“Eh？”heejaculated，comingoutofhisreverie。”Didyousay，somethin’？”
“Yes，sir，threetimes。Iguessyouwerethinking，weren’tyou？”
“Um-m——yes，Ishouldn’tbesurprised。It’soneofmybadhabits，thinkin’is。”
Shelookedhardtoseeifhewassmiling，buthewasnot，andshe，acceptedthestatementasaseriousone。
“Isthinkingabadhabit？”sheasked。”Ididn’tknowitwas。”
“Cal’lateitmustbe。Ifitwasn’t，morefolkswoulddoit。Tell，me，now，“headded，changingthesubjecttoavoidfurthercross-
questioning，“doyouandyourmalikeithere？”
Theanswerwasenthusiastic。”Oh，yes！”sheexclaimed，“welikeit，everandeversomuch。Mammasaysit’s——“Barbarahesitated，and，then，afterwhatwasevidentlyaseverementalstruggle，finished，with，“shesaidonceitwaslikeparadiseaftercategory。”
“After——which？”
Theyoungladyfrowned。”Itdoesn’tseemtome，“sheobserved，slowly，“asif’category’waswhatshesaid。Does’category’sound，righttoyou，Mr。Winslow？”
Jedlookeddoubtful。”Ishouldn’twanttosaythatitdid，right，offhandlikethis，“hedrawled。
“No-o。Idon’tbelieveitwas’category。’，ButI’malmostsureit，wassomethingaboutacat，somethingacateats——ordoes——or，something。Mew——mouse——milk——“shewaswrinklingherforeheadand，repeatingthewordstoherselfwhenMr。Winslowhadaninspiration。
“’Twan’tpurgatory，wasit？”hesuggested。
MissBarbara’sheadbobbedenthusiastically。”Purr-gatory，that，wasit，“shedeclared。”Anditwassomethingacatdoes——purr，youknow;Iknewitwas。Mammasaidlivingherewasparadise，afterpurr-gatory。”
Jedrubbedhischin。
“Ical’lateyourmadidn’tcaremuchfortheboardatLuretta，Smalley’s，“heobserved。Hecouldn’thelpthinkingtheremarkan，oddonetomaketoachild。
“Oh，Idon’tthinkshemeantMrs。Smalley’s，“explainedBarbara。
“ShelikedMrs。Smalley’sprettywell，wellasanyonecanlike，boarding，youknow，“thislastplainlyanotherquotation。”Ithink，shemeantshelikedlivingheresomuchbetterthanshedidliving，inMiddleford，whereweusedtobe。”
“Hum，“wastheonlycommentJedmade。Hewassurprised，nevertheless。JudgedbywhatCaptainSamhadtoldhim，the，ArmstronghomeatMiddlefordshouldhavebeenapleasantone。
Barbararattledon。
“Iguessthatwasit，“sheobserved。”Shewassortoftalkingto，herselfwhenshesaidit。Shewaswritingaletter——toUncle，Charlie，Ithinkitwas——andIandPetuniaaskedherifsheliked，ithereandshesortoflookedatmewithoutlooking，sameasyou，dosometimes，Mr。Winslow，whenyou’rethinkingofsomethingelse，andthenshesaidthataboutthecatty——no，thepurr-gatory。And，whenIaskedherwhatpurr-gatorymeantshesaid，’Nevermind，’
and……Oh，Iforgot！”inconsternation;“shetoldmeImustn’t，tellanybodyshesaidit，either。Oh，dearme！”
Jedhastenedtoreassureher。”Nevermind，“hedeclared，“I’ll，forgetyoueverdidsayit。I’llstartinforgettin’now。Infive，minutesorsoI’llhaveforgottwowordsofitalready。Byto-
morrowmornin’Iwouldn’trememberitformoney。”
“Truly？”
“Trulybluely，laymedownandcutmeintwoly。Butwhat’sthis，you’resayin’aboutyourmalookin’atthingswithoutseein’’em，sameasIdo？，Shedon’tdothat，doesshe？”
Theyoungladynodded。”Yes，“shesaid;“coursenotasbad——Imean，notasoftenasyoudo，butsometimes，’speciallysince——“She，hastilyclappedherhandoverhermouth。”Oh！”sheexclaimed。
“What’sthematter？，Toothache？”
“No。OnlyIalmosttoldanothersomethin’Imustn’t。”
“Sho！，Well，I’mgladyouputonthecoverjustintime。”
“SoamI。WhatelsewasItalkingabout？，Oh，yes，Mamma’s，thinkingsohard，sameasyoudo，Mr。Winslow。Youknow，“she，added，earnestly，“sheactsquitealotlikeyousometimes。”
Jedlookedatherinhorror。”GoodLord！”heexclaimed。Then，in，hissolemnestdrawl，headded，“Youtellhertotakesomethin’for，itaforeit’stoolate。”
Asherosefromthebenchheobserved：“Haven’tseenyouoverto，theshopsinceyoumovedin。I’vebeenturnin’outanotherschool，ofswordfishandwhales，too。Whydon’tyouruninandlook’em，over？”
Sheclappedherhands。”Oh，mayI？”shecried。”I’vewantedto，everandeversomuch，butMammasaidnottobecauseitmightannoy，you。Wouldn’titannoyyou，TRULY？”
“Notabit。”
“Oh，goody！，AndmightPetuniacome，too？”
“Um-hm。Only，“gravely，“she’llhavetopromisenottotalktoo，much。Thinkshe’llpromisethat？，Allright;thenfetchheralong。”
So，theverynextmorning，whenJedwasbusyatthebandsaw，hewas，notgreatlysurprisedwhenthedooropenedandMissBarbara，appeared，withPetuniainherarms。Hewassurprised，however，and，notalittleembarrassedwhenMrs。Armstrongfollowed。
“Goodmorning，“saidthelady，pleasantly。”Icameovertomake，surethattherehadn’tbeenamistake。YoureallydidaskBabbyto，comeinandseeyouatwork？”
“Yes，ma’am，I——Idid。Idid，sartin。”
“Andyoudon’tmindhavingherhere？，Shewon’tannoyyou？”
“Notamite。Realgladtohaveher。”
“Verywell，thenshemaystay——anhour，butnolonger。Mind，Babby，dear，IamrelyingonyounottoannoyMr。Winslow。”
Sothejuvenilevisitorstayedherhourandthenobedientlywent，away，inspiteofJed’surgentinvitationtostaylonger。Shehad，askedagoodmanyquestionsandtalkedalmostcontinuously，butMr。
Winslow，insteadofbeingboredbyherprattle，wassurprisedto，findhowemptyanduninterestingtheshopseemedaftershehad，quittedit。
Shecameagainthenextdayandthenext。Bytheendoftheweek，Jedhadbecomesufficientlyemboldenedtoaskhermothertopermit，hertocomeintheafternoonalso。Thisrequestwastheresultof，aconspiracybetweenBarbaraandhimself。
“Youaskyourma，“urgedJed。”TellherIsayIneedyouhere，afternoons。”
Barbaralookedtroubled。”Butthatwouldbeawrongstory，wouldn’tit？”sheasked。”Youdon’treallyneedme，youknow。”
“Eh？，Yes，Ido;yes，Ido。”
“Whatfor？，WhatshallItellheryouneedmefor？”
Jedscratchedhischinwiththetailofawoodenwhale。
“Youtellher，“hedrawled，afterconsideringforaminuteortwo，“thatIneedyoutohelpcarrylumber。”
Evenachildcouldnotswallowthisridiculousexcuse。Barbara，burstoutlaughing。
“Why，Mr。Winslow！”shecried。”Youdon’t，either。YouknowI
couldn’tcarrylumber;I’mtoolittle。Icouldn’tcarryanybut，thelittlest，tinybit。”
Jednodded，gravely。”Yes，sartin，“heagreed;“that’swhatIneed，youtocarry。Yourunalongandtellherso，that’sagoodgirl。”
Butsheshookherheadvigorously。”No，“shedeclared。”Shewould，sayitwassilly，anditwouldbe。Besides，youdon’treallyneed，meatall。YoujustwantPetuniaandmeforcompany，sameaswe，wantyou。Isn’tthatit，truly？”
“Um-m。Well，Ishouldn’twonder。Youcantellherthat，ifyou，wantto;I’djustassoon。”
Theyoungladystillhesitated。”No-o，“shesaid，“becauseshe’d，thinkperhapsyoudidn’treallywantme，butwastoopolitetosay，so。Ifyouaskedheryourself，though，Ithinkshe’dletmecome。”
AtfirstJed’sbashfulnesswasupinarmsattheveryidea，butat，lengthheconsideredtoaskMrs。Armstrongforthepermission。It，wasgranted，assoonastheladywasconvincedthatthedesirefor，moreofherdaughter’ssocietywasagenuineone，andthereafter，Barbaravisitedthewindmillshopafternoonsaswellasmornings。
Shesat，herdollinherarms，uponaboxwhichshesooncameto，considerherownparticularandprivateseat，watchingherlong-
