\"Justaminute，\"saidtheyoungman。\"Waitjustaminute。Atkins，supposeIaskedyouanotherquestion——wouldyoubecomeviolentatonce？ormerelybydegrees？\"
Sethfrowned。Thesuspiciouslookreturnedtohisface。
\"Humph！\"hegrunted。\"Dependedonwhatyouaskedme，maybe。\"
\"Yes。Well，thisoneisharmless——atleast，Ihopeitis。I
thoughttheotherwas，also，butI……There！there！becalm。
Sitdownagainandlisten。Thisquestionisnothinglikethat。
It’saboutthatassistantofyours，thechapwholeftadayortwobeforeIdriftedin。Whatwerehisduties？Whatdidhehavetodowhenhewashere？\"
\"Wa-al，\"drawledSethwithsarcasm，resuminghisseatonthebench；
\"hewasSUPPOSEDtodoconsider’blemanythings。Standwatchandwatchwithme，andscrubbrassandcleanuparound，andsweepandwashdishesand——and——well，makehimselfgen’rallyuseful。Themwasthedutieshewassupposedtohave。Whathedonewasdiff’rent。
Peskyloafer！Why？\"
\"That’swhatI’mgoingtotellyou。Havetheyappointedhissuccessoryet？Haveyougotanyonetotakehisplace？\"
\"No。Factis，I’doughttohavetelegraphedrightofftotheBoard，butIain’t。IwassogladtoseethelastofhimthatIkeptputtin’itoff。I’lldoittomorrer。\"
\"Perhapsyouwon’tneedto。\"
\"CourseI’llneedto！Whynot？Gottohavesomebodytohelp。
That’srulesandregulations；and，besides，Ican’tkeepawakedayandnight，too。WhatmakesyouthinkIwon’tneedto？\"
Theyoungmanknockedtheashesfromhispipe。Rising，helaidahandonhiscompanion’sshoulder。
\"Becauseyou’vegotanassistantrighthereonthepremises，\"hesaid。\"DeliveredbytheAtlanticexpressrightatyourdoor。Farbeitfrommetotootmyhorn，Mr。Atkins，ortoproclaimmymeritsfromthehousetops。But，speakingasonediscerningpersontoanother，whenitcomestoanA1，firstchoplightkeeper’sassistant，Iask：’What’sthematterwithyourstruly，JohnBrown？’\"
Seth’sreplywasnotinwords。Thehandholdinghispipefelllimpuponhislap，andhestaredatthespeaker。Thelatter，entirelyunabashed，wavedanairygesture，andcontinued。
\"Irepeat，\"hesaid，\"’What’sthematterwithJohnBrown？’Andechoanswers，’He’sallright！’IamacandidateforthepositionofassistantkeeperatEastboroTwin-Lights。\"
\"YOU？\"
\"Me。\"
\"But——but——aw，goon！You’refoolin’。\"
\"Notafool。Imeanit。Iamhere。I’mgreen，butinthesunshineofyourexperienceIagreetoripenrapidly。Icanwashdishes——
you’veseenme。IbelieveIcouldscrubbrassandsweep。\"
\"Youwantin’tobeassistantataplacelikethis！YOU！anedicated，ableyoungchap，that’sbeenusedtovaletsandservantsand——\"
\"Whydoyousaythat？HowdoyouknowI’vebeenusedtothosethings？\"
\"’Cause，asIhintedtoyouaspellago，Iain’taltogetheradumfool。Icanputtwoandtwotogetherandmakefour，withouthavingtheexampledoneformeonablackboard。You’rearichman’sson；
you’vebeenusedtosassietyandcitywaysandgoodclothes。YOU
wantin’toputinyourdaysandnightsinaforsakenholelikethis！
Nonsense！Getout！\"
ButMr。Brownrefusedtogetout。
\"Nononsenseaboutit，\"hedeclared。\"ItisthehandofFate。WiththewholebroadsideofCapeCodtolandupon，whywasIwashedashorejustatthisparticularspot？Answer：——Becauseatthisspot，atthistime，EastboroTwin-Lightsneededanassistantkeeper。I
likethespot。Itisbeautiful。’Farfromthemaddingcrowd’signoblestrife。’Withyourpermission，I’llstayhere。Theleopardmayormaynotchangehisspots，butIsha’n’t。IlikethisoneandhereIstay。Yes，Imeanit。Istay——asyourassistant。Come，whatdoyousay？Isitago？\"
Thelightkeeperroseoncemore。\"I’mgoin’onwatch，\"hesaidwithdecision。\"Youturnin。You’llfeelbetterinthemornin’。\"
Hestartedtowardsthetower。ButJohnBrownsprangfromthebenchandfollowedhim。
\"Notuntilyou’veansweredmyquestion，\"hedeclared。\"AMItobeyourassistant？\"
\"No，courseyouain’t。It’sdumfoolishness。Besides，Iain’tgotthesay；thegovernmenthiresitsownkeepers。\"
\"Butyoucansquarethegovernment。Thatwillbeeasy。Why，\"withamodestgesture，\"lookwhatthegovernmentisgetting。Itwilljumpatthechance。Atkins，youmustsayyes。\"
\"Isha’n’t，neither。Letgoofmyarm。It’sblamefoolishness，I
tellyou。Why，\"impatiently，\"courseit’sfoolishness！Idon’tknowthefirstthingaboutyou。\"
\"Whatofit？Idon’tknowanythingaboutyou，either。\"
Againthelightkeeperseemedunaccountablyagitated。Hestoppedinhisstrideandwhirledtofacehiscompanion。
\"Whatdoyoumeanbythat？\"hedemandedfiercely。Beforetheyoungmancouldreply，heturnedagain，strodetothedoorofthelight，flungitopen，anddisappearedwithin。Thedoorclosedbehindhimwithathunderousbang。
JohnBrowngazedafterhiminbewilderment。Thenheshruggedhisshouldersandreturnedtothebench。
Thesurfatthefootofthebluffgrumbledandchuckledwickedly，asifitknewallofpoorhumanity’ssecretsandfoundacynic’senjoymentintheknowledge。
CHAPTERIV
THECOMINGOFJOB
ThenextmorningSethwasgloomyanduncommunicative。Atthebreakfasttable，whenBrownglancedupfromhisplate，heseveraltimescaughtthelightkeeperlookingintentlyathimwiththedistrustful，half-suspiciousgazeofthenightbefore。Thoughquiteawareofthisscrutiny，hemadenocommentuponituntilthemealwasnearlyover；thenheobservedsuddenly：
\"It’sallright；youneedn’t。\"
\"Needn’twhat？\"demandedAtkins，inastonishment。
\"Lookatmeasifyouexpectedmetoexplodeatanyminute。I
sha’n’t。I’mnotloaded。\"
Sethcolored，underhiscoatofsunburn，andseemedembarrassed。
\"Idon’tknowwhatyou’retalkin’about，\"hestammered。\"HavethemoskeetersaffectedYOURbrains？\"
\"No。Mybrains，suchastheyare，areallright，andIwanttokeepthemso。That’swhyIrequestyounottolookatmeinthatway。\"
\"HowwasIlookin’atyou？Idon’tknowwhatyoumean。\"
\"Yes，youdo。YouarewonderinghowmuchIknow。Idon’tknowanythingandI’mnotcurious。That’sthetruth。Nowwhynotletitgoatthat？\"
\"Seehere，youngfeller，I——\"
\"No；youseehere。I’mnotanOldSleuth；Ihaven’tanyambitionsthatway。Idon’tknowanythingaboutyou——whatyou’vebeen，whatyou’vedone——\"
\"Done！\"Sethleanedacrossthetablesosuddenlythatheupsethischair。\"Done？\"hecried；\"whatdoyoumeanbythat？WhosaidI’ddoneanything？It’salie。\"
\"Whatisalie？\"
\"Why——why——er——whatevertheysaid！\"
\"Whosaid？\"
\"Why，theonesthat——thatsaidwhatyousaidtheysaid。\"
\"Ididn’tsayanyonehadsaidanything。\"
\"Thenwhatdoyoumeanby——byhintin’？Hey？Whatdoyoumeanbyit？\"
Hebrandishedaclenchedfistoverthebreakfastdishes。Brownleanedbackinhischairandclosedhiseyes。
\"Callmewhenthepatientrecovershissenses，\"hedrawledwearily。
\"Thisdeliriumispainfultoasensitivenature。\"
Atkins’sfistwaveredinmid-air，opened，andwasdrawnacrossitsowner’sforehead。
\"Well，byjiminy！\"exclaimedthelightkeeperwithemphasis，\"thisis——is——……IguessIBEcrazy。IfIain’t，youare。Wouldyoumindtellin’mewhatintimeyoumeanbyTHAT？\"
\"Itisnotthemosquitoes，\"continuedhiscompanion，inapparentsoliloquy；\"therearenomosquitoesatpresent。Itmustbetheotherthing，ofcourse。Butsoearlyinthemorning，andsoviolent。Alcoholis——\"
\"SHUTUP！\"Itwasnotarequest，butanorder。Brownopenedhiseyes。
\"Youwereaddressingme？\"heasked，blandly。\"Yes？\"
\"Addressin’you！Forthundersakes，whoelsewouldIbead——……
There！there！NowIcal’lateyou’rehintin’thatI’mdrunk。I
ain’t。\"
\"Indeed？\"
\"Yes，indeed。AndIain’toutofmyhead——notyet；thoughkeepin’
companywithaBedlamitemayhavesomeeffect，Ishouldn’twonder。
Mr。JohnBrown——ifthat’syourname，whichIdoubt——youlistentome。\"
\"Verywell，Mr。SethAtkins——ifthatisyourname，whichIneitherdoubtnorbelieve，notbeingparticularlyinterested——I’mlistening。
Proceed。\"
\"Youtoldmelastnightthatyouwantedthejobofassistantkeeperhereattheselights。Courseyoudidn’tmeanit。\"
\"Idid。\"
\"YouDID！……Well，YOUmustbedrunkorloony。\"
\"I’mneither。AndImeantit。Iwantthejob。\"
Sethlookedathim，andhelookedatSeth。Atlengththelightkeeperspokeagain。
\"Well，\"hesaid，slowly，\"Idon’tunderstanditatall，butnevermind。Whateverhappens，we’vegottounderstandeachother。MindI
don’tsaythejob’syours，evenifwedo；butwecan’teventhinkofitunlessweunderstandeachotherplain。Tobeginwith，IwanttotellyouthatIain’tdonenothin’that’scrooked，norwicked，nornothin’butwhatIthinkisrightandwhatI’ddooveragain。Doyoubelievethat？\"
\"Certainly。AsItoldyou，I’mnotinterested，butI’llbelieveitwithpleasureifyouwishmeto。\"
\"Idon’twishnothin’。You’veGOTtobelieveit。Andwhetheryoustayheretenminutesortenyearsyou’vegottomindyourownbusiness。Iwon’thaveanyhintsorquestionsaboutme——fromyounornobodyelse。’Mindyourownbusiness，’that’sthemottoofEastboroTwin-Lights，whileI’mbossof’em。Ifyoudon’tlikeit——
well，thevillageisonlyfivemileoff，andI’llp’intouttheroadtoyou。\"
Hedeliveredthisultimatumwithextraordinaryenergy。Thenhereachedforhisoverturnedchair，setitonitslegs，andthrewhimselfintoit。\"Well，\"hedemanded，afteramoment；\"whatdoyousaytothat？\"
\"Hurrah！\"repliedMr。Browncheerfully。
\"Hurrah？Forthelandsakes！……Say，CAN’Tyoutalksensible，ifyoutryrealhardandsetyourmindtoit？Whatistheretohurrahabout？\"
\"Everything。Thewholesituation。Atkins，\"Brownleanedforwardnowandspokewithearnestness，\"Ilikeyourmotto。Itsuitsme。
’Mindyourownbusiness’suitsmedowntotheground。ItprovesthatyouandIweremadetoworktogetherinaplacejustlikethis。\"
\"Does，hey？Iwanttoknow！\"
\"Youdoknow。Why，justthink：eachofushaspleaded’notguilty。’
We’vedonenothing——we’reentirelyinnocent——andwewanttoforgetit。Iagreenottoaskyouhowoldyouare，norwhyyouwearyourbrandofwhiskers，norhowyoulikethem，nor——noranything。I
agreenottoaskquestionsatall。\"
\"Humph！butyouaskedsomelastnight。\"
\"Purelybyaccident。Youdidn’tanswerthem。Youaskedmesome，also，ifyouwillremember，andIdidn’tanswerthem，either。Good！
Weforgeteverythingandagreenottodoitagain。\"
\"Ugh！ItellyouIain’tdonenothin’。\"
\"Iknow。NeitherhaveI。Letthedeadpastbeitsownundertaker，sofarasweareconcerned。I’mhonest，Atkins，andtolerablystraight。Ibelieveyouare；Ireallydo。Butwedon’tcaretotalkaboutourselves，that’sall。And，fortunately，kindProvidencehasbroughtustogetherinaplacewherethere’snooneelseTO
talk。Ilikeyou，Icredityouwithgoodtaste；therefore，youmustlikeme。\"
\"Hey？Ho，ho！\"Sethlaughed，inspiteofhimself。\"Youngman，\"heobserved，\"youain’tcultivatedyourmodestyunderglass，haveyou？\"
Brownsmiled。\"Jokingaside，\"hesaid，\"Idon’tseewhyI
shouldn’t，intime，makeanidealassistantlightkeeper。Givemeatrial，atanyrate。Ineedanemployer；youneedahelper。Herewebothare。Come；itisabargain，isn’tit？Anybrasstobescrubbed——boss？\"
Ofcourse，hadEastboroTwin-Lightsbeenanimportantstation，thepossibilityofJohnBrown’sremainingtherewouldhavebeennonexistent。Ifithadbeenwinter，orevenearlyspringorfall，aregularassistantwouldhavebeenappointedatonce，andthecastawaygivenhiswalkingpapers。IfSethAtkinshadnotbeenSethAtkins，particularfriendofthedistrictsuperintendent，mattersmighthavebeendifferent。ButtheEastborolightswereunimportant，merelyahalf-waymarkbetweenOrhamontheonehandandthepowerfulSeaboardHeightsbeaconontheother。Itwasthebeginningofsummer，whenwrecksalmostneveroccurred。AndthesuperintendentlikedSeth，andSethlikedhim。So，althoughMr。
Atkinsstillscoffedathisguest’sbecomingapermanentfixtureatthelights，andmerelyconsented，aftermoreparley，toseeifhecouldn’tarrangeforhimto\"hangaroundandhelpaspelluntilsomebodyelsewassent，\"theconversationwiththesuperintendentoverthelongdistance’phoneresultedmorefavorablyforBrownthanthatnonchalantyounggentlemanhadareasonablerighttoexpect。
\"TheLordknowswhoIcansendyounow，Atkins！\"saidthesuperintendent。\"Ican’tthinkofamananywherethatcanbespared。Ifyoucangetonforadayortwolonger，I’lltrytogetahelperdown！butwherehe’scomingfromIdon’tsee。\"
ThenSethsprungthenewsthathehada\"sortofhelper\"already。
\"He’salikelyyoungchapenough，\"admittedthelightkeeper，whisperingthewordsintothetransmitter，inorderthatthe\"likelyyoungchap\"mightnothear；\"buthe’spurtygreenyet。Hewantsthereg’larjoband，givemetimeenough，Ical’lateIcanbreakhimin。
Yes，I’mprettysureIcan。Andit’stheoffseason，sotherereallyain’tnodanger。Inamonthhe’dbedoin’fust-rate。\"
\"Whoishe？Wheredidhecomefrom？\"askedthesuperintendent。
\"Name’sBrown。Hecomefrom——fromoffhereaways，\"wasthestrictlytruthfulanswer。\"Heusedtobeonasteamboat。\"
\"Allright。Ifyou’lltakeashareoftheresponsibility，I’lltaketherest。And，assoonasIcan，I’llsendyouaregularman。\"
\"Ican’tpayyounosteadywages，\"Sethexplainedtohisnewhelper。
\"Salariescomefromthegov’ment，and，untiltheysayso，Iain’tgotnorighttodoit。AndIcan’tletyoumonkeywiththelights，excepttocleanuparoundandsuch。Ifyouwanttostayaspell，untilanassistant’sapp’inted，I’llundertaketoberesponsibleforyourkeep。Andifyouneedsomenewshoesorstockin’soracap，orthelikeofthat，I’llseeyouget’em。Further’nthatIcan’tgoyet。It’saprettypoorjobforafellowlikeyou，andifIwasyouIwouldn’ttakeit。\"
\"Oh，yes，youwould，\"repliedBrown，withconviction。\"IfyouwereI，youwouldtakeitwithbellson。Othersmayyearnforthestrenuouslife，butnotyourhumbleservant。Asforme，Istayhereand’cleanuparound。’\"
Andstayhedid，performingthecleaningupandotherdutieswithunexpectedsuccessandzeal。Atkins，forthefirstdayortwo，watchedhimintently，beingstillatriflesuspiciousandfearfulofhis\"substituteassistant。\"Butastimepassedandthelatteraskednomorequestions，seemednotintheleastcuriousconcerninghissuperior，andremainedthesamecool，easy-going，cheerfulindividualwhomSethhadfoundasleeponthebeach，thelightkeeper’ssuspicionswereended。ItwastruethatBrownwasasmysteriousandsecretiveaseverconcerninghisownpast，butthathadbeenapartoftheirbargain。Atkins，whopridedhimselfonbeingajudgeofhumannature，decidedthathishelperwasayounggentlemanintrouble，butthatthetrouble，whateveritmightbe，involvednothingcriminalordishonest。Thathewasagentleman，hewassure——hisbearingandmannerprovedthat；buthewasagentlemanwhodidnot\"putonairs。\"Notthattherewasanyreasonwhyheshouldputonairs，but，sofarasthatwasconcerned，therewasnoapparentreasonforthemonumentalconceitandcondescensionofsomeoftheinflatedcityboardersinthevillage。Brownwasnotlikethosepeopleatall。
Sethhadtakenafancytohimattheirfirstmeeting。Nowhislikingsteadilyincreased。CompanionshipinalonelyspotlikeEastboroTwin-Lightsisatestofaman’stemper。Brownstoodthetestwell。Ifhemademistakesinthework——andhedidmakesomeridiculousones——hecheerfullyundidthemwhentheywerepointedouttohim。Hewas，forthemostpart，good-naturedandwillingtotalk，thoughtherewereperiodswhenheseemeddepressedandwanderedoffbyhimselfalongthebeachorsatbytheedgeofthebluff，staringouttosea。Thelightkeepermadenocommentonthistraitinhischaracter。Ithelpedtoconfirmhisownjudgmentconcerningtheyoungfellow’strouble。Peopleintroubleweresubjecttofitsofthe\"blues，\"andduringthesefitstheylikedtobealone。Sethknewthisfromhisownexperience。Thereweretimeswhenhe，too，soughtsolitude。
Hetrustedhishelpermoreandmore。Hedidnot，ofcourse，permithimtotakethenightwatchinthelights，buthedidtrusthimtotheextentofleavinghimaloneforawholeafternoonwhilehedrovetheoldhorse，attachedtotheantique\"openwagon\"——bothsteedandvehicleapartofthegovernmentproperty——overtoEastborotopurchasetobaccoandnewspapersatthestore。Onhisreturnhefoundeverythingasitshouldbe，andthistestledhimtomakeothers，eachofwhichwassuccessfulinprovingJohnBrownfaithfuloverafewthingsand，therefore，intime，tobeintrustedwithmanyandmoreimportantones。
Brown，onhispart，likedSeth。Hehadprofessedtolikehimduringtheconversationatthebreakfasttablewhichresultedinhisremainingatthelights，butthenhewasnotentirelyserious。Hewas，ofcourse，gratefulforthekindnessshownhimbytheoddlongshoremanandenjoyedthelatter’ssocietyanddrollremarksashewouldhaveenjoyedanythingoutoftheordinaryandquaintlyamusing。Butnowhereallylikedtheman。SethAtkinswasacountryman，andamarkedcontrasttoanyindividualBrownhadevermet，buthewasfarfrombeingafool。Hepossessedafundofdrycommonsense，andhiscommentsonpeopleandhappeningsintheworld——aknowledgeofwhichhederivedfromthenewspapersandmagazinesobtainedonhistripstoEastboro——wereaconstantdelight。And，morethanall，herespectedhiscompanion’sdesiretoremainamystery。BrowndecidedthatAtkinswas，ashehadjokinglycalledhim，amanwithapast。Whatthatpastmightbe，hedidnotknowortrytolearn。\"Mindyourownbusiness，\"SethhaddeclaredtobethemottoofEastboroTwin-Lights，andthatmottosuitedbothpartiestotheagreement。
Thelightkeeperstoodwatchinthetoweratnight。Duringmostofthedayheslept；but，afterthefirstweekwasover，andhistrustinhishelperbecamemorefirm，hedevelopedthehabitofrisingattwointheafternoon，eatingabreakfast——ordinner，orwhateverthemealmightbecalled——andwanderingoffalongthecrookedroadleadingsouthandinthedirectionofPounddugSlough。Theroad，littleusedandgrassgrown，twistedandturnedamidthedunesuntilitdisappearedinadistantgroveofscruboaksandpitchpines。
Eachafternoon——exceptonSundaysandontheoccasionsofhisexcursionstothevillage——Atkinswouldrisefromthetable，sauntertothedoortolookattheweather，andthen，withoutexcuseorexplanation，startslowlydowntheroad。Forthefirsthundredyardshesauntered，thenthesaunterbecameabriskwalk，andwhenhereachedtheedgeofthegrovehewashurryingalmostatadogtrot。Sometimeshecarriedaburdenwithhim，abrownpaperparcelbroughtfromEastboro，ahammer，asaw，oracoilofrope。Oncehedescendedtotheboathouseatthefootofthebluffbytheinletandemergedbearingabigbundleofcanvas，apparentlyanoldsail；thishearranged，withsomedifficulty，onhisshoulderandstumbleduptheslope，pastthecornerofthehouseandawaytowardthegrove。
Brownwatchedhimwonderingly。Wherewashegoing，andwhy？Whatwasthemysteriousdestinationofallthesetoolsandoldjunk？
WheredidSethspendhisafternoonsandwhy，whenhereturned，didhishandsandclothessmelloftar？Thesubstituteassistantwaspuzzled，butheaskednoquestions。AndSethvolunteerednosolutionofthepuzzle。
Yetthesolutioncame，andinanunexpectedway。Sethdrovetothevillageoneafternoonandreturnedwithliterature，smokingmaterialsandanannouncement。Thelatterhemadeduringsupper。
\"Itriedtobuythatflypaperwewantedtoday，\"heobserved，asapreliminary。\"Couldn’tgetnone。Allout。\"
\"Butwillhavesomeinveryshortly，Ipresume，\"suggestedtheassistant，whoknewtheidiosyncrasiesofcountrystores。
\"Oh，yes，sartin！Expectin’iteveryminute。Thatstore’sgotaconsider’blesightmoreexpectationsinitthanithasanythingelse。They’realwayssixmonthsaheadoftheseasonorbehinditinthatstore。Whenit’ssocoldthatthesnowbirdsgetchilblainsthey’llhavetheshelveschuckfullofflypaper。Now，whenit’shotterthanakittleofpeppertea，thebulkoftheirstockisicepicksandmittens。Bah！However，they’regoin’tosendtheflypaperoverwhenitcomes，alongwiththedog。\"
\"Thedog？\"repeatedBrowninamazement。
\"Yup。That’swhatIwasgoin’totellyou——aboutthedog。I
orderedadogtoday。Didn’tpaynothin’forhim，youunderstand。
HenryG。，thestorekeeper，gavehimtome。Theboy’llfetchhimdownwhenhefetchestheflypaper。\"
\"Adog？We’re——you’regoingtokeepadog——here？\"
\"Surething。Whynot？Gotroomenoughtokeepawholezoologicalmenagerieifwewantedto，ain’twe？Besides，adog’llbehandytohavearound。BillFoster，thelifesaver，toldmethatsomebodybustedintothestationhenhouseonenightaweekagoandgotawaywithfouroftheirlikeliestpullets。Hecal’lates’twastrampsorboys。Wedon’tkeephens，butthere’ssomestuffinthatboathouseIwouldn’twantstole，and，bein’asthere’snolockonthedoor，adogwouldbeasortofprotection，asyoumightsay。\"
\"Butthieveswouldnevercomewaydownhere。\"
\"Whynot？’Tain’tanyfurtherawayfromtherestofcreationthanthelifesavin’station，isit？Anyhow，HenryG。givethedogtomefreefornothin’，andthat’samiracleofitself。You’dsayso，too，ifyouknewHenry。IwassosurprisedthatIsaidI’dtakeitrightoff；felt’twouldbeflyin’inthefaceofProvidencenotto。
Amiracle——jumpin’Judas！IneverknewHenrytogiveanybodyanythingafore——unless’twasthesmallpox，andthen’twan’tagenuinecase，nothin’butvarioloid。\"
\"Butwhatkindofadogisit？\"
\"Idon’tknow。Henryusedtoownthemotherofit，andshewasonequartermastiffandtherestassortedvarieties。Thisonehe’sgivin’meain’tawholedog，yousee；justahalf-grownpup。Thevarioloidalloveragain——hey？Ho，ho！Ididn’treallytakehimforsartin，youunderstand；justontrial。Ifwelikehim，we’llkeephim，that’sall。\"
Thethirdafternoonfollowingthisannouncement，Brownwasaloneinthekitchen，andbusy。Sethhaddepartedononeofhismysteriousexcursions，carryingacoilofrope，apulleyandagalloncanofpaint。Beforeleavingthehousehehadgivenhishelpersomeinstructionsconcerningsupper。
\"Might’swellhavealobstertonight，\"hesaid。\"Evercookalobster，didyou？\"
No，Mr。Brownhadnevercookedalobster。
\"Well，it’ssimpleenough。Allyou’vegottodoisbilehim。Bilehiminhotwatertillhe’sdone。\"
\"Isee。\"Thesubstituteassistantwasnotenthusiastic。Cookinghedidnotlove。
\"Humph！\"hegrunted。\"Iimaginedifhewasboiledatall，itwasbeinhotwater，notcold。\"
Atkinschuckled。\"Imeanyouwanttohavethewaterbilin’hotwhenyouputhimin，\"heexplained。\"Waittillshebilesupgoodandthensousehim；see？\"
\"Iguessso。Howdoyouknowwhenhe’sdone？\"
\"Oh——er——Ican’ttellyou。You’llhavetotrusttoyourinstinct，I
cal’late。Whenhelooksdone，heISdone，mostgen’rallyspeakin’。\"
\"Dearme！howclearyoumakeit。Wouldyoumindhintin’astohowhelookswhenhe’sdone？\"
\"Why——why，DONE，ofcourse。\"
\"Yes，ofcourse。Howstupidofme！Heisdonewhenhelooksdone，andwhenhelooksdoneheisdone。Anychildcouldfollowthosedirections。HOWishedone——brown？\"
\"No。Brown！theidea！Red，ofcourse。He’sgreenwhenyouputhiminthekittle，andwhenyoutakehimout，he’sred。That’sonewayyoucantell。\"
\"Yes，thatwillhelpsome。Allright，I’llboilhimtillhe’sred，youneedn’tworryaboutthat。\"
\"Oh，Isha’n’tworry。Solong。I’llbebackaboutsixorso。Puthiminwhenthewater’sgoodandhot，andyou’llcomeoutallright。\"
\"Thankyou。IhopeHEwill，butIhavemydoubts。Whereishe？\"
\"Who？thelobster？There’sdozensdowninthecarbythewharf。
Liftthecoverandfishoneoutwiththedipnet。Pickoutthebiggestoneyoucanfind，’causeI’mlikelytobehungrywhenIgetback，andyourappetiteain’tahummin’bird’s。There！I’vegottogoifIwanttogetanythingdoneafore——……Humph！nevermind。
Solong。\"
Hehurriedaway，asifconsciousthathehadsaidmorethanheintended。Atthecornerofthehouseheturnedtocall：
\"Isay！Brown！bekindofcarefulwhenyoudiphimout。Noneof’emareplugged。\"
\"What？\"
\"Isaynoneofthemlobsters’clawsareplugged。Ididn’thavetimetoplugthelastlotIgotfrommypots，soyouwanttohandle’emcarefullike，elsethey’llnipyou。Totetheoneyoupickoutuptothehouseinthedip-net；thenyou’llbeallright。\"
Evidentlyconsideringthiswarningsufficienttopreventanypossibletrouble，hedeparted。JohnBrownseatedhimselfinthearmchairbythedoorandgazedatthesea。Hegazedandthoughtuntilhecouldbeartothinknolonger；thenheroseandenteredthekitchen，wherehekindledafireintherangeandfilledakettlewithwater。Havingthusmadereadythesacrificialaltar，hetookthelong-handleddip-netfromitsnailanddescendedtheblufftothewharf。
Thelobstercar，agood-sizedaffairoflathswithahingedcoverclosