemsagesago——whenhewasmissingatdinnertime。AndhowdidheknowofMr。Colton’sillness？\"
Shesmiled。\"PoorLuther！\"shesaid。\"Heannouncedhisintentionofrunningaway，youremember。AsamatteroffacthemettheColtons’chauffeurinthemotorcarandthechauffeurinvitedhimtogotoBayportwithhim。Thechauffeurhadanerrandthere。
Luteaccepted——ashesays，automobileridesdon’tcomehiswayeverydayintheweek——andtheyhadtroublewiththeengineanddidnotgetbackuntilalmostnight。ThenMissColtontoldhimofherfather’sseizureandgavehimthenoteforyou。Itwastoyousheturnedinhertrouble，Boy。Shetrustsyou。Roscoe，I——Ithinkshe——\"
\"Don’tsayit，Mother。Allthatisended。Iamgoingtoforget——
ifIcan。\"
Therestofourconversationneednotbewrittenhere。Shesaidmanythings，suchasfondmotherssaytotheirsonsandwhichthesonsknowtoowelltheydonotdeserve。WediscussedmyleavingDenboroandshewassobraveandself—sacrificingthatmyconsciencesmoteme。
\"I’llstay，Mother，\"Isaid。\"Ican’tleaveyou。I’llstayandfightitoutwithyou。Afterall，itwillnotbemuchworsethanitwasbeforeIwenttothebank。\"
Butshewouldnothearofmystaying。IhadafriendinChicago，adistantrelativewhoknewourstory。Perhapshecouldhelpmetoastartsomewhere。Shekissedmeandbademekeepupmycourage，andIlefther。Iateahurriedmeal，acombinationofbreakfastanddinner，and，dodgingLute，whowasinthebackyardwaitingtoquestionmeconcerningtheColtons，walkeddowntotheboathouse。
There，inmyarmchair，Itriedtothink，tomapoutsomesortofplanformyfuture。
Itwasahopelesstask。Iwasnotinterestedinit。Ididnotmuchcarewhatbecameofme。IfitwerenotforMotherIshouldnothavecaredatall。Nevertheless，forhersake，Imusttrytoplan，andIdid。
IwasstilltryingwhenIheardfootstepsapproachingthedoor，thesmalldoorattheside，notthebigoneinfront。Ididnotrisetoopenthedoor，nordidIturnmyhead。ThevisitorwasLute，probably，andifIkeptstillhemightthinkIwasnotwithinandgoawayagain。
Thedooropened。\"Hereheis，\"saidavoice，avoicethatI
recognized。Iturnedquicklyandsprangtomyfeet。StandingbehindmewasCaptainJedediahDeanandwithhimGeorgeTaylor——
GeorgeTaylor，whoshouldhavebeen——whomIhadsupposedtobeinWashingtonwithhisbride！
\"Hereheis，\"saidCaptainJed，again。\"Well，Ros，we’vecometoseeyou。\"
ButIpaidnoattentiontohim。ItwashiscompanionIwasstaringat。Whatwashedoinghere？
\"George！\"Icried。\"GEORGE！\"
Hesteppedforwardandheldouthishand。Hewassmiling，buttherewasalookinhiseyewhichexpressedtheexactoppositeofsmiles。
\"Ros，\"hesaid，quietly，\"RosPaine，youbull—headed，big—heartedoldchump，howareyou？\"