leggedfriendashesawedorgluedorjointedorpainted。Hehad，littlewaitingoncustomerstodonow，formostofthesummer，peoplehadgone。Hissmallvisitorandhehadmanylongand，to，them，interestingconversations。
Othervisitorstotheshop，thosewhoknewhimwell，weresurprised，andamusedtofindhimonsuchconfidentialandintimatetermswith，achild。GabeBearse，afteroneshortcall，reportedabouttown，thatcrazyShavin’sWinslowhadtakenupwithayoung-onejust，aboutascrazyashewas。
“Theresheset，“declaredGabriel，“onabox，huggingabroken-
noseddollbabyuptoherandstarin’atmeandShavin’sasifwe，wassomekindofcuriosities，asyoumightsay。Well，oneofus，was;eh？，Haw，haw！，Shedidn’tsayawordandShavin’shenever，saidnothin’andIfeltasifIwaspreachinginadeefanddumb，asylum。Finally，IhappenedtolookatherandIseeherlips，movin’。’Well，’saysI，’youCANtalk，can’tyou，sis，evenif，it’sonlytoyourself。Whatwasyoutalkin’toyourselfabout，eh？’，Shedidn’tseemtowanttoanswer;justsortofreddenedup，youknow;butIkeptrightafterher。Finallysheownedupshewas，countin’。’Whatwasyoucountin’？’saysI。Well，shedidn’twant，totellthat，neither。FinallyIdraggeditoutofherthatshe，wascountin’howmanywordsI’dsaidsinceIstartedtotellabout，MelissyBusteedandwhatshesaidaboutLutherSmall’swife’saunt，theonethat’ssowheezedupwithasthmaandDoctorParkerdon’t，seemtobeabletodonothin’tohelp。’Soyouwascountin’my，words，wasyou？’saysI。’Well，that’sgoodbusiness，Imustsay！
HowmanyhaveIsaid？’，Shelookedsolemnandshookherhead。’I
hadtogiveitup，’saysshe。’Itmakesmyheadachetocountfast，verylong。Doesn’titgiveyouaheadachetocountfast，Mr。
Winslow？’，Jed，hemumbledsomekindoffoolishnessaboutsome，thingsgivin’himearache。Ilaughedatthetwoof’em。’Humph！’
saysI，’theonlykindofachesIhaveistheminmybones，’
meanin’myrheumatiz，youunderstand。Shavin’shelookedmoonyup，attheroofforaboutaweekandahalf，sameashe’sliabletodo，andthenhedrawledout：’YouseeheDOEShaveheadache，Babbie，’
sayshe。Nowdidyoueverhearsuchfooltalkoutsideofan，asylum？，HeandthatArmstrongkidarewellmatched。Nowondershe，sitsinthereandgapesathimhalftheday。”
CaptainSamHunniwellandhisdaughterwerehugelytickled。
“Jed’sgotagirlatlast，“crowedthecaptain。”I’daboutgiven，uphope，Jed。Iwasfearfulthatthebloomofyouryouthwould，passawayfromyouandyouwouldn’tkeepcompanywithanybody。
You’resobashfulthatIknowyou’dnevercallonayoungwoman，butIneverfiguredthatonemightbegincallin’onyou。Course，she’skindofextrayoung，butshe’llgrowoutofthat，giveher，time。”
MaudHunniwelllaughedmerrily，enjoyingMr。Winslow’sconfusion。
“Oh，thelittlegirlisonlythebait，Father，“shedeclared。”It，istheprettywidowthatJedisfishingfor。She’llbecalling，heresoon，orhe’llbecallingthere。Isn’tthattrue，Jed？，Own，up，now。Oh，seehimblush，Father！，Justseehim！”
Jed，ofcourse，deniedthathewasblushing。Hisfairtormentor，hadnomercy。
“Youmustbe，“sheinsisted。”Atanyrateyourfaceisvery，very，red。I’llleaveittoFather。Isn’thisfacered，Father？”
“Redasaflannellung-protector，“declaredCaptainSam，whowas，neverknowntocontradicthisonlydaughter，nor，soreport，affirmed，denyarequestofhers。
“Ofcourseitis，“triumphantly。”Anditcan’tbetheheat，becauseitisn’tatallwarmhere。”
PoorJed，thelong-suffering，wasgoadedintoamildretort。
“There’sconsider’blehotairinheresomespells，“hedrawled，mournfully。MissHunniwellwentawayreaffirmingherbeliefthat，Mr。Winslow’sfriendshipforthedaughterwasmerelyastrategical，advancewiththemotherastheultimateobjective。
“You’llsee，Father，“sheprophesied，mischievously。”Weshall，hearofhis’keepingcompany’withMrs。Armstrongsoon。Oh，he，couldn’tescapeevenifhewantedto。Theseyoungwidowsare，perfectlyirresistible。”
Whentheywereasafedistancefromthewindmillshopthecaptain，cautionedhisdaughter。
“Maud，“hesaid，“you’dbetternotteaseJedtoomuchaboutthat，good-lookin’tenantofhis。He’ssoqueerandsobashfulthatI’m，afraidifyoudohe’lltakeanotiontoturntheArmstrongsout，whenthismonth’sup。”
MissHunniwellglancedathimfromthecornerofhereye。
“Supposehedoes？”sheasked。”Whatofit？，Sheisn’taGREAT
friendofyours，isshe，Father？”
Itwasthecaptain’sturntolookembarrassed。
“No，no，coursesheain’t，“hedeclared，hastily。”AllI’vebeen，thinkin’isthatJedoughttohaveatenantinthathouseofhis，becauseheneedsthemoney。AndfromwhatI’vebeenabletofind，outaboutthisMrs。Armstrongshe’sarealnicegenteelsortof，body，and——and——er——“
“Andshe’sverysweetandveryprettyandso，ofcourse，naturally，allthemen，especiallythemiddle-agedmen——“
CaptainSaminterruptedexplosively。”Don’tbesofoolish！”he，ordered。”Ifyoudon’tstoptalkin’suchnonsenseI’ll——Idon’t，knowwhatI’lldotoyou。Whatdoyousupposeherbein’sweetand，good-lookin’hasgottodowithme？，Graciousking！，I’vegotone，good-lookin’——er——thatistosay，I’vegotoneyoungfemaletotake，careofnowandthat’senough，inallconscience。”
Hisdaughterpinchedhisarm。
“Oh，ho！”sheobserved。”Youweregoingtosayshewasgood-
lookingandthenyouchangedyourmind。Don’tyouthinkthisyoung，female——WHATaword！yououghttobeashamedofit——DON’Tyouthink，sheisgood-looking，Daddy，dear？”
Shelookedprovokinglyupintohisfaceandhelookedfondlydown，intohers。
“Don’tyou？”sherepeated。
“We-ll，I——Idon’tknowasI’dwanttogosofarastosaythat。I
presumelikelyherfacemightnotstopameetin’-houseclockona，darknight，but——“
Astheywereinasecludedspotwhereahighhedgescreenedthem，fromobservationMissMaudplayfullyboxedherparent’sears，a，proceedingwhichheseemedtoenjoyhugely。
Buttherewasreasoninthecaptain’scaution，nevertheless。Miss，Maud’s“teasing“concerningthewidowhadsetJedtothinking。The，“trial“monthwasalmostup。Inalittlewhilehewouldhaveto，givehisdecisionastowhetherthelittleWinslowhousewasto，continuetobeoccupiedbyBarbaraandhermother，orwhetherit，wastobe，asithadbeenforyears，closedandshutteredtight。
Hehadpermittedthemtooccupyitforthatmonth，onthespurof，themoment，astheresultofapromisemadeuponimpulse，a，characteristicJedWinslowimpulse。Now，however，hemustdecide，incoldbloodwhetherornotitshouldbetheirsforanothereleven，monthsatleast。
InhisconversationwithCaptainSam，theconversationwhichtook，placeimmediatelyaftertheArmstrongscame，hehadstoutly，maintainedthatthelatterwouldnotwishtostaylongerthanthe，month，thathisownproximityaslandlordandneighborwouldbe，unbearablelongerthanthatperiod。Butifthewidowfounditso，shehadsofarshownnoevidenceofherdisgust。Apparentlythat，meansofbreakingofftherelationshipcouldnotbereliedupon。
Ofcoursehedidnotknowwhetherornotshewishedtoremain，but，ifshedid，didhewishhertodoso？，Therewasnothingpersonal，inthematter;itwasmerelythequestionastowhetherhis，prejudiceofyearsagainstrentingthathousetoanyonewasto，ruleorbeoverthrown。Ifsheaskedhimforhisdecisionwhat，shouldhesay？，Atnight，whenhewenttobed，hismindwasmade，up。Inthemorningwhenhearoseitwasunmade。Ashetold，CaptainHunniwell：“I’mlikethatoldclockIusedtohave，Sam。
Thependulumofthatthingusedtoworkfine，butthehands，wouldn’tmove。Samewaywithme。Itick，tick，tickalldayover，thispeskybusiness，butIdon’tgetanywheres。It’salwayshalf-
pastnothin’。”
CaptainSamwashugelydisgusted。”Itain’tmore’nquarterpast，ifitisthat，“hedeclared，emphatically。”It’sjustnothin’，if，youaskme。Andsay，speakin’ofaskin’，I’dliketoaskyouthis：
Howareyougoin’toget’emout，providedyou’refoolenoughto，decidethey’vegottogo？，Areyougoin’totellMrs。Armstrong，rightupanddownandflat-footedthatyoucan’tstandanymoreof，her？，I’dliketohearyousayit。Letmeknowwhentheshow’s，goin’tocomeoff。Iwantaseatinthefrontrow。”
PoorJedlookedaghastattheveryidea。Hisfriendlaughed，derisivelyandwalkedoffandlefthim。Andthedayspassedand，the“trialmonth“drewcloserandclosertoitsenduntilone，morningheawoketorealizethatthatendhadcome;themonthwas，upthatveryday。
Hehadnotmentionedthesubjecttothewidow，norhadshetohim。
Hisreasonsfornotspeakingwereobviousenough;onewasthathe，didnotknowwhattosay，andtheotherthathewasafraidtosay，it。But，asthetimeapproachedwhenthedecisionmustbemade，he，hadexpectedthatshewouldspeak。Andshehadnot。Hesawher，daily，sometimesseveraltimesaday。Sheoftencameintotheshop，tofindBarbara，whomadetheworkroomaplayhouseonrainyor，cloudydays，andshetalkedwithhimonothertopics，butshedid，notmentionthisone。
Itwasrainingonthisparticularday，thelastdayinthe“trial，month，“andJed，workingathislathe，momentarilyexpectedBarbara，toappear，withPetuniaunderonearmandabundleofdolls’
clothesundertheother，toannouncecasuallythat，asitwassuch，badweather，theyhadrunintokeephim，Mr。Winslow，fromgetting，lonesome。Therewaspreciouslittleopportunitytobelonesome，whereBabbiewas。
ButthismorningthechilddidnotcomeandJed，wonderingwhatthe，reasonforherabsencemightbe，begantofeelvaguely，uncomfortable。Justwhatwasthematterhedidnotknow，butthat，therewassomethingwrongwithhim，JedWinslow，wasplain。He，couldnotseemtokeephismindonhiswork;hefoundhimself，wanderingtothewindowandlookingoutintotheyard，wherethe，lilacbusheswhippedandthrashedinthegusts，theoverflowing，spoutssplashedandgurgled，andtheseabeyondtheedgeofthe，bluffwasatroubledstretchofgrayandwhite，seenthrough，diagonalstreaksofwind-drivenrain。Andalwayswhenhelooked，outofthatwindowheglancedtowardthelittlehousenextdoor，hopingtoseeasmallfigure，bundledunderabigraincoatand，shelteredbyabigumbrella，dodgeoutofthedoorandraceacross，theyardtowardtheshop。
Butthedoorremainedshut，thelittlefiguredidnotappearand，exceptforthefactthattheblindswerenotclosedandthatthere，wassmokeissuingfromthechimneyofthekitchen，thelittlehouse，mighthavebeenasemptyasithadbeenthemonthbefore。
Orasitmightbenextmonth。ThethoughtcametoJedwitha，meaningandemphasiswhichithadnotbroughtbefore。Astronger，gustthanusualhowledaroundtheeavesoftheshop，thesashes，rattled，thepaneswerebeatenbytheflungraindropswhichpounded，downinwaterysheetstothesills，andJedsuddenlydiagnosedhis，owncase，heknewwhatwasthematterwithhim——hewaslonesome;
he，whohadlivedaloneforfiveyearsandhadhopedtolivealone，fortherestofhislife，waslonesome。
Hewouldnotadmitit，eventohimself;itwasridiculous。Hewas，notlonesome，hewasjustalittle“blue，“thatwasall。Itwas，theweather;hemighthavecaughtaslightcold，perhapshis，breakfasthadnotagreedwithhim。Hetriedtorememberwhatthat，breakfasthadbeen。Ithadbeeneateninahurry，hehadbeen，thinkingofsomethingelseasusual，and，exceptthatitconsisted，ofvariousoddsandendswhichhehadhappenedtohaveonhand，he，couldnotitemizeitwithexactness。Therehadbeensomecold，friedpotatoes，andsomewarmed-overpop-overswhichhad“slumped“
inthecooking，andadoughnutortwoand——oh，yes，asaucerof，cannedpeacheswhichhadbeensittingaroundforaweekandwhich，hehadeatentogetoutoftheway。These，withacupofwarmed-
overcoffee，madeupthemeal。Jedcouldn’tseewhyabreakfastof，thatkindshouldmakehim“blue。”，Andyethewasblue——yes，and，therewasnousedisguisingthefact，hewaslonesome。Ifthat，childwouldonlycome，asshegenerallydid，hernonsensemight，cheerhimupabit。Butshedidnotcome。Andifhedecidednot，topermithermothertooccupythehouse，shewouldnotcomemuch，more。Eh？，Why，itwasthelastdayofthemonth！，Shemightnever，comeagain！
Jedshutoffthemotorandturnedawayfromthelathe。Hesank，downintohislittlechair，drewhiskneeupunderhischin，and，thought，longandseriously。Whenthekneesliddowntoitsnormal，positiononcemorehismindwasmadeup。Mrs。Armstrongmight，remaininthelittlehouse——forafewmonthsmore，atanyrate。
Evenifsheinsisteduponayear’sleaseitwouldn’tdoanygreat，harm。Hewouldwaituntilshespoketohimaboutitandthenhe，wouldgivehisconsent。And——anditwouldpleaseCaptainSam，at，anyrate。
Heroseand，goingtothewindow，lookedoutoncemoreacrossthe，yard。Whathesawastonishedhim。Thebackdoorofthehousewas，partiallyopenandamanwasjustcomingout。Theman，indripping，oil-skinsandasou’wester，wasPhilanderHardy，thelocal，expressman。Philanderturnedandspoketosomeoneinthehouse，behindhim。Jedopenedtheshopdooracrackandlistened。
“Yes，ma’am，“heheardHardysay。”I’llbebackfor’emaboutfour，o’clockthisafternoon。Rainmayletupalittlemitebythat，time，andanyhow，I’llhavethecoveredwagon。Yourtrunkswon’t，getwet，ma’am;I’llseetothat。”
AminutelaterJed，anoldsweaterthrownoverhisheadand，shoulders，dartedoutofthefrontdoorofhisshop。Theexpress，wagonwithHardyonthedriver’sseatwasjustmovingoff。Jed，calledafterit。
“Hi，Philander！”hecalled，raisinghisvoiceonlyalittle，for，fearofbeingoverheardattheArmstronghouse。”Hi，Philander，comehereaminute。Iwanttoseeyou。”
Mr。Hardylookedoverhisshoulderandthenbackedhisequipage，oppositetheWinslowgate。
“Hello，JedidahShavin’s，“heobserved，withagrin。”Didn’tknow，youforaminute，withthatshawloveryourfrontcrimps。Whatyou，gotonyourmind;anythingexceptsawdust？”
Jedwastoomuchperturbedeventoresenttheloathedname“Jedidah。”
“Philander，“hewhispered，anxiously;“say，Philander，whatdoes，shewant？，Mrs。Armstrong，Imean？，Whatisityou’recomin’back，foratfouro’clock？”
Philanderlookeddownattheearnestfaceundertheancient，sweater。Thenhewinked，solemnly。
“Well，Itellyou，Shavin’s，“hesaid。”Yousee，Idon’tknowhow，’tis，butwomanfolksalwaysseemtotakeaterribleshinetome。
NowthisMrs。Armstronghere——，Say，she’ssomepeach，ain’tshe！——
sheain’tseenmemore’nhalfadozentimes，butheresheis，beggin’metofetchhermyphotograph。’It’srainin’prettyhard，to-day，’Isays。’Won’titdoifIfetchitto-morrow？’，Butno，she——“
Jedheldupaprotestinghand。”Idon’tdoubtshewantsyour，photograph，Philander，“hedrawled。”Yourkindoffaceisrare。
ButIheardyousaysomethin’aboutcomin’fortrunks。Whose，trunks？”
“Whose？，Why，hersandtheyoung-one’s，Ipresumelikely。’Twas，themIfetchedfromLurettaSmalley’s。Nowshewantsmetotake，’embackthere。”
Atremendousgust，driveninfromthesea，torethesweaterfrom，theWinslowheadandshouldersandwrappeditlovinglyaboutoneof，thepostsintheyard。Jeddidnotoffertorecoverit;he，scarcelyseemedtoknowthatitwasgone。Insteadhestoodstaring，attheexpressdriver，whiletherainrandownhisnoseanddripped，fromitstiptohischin。
“She——she’sgoin’backtoLurettaSmalley’s？”herepeated。”She——“
Hedidnotfinishthesentence。Insteadheturnedonhisheeland，walkedslowlybacktotheshop。Thesweater，wrappedaboutthe，postwhere，insummer，awoodensailorbrandishedhispaddles，flappedsoggilyinthewind。Hardygazedafterhim。
“Whatintime——？”heexclaimed。Then，raisinghisvoice，he，called：“Hi，Jed！，Jed！，Youcrazycritter！，What——Jed，holdona，minute，didn’tyouknowshewasgoin’？，Didn’tshetellyou？，Jed！”
ButJedhadenteredtheshopandclosedthedoor。Philanderdrove，off，shakinghisheadandchucklingtohimself。
AfewminuteslaterMrs。Armstrong，hearingaknockattherear，dooroftheWinslowhouse，openedittofindherlandlordstanding，onthethreshold。Hewasbareheadedandhehadnoumbrella。
“Why，Mr。Winslow！”sheexclaimed。Itwasthefirsttimethathe，hadcometothathouseofhisownaccordsinceshehadoccupiedit。
Nowhestoodthere，intherain，lookingatherwithoutspeaking。
“Why，Mr。Winslow，“shesaidagain。”Whatisit？，Comein，won’t，you？，You’resoakingwet。Comein！”
Jedlookeddownatthesleevesofhisjacket。”Eh？”hedrawled，slowly。”Wet？，Why，Idon’tknow’sIain’t——alittle。It’s——it’s，rainin’。”
“Raining！，It’spouring。Comein。”
Shetookhimbythearmandledhimthroughthewoodshedandinto，thekitchen。Shewouldhaveledhimfurther，intothesitting-
room，buthehungback。
“No，ma’am，no，“hesaid。”I——IguessI’llstayhere，ifyoudon’t，mind。”
Therewasapatteroffeetfromthesitting-roomandBarbaracame，running，Petuniainherarms。Atthesightoftheirvisitor’s，lankyformthechild’sfacebrightened。
“Oh，Mr。Winslow！”shecried。”DidyoucometoseewherePetunia，andIwere？，Didyou？”
Jedlookeddownather。”Why——why，Idon’tknow’sIdidn’t，“he，admitted。”I——Ikindofmissedyou，Iguess。”
“Yes，andwemissedyou。Yousee，Mammasaidwemustn’tgotothe，shopto-daybecause——，Oh，Mamma，perhapshehascometotellyou，wewon’thaveto——“
Mrs。Armstronginterrupted。”Hush，Babbie，“shesaid，quickly。”I
toldBarbaranottogotovisityouto-day，Mr。Winslow。Shehas，beenhelpingmewiththepacking。”
Jedswallowedhard。”Packin’？”herepeated。”You’vebeenpackin’？
Then’twastrue，whatPhilanderHardysaidaboutyourgoin’backto，Luretta’s？”
Theladynodded。”Yes，“shereplied。”Ourmonthhereendsto-day。
Ofcourseyouknewthat。”
Jedsighedmiserably。”Yes，ma’am，“hesaid，“Iknewit，butI
onlyjustrealizedit，asyoumightsay。I……Hum！……
Well……”
Heturnedawayandwalkedslowlytowardthekitchendoor。Barbara，wouldhavefollowedbuthermotherlaidadetaininghanduponher，shoulder。Onthethresholdofthedoorbetweenthedining-roomand，kitchenJedpaused。
“Ma’am，“hesaid，hesitatingly，“you——youdon’tcal’latethere’s，anythingIcandoto——tohelp，isthere？，Anythinginthepackin’
ormovin’oranythinglikethat？”
“No，thankyou，Mr。Winslow。Thepackingwasverysimple。”
“Er——yes，ma’am……Yes，ma’am。”
Hestopped，seemedabouttospeakagain，butevidentlychangedhis，mind，forheopenedthedoorandwentoutintotherainwithout，anotherword。Barbara，verymuchsurprisedandhurt，lookedup，intohermother’sface。
“Why，Mamma，“shecried，“has——hasheGONE？，Hedidn’tsaygood-by，tousor——oranything。Hedidn’tevensayhewassorrywewere，going。”
Mrs。Armstrongshookherhead。
“Iimaginethatisbecauseheisn’tsorry，mydear，“shereplied。
“YoumustrememberthatMr。Winslowdidn’treallywishtoletany，oneliveinthishouse。Weonlycamehereby——well，byaccident。”
ButBarbarawasunconvinced。
“HeISN’Tglad，“shedeclared，stoutly。”Hedoesn’tactthatway，whenheisgladaboutthings。Yousee，“sheadded，withtheairof，aMrs。Methusaleh，“PetuniaandIknowhimbetterthanyoudo，Mamma;we’vehadmorechancestoget——togetacquainted。”
Perhapsanhourlatertherewasanotherknockatthekitchendoor。
Mrs。Armstrong，whensheopenedit，foundherlandlordstanding，there，oneofhislargestwindmills——atoyatleastthreefeet，high——inhisarms。Heboreitintothekitchenandstooditinthe，middleofthefloor，holdingthemammoththing，itspeakedroof，highabovehishead，andpeeringsolemnlyoutbetweenoneofits，armsanditsside。
“Why，Mr。Winslow！”exclaimedMrs。Armstrong。
“Yes，ma’am，“saidJed。”I——IfetcheditforBabbie。Ijustkind，ofthoughtmaybeshe’dlikeit。”
Barbaraclaspedherhands。
“Oh！”sheexclaimed。”Oh，isitforme。”
Jedanswered。
“’Tis，ifyouwantit，“hesaid。
“Wantit？，Why，Mamma，it’soneoftheverybestmills！，It’sa，fivedollarone，Mamma！”
Mrs。Armstrongprotested。”Oh，Icouldn’tletyoudothat，Mr。
Winslow，“shedeclared。”Itismuchtooexpensiveapresent。And，besides——“
Shecheckedherselfjustintime。Ithadbeenonthetipofher，tonguetosaythatshedidnotknowwhattheycoulddowithit。
TheirroomsatMrs。Smalley’swerenotlarge。Itwasasifa，dwellerinaHarlemflathadbeenpresentedwithahippopotamus。
Themakerofthemilllookedabouthim，plainlyseekingaplaceto，deposithisburden。
“’Tisn’tanythingmuch，“hesaid，hastily。”I——I’mrealgladfor，youtohaveit。”
Hewasabouttoputitontopofthecookstove，inwhichtherewas，aroaringfire，butMrs。Armstrong，byastartledexclamationanda，franticrush，preventedhisdoingso。Soheputitonthetable，instead。Barbarathankedhimprofusely。Shewasoverjoyed;there，werenocomparisonswithhippopotamiinHERmind。Jedseemed，pleasedatherappreciation，buthedidnotsmile。Insteadhe，sighed。
“I——IjustthoughtIwantedhertohaveit，ma’am，“hesaid，turningtoMrs。Armstrong。”’Twouldkeepherfrom——fromforgettin’
mealtogether，maybe……Notthatthere’sanyrealreasonwhy，sheshouldrememberme，ofcourse，“headded。
Barbarawashurtandindignant。
“OfCOURSEIshan’tforgetyou，Mr。Winslow，“shedeclared。
“NeitherwillPetunia。AndneitherwillMamma，Iknow。Shefeels，awfulbadbecauseyoudon’twantustolivehereanylonger，and——“
“Hush，Babbie，hush！”commandedhermother。Barbarahushed，but，shehadsaidenough。Jedturnedawonderingfaceintheir，direction。Hestaredwithoutspeaking。
Mrs。Armstrongfeltthatsomeonemustsaysomething。
“Youmustn’tmindwhatthechildsays，Mr。Winslow，“sheexplained，hurriedly。”OfcourseIrealizeperfectlythatthishouseisyours，andyoucertainlyhavetherighttodowhatyoupleasewithyour，own。AndIhaveknownallthetimethatwewereheremerelyon，trial。”
Jedliftedabighand。
“Er——er——justaminute，ma’am，please，“hebegged。”I——Iguessmy，woodenheadisbeginnin’tosplinterorsomethin’。Pleaseanswer，mejustthis——if——ifyou’djustassoon：Whyareyoumovin’backto，Luretta’s？”
Itwasherturntolookwonderinglyathim。”Why，Mr。Winslow，“
shesaid，afteramoment’shesitation，“isn’tthatratheran，unnecessaryquestion？，WhenBabbieandIcamehereitwaswiththe，understandingthatweweretobeontrialforamonth。Wehadgone，intonodetailsatall，exceptthattherentforthisonemonth，shouldbefortydollars。Youwere，asIunderstoodit，toconsider，thequestionofourstayingand，ifyoulikedusandlikedtheidea，ofrentingthehouseatall，youweretocometomeanddiscussthe，matter。Themonthisupandyouhaven’tsaidawordonthe，subject。And，knowingwhatyourfeelingsHADbeen，Iofcourse，realizedthatyoudidnotwishustoremain，andso，ofcourse，we，aregoing。Iamsorry，verysorry。BabbieandIlovethislittle，house，andwewishyoumighthavecaredtohaveusstayinit，but——“
“Holdon！holdon！”Jedwas，forhim，almostenergetic。”Mrs。
Armstrong，ma’am，doyoumeantotellmeyou’regoin’backto，LurettaSmalley’sbecauseyouthinkIdon’twantyoutostay？，Is，thatit，honesttruth？”
“Why，ofcourse，itis。Whatelse？”
“And——and’tain’tbecauseyoucan’tstandmeanylonger，sameas，Motherusedtosay？”
“Can’tstandyou？，Yourmotherusedtosay？，WhatDOyoumean，Mr。
Winslow？”
“Imean——Imeanyouain’tgoin’becauseIusedtowashmyfaceout，intheyard，and——andhollerandsingmornin’sandlookso，everlastin’homely——and——andbewhateverybodycallsatowncrank——
and——“
“Mr。Winslow！，PLEASE！”
“And——andyouandBabbiewouldstayrighthereif——ifyouthoughtI
wantedyouto？”
“Why，ofcourse。Butyoudon’t，doyou？”
BeforeJedcouldanswertheoutsidedoorwasthrownopenwithout，knockorpreliminarywarning，andCaptainSamHunniwell，dripping，waterlikealong-haireddogafterabath，strodeintothekitchen。
“Mornin’，ma’am，“hesaid，noddingtoMrs。Armstrong。Then，turningtothemakerofwindmills：“You’rethefellerI’mlookin’
for，“hedeclared。”IswhatPhilanderHardytoldmejustnowtrue？
Isit？”
Jedwasdreamilystaringoutofthewindow。Hewassmiling，a，seraphicsmile。Receivingnoreply，CaptainSamangrilyrepeated，hisquestion。”Isittrue？”hedemanded。
“No-o，no，Iguess’tisn’t。I’dknowbetterifIknewwhathetold，you。”
“HetoldmethatMrs。Armstrongherewasmovin’backtoLuretta，Smalley’sto-day。JedWinslow，haveyoubeenbigenoughfool——“
Jedheldupthebighand。
“Yes，“hesaid。”Ialwaysam。”
“Youalwaysare——what？”
“Abigenoughfool。Sam，whatisalease？”
“Whatisalease？”
“Yes。Nevermindtellin’me;showme。Makeoutaleaseofthis，housetoMrs。Armstronghere。”
Mrs。Armstrongwas，naturally，rathersurprised。
“Why，Mr。Winslow，“shecried;“whatareyoutalkingabout？，We，haven’tagreeduponrentor——“
“Yes，wehave。We’veagreedabouteverything。Er——Babbie，youget，yourthingsonandcomeonovertotheshop。YouandImustn’tbe，sittin’’roundhereanylonger。We’vegottogettoWORK。”
CHAPTERVII
Andso，inassuddenafashionashehadgrantedthe“month’s，trial，“didJedgrantthepermanenttenureofhisproperty。The，questionofrent，whichmighteasilyhavebeen，withtheordinary，sortoflandlord，arockinthechannel，turnedouttobenoteven，apebble。CaptainHunniwell，whowashandlingthebusiness，details，includingthemakingoutofthelease，wassomewhat，troubled。
“But，Jed，“heprotested，“you’veGOTtolistentome。Shewon’t，payfortyamonth，althoughsheagreeswithmethatforafurnished，houseinalocationlikethisit’sdirtcheap。Ofcourseshe’s，takin’itforalltheyear，whichdoesmakeconsider’ble，difference，althoughfromMaytoOctober，whenthesummerfolksare，here，Icouldgetahundredandfortyamonthjustaseasyas……
Eh？，Ibelieveyouain’theardawordI’vebeensayin’。Gracious，king！，Ifyouain’tenoughtodrivethemateofacattleboatinto，gettin’religion！，Doyouhearme？，Isayshewon’tpay——“
Jed，whowassittingbeforethebatteredolddeskinthecornerof，hisworkshop，didnotlookaround，buthewavedhisrighthand，the，fingersofwhichheldthestumpofapencil，overhisshoulder。
“Ssh-h，sh-h，Sam！”heobserved，mildly。”Don’tbothermenow;
pleasedon’t，there’sagoodfeller。I’mtryin’toworkout，somethin’important。”
“Well，thisisimportant。Or，ifitain’t，there’splentythatis，importantwaitin’formeupatthebank。I’mhandlin’thishouse，businessasafavortoyou。IfyouthinkI’vegotnothin’elseto，doyou’remistaken。”
Jednodded，contritely，andturnedtofacehisfriend。”Iknowit，Sam，“hesaid，“Iknowit。Ihaven’tgottheleastmiteofexcuse，fortroublin’you。”
“Youain’ttroublin’me——notthatway。AllIwantofyouistosay，yesorno。ItellyouMrs。Armstrongthinksshecan’taffordto，payfortyamonth。”
“Yes。”
“Andperhapsshecan’t。Butyou’vegotyourownintereststothink，about。WhatshallIdo？”
“Yes。”
“YES！，Whatintimeareyousayin’yesfor？”
“Hum？，Eh？，Oh，excuseme，Sam;Ididn’tmeanyes，Imeanno。”
“Graciousking！”
“Well——er——er——，“desperately，“youtoldmetosayyesorno，soI——“
“Seehere，JedWinslow，HAVEyouheardwhatI’vebeensayin’？”
“Why，no，Sam;honestIain’t。I’verunacrossanideaabout，makin’adifferentkindofmill——onelikeagull，youknow，that’ll，flapitswingsupanddownwhenthewindblows——and——er——I’mafraid，myheadissolidfullofthatandnothin’else。Theregenerally，ain’tmore’nroomforoneideainmyhead，“headded，apologetically。
“Sometimesthatonegetskindofcramped。”
Thecaptainsnortedindisgust。Jedlookedrepentantanddistressed。
“I’mawfulsorry，Sam，“hedeclared。”Butifit’saboutthathouse，ofmine——rentoranything，youjustdowhateverMrs。Armstrongsays。”
“WhateverSHEsays？，Haven’tyougotanythingtosay？”
“No，no-o，Idon’tknow’sIhave。Yousee，I’vesettledthatshe，andBabbiearetohavethehouseforaslongastheywantit，so，it’sonlyfairtoletthemsettletherest，seemstome。Whatever，Mrs。Armstrongwantstopay’llbeallright。Youjustleaveitto，her。”
CaptainSamrosetohisfeet。
“I’veadumgoodmindto，“hedeclared“’Twouldserveyourightif，shepaidyoutencentsayear。”，Then，withaglanceofdisgustat，themountainofoldlettersandpaperspileduponthetopofthe，deskwherehisfriendwasatwork，headded：“Whatdoyouclean，thatdeskofyourswith——ashovel？”
TheslowsmiledriftedacrosstheWinslowface。”Ical’latethat’s，whatIshouldhavetouse，Sam，“hedrawled，“ifIevercleaned，it。”
Thecaptainandthewidowagreeduponthirty-fivedollarsamonth。
ItdevelopedthatsheownedtheirformerhouseinMiddlefordand，thatthelatterhadbeenrentedforaverymuchhigherrent。”My，furniture，“sheadded，“thatwhichIdidnotsellwhenwegaveup，housekeeping，isstoredwithafriendthere。Iknowitis，extravagant，myhiringafurnishedhouse，butI’msureMr。Winslow，wouldn’tletthisoneunfurnishedand，besides，itwouldbeacrime，todisturbfurnitureandroomswhichfiteachotherasthesedo。
And，afterall，attheendofayearImaywishtoleaveOrham。Of，courseIhopeIshallnot，butImay。”
CaptainSamwouldhaveaskedquestionsconcerningherlifein，Middleford，infacthedidaskafew，buttheanswershereceived，wereunsatisfactory。Mrs。Armstrongevidentlydidnotcaretotalk，onthesubject。Thecaptainthoughtherattitudealittleodd，but，decidedthatthetragedyofherhusband’sdeathmustbethecause，ofherreticence。Herpartingremarksonthisoccasionfurnished，anexplanation。
“Ifyouplease，CaptainHunniwell，“shesaid，“Iwouldratheryou，didnottellanyoneaboutmyhavinglivedinMiddlefordandmy，affairsthere。IhavetoldveryfewpeopleinOrhamandIthinkon，thewholeitisbetternotto。Whatistheuseofhavingone’s，personalhistorydiscussedbystrangers？”
Shewasevidentlyatrifleembarrassedandconfusedasshesaid，this，forsheblushedjustalittle。CaptainSamdecidedthatthe，blushwasbecoming。Also，ashewalkedbacktothebank，he，reflectedthatJedWinslow’stenantwaslikelytohaveherpersonal，historyandaffairsdiscussedwhethershewisheditornot。Young，womenasattractiveasshewereboundtobediscussed，especially，inacommunitythesizeofOrham。And，besides，whoeverelseshe，mayhavetold，shecertainlyhadtoldhimthatMiddlefordhad，formerlybeenherhomeandhehadtoldMaudandJed。Ofcourse，theywouldsaynothingifheaskedthem，butperhapstheyhadtold，italready。AndwhyshouldMrs。Armstrongcare，anyway？
“Letfolkstalk，“hesaidthatevening，inconversationwithhis，daughter。”Let’emtalk，that’smymotto。Whenthey’relyin’
aboutmeIknowtheyain’tlyin’aboutanybodyelse，that’ssome，comfort。Butwomenfolks，Ical’late，feeldifferent。”
Maudwasinterestedandalittlesuspicious。
“Youdon’tsuppose，Pa，“shesaid，“thatthisMrs。Armstronghasa，past，doyou？”
“Apast？，Whatkindofathingisapast，forthundersakes？”
“Why，Imeana——a——well，hasshedonesomethingshedoesn’twant，otherpeopletoknow;isshetryingtohidesomething，like——well，aspeopledoinstories？”
“Eh？，Oh，inthebooks！，Isee。Well，youngwoman，Ical’latethe，firstthingforyourdadtodoistofindoutwhatsortofbooks，youread。Apast！，Ho，ho！，IguesslikelyMrs。Armstrongisa，plagueysightmoreworriedaboutthefuturethansheisaboutthe，past。Shehaslivedthepastalready，butshe’sgottolivethe，futureandpaythebillsbelongin’toit，andthat’snotriflin’
jobinfutureslikethesedays。”
NeedlesstosayJedWinslowdidnospeculatingconcerninghis，tenant’s“past。”，Havingsettledthequestionofthattenancy，definitelyand，ashefiguredit，forever，heputthematter，entirelyoutofhismindandcenteredallhisenergiesuponthenew，varietyofmill，thegullwhichwastoflapitswingswhenthewind，blew。Barbarawas，ofcourse，muchinterestedintheworkingout，ofthisinvention，andherquestionsweremany。OccasionallyMrs。
Armstrongcameintotheshop。SheandJedbecamebetteracquainted。
Theacquaintanceshipdeveloped。Jedformedadailyhabitof，stoppingattheArmstrongdoortoaskiftherewereanyerrandsto，bedonedowntown。”Goin’rightalongdownonmyownaccount，ma’am，“washisinvariableexcuse。”Mightjustaswellrunyour，errandsatthesametime。”，Also，wheneverhechoppedasupplyof，kindlingwoodforhisownusehechoppedasmuchmoreandfilled，theoilcloth-coveredboxwhichstoodbythestoveintheArmstrong，kitchen。Hewouldnotcomeinandsitdown，however，inspiteof，Barbara’sandhermother’surgentinvitation;hewasalwaystoo，“busy“forthat。
Butthetimecamewhenhedidcomein，actuallycomeinandsit，downtoameal。Barbara，ofcourse，waspartiallyresponsiblefor，thisamazinginvitation，butitwasHemanTaylor’soldbrindle，tomcatwhichreallybroughtittopass。Thecatinquestionwasa，disreputableoldscalawag，withtatteredearsandascarredhide，souvenirsoffightsinnumerable，withnobeautyandlessmorals，andnamed，withappropriatefitness，“Cherub。”
ItwasaquartertotwelveonaSundaymorningandJedwas，preparinghisdinner。Thepiecederesistanceofthedinnerwas，inthisinstance，tobeamackerel。Jedhadboughtthemackerelof，thefishpeddlerthepreviousafternoonandithadbeenreposingon，aplateinthelittleancientice-chestwhichstoodbytheback，dooroftheWinslowkitchen。Barbara，justbackfromSundayschool，andarrayedinherbest，sawthatbackdooropenanddecidedto，call。Jed，asalways，wasgladtoseeher。
“You’regettingdinner，aren’tyou，Mr。Winslow？”sheobserved。
Jedlookedatheroverhisspectacles。”Yes，“heanswered。
“Unlesssomethin’happensI’mgettin’dinner。”
Hisvisitorlookedpuzzled。
“Why，whateverhappenedyouwouldbegettingdinnerjustthesame，wouldn’tyou？”shesaid。”Youmightnothaveit，butyou’dbe，gettingit，youknow。”
Jedtookthemackereloutoftheice-chestandputtheplate，containingitonthetopofthelatter。”We-ell，“hedrawled，“you，can’talwaystell。Imighttakesolonggettin’itthat，first，thingIknew，’twouldbesupper。”
Hummingahymnhetookanotherdishfromtheice-chestandplaced，itbesidethemackerelplate。
“What’sthat？”inquiredBarbara。
“That？，Oh，that’smytoppin’-offlayer。That’saricepuddin’，poorman’spuddin’，somefolkscallit。Ical’lateyourma’dcall，itaman’spoorpuddin’，butitmakesgoodenoughballastfora，craftlikeme。”，Hebegansingingagain。
“’Iknownot，yea，Iknownot，Whatblissawaitsmethere。
Di，doodedididoode——’“
Breakingofftosuggest：“Betterstayandeatalongwithmeto-day，hadn’tyou，Babbie？”
Barbaratriedhardnottoseemsuperior。
“Thankyou，“shesaid，“butIguessIcan’t。We’regoingtohave，chickenandlemonjelly。”，Then，rememberinghermanners，she，added：“We’dbeawfulgladifyou’dhavedinnerwithus，Mr。
Winslow。”
Jedshookhishead。
“Muchobliged，“hedrawled，“butifIdidn’teatthatmackerel，who，would？”
Thequestionwasansweredpromptly。WhileMr。Winslowandhis，smallcallerwerechattingconcerningtheformer’sdinner，another，eagerpersonalitywastakingamarkedinterestinaportionofthat，dinner。Cherub，theTaylorcat，abroadonaforagingexpedition，hadscentedfromhisperchuponanearbyfenceadeliciousand，appetizingodor。Followinghisnose，literally，Cherubdescended，fromthefenceandadvanced，sniffingashecame。Theodorwas，fish，freshfish。Cherub’sgreeneyesblazed，hisadvancebecame，crafty，strategical，determined。HecrepttotheWinslowback，step，helookedupthroughtheopendoor，hesawthemackerelupon，itsplateonthetopoftheice-chest。
“IfIdidn’teatthatmackerel，“drawledJed，“whowould？”
Therewasaswoopthroughtheair，ascreamfromBarbara，acrash——
twocrashes，amomentaryglimpseofabrindlecatwithamackerel，crosswiseinitsmouthandtheendsdraggingontheground，a，rattleofclawsonthefence。ThenJedandhisvisitorwereleft，togazeuponabrokenplateonthefloor，anoverturnedbowlontop，oftheice-chest，andalumpyrivuletofricepuddingtricklingto，thefloor。
“Oh！Oh！Oh！”criedBarbara，wringingherhandsinconsternation。
Jedsurveyedtheruinofthe“poorman’spudding“andgazed，thoughtfullyatthetopofthefenceoverwhichthemarauderhad，disappeared。
“Hum，“hemused。”H-u-u-m……Well，Ididcal’lateIcouldget，amealoutofsightprettyfastmyself，but——but——Iain’tinthat，critter’sclass。”
“Butyourdinner！”wailedBarbara，almostintears。”He’sspoiled，ALLyourdinner！，Oh，theBADthing！，IhatethatCherubcat！，I
HATEhim！”
Mr。Winslowrubbedhischin。”We-e-ll，“hedrawledagain。”He，doesseemtohavedonewhatyoumightcallafinishedjob。
H-u-u-m！……’Anotheroffensiveonthe——er——no’theast’ard，front;allobjectivesattained。’，That’sthewaythenewspapers，tellsuchthingsnowadays，ain’tit？……However，there’sno，usecryin’overspilt——er——puddin’。Luckythere’seggsandmilk，aboardtheship。Ishan’tstarve，anyhow。”
Barbarawasaghast。”Eggsandmilk！”sherepeated。”IsTHATall，you’vegotforSundaydinner，Mr。Winslow？，Why，that’sawful！”
Jedsmiledandbeganpickingupthefragmentsoftheplate。He，wenttotheclosettogetabroomandwhenhecameoutagainthe，youngladyhadvanished。
Butshewasbackagaininafewminutes，hereyesshining。
“Mr。Winslow，“shesaid，“Mammasentmetoaskifyoucouldplease，comerightovertoourhouse。She——shewantstoseeyou。”
Jedregardedherdoubtfully。”Wantstoseeme？”herepeated。
“Whatfor？”
Thechildshookherhead;hereyessparkledmorethanever。”I’m，notsure，“shesaid，“butIthinkthere’ssomethingshewantsyou，todo。”
Wonderingwhatthesomethingmightbe，Jedpromisedtobeoverina，minuteortwo。Barbaradancedaway，apparentlymuchexcited。Mr。
Winslow，rememberingthatitwasSunday，performedahastytoilet，atthesink，combedhishair，putonhiscoatandwalkedacrossthe，yard。Barbaramethimatthesidedoorofthehouse。
“Mamma’sinthedining-room，“shesaid。”Comerightin，Mr。
Winslow。”
SoJedenteredthedining-room，tofindthetablesetandready，withplaceslaidforthreeinsteadoftwo，andMrs。Armstrong，drawingbackoneofthreechairs。Helookedather。
“Goodmornin’，ma’am，“hestammered。”Babbie，shesaid——er——she，saidtherewassomethin’youwantedmetodo。”
Theladysmiled。”Thereis，“shereplied。”Babbiehastoldme，whathappenedtoyourdinner，andsheandIwantyoutositright，downandhavedinnerwithus。We’reexpectingyou，everythingis，ready，andweshall——yes，weshallbehurtifyoudon’tstay。
Shan’twe，Babbie？”
Barbaranoddedvigorously。”Awf’ly，“shedeclared;“’specially，Petunia。Youwillstay，won’tyou，Mr。Winslow——please？”
PoorJed！，Hisagitationwasgreat，hisembarrassmentgreaterand，hisexcusesfornotacceptingtheinvitationnumerousifnot，convincing。Butatlastheyieldedandsatreluctantlydowntothe，firstmealhehadeateninthathouseforfiveyears。
Mrs。Armstrong，realizinghisembarrassment，didnoturgehimto，talkandBarbara，althoughshechatteredcontinuously，didnotseem，toexpectanswerstoherquestions。SoJedatealittle，spokea，little，andthoughtagreatdeal。Andbythetimedinnerwasover，someofhisshynessandawkwardnesshadwornaway。Heinsisted，uponhelpingwiththedishesand，becauseshesawthathewouldbe，hurtifshedidnot，hishostesspermittedhimtodoso。
“Yousee，ma’am，“hesaid，“I’vebeendoin’dishesfora，consider’blespell，moreyearsthanIliketocount。Ioughttobe，abletodo’emfairtomiddlin’well。But，“headded，asmuchto，himselfastoher，“Idon’tknowasthat’sanysign。There’sso，manythingsIoughttobeabletodolikeotherfolks——andcan’t。
I’mafraidyoumaynotbesatisfied，afterall，ma’am，“hewenton。
“Isupposeyou’reakindofanexpert，asyoumightsay。”
Sheshookherhead。”IfearI’mnoexpert，Mr。Winslow，“she，answered，justalittlesadly，soitseemedtohim。”BarbaraandI
arelearning，thatisall。”
“Norausedtodothedishesathome，“putinBarbara。”Mamma，hardlyever——“
“Hush，dear，“interruptedhermother。”Mr。Winslowwouldn’tbe，interested。”
AfterconsiderableurgingJedconsentedtositawhileinthe，living-room。Hewaslessreluctanttotalkbythistimeand，the，warcreepingintotheconversation，asitdoesintoall，conversationsnowadays，theyspokeofrecenthappeningsathomeand，abroad。Mrs。Armstrongwassurprisedtofindhowwellinformedher，landlordwasconcerningtheworldstruggle，itscausesandits，progress。
“Why，no，ma’am，“hesaid，inanswertoaremarkofhers;“Iain’t，readitupmuch，asIknowof，exceptinthenewspapers。Iain’t，aneducatedman。Maybe——“withhisslowsmile——“maybeyou’ve，guessedasmuchasthatalready。”
“Iknowthatyouhavetalkedmoreintelligentlyonthiswarthan，anyoneelseIhaveheardsinceIcametothistown，“shedeclared，emphatically。”EvenCaptainHunniwellhasnever，inmyhearing，statedthecaseagainstGermanyasclearlyasyouputitjustnow;
andIhaveheardhimtalkagooddeal。”
Jedwasevidentlygreatlypleased，buthecharacteristicallytried，nottoshowit。”Well，now，ma’am，“hedrawled，“I’mafraidyou，ain’tbeentothepostofficemuchmailtimes。Ifyou’djustdrop，intheresomeevenin’andhearGabeBearseandBlueyBatcheldor，raisehobwiththeKaiseryou’dunderstandwhytheconfidenceof，theAlliesisunshaken，astheHeraldgaveoutthismornin’。”
Alittlelaterhesaid，reflectively：
“Youknow，ma’am，it’sanastonishin’thingtome，Ican’tgetover，it，mysittin’hereinthishouse，eatin’withyoufolksand，talkin’withyoulikethis。”
Mrs。Armstrongsmiled。”Ican’tseeanythingsoveryastonishing，aboutit，“shesaid。
“Can’tyou？”
“Certainlynot。Whyshouldn’tyoudoit——often？，Wearelandlord，andtenant，youandI，butthatisnoreason，sofarasIcansee，whyweshouldn’tbegoodneighbors。”
Heshookhishead。
“Idon’tknow’syouquiteunderstand，ma’am，“hesaid。”It’syour，thinkin’ofdoin’it，youraskin’meand——andWANTIN’toaskme，thatseemssokindofodd。Doyouknow，“headded，inaburstof，confidence，“Idon’tsupposethat，leavin’SamHunniwellout，anothersoulhasaskedmetoeatattheirhousefortenyear。
CourseI’mfarfromblamin’’emforthat，youunderstand，but——“
“Wait。Mr。Winslow，youhadtenantsinthishousebefore？”
“Yes’m。Davidson，theirnameswas。”
“AnddidTHEYneverinviteyouhere？”
Jedlookedather，thenaway，outofthewindow。Itwasamoment，ortwobeforeheanswered。Then——
“Mrs。Armstrong，“hesaid，“youknew，Ical’late，thatIwas——er——
kindofprejudicedagainstrentin’anybodythishouseafterthe，Davidsonsleft？”
Thelady，tryingnottosmile，nodded。
“Yes，“shereplied，“I——well，Iguessedasmuch。”
“Yes’m，Iwas。Theywouldhavetookitagain，I’mprettysartin，ifI’dlet’em，but——butsomehowIcouldn’tdoit。No，Icouldn’t，andInevermeantanybodyelseshouldbehere。Seemsfunnytoyou，Idon’tdoubt。”
“Why，no，itwasyourpropertytodowhatyoupleasedwith，andI
amsureyouhadareasonforrefusing。”
“Yes’m。ButIain’tevertoldanybodywhatthatreasonwas。I’ve，toldSamareason，but’twan’ttherealone。I——Iguesslikely，I’lltellittoyou。Iimagine’twillsoundfoolishenough。’Twas，justsomethin’IheardColonelDavidsonsay，that’sall。”
Hepaused。Mrs。Armstrongdidnotspeak。Afteranintervalhe，continued：
“’Twasonedayalongthelastoftheseason。TheDavidsonshad，companyandthey’dbeenintoseetheshopandthemillsandvanes，andonethingor’nother。Theyseemednice，pleasantenoughfolks;
laughedagooddeal，butIdidn’tmindthat。Iwalkedoutintothe，yardalongwith’emandthen，afterIleft’em，Istoodfora，minuteonthefrontstepoftheshop，withtheopendoorbetweenme，andthishousehere。AminuteorsolaterIheard’emcomeinto，thisveryroom。Theycouldn’tseeme，’countofthedoor，butI
couldhearthem，’countofthewindowsbein’open。Andthen……
Huh……Oh，well。”
Hesighedandlapsedintooneofhislongfitsofabstraction。At，lengthMrs。Armstrongventuredtoremindhim。
“Andthen——？”sheasked。
“Eh？，Oh，yes，ma’am！，Well，thenIheardoneofthecomp’nysay：
’Idon’twonderyouenjoyithere，Ed，’hesays。’Thatlandlordof，yoursisworthalltherentyoupayandmore。’Tain’teverybody，thathasadimemuseumrightonthepremises。’，Allhandslaughed，andthenColonelDavidsonsaid：’Ithoughtyou’dappreciatehim，’
hesays。’We’llhaveanothersessionwithhimbeforeyouleave。
Perhapswecangethimintothehouseherethisevenin’。Mywife，isprettygoodatthat，shejollieshimalong。Oh，heswallowsit，all;thepoorsimpletondon’tknowwhenhe’sbein’shownoff。’“
Mrs。Armstrongutteredanexclamation。
“Oh！”shecried。”Thebrute！”
“Yes’m，“saidJed，quietly，“thatwaswhathesaid。Yousee，“with，anapologetictwitchofthelip，“itcamekindofsuddentomeand——
andithurt。Factis，I——Ihadnoticedheandhiswifewas——er——
well，niceand——er——folksy，asyoumightsay，butIneveronce，thoughttheydiditforanyreasonbutjustbecausethey——well，likedme，maybe。CourseI’doughttohaveknownbetter。Fine，ladiesandgentlemenlikethemdon’ttakemuchfancytodimemuseum，folks。”
Therewasjustatraceofbitternessinhistone，thefirstMrs。
Armstronghadevernoticedthere。Involuntarilysheleanedtoward，him。
“Don’t，Mr。Winslow，“shebegged。”Don’tthinkofitagain。They，musthavebeenbeasts，thosepeople，andtheydon’tdeservea，moment’sthought。AndDON’Tcallthemladiesandgentlemen。The，onlygentlemantherewasyourself。”
Jedshookhishead。
“Ifyousaidthataroundthevillagehere，“hedrawled，“somebody，mightbeforhavin’yousenttotheasylumuptoTaunton。Course，I’mmuchobligedtoyou，but，honest，youhadn’toughttotakethe，risk。”
Mrs。Armstrongsmiledslightly，butherswasaforcedsmile。What，shehadjustheard，toldinherguest’squaintlanguageasa，statementoffactandsoobviouslywithnothoughtofeffect，had，touchedhermorethananypleaforsympathycouldhavedone。She，feltasifshehadaglimpseintothisman’ssimple，trusting，sensitivesoul。Andwiththatglimpsecameanewfeelingtoward，him，afeelingofpity——yes，andmorethanthat，afeelingof，genuinerespect。
Hesighedagainandrosetogo。”Ideclare，“hesaid，apologetically，“Idon’tknowwhatI’vebeenbotherin’youwithall，thisfor。AsIsaid，I’venevertoldthatyarntoanybodyafore，andInevermeanttotellit。I——“
Butsheinterruptedhim。”Pleasedon’tapologize，“shesaid。”I’m，verygladyoutoldittome。”
“Ical’lateyouthinkit’saqueerreasonforlettin’thishouse，standemptyallthistime。”
“No，Ithinkitwasaverygoodone，andBabbieandIarehonored，toknowthatyourestimateofusissufficientlyhightoovercome，yourprejudice。”
“Well，ma’am，I——Iguessit’sgoin’tobeallright。Ifyoufeel，youcangetalongwithmeforalandlordI’doughtsartintobe，willin’tohaveyoufortenants。CourseIdon’tblamethe，Davidsons，inoneway，youunderstand，but——“
“Ido。Iblamethemineveryway。Theymusthavebeenunspeakable。
Mr。Winslow，IhopeyouwillconsiderBabbieandmenotmerely，tenantsandneighbors，butfriends——realfriends。”
Jeddidnotreplyforatleastaminute。Thenhesaid：“I’mafraid，you’llbekindoflonesome;myfriendsarelikecornsproutsina，henyard，fewandscatterin’。”
“Somuchthebetter;weshallfeelthatwebelongtoselect，company。”
Hedidnotthankhernoranswer，butwalkedslowlyonthroughthe，dining-roomandkitchen，whereheopenedthedoorandsteppedout，uponthegrass。Therehestoodforamoment，gazingatthesky，alternatelypuckeringhislipsandopeningthem，butwithoutsaying，aword。Mrs。ArmstrongandBarbara，whohadfollowedhim，watched，thesefacialgymnastics，theladywithastonishment，herdaughter，withexpectantinterest。
“Iknowwhatheisdoingthatfor，Mamma，“shewhispered。”It’s，becausehe’sthinkinganddon’tknowwhethertowhistleornot。
WhenhethinksAWFULhardhe’salmostsuretowhistle——orsing。”
“Hush，hush，Babbie！”
“Oh，hewon’thearus。Hehardlyeverhearsanyonewhenhe’s，thinkinglikethat。Andsee，Mamma，heISgoingtowhistle。”
Sureenough，theirguestwhistledafewmournfulbars，breakingoff，suddenlytoobserve：
“Ihopetherewan’tanybonesinit。”
“Bonesinwhat？，Whatdoyoumean，Mr。Winslow？”queriedMrs。
Armstrong，whowaspuzzled，tosaytheleast。
“Eh？，Oh，Ihopetherewan’tanybonesinthatmackerelHeman’scat，gotawaywith。Iftherewasitmightchokeorsomethin’。”
“Goodgracious！，Ishouldn’tworryoverthatpossibility，ifIwere，you。Ishouldscarcelyblameyouforwishingitmightchoke，after，stealingyourdinner。”
Mr。Winslowshookhishead。”Thatwouldn’tdo，“solemnly。”Ifit，chokeditcouldn’teverstealanotherone。”
“Butyoudon’tWANTittostealanotherone，doyou？”
“We-ll，ifeveryoneitstolemeantmyhavin’asgoodanafternoon，asthisone’sbeen，I’d——“
Hestopped。Barbaraventuredtospurhimon。
“You’dwhat？”sheasked。
“I’dgiveupwhittlin’weathervanesandgomackerel-seinin’for，thecritter’sbenefit。Well——er——goodday，ma’am。”
“Goodafternoon，Mr。Winslow。Weshallexpectyouagainsoon。You，mustbeneighborly，for，remember，wearefriendsnow。”
Jedwashalfwayacrosstheyard，buthestoppedandturned。
“My——myFRIENDSgenerallycallme’Jed，’“hesaid。Then，hisface，abrightred，hehurriedintotheshopandclosedthedoor。
CHAPTERVIII
Afterthis，havingbrokentheice，Jed，asCaptainSamHunniwell，mighthaveexpressedit，“keptthechannelclear。”，Whenhestopped，atthekitchendoorofhistenants’househenolongerinvariably，refusedtocomeinandsitdown。WhenheinquiredifMrs。
Armstronghadanyerrandstobedonehealsoaskediftherewere，anychoreshemighthelpoutwith。Whentheoldclock——agenuine，SethWillard——onthewalloftheliving-roomrefusedtogo，hecame，in，satdown，tooktherefractorytimepieceinhisarmsand，after，anhourofwhathecalled“putterin’andjackleggin’，“hungitup，againapparentlyinasgoodorderasever。Duringtheprocesshe，whistledalittle，sangahymnortwo，andtalkedwithBarbara，who，foundtheconversationatrifleunsatisfactory。
“HehardlyEVERfinishedwhathewasgoingtosay，“sheconfidedto，hermotherafterward。”He’dstarttotellmeastoryandjustas，hegottothemostinterestingpartsomethingabouttheclockwould，seemto——youknow——troublehimandhe’dstopand，whenhebegan，again，he’dbesinginginsteadoftalking。Iaskedhimwhatmade，himdoitandhesaidhecal’latedhisworksmustbelooseand，everyonceinawhilehisspeakingtrumpetfelldownintohismusic，box。Isn’theafunnyman，Mamma？”
“Heisindeed，Babbie。”
“Yes。PetuniaandIthinkhe’s——he’sperfectlyscrushe-aking。
’Twasawfulniceofhimtofixourclock，wasn’tit，Mamma。”
“Yes，dear。”
“Yes。AndIknowwhyhedidit;hetoldme。’TwasonPetunia’s，account。Hesaidnottoletherknowitbuthe’dtaken，consider’bleofashinetoher。Ithinkhe’stakenashinetome，don’tyou，Mamma？”
“I’msureofit。”
“SoamI。AndI’mostguesshe’stakenonetoyou，too。Anyhowhe，watchesyousuchalotandnoticessomanythings。Heaskedmeto-
dayifyouhadbeencrying。Isaidno。Youhadn’t，hadyou，Mamma？”
Mrs。Armstrongevadedthequestionbychangingthesubject。She，decidedshemustbemorecarefulinhidingherfeelingswhenher，landlordwasabout。Shehadhadnoideathathecouldbeso，observing;certainlyhedidnotlookit。
Butherresolutionwasalittlelate。Jedhadmadeuphismind，thatsomethingwastroublinghisfairtenant。Againandagain，now，thathewascomingtoknowherbetterandbetter，hehadnoticed，theworn，anxiouslookonherface，andoncebeforethedayofthe，clockrepairinghehadseenherwhenitseemedtohimthatshehad，beencrying。Hedidnotmentionhisobservationsorinferencesto，anyone，evenCaptainSam，buthewassurehewasright。Mrs。
Armstrongwasworriedandanxiousandhedidnotliketheidea。He，wishedhemighthelpher，butofcoursehecouldnot。Anotherman，anormalman，onenotlookeduponbyaportionofthecommunityas，“towncrank，“mighthavebeenabletohelp，mighthaveknownhowto，offerhisservicesandperhapshavethemaccepted，butnothe，not，JedidahEdgarWilfredWinslow。Buthewishedhecould。Shehad，askedhimtoconsiderherarealfriend，andtoJed，whohadso，few，afriendwasapossessionholyandprecious。
MeanwhilethewarwastighteningitsgripuponOrhamasuponevery，city，townandhamletintheland。Atfirstithadbeenathingto，readaboutinthepapers，tocheerfor，tokeeptheflagsflying。