Thecaptaingrinned。No-o，Mother，heobserveddrily。Sometimesathiefcanmanagetoearnalivin’athisjob。Butthere，there，don’tfeelbad。I’llsaysomethin’toAl，long’syouthinkIoughtto。
Thesomethingwasnotmuch，andyetCaptainZelotesreallymeantittobekindlyandtosoundlikepraise。Butpraisingathingofwhichyouhavepreciouslittleunderstandingandwithwhichyouhaveabsolutelynosympathyisahardjob。
SeeyouhadapieceintheItemthisweek，Al，observedthecaptain。
Why——yes，sir，saidAlbert。
Um-hm。Ireadit。Idon’tknowmuchaboutsuchthings，buttheytellmeitisprettygood。
Thankyou，sir。
Eh？Oh，you’rewelcome。
Thatwasall。Perhapsconsideringitssourceitwasagooddeal，butAlbertwasnotoftheagewheresuchconsiderationsarelikelytobemade。
Helen’spraisewaswarmandenthusiastic。Iknewyoucoulddoitifyouonlywould，shedeclared。Andoh，I’mSOgladyoudid！
Nowyoumustkeepontrying。
Thatbitofadvicewasquitesuperfluous。YoungSperanzahavingsampledthesublimeintoxicationofseeinghimselfinprint，wasnotreadytosoberoffyetawhile。HecontinuedtobombardtheItemwithverses。Theywereinvariablyaccepted，butwhenhesenttoaNewYorkmagazineapoemwhichheconsideredagem，thepromptnesswithwhichitwasreturnedstaggeredhisconceitandwasinthatrespectagoodthingforhim。
However，hekeptontrying。Helenwouldnothavepermittedhimtogiveupevenifhehadwished。Shewasquiteasmuchinterestedinhisliteraryaspirationsashewashimselfandherencouragementwasagreathelptohim。Aftermonthsofrepeatedtrialandrepeatedrejectionheopenedanenvelopebearingthenameofafairlywell-knownperiodicaltofindthereinakindlynotestatingthathispoem，SeaSpaceshadbeenaccepted。Andaweeklatercameacheckfortendollars。Thatwasadayofdays。Incidentallyitwasthedayofatrialbalanceintheofficeandtheassistantbookkeeper’sadditionsandmultiplicationscontainednolessthanfourghastlyerrors。
Thenextafternoontherewasaninterviewinthebackoffice。
CaptainZelotesandhisgrandsonweretheparticipants。ThesubjectdiscussedwasBusinessversusPoetry，andtherewasamarkeddifferenceofopinion。Alberthadproclaimedhistriumphathome，ofcourse，hadexhibitedhischeck，hadbeentherecipientofhugsandpraisesfromhisgrandmotherandhadlistenedtopaeansandhallelujahsfromMrs。Ellis。Whenhehurriedaroundtotheparsonageaftersupper，Helenhadbeenexcitedanddelightedatthegoodnews。Alberthadbeenpattedonthebackquiteasmuchaswasgoodforayoungmanwhosebumpofself-esteemwasnotinclinedtowardunder-development。WhenheenteredtheprivateofficeofZ。
SnowandCo。inanswertohisgrandfather’ssummons，hedidsolight-heartedly，triumphantly，withself-approvalwrittenlargeuponhim。
Butthoughhecamelikeaconqueringhero，hewasnotreceivedlikeone。CaptainZelotessatathisdesk，thecopyoftheBostonmorningpaperwhichhehadbeenreadingstickingoutofthewastebasketintowhichithadbeensavagelyjammedahalfhourbefore。
Thenewshadnotbeentothecaptain’sliking。TheseweretheSeptemberdaysof1914。theGermanKaiserwasmarchingforwardmitGottthroughBelgium，anditbegantolookasifhecouldnotbestoppedshortofParis。Consequently，CaptainZelotes，hissympathiesfromthefirstwithEnglandandtheAllies，wasnothappyinhisnewspaperreading。
Albertentered，headerectandeyesshining。IfGertieKendrickcouldhaveseenhimthenshewouldhavefallendownandworshiped。
Hisgrandfatherlookedathiminsilenceforamoment，tappinghisdeskwiththestumpofapencil。Albert，too，wassilent。hewasalreadythinkingofanotherpoemwithwhichtodazzletheworld，andhisheadwasamongtherosyclouds。
Sitdown，Al，saidCaptainZelotesshortly。
Albertreluctantlydescendedtoearthandtookthebatteredarmchairstandingbesidethedesk。Thecaptaintappedwithhispenciluponthefigure-coveredsheetofpaperbeforehim。Thenhesaid：
Al，you’vebeenherethreeyearscomenextDecember，ain’tyou？
Why——yes，sir，IbelieveIhave。
Um-hm，youhave。Andfortheheftofthattimeyou’vebeeninthisoffice。
Yes，sir。
Yes。AndLabeKeelerandIhavebeendoin’ourbesttomakeabusinessmanoutofyou。Youunderstandwehave，don’tyou？
Albertlookedpuzzledandalittleuneasy。Intohisroseatedreamswasjustbeginningtofiltertheideathathisgrandfather’stoneandmannerwerepeculiar。
Why，yes，sir，ofcourseIunderstandit，hereplied。
Well，IaskedyoubecauseIwasn’tquitesurewhetheryoudidornot。CanyouguesswhatthisisI’vegotonmydeskhere？
Hetappedthefigure-coveredsheetofpaperoncemore。BeforeAlbertcouldspeakthecaptainansweredhisownquestion。
I’lltellyouwhatitis，hewenton。It’soneofthelatestsamplesofyoursmartnessasabusinessman。IpresumelikelyyouknowthatLabanworkedhereinthisofficeuntilthreeo’clockthismornin’，didn’tyou？
Albertdidnotknowit。Mr。Keelerhadtoldhimnothingofthesort。
Why，no，hereplied。Didhe？Whatfor？
Ye-es，hedid。Andwhatfor？Why，justtofindoutwhatwasthematterwithhistrialbalance，that’sall。WhenoneofLabe’strialbalancesstartsoutforsnugharborandendsuponareefwithsixfootofwaterinherhold，naturallyLabewantstogetherafloatandpumpeddryasquickaspossible。Heain’tusedtoit，foronething，anditmakeshimnervous。
Albert’suneasinessgrew。Whenhisgrandfather’sspeechbecamesarcasticandnautical，theyoungmanhadusuallyfoundthattherewastroublecomingforsomebody。
I——I’msorryLabanhadtostaysolate，hestammered。Ishouldhavebeengladtostayandhelphim，buthedidn’taskme。
No-o。Well，itmaypossiblybethathecal’latedhewascarryin’
aboutallyourhelpthatthecraftwouldstand，as’twas。Anymoremightsinkher。Seehere，youngfeller——CaptainZelotesdroppedhisquietsarcasmandspokesharpandbrisk：Seehere，hesaid，doyourealizethatthissheetofpaperI’vegothereiswhatstandsforaday’sworkdonebyyouyesterday？Andonthissheettherewasnolessthanfoursillymistakesthatachildtenyearsoldhadn’toughttomake，thatanable-bodiedidiothadn’toughttomake。ButYOUmade’em，andtheykeptLabeKeelerheretillthreeo’clockthismornin’。Nowwhathaveyougottosayforyourself？
Asamatteroffact，Alberthadverylittletosay，exceptthathewassorry，andthathisgrandfatherevidentlydidnotconsiderworththesaying。Hewavedtheprotestationaside。
Sorry！herepeatedimpatiently。Ofcourseyou’resorry，thoughevenatthatIain’tsureyou’resorryenough。Labewassorry，too，Idon’tdoubt，whenhisbedtimewentbyandhekeptrunnin’
afoulofoneofyourmistakesafteranother。I’msorry，darnedsorry，tofindoutthatyoucanmakesuchblundersafterthreeyearsonboardhereundersuchteachin’asyou’vehad。Butbein’
sorrydon’thelpanytospeakof。Anyfoolcanbesorryforhisfoolishness，butifthat’sall，itdon’thelpawholelot。Isbein’sorrythebestexcuseyou’vegottooffer？Whatmadeyoumakethemistakesinthefirstplace？
Albert’sfacewasdarklyredunderthelashofhisgrandfather’stongue。CaptainZelotesandhehadhaddisagreementsandverbalencountersbefore，butneversincetheyhadbeentogetherhadthecaptainspokenlikethis。Andtheyoungfellowwasnolongerseventeen，hewastwenty。TheflushbegantofadefromhischeeksandthepallorwhichmeanttheriseoftheSperanzatempertookitsplace。
Whatmadeyoumakesuchfoolblunders？repeatedthecaptain。
Youknewbetter，didn’tyou？
Yes，sullenly，IsupposeIdid。
Youknowmightywellyoudid。AndasnighasIcanlarnfromwhatIgotoutofLaban——whichwasn’tmuch。Ihadtopumpitoutofhimwordbyword——thisain’tthefirstsetofmistakesyou’vemade。
Youmake’emrightalong。Ifitwasn’tforhimhelpin’yououtandcoverin’upyourmistakes，thisfirmwouldbeinhotwaterwithitscustomerstwo-thirdsofthetimeandthebookswouldbefust-rateasapuzzle，somethin’touseforaguessin’match，butplagueylittlegoodasstraightaccountsofagoin’concern。Nowwhatmakesyouactthisway？Eh？Whatmakesyou？
Oh，Idon’tknow。Seehere，Grandfather——
Holdonaminute。Youdon’tknow，eh？Well，Iknow。Itain’tbecauseyouain’tsmartenoughtokeepasetofbooksandkeep’emwell。Idon’texpectyoutobeaLabeKeeler。thereain’tmanybookkeeperslikehimonthisearth。ButIdoknowyou’resmartenoughtokeepmybooksandkeep’emasthey’doughttobe，ifyouwanttokeep’em。Thetroublewithyouisthatyoudon’twantto。
You’vegottoomuchofyourgood-for-nothin——CaptainLotepulledupshort，clearedhisthroat，andwenton：You’vegottoomuch’poet’inyou，hedeclared，that’swhat’sthematter。
Albertleanedforward。Thatwasn’twhatyouweregoingtosay，
hesaidquickly。YouweregoingtosaythatIhadtoomuchofmyfatherinme。
Itwasthecaptain’sturntoredden。Eh？hestammered。Why，I——I——HowdoyouknowwhatIwasgoin’tosay？
BecauseIdo。Yousayitallthetime。Or，ifyoudon’tsayit，youlookit。ThereishardlyadaythatIdon’tcatchyoulookingatmeasifyouwereexpectingmetocommitmurderordosomeoutrageousthingorother。AndIknow，too，thatitisallbecauseI’mmyfather’sson。Well，that’sallright。feelthatwayaboutmeifyouwantto，Ican’thelpit。
Here，here，Al！Holdon！Don’t——
Iwon’tholdon。AndItellyouthis：Ihatethisworkhere。YousayIdon’twanttokeepbooks。Well，Idon’t。I’msorryImadetheerrorsyesterdayandputKeelertosomuchtrouble，butI’llprobablymakemore。No，withasuddenoutburstofdetermination，Iwon’tmakeanymore。Iwon’t，becauseI’mnotgoingtokeepbooksanymore。I’mthrough。
CaptainZelotesleanedbackinhischair。
You’rewhat？heaskedslowly。
I’mthrough。I’llneverworkinthisofficeanotherday。I’mthrough。
Thecaptain’sbrowsdrewtogetherashestaredsteadilyathisgrandson。Heslowlytuggedathisbeard。
Humph！hegrunted，afteramoment。Soyou’rethrough，eh？
Goin’toquitandgosomewhereselse，youmean？
Yes。
Um-hm。Isee。Whereareyougoin’togo？
Idon’tknow。ButI’mnotgoingtomakeafoolofmyselfatthisjobanylonger。Ican’tkeepbooks，andIwon’tkeepthem。Ihatebusiness。I’mnogoodatit。AndIwon’tstayhere。
Isee。Isee。Well，ifyouwon’tkeeponinbusiness，whatwillyoudoforalivin’？Writepoetry？
Perhaps。
Um-m。Bekindofslimlivin’，won’tit？You’vebeenwritin’
poetryforaboutayearandahalf，asIrecollect，andsofaryou’vemadetendollars。
That’sallright。IfIdon’tmakeitImaystarve，asyouarealwayssayingthatwritersdo。But，starveornot，Ishan’taskYOUtotakecareofme。
I’vetakencareofyouforthreeyearsorso。
Yes。Butyoudiditbecause——because——Well，Idon’tknowwhyyoudid，exactly，butyouwon’thavetodoitanylonger。I’mthrough。
Thecaptainstillstaredsteadily，andwhathesawinthedarkeyeswhichflasheddefiancebackathimseemedtotroublehimalittle。
Histugsathisbeardbecamemorestrenuous。
Humph！hemuttered。Humph！……Well，Al，ofcourseIcan’tmakeyoustaybymainforce。PerhapsIcould——youain’tofageyet——butIshan’t。Andyouwanttoquittheshipaltogether，doyou？
Ifyoumeanthisoffice——yes，Ido。
Isee，Isee。WanttoquitSouthHarnissandyourgrandmother——
andRachel——andLabe——andHelen——andalltherestof’em？
Notparticularly。ButIshallhaveto，ofcourse。
Yes……Um-hm……Yes。Haveyouthoughthowyourgrandmother’sliabletofeelwhenshehearsyouaregoin’toclearoutandleaveher？
Alberthadnotthoughtinthatway，buthedidnow。Histonewasatriflelesscombativeasheanswered。
She’llbesorryatfirst，Isuppose，hesaid，butshe’llgetoverit。
Um-hm。Maybeshewill。Youcangetover’mostanythingintime——
’MOSTanything。Well，andhowaboutme？HowdoyouthinkI’llfeel？
Albert’schinlifted。You！heexclaimed。Why，you’llbemightygladofit。
CaptainZelotespickedupthepencilstumpandtwirleditinhisfingers。ShallI？heasked。YouthinkIwill，doyou？
Ofcourseyouwill。Youdon’tlikeme，andneverdid。
SoI’veheardyousay。Well，boy，don’tyoucal’lateIlikeyouatleastasmuchasyoulikeme？
No。Whatdoyoumean？Ilikeyouwellenough。Thatis，Ishouldifyougavemehalfachance。Butyoudon’tdoit。Youhatemebecausemyfather——
Thecaptaininterrupted。Hisbigpalmstruckthedesk。
DON’Tsaythatagain！hecommanded。Lookhere，ifIhatedyoudoyousupposeI’dbetalkin’toyoulikethis？IfIhatedyoudoyoucal’lateI’darguewhenyougavemenotice？Notbyajugful！
Nomanevercametomeandsaidhewasgoin’toquitandhadmebeghimtostay。Ifwewasatseahestayeduntilwemadeport。thenheWENT，andhedidn’thangaroundwaitin’foraboattotakehimashoreneither。Idon’thateyou，son。I’dasknothin’betterthanachancetolikeyou，butyouwon’tgiveittome。
Albert’seyesandmouthopened。
_I_won’tgiveYOUachance？herepeated。
Sartin。DOyougivemeone？Iaskyoutokeepthesebooksofmine。Youcouldkeep’emANumberOne。You’resmartenoughtodoit。Butyouwon’t。Youlet’emgotothunderandwasteyourtimemakin’upfoolpoetryandsuchstuff。
ButIlikewriting，andIdon’tlikekeepingbooks。
Keepin’booksisapartofl’arnin’thebusiness，andbusinessisthewayyou’regoin’togetyourlivin’byandby。
No，itisn’t。Iamgoingtobeawriter。
NowDON’Tsaythatsillythingagain！Idon’twanttohearit。
Ishallsayitbecauseitistrue。
Lookhere，boy：WhenItellyouoranybodyelseinthisofficetodoornottodoathing，Iexpect’emtoobeyorders。AndItellyounottotalkanymoreofthatfoolishnessaboutbein’awriter。
D’youunderstand？
Yes，ofcourseIunderstand。
Allright，then，thatmuchissettled……Here！Whereareyougoin’？
Alberthadturnedandwasonhiswayoutoftheoffice。Hestoppedandansweredoverhisshoulder，I’mgoinghome，hesaid。
Goin’HOME？Why，youcamefromhomenotmorethananhourandahalfago！Whatareyougoin’thereagainnowfor？
Topackupmythings。
Topackupyourthings！Topackup——Humph！Soyoureallymeanit！You’rereallygoin’toquitmelikethis？Andyourgrandma，too！
Theyoungmanfeltasuddenpangofcompunction，atwingeofconscience。
Grandfather，hesaid，I’msorry。I——
Butthechangeinhisattitudeandtonecametoolate。CaptainLote’stemperwasboilingnow，contradictionwasitsworstprovocative。
Goin’toquit！hesneered。Goin’toquitbecauseyoudon’tliketowork。Allright，quitthen！Goahead！I’vedoneallIcantomakeamanofyou。Gotothedevilinyourownway。
Grandfather，I——
Goahead！_I_can’tstopyou。It’sinyourbreed，Ical’late。
Thatwassufficient。Albertstrodeoutoftheprivateoffice，headerect。CaptainZelotesroseandslammedthedoorafterhisdepartinggrandson。
AttenthateveningAlbertwasinhisroom，sittinginachairbythewindow，gloomilylookingout。Thepacking，mostofit，hadbeendone。Hehadnot，ashetoldhisgrandfatherheintendeddoing，lefttheofficeimmediatelyandcomestraighthometopack。
AsheemergedfromtheinnerofficeafterthestormyinterviewwiththecaptainhefoundLabanKeelerhardatworkuponthebooks。Thesightofthelittleman，sopatientlyandcheerfullypeggingaway，broughtanothertwingeofconsciencetotheassistantbookkeeper。
Labanhadbeensuchabrickinalltheirrelationships。Itmusthavebeenasoretrialtohisparticular，business-likesoul，thoseerrorsinthetrialbalance。Yethehadnotfoundfaultnorcomplained。CaptainZeloteshimselfhadsaidthateveryitemconcerninghisgrandson’smistakesandblundershadbeendraggedfromMr。Keelermuchagainstthelatter’swill。SomehowAlbertcouldnotbeartogooffandleavehimatonce。Hewouldstayandfinishhisday’swork，forLabeKeeler’ssake。
SostayhedidandwhenCaptainZeloteslatercameoutofhisprivateofficeandfoundhimthereneitherofthemspoke。Athome，duringsupper，nothingwassaidconcerningthequarreloftheafternoon。YetAlbertwasasdeterminedtoleaveasever，andtheCaptain，judgingbytheexpressionofhisface，wasjustasdeterminedtodonothingmoretopreventhim。Aftersuppertheyoungmanwenttohisroomandbeganthepacking。Hisgrandfatherwentout，anunusualproceedingforhim，sayingthatheguessedhewouldgodownstreetforaspell。
NowAlbert，ashesattherebythewindow，wasgloomyenough。Thewind，howlingandwailingaboutthegablesoftheoldhouse，wasnotanaidtocheerfulnessandheneededeveryaid。Hehadsworntogoaway，hewasgoingaway——butwhereshouldhego？Hehadalittlemoneyputby，notmuchbutalittle，whichhehadbeensavingforquiteanotherpurpose。Thiswouldtakehimalittleway，wouldpayhisbillsforashorttime，butafterthat——Well，afterthathecouldearnmore。Withtheoptimismofyouthandthesereneself-confidencewhichwasnaturaltohimhewassureofsucceedingsoonerorlater。Itwasnotthedreadoffailureandprivationwhichtroubledhim。Theweightwhichwaspressinguponhisspiritwasnotthefearofwhatmighthappentohim。
Therewasarapuponthedoor。Thenavoice，thehousekeeper’svoice，whisperedthroughthecrack。
It’sme，Al，whisperedMrs。Ellis。Youain’tinbedyet，areyou？I’dliketotalkwithyouaminuteortwo，ifImight。
Hewasnotanxioustotalktoheroranyoneelsejustthen，buthetoldhertocomein。Sheenteredontiptoe，withthemysteriousairofaconspirator，andshutthedoorcarefullyafterher。
MayIsetdownjustaminute？sheasked。Icangenerallytalkbettersettin’。
Hepulledforwardtheancientrockerwiththerushseat。Thecross-stitchtidyonthebackwashismother’shandiwork，shehadmadeitwhenshewasfifteen。Rachelsatdownintherocker。
Alshebegan，stillinthesamemysteriouswhisper，Iknowallaboutit。
Helookedather。Allaboutwhat？heasked。
AboutthetroubleyouandCap’nLotehadthisafternoon。Iknowyou’replannin’toleaveusallandgoawaysomewheresandthathetoldyoutogo，andallthat。Iknowwhatyou’vebeendoin’uphereto-night。Fur’sthatgoes，sheadded，withalittlecatchinherbreathandawaveofherhandtowardtheopentrunkandsuitcaseuponthefloor，Iwouldn’tneedtoknow，IcouldSEE。
Albertwassurprisedandconfused。Hehadsupposedthewholeaffairtobe，sofar，asecretbetweenhimselfandhisgrandfather。
Youknow？hestammered。You——Howdidyouknow？
Labantoldme。Labecamehurryin’overherejustaftersupperandtoldmethewholething。He’sawfulupsetaboutit，Labanis。HethinksalmostasmuchofyouashedoesofCap’nLoteor——orme，
withanapologeticlittlesmile。
Albertwasastonishedandtroubled。HowdidLabeknowaboutit？
hedemanded。
Hehearditall。Hecouldn’thelphearin’。
Buthecouldn’thaveheard。Thedoortotheprivateofficewasshut。
Yes，butthewindowatthetop——thetransomone，youknow——waswideopen。Youandyourgrandpaneverthoughtofthat，Iguess，andLabancouldn’thopupoffhisstoolandshutitwithoutgivin’
itawaythathe’dbeenhearin’。SohehadtojustsetandlistenandIknowhowhehateddoin’that。LabanKeelerain’tthelistenin’kind。Onethingaboutitallisamercy，sheadded，fervently。It’stheLord’sownmercythatthatIssyPricewasn’twhereHEcouldhearit，too。IfIssyheardityoumightaswellpaintituponthetown-hallfence。allcreationandhiswifewouldn’tlarnitanysooner。
Albertdrewalongbreath。Well，hesaid，afteramoment，I’msorryLabeheard，butIdon’tsupposeitmakesmuchdifference。
Everyonewillknowallaboutitinadayortwo……I’mgoing。
Rachelleanedforward。
No，youain’t，Al，shesaid。
I’mnot？IndeedIam！Why，whatdoyoumean？
ImeanjustwhatIsay。Youain’tgoin’。You’regoin’tostayrighthere。AtleastIhopeyouare，andITHINKyouare……
Oh，Iknow，sheadded，quickly，whatyouaregoin’tosay。
You’regoin’totellmethatyourgrandpaisdownonyouonaccountofyourfather，andthatyoudon’tlikebookkeepin’，andthatyouwanttowritepoetryand——andsuch。You’llsayallthat，andmaybeit’salltrue，butwhether’tisornotain’tthepointatalljustnow。Therealpointisthatyou’reJanieSnow’ssonandyourgrandpa’sCap’nLoteSnowandyourgrandma’sOliveSnowandthereain’tgoin’tobeanothersmash-upinthisfamilyifIcanhelpit。
I’vebeenthroughoneandone’senough。Albert，didn’tyoupromisemethatSundayforenoonthreeyearsagowhenIcameintothesettin’-roomandwegottalkin’aboutbooksandRobertPenfoldandeverything——didn’tyoupromisemethenthatwhenthingsbetweenyouandyourgrandpagotkindof——ofsnarledupandfullofknotsyou’dcometomewith’emandwe’dseeifwecouldn’tstraighten’emouttogether？Didn’tyoupromisemethat，Albert？
Albertrememberedtheconversationtowhichshereferred。Asherememberedit，however，hehadnotmadeanydefinitepromise。
Youaskedmetotalkthemoverwithyou，Rachel，headmitted。I
thinkthat’saboutasfarasitwent。
Well，maybeso，butnowIaskyouagain。Willyoutalkthisoverwithme，Albert？Willyoutellmeeverybitallaboutit，formysake？Andforyourgrandma’ssake……Yes，more’nthat，foryourmother’ssake，Albert。shewasprettynighlikemyownsister，JaneSnowwas。Differentasnightfromdayofcourse，shewasprettyandeducatedandallthatandIwasjustthesamethenasI
amnow，butwedidthinkalotofeachother，Albert。Tellmethewholestory，won’tyou，please。JustwhatCap’nLotesaidandwhatyousaidandwhatyouplantodo——andall？Please，Albert。
Thereweretearsinhereyes。Hehadalwayslikedher，butitwasalikingwithatraceofcondescensioninit。Shewaspeculiar，hersympatheticattackswerefunny，andsheandLabantogetherwereanoddpair。Nowhesawherinanewlightandhefeltasuddenrushofrealaffectionforher。Andwiththisfeeling，andinspiredalsobyhisloneliness，cametheimpulsetocomplywithherrequest，totellherallhistroubles。
Hebeganslowlyatfirst，butashewentonthewordscamequicker。
Shelistenedeagerly，noddingoccasionally，butsayingnothing。
Whenhehadfinishedshenoddedagain。
Isee，shesaid。’TwasalmostwhatLabansaidandaboutwhatheandIexpected。Well，Albert，Iain’tgoin’tobetheonetoblameyou，notverymuchanyhow。Idon’tseeasyouaretoblame。youcan’thelpthewayyou’remade。Butyourgrandfathercan’thelpbein’madehisway，either。Hecan’tseewithyourspectaclesandyoucan’tseewithhis。
Hestirredrebelliously。Thenwehadbettergoourownways，I
shouldsay，hemuttered。
No，youhadn’t。That’sjustwhatyoumustn’tdo，notnow，anyhow。
AsIsaidbefore，there’sbeenenoughofallhandsgoin’theirownwaysinthisfamilyandlookwhatcameofit。
Butwhatdoyouexpectmetodo？IwillnotgiveupeveryplanI’vemadeandmychanceintheworldjustbecauseheistoostubbornandcrankytounderstandthem。IwillNOTdoit。
Idon’twantyouto。ButIdon’twantyoutoupsetthewholekettlejustbecausethesteamhasscaldedyourfingers。Idon’twantyoutogooffandleaveyourgrandmatobreakherheartasecondtimeandyourgrandpatogiveupallhisplansandhopesthathe’sbeenmakin’aboutyou。
Plansaboutme？Hemakingplansaboutme？Whatsortofplans？
Allsorts。Oh，hedon’tsaymuchabout’em，ofcourse。thatain’thisway。Butfromthingshe’sletdropIknowhehashopedtotakeyouinwithhimasapartneroneofthesedays，andtoleaveyouthebusinessafterhe’sgone。
Nonsense，Rachel！
No，itain’tnonsense。It’stheonebigdreamofCap’nLote’slife。ThatZ。SnowandCo。businessishispetchild，asyoumightsay。Hebuiltitup，heandLabetogether，andwhenhefiggeredtotakeyouaboardwithhim’twasSOMEchanceforyou，’cordin’tohislookout。Nowyoucan’thardlyblamehimforbein’disappointedwhenyouchuckthatchanceawayandtaketowritin’poetrypieces，canyou？
But——but——why，confoundit，Rachel，youdon’tunderstand！
Yes，Ido，butyourgrandpadon’t。Andyoudon’tunderstandhim……Oh，Albert，DON’Tbeasstubbornasheis，asyourmotherwas——theLordandsheforgivemeforsayin’it。Shewaspartlyrightaboutmarryin’yourpaandCap’nLotewaspartlyright，too。Iftheyhadmethalfwayandputthetwo’partlys’togetherthewholethingmighthavebeenrightintheend。As’twas，’twasallwrong。Don’t，don’t，DON’T，Albert，beasstubbornasthat。Fortheirsakes，Al，——yes，andformysake，forI’moneofyourfamily，too，orseemsasifIwas——don’t。
Shehastilywipedhereyeswithherapron。He，toowasgreatlymoved。
Don’tcry，Rachel，hemuttered，hurriedly。Pleasedon’t……
Ididn’tknowyoufeltthisway。Ididn’tknowanybodydid。I
don’twanttomaketroubleinthefamily——anymoretrouble。
Grandmotherhasbeenawfullygoodtome。so，too，hasGrandfather，Isuppose，inhisway。But——oh，whatamIgoingtodo？Ican’tstayinthatofficeallmylife。I’mnotgoodatbusiness。I
don’tlikeit。Ican’tgiveup——
No，no，courseyoumustn’t。Idon’twantyoutogiveup。
Thenwhatdoyouwantmetodo？
Iwantyoutogotoyourgrandpaandtalktohimoncemore。Notgivin’upyourplansaltogetherbutnotforcin’himtogiveuphiseither，notrightaway。TellhimyourealizehewantsyoutogoonwithZ。SnowandCompanyandthatyouwill——forawhile——
But——
Forawhile，Isaid。threeorfouryears，say。Youwon’tbesodreadfuloldthen，notexactlywhatyou’dcallaMethusalem。Tellhimyou’lldothatandonhissidehemustletyouwriteasmuchasyouplease，providedyoudon’tletthewritin’interferewiththeZ。SnowandCo。work。Then，attheendofthethreeorfouryears，ifyoustillfeelthesameasyoudonow，youcantackleyourpoetryforkeepsandheandyou’llstillbefriends。Tellhimthat，Albert，andseewhathesays……Willyou？
Alberttooksomemomentstoconsider。Atlengthhesaid：IfI
didIdoubtifhewouldlisten。
Oh，yeshewould。He’dmorethanlisten，I’mprettysartin。I
thinkhe’dagree。
Youdo？
Yes，Ido。Yousee，withasmile，whileI’vebeentalkin’toyouthere’sbeensomebodyelsetalkin’tohim……There，there！
don’tyouaskanyquestions。IpromisednottotellanybodyandifIain’texactlybrokethatpromise，I’vespraineditsankle，I’mafraid。Goodnight，Albert，andthankyoueverandeversomuchforlistenin’solongwithoutoncetellin’metomindmyownbusiness。
Goodnight，Rachel……Andthankyoufortakingsomuchinterestinmyaffairs。You’reanawfullygoodfriend，Icanseethat。
Don’t——don’ttalkthatway。AndyouWILLhavethattalkwithyourgrandpa？
Yes，Iwill。
Oh，I’mSOglad！There！Goodnight。Icomeprettynighkissin’
youthenandforawomanthat’sbeenengagedtobemarriedforupwardsofeighteenyearsthat’sanicewaytoact，ain’tit！Goodnight，goodnight。
Shehurriedoutoftheroom。Albertsatdownagaininhischairbythewindow。Hehadpromisedtogotohisgrandfatherandtalktohim。Ashesatthere，thinkingofthecominginterview，herealizedmoreandmorethatthekeepingofthatpromisewaslikelytobenoeasymatter。Hemustbeginthetalk，hemustbreaktheice——andhowshouldhebreakit？Timidandroundaboutapproacheswouldbeoflittleuse。unlesshisgrandfather’sstateofmindhadchangedremarkablysincetheirpartingintheZ。SnowandCo。
officetheyandtheirmotivewouldbemisunderstood。No，theonlywaytobreaktheicewastobreakit，toplungeimmediatelyintothedeepestpartofthesubject。Itpromisedtobeachillyplunge。Heshiveredattheprospect。
AhalfhourlaterheheardthedoorofthehallopenandshutandknewthatCaptainZeloteshadreturned。Rising，hedescendedthestairs。Hedescendedslowly。JustashereachedthefootofthenarrowflightCaptainZelotesenteredthehallfromthedining-roomandturnedtowardhim。Bothweresurprisedatthemeeting。Albertspokefirst。
Goodevening，Grandfather，hestammered。I——Iwasjustcomingdowntoseeyou。Wereyougoingtobed？
CaptainLoteshookhishead。No-o，hesaid，slowly，notexactly。
Doyoumindwaitingaminute？Ihaveafewthings——Ihavesomethingtosaytoyouand——andIguessIshallsleepbetterifI
sayitto-night。I——Iwon’tkeepyoulong。
Thecaptainregardedhimintentlyforaninstant，thenheturnedandledthewaytothedining-room。
Goahead，heordered，laconically。Albertsquaredhisshoulders，preparatorytotheplunge。
Grandfather，hebegan，firstofallIwanttotellyouIamsorryfor——forsomeofthethingsIsaidthisafternoon。
Hehadrehearsedthisopeningspeechoverandoveragain，butinspiteoftherehearsalsitwasdreadfullyhardtomake。Ifhisgrandfatherhadhelpedhimevenalittleitmighthavebeeneasier，butthecaptainmerelystoodthere，expressionless，sayingnothing，waitingforhimtocontinue。
Albertswallowed，clenchedhisfists，andtookanewstart。
Ofcourse，hebegan，IamsorryforthemistakesImadeinmybookkeeping，butthatIhavetoldyoubefore。Now——nowIwanttosayIamsorryforbeingso——well，sopig-headedabouttherestofit。IrealizethatyouhavebeenmightykindtomeandthatIoweyouabouteverythingthatI’vegotinthisworld。
Hepausedagain。IthadseemedtohimthatCaptainZeloteswasabouttospeak。However，hedidnot，sotheyoungmanstumbledon。
And——andIrealize，too，hesaid，thatyouhave，Iguess，beentryingtogivemearealstartinbusiness，thestartyouthinkI
oughttohave。
Thecaptainnoddedslowly。Thatwasmyideainstartin’you，hesaid。
Yes——andfactthatIhaven’tdonemorewiththechanceisbecauseI’mmadethatway，Iguess。ButIdowantto——yes，andIMEANtotrytosucceedatwritingpoetryorstoriesorplaysorsomething。
IlikethatandImeantogiveitatrial。Andso——andso，yousee，I’vebeenthinkingourtalkoverandI’veconcludedthatperhapsyoumayberight，maybeI’mnotoldenoughtoknowwhatI
reallyamfittedfor，andyetperhaps_I_maybepartlyright，too。
I——I’vebeenthinkingthatperhapssomesortof——of——
Ofwhat？
Well，ofhalf-wayarrangement——somesortof——ofcompromise，youknow，mightbearranged。Imightagreetostayintheofficeanddomyverybestwithbookkeepingandbusinessfor——well，say，threeyearsorso。DuringthattimeIshouldbetryingtowriteofcourse，butIwouldonlydothatsortofwritingeveningsoronSaturdaysandholidays。Itshouldn’tinterferewithyourworknorbedoneinthetimeyoupaymefor。Andattheendofthethreeorfouryears——
Hepausedagain。Thistimethepausewaslongerthanever。
CaptainLotebrokethesilence。Hisbigrighthandhadwanderedupwardandwastuggingathisbeard。
Well？……Andthen？heasked。
Why，then——if——if——Well，thenwecouldsee。IfbusinessseemedtobewhereIwasmostlikelytosucceedwe’dcallitsettledandI
wouldstaywithZ。SnowandCo。Ifpoetry-makingor——or——literatureseemedmorelikelytobethejobIwasfittedfor，thatwouldbethejobI’dtake。You——yousee，don’tyou，Grandfather？
Thecaptain’sbeard-pullingcontinued。Hewasnolongerlookinghisgrandsonstraightintheeye。Hisgazewasfixeduponthebraidedmatathisfeetandheansweredwithoutlookingup。
Ye-es，hedrawled，Ical’lateIsee。Well，wasthatallyouhadtosay？
No-o，notquite。I——Iwantedtosaythatwhicheverwayitturnedout，I——Ihopedwe——youandI，youknow——wouldagreetobe——tobegood-naturedaboutitand——andfriendsjustthesame。I——I——
Well，there！That’sall，Iguess。Ihaven’tputitverywell，I’mafraid，but——butwhatdoyouthinkaboutit，Grandfather？
AndnowCaptainZelotesdidlookup。Theoldtwinklewasinhiseye。Hisfirstremarkwasaquestionandthatquestionwasrathersurprising。
Al，heasked，Al，who’sbeentalkin’toyou？
Thebloodrushedtohisgrandson’sface。Talkingtome？hestammered。Why——why，whatdoyoumean？
Imeanjustthat。Youdidn’tthinkoutthisschemeallbyyourself。Somebody’sbeentalkin’toyouandputtin’youuptoit。
Haven’tthey？
Why——why，Grandfather，I——
Haven’tthey？
Why——Well，yes，someonehasbeentalkingtome，butthewholeideaisn’ttheirs。IWASsorryforspeakingtoyouasIdidandsorrytothinkofleavingyouandgrandmother。I——Iwassittingupthereinmyroomandfeelingblueandmeanenoughand——and——
AndthenRachelcameaboardandgaveyouyoursailin’orders。eh？
Albertgasped。Forheaven’ssakehowdidyouknowthat？hedemanded。She——Why，shemusthavetoldyou，afterall！Butshesaid——
Holdon，boy，holdon！CaptainLotechuckledquietly。No，hesaid，Racheldidn’ttellme。Iguessedshewastheone。Anditdidn’ttakeaSolomoninallhisglorytoguessit，neither。LabeKeeler’sbeentalkin’toME，andwhenyoucomedownhereandbeganproposin’thesameschemethatIwasjustaboutheadin’uptoyourroomwithtoproposetoyou，then——well，thentheaveragewhole-
wittedpersonwouldn’tneedmore’noneguess。Itcouldn’tbeLabe，’causehe’dbeenwhisperin’inMYear，soitmusthavebeentheotherpartnerinthefirm。That’sallthemiraclethereistoit。
Albert’sbrainstruggledwiththesituation。Isee，hesaid，afteramoment。Shehintedthatsomeonehadbeentalkingtoyoualongthesameline。Yes，andshewassosureyouwouldagree。I
mighthaveknownitwasLaban。
Um-hm，soyoumight……Well，therehavebeentimeswhenifamanhadtalkedtomeasLabedidto-nightI’dhaveknockedhimdown，ortoldhimtogoto——um——well，thetropics——toldhimtomindhisownbusiness，atleast。ButLabeisLabe，andbesidesMY
consciencewasplaguin’mealittlemite，maybe……maybe。
Theyoungmanshookhishead。Theymusthavetalkeditover，thosetwo，andagreedthatoneshouldtalktoyouandtheothertome。ByGeorge，Iwondertheyhadthenerve。Itwasn’ttheirbusiness，really。
Notadarnbit。
Yet——yetI——I’mawfullygladshesaidittome。I——Ineededit，Iguess。
Maybeyoudid，son……And——humph——well，maybeIneededit，too……Yes，Iknowthat’sconsider’bleformetosay，headdeddryly。
AlbertwasstillthinkingofLabanandRachel。
They’requeerpeople，hemused。WhenIfirstmetthemIthoughttheywereaboutthefunniestpairIeversaw。But——butnowIcan’thelplikingthemand——and——Say，Grandfather，theymustthinkalotofyour——ofourfamily。
Cal’latetheydo，son……Well，boy，we’vehadoursermon，youandme，whatshallwedo？Willin’tosignforthefiveyearstrialcruiseifIwill，areyou？
Albertcouldn’thelpsmiling。ItwasthreeyearsRachelproposed，notfive，hesaid。
Was，eh？Supposewesplitthedifferenceandmakeitfour？
Willin’totrythat？
Yes，sir。
Agreementbein’thatyoushallstickclosetoZ。SnowandCo。
durin’workhoursandwriteasmuchpoetryasyoudarnedpleaseothertimes，neithersidetointerferewiththosearrangements？
Thatright？
Yes，sir。
Good！Shallweshakehandsonit？
Theyshook，solemnly。CaptainLotewasthefirsttospeakafterratificationofthecontract。
There，nowIcal’lateI’llgoaloftandturnin，heobserved。
Thenheadded，withalittlehesitation，Say，Al，maybewe’dbetternottroubleyourgrandmaaboutallthisfoolbusiness——therowthisafternoonandall。’Twouldonlyworryherand——hepaused，lookedembarrassed，clearedhisthroat，andsaid，totellyouthetruth，I’mkindofashamedofmypart——er——er——thatis，someofit。
Hisgrandsonwasverymuchastonished。ItwasnotoftenthatCaptainZelotesSnowadmittedhavingbeeninthewrong。Heblurtedoutthequestionhehadbeendyingtoask。
Grandfather，hequeried，hadyou——didyoureallymeanwhatyousaidaboutstartingtocometomyroomand——andproposethisschemeofours——ImeanofRachel’sandLabe’s——tome？
Eh？……Ye-es——yes。IwasonmywayuptherewhenImetyoujustnow。
Well，Grandfather，I——I——
That’sallright，boy，that’sallright。Don’tlet’stalkanymoreaboutit。
Wewon’t。And——and——But，Grandfather，IjustwantyoutoknowthatIguessIunderstandthingsalittlebetterthanIdid，and——
andwhenmyfather——
Thecaptain’sheavyhanddescendeduponhisshoulder。
Heaveshort，Al！hecommanded。I’vebeendoin’consider’blethinkin’sinceLabefinishedhis——er——discourseandpronouncedthebenediction，andI’vecometoaprettydefiniteconclusionononematter。I’veconcludedthatyouandIhadbettercutoutallthebygonesfromthisnewarrangementofours。Wewon’thavefathersor——or——elopements——orpast-and-done-withdisapp’intmentsinit。
Thisnewdeal——thisfouryeartrialv’yageofours——willbejustforAlbertSperanzaandZelotesSnow，andnoothersneedapply……
Eh？……Well，goodnight，Al。
CHAPTERVIII
Sothegameunderthenewdealbegan。Atfirstitwasmucheasierthantheold。And，asamatteroffact，itwasneverashardasbefore。ThehearttohearttalkbetweenCaptainZelotesandhisgrandsonhadgiveneachaglimpseoftheother’sinnerself，alookfromtheother’spointofview，andthereafteritwaseasiertomakeallowances。Butthenecessityforthemakingofthoseallowanceswasstillthereandwouldcontinuetobethere。
AtfirstAlbertmadealmostnomistakesinhisbookkeeping，wasalmostpainfullycareful。Thenthecarefulnessrelaxed，asitwasboundtodo，andsomemistakesoccurred。CaptainLotefoundlittlefault，butattimeshecouldnothelpshowingsomedisappointment。
Thenhisgrandsonwouldsethisteethandbuckledowntopainstakingeffortagain。Hewasresolvedtoliveuptotheveryletteroftheagreement。
Inhissparetimehecontinuedtowriteandoccasionallyhesoldsomething。WheneverhedidsotherewasgreatrejoicingamongthefemininemembersoftheSnowhousehold。hisgrandmotherandRachelElliswereenraptured。ItwasamusingtoseeCaptainZelotesattempttojointhechorus。Heevidentlyfeltthatheoughttopraise，oratleastthatpraisewasexpectedfromhim，butitwasalsoevidentthathedidnotapproveofwhathewaspraising。
Yourgrandmasaysyougotridofanotheroneofyourpoetrypieces，Al，hewouldsay。Payyouforit，didthey？
Notyet，buttheywill，Isuppose。
Isee，Isee。Howmuch，thinklikely？
Oh，Idon’tknow。Tendollars，perhaps。
Um-hm……Isee……Well，that’sprettygood，considerin’，I
suppose……Wedidfirst-rateonthatHyannisschool-housecontract，didn’twe。Nigh’sIcanfiggeritweclearedoverfourteenhundredandeightydollarsonthat。
Heinvariablyfollowedanyreferencetotheprofitfromthesaleofversesbythecasualmentionofamuchlargersumderivedfromthesaleoflumberorhardware。ThiswassonoticeablethatLabanKeelerwasimpelledtospeakofit。
Theoldmandon’twantyoutoforgetthatyoucangetmoreforhardpinethanyoucanforsoftsonnets，sellin’’embothbythefoot，observedLabe，peeringoverhisspectacles。Moremoneyinshinglesthanthereisinjingles，hecal’lates……Um……
Yes，yes……Consider’blemore，consider’ble。
Albertsmiled，butitastonishedhimtofindthatMr。Keelerknewwhatasonnetwas。Thelittlebookkeeperoccasionallysurprisedhimbybreakingoutunexpectedlyinthatway。
Fromtheindiscriminatepraiseathome，orthereluctantpraiseofhisgrandfather，hefoundreliefwhenhediscussedhisverseswithHelenKendall。Herpraisewasnotindiscriminate，infactsometimesshedidnotpraiseatall，butexpresseddisapproval。
Theyhadsomedisagreements，markeddisagreements，butitdidnotaffecttheirfriendship。Albertwasatriflesurprisedtofindthatitdidnot。
SoasthemonthspassedhegroundawayatthebooksofZ。SnowandCompanyduringofficehoursandatthepoetrymillbetweentimes。
Theseeingofhisnameinprintwasnolongeranoveltyandhepoetizednotquiteassteadily。Occasionallyheattemptedprose，butthetwoorthreeshortstoriesofhiscompositionfailedtosell。Helen，however，urgedhimtotryagainandkeeptrying。I
knowyoucanwriteagoodstoryandsomedayyouaregoingto，shesaid。
Hisfirstrealliterarysuccess，thatwhichtemporarilyliftedhimintotheoutercircleofthelimelightoffame，wasapoemwrittenthedayfollowingthatuponwhichcamethenewsofthesinkingoftheLusitania。CaptainZelotescamebackfromthepost-officethatmorning，acrumplednewspaperinhishand，anduponhisfacethelookwhichmutinousforemasthandshadseentherejustbeforethemutinyended。LabanKeelerwasthefirsttonoticethelook。Forthelandsakes，Cap’n，what’sgonewrong？heasked。Thecaptainflungthepaperuponthedesk。Readthat，hegrunted。Labeslowlyspreadopenthepaper。thebigblackheadlinesshriekedthecrimealoud。
GoodGodAlmighty！exclaimedthelittlebookkeeper。CaptainZelotessnorted。Hedidn’thaveanythingtodowithit，hedeclared。Thebunchthatpulledthatoffwashandledfromtheotherendoftheline。AndIwishtothunderIwasyoungenoughtohelpsend’embackthere，headded，savagely。
ThateveningAlbertwrotehispoem。ThenextdayhesentittoaBostonpaper。Itwaspublishedthefollowingmorning，spreadacrosstwocolumnsonthefrontpage，andbeforethemonthwasoverhadbeencopiedwidelyoverthecountry。Withinthefortnightitsauthorreceivedhisfirstrequest，abonafidarequestforversefromamagazine。EvenCaptainLote’spraiseoftheLusitaniapoemwaswhole-heartedandungrudging。
ThatsummerwasabusyoneinSouthHarniss。Therewastheusualamountofsummergaiety，butinadditiontherewerethegatheringsofthevariouscommitteesforwarreliefwork。Helenbelongedtomanyofthesecommittees。ThereweredancesandtheatricalperformancesforthefinancialbenefitofthevariouscausesandhereAlbertshone。Buthedidnotshinealone。HelenKendallwasverypopularatthesocialgatherings，popularnotonlywiththepermanentresidentsbutwiththesummeryouthaswell。Albertnoticedthis，buthedidnotnoticeitsoparticularlyuntilIssyPricecalledhisattentiontoit。
Say，Al，observedIssy，oneafternooninlateAugustofthatyear，howdoYOUlikethatRaymondyoungfeller？
Albertlookedupabsentlyfromthepageofthedaybook。
Eh？What？heasked。
IsayhowdoYOUlikethatEddieRaymond，theDown-at-the-Neckone？
Downattheneck？There’snothingthematterwithhisneckthatI
knowof。
Whosaidtherewas？HeLIVESdowntotheNeck，don’the？ImeanthatyoungRaymond，sonoftheNewYorkbankman，theonesthat’shadtheCahoonhouseallsummer。Howdoyoulikehim？
Albert’sattentionwasstilldividedbetweentheday-bookandMr。
Price。Oh，Iguesshe’sallright，heanswered，carelessly。I
don’tknowhimverywell。Don’tbotherme，Issy，I’mbusy。
Issacharchuckled。He’sbusy，too，heobserved。He，he，he！
He’sbusytrottin’afterHelenKendall。Don’tseemtohavetimeformuchelsethesedays。Noticedthat，ain’tyou，Al？He，he！
Alberthadnotnoticedit。Hisattentionlefttheday-bookaltogether。Issacharchuckledagain。
Noticedit，ain’tyou，Al？herepeated。Ifyouain’tyou’retheonlyone。Everybody’scal’latin’you’llbecutoutifyouain’tcareful。FolksusedtofiggeryouwasHelen’ssteadycomp’ny，butitdon’tlookasmuchsoasitdid。He，he！That’swhyIaskedyouhowyoulikedtheRaymondone。Eh？Howdoyou，Al？Helen，SHEseemstolikehimfust-rate。He，he，he！
Albertwasconsciousofapeculiarfeeling，partlyofirritationatIssachar，partlysomethingelse。Mr。Pricecroweddelightedly。
Hi！hechortled。Why，Al，yourfaceisgettin’allreddedup。
Haw，haw！Blushin’，ain’tyou，Al？Haw，haw，haw！Blushin’，bycrimustee！
Albertlaiddownhispen。Hehadlearnedbyexperiencethat，inIssy’scase，themaximofthebestdefensivebeingastrongoffensivewasabsolutelytrue。Helookedwithconcernabouttheoffice。
There’sawindowopensomewhere，isn’tthere，Is？heinquired。
There’sadreadfuldraughtanyhow。
Eh？Draught？Idon’tfeelnodraught。Coursethewindow’sopen。
it’sgenerallyopeninsummertime，ain’tit。Haw，haw！
Thereitisagain！Where——Oh，_I_see！It’syourmouththat’sopen，Issy。Thatexplainsthedraught，ofcourse。Yes，yes，ofcourse。
Eh？Mymouth！Neveryoumindmymouth。Whatyou’vegottothinkaboutisthatEddieRaymond。Yessir-ee！Haw，haw！
Issy，whatmakesyoumakethatnoise？
Whatnoise？
Thatawfulcawing。Ifyou’retryingtomakemebelieveyou’reacrowyou’rewastingyourtime。
Say，lookhere，AlSperanzy，beyoucrazy？
No-o，I’Mnot。Butinyourcase——well，I’llleaveittoanyfair-
mindedperson——
AndsoonuntilMr。Pricestampeddisgustedlyoutoftheoffice。
Itwaseasyenough，andrequirednothingbrilliantinthewayofstrategyorrepartee，toturnIssachar’sattackintoretreat。ButalltherestofthatafternoonAlbertwasconsciousofthatpeculiarfeelingofuneasiness。Aftersupperthatnighthedidnotgodowntownatoncebutsatinhisroomthinkingdeeply。ThesubjectsofhisthoughtswereEdwinRaymond，theyoungchapfromNewYork，Yale，andTheNeck——andHelenKendall。Hesucceededonlyinthinkinghimselfintoanevenmoreuneasyandunpleasantstateofmind。Thenhewalkedmoodilydowntothepost-office。Hewasalittlelateforthemailandthelaughingandchattinggroupswerealreadycomingbackafteritsdistribution。Onesuchgrouphemetwasmadeupofhalfadozenyoungpeopleontheirwaytothedrugstoreforicesandsodas。HelenwasamongthemandwithherwasyoungRaymond。Theycalledtohimtojointhem，buthepretendednottohear。
Now，inalltheyearsoftheiracquaintanceithadnotonceoccurredtoAlbertSperanzathathisinterestinHelenKendallwasanythingmorethanthatofafriendandcomrade。Helikedher，hadenjoyedhersociety——whenhehappenedtobeinthemoodtowishsociety——anditpleasedhimtofeelthatshewasinterestedinhisliteraryeffortsandhiscareer。ShewastheonlygirlinSouthHarnisswhowouldhavetalkedturkeytohimasshehadonthedayoftheiradventureatHighPointLightandheratheradmiredherforit。Butinallhisdreamsofromanticattachmentsandsentimentaladventure，andhehadsuchdreamsofcourse，shehadneverplayedapart。Theheroinesofthesedreamswerebeautifulandmysteriousstrangers，notdaughtersofCapeCodclergymen。
Butnow，thankstoIssy’smischievoushints，hisfeelingswereinapuzzledanduncomfortablestate。HewasastonishedtofindthathedidnotrelishtheideaofHelen’sbeingparticularlyinterestedinEdRaymond。He，himself，hadnotseenherasfrequentlyoflate，shehavingbeenbusywithherwarworkandhewithhisowninterests。
Butthat，accordingtohisview，wasnoreasonwhysheshouldpermitRaymondtobecomefriendlytothepointofcausingpeopletotalk。
Hewasnotreadytoadmitthathehimselfcared，inasentimentalway，forHelen，butheresentedanyotherfellow’sdaringtodoso。
Andsheshouldnothavepermittedit，either。Asamatteroffact，AlbertoMiguelCarlosSperanza，hithertoreigningundisputedkingofheartsinSouthHarniss，wasforthefirsttimeinhisimperiallifefeelingthepangsofjealousy。
Hestalkedgloomilyontothepost-office。GertieKendrick，onthearmofSamThatcher，passedhimandhedidnotevennoticeher。
GertiewhisperedtoSamthathe，Albert，wasabigstuck-upnothing，butshelookedbackoverSam’sshoulder，nevertheless。
Albertclimbedthepost-officestepsandwalkedovertotherackofletterboxes。TheSnowboxcontainedlittleofinteresttohim，andhewasturningawaywhenheheardhisnamespoken。
Goodevening，Mr。Speranza，saidafemininevoice。
Albertturnedagain，tofindJaneKelseyandanotheryounglady，astranger，standingbesidehim。MissKelseywasoneofSouthHarniss’ssummerresidents。TheKelseycottage，whichwaslargerbyconsiderablethantheSnowhouse，wassituatedontheBayRoad，themostexclusivesectionofthevillage。Once，andnotsomanyyearsbefore，theBayRoadwascontemptuouslyreferredtoasPovertyLaneanddwellersalongitswinding，weed-growntrackviedwithoneanotherinshiftlessshabbiness。Butnowallshabbinesshaddisappearedandmany-gabledcottagesproudlystoodwheretheshantiesofthePovertyLanersoncehumblyleaned。
AlberthadknownJaneKelseyforsometime。Theyhadmetatoneofthehoteltea-dancesduringhissecondsummerinSouthHarniss。Heandshewerenotintimatefriendsexactly，hermothersawtothat，buttheywerewellacquainted。Shewasshortandpiquant，hadanosewhichfreckledintheCapeCodsunshine，andshetalkedandlaughedeasily。
Goodevening，Mr。Speranza，shesaid，again。YoulookedsoveryforlornIcouldn’tresistspeaking。Dotelluswhyyouaresosad。
we’redyingtoknow。
Albert，takenbysurprise，stammeredthathedidn’tknowthathewassad。MissKelseylaughedmerrilyanddeclaredthateveryonewhosawhimknewitatonce。Oh，excuseme，Madeline，sheadded。
IforgotthatyouandMr。Speranzahadnotmet。Ofcourseasyou’regoingtoliveinSouthHarnissyoumustknowhimwithoutwaitinganotherminute。Everybodyknowseverybodydownhere。HeisAlbertSperanza——andwesometimescallhimAlbertbecausehereeverybodycallseveryoneelsebytheirfirstnames。There，nowyouknoweachotherandit’sallveryproperandformal。
Theyoungladywhowashercompanionsmiled。Thesmilewasdistinctlyworthlookingat，aswastheyoungladyherself，forthatmatter。
IdoubtifMr。Speranzaknowsmeverywell，Jane，sheobserved。
Doesn’tknowyou！Why，yousillything，haven’tIjustintroducedyou？
Well，Idon’tknowmuchaboutSouthHarnissintroductions，butisn’titcustomarytomentionnames？Youhaven’ttoldhimmine。
MissKelseylaughedinhighdelight。Oh，howperfectlyridiculous！
sheexclaimed。Albert——Mr。Speranza，Imean——thisismyfriendMissMadelineFosdick。SheisfromNewYorkandshehasdecidedtospendhersummersinSouthHarniss——which_I_considerverygoodjudgment。HerfatherisgoingtobuildacottageforhertospendthemindownontheBayRoadonthehillatthecornerabovetheInlet。Butofcourseyou’veheardofTHAT！
Ofcoursehehad。ThepurchaseoftheInletHilllandbyFletcherFosdick，theNewYorkbanker，andthepricepaidSolomonDadgettforthatland，hadbeentheprincipaltopicsofconversationaroundSouthHarnisssuppertablesforthepasttendays。CaptainLoteSnowhadsummeduplocalopinionofthetransactionwhenhesaid：
We-ll，SolDadgett’sbeentalkin’inprayer-meetin’eversinceI
canrememberaboutthecomin’ofParadiseonearth。Judgin’bythepricehegotfortheInletHillsandheaphemusthavecal’latedParadisehadgothereandhewassellin’thegoldenstreetsbytherunnin’foot。Or，asLabanKeelerputit：TheysayKingSolomanwasawiseman，butIguesslikely’twasagoodthingforhimthatSolDadgettwasn’taliveinhistime。KingSolwouldhaveneededallhiswisdomtokeepDadgettfromtalkin’himintobuyingtheJerusalemsalt-ma’shtobuildthetempleon……Um……
Yes——yes——yes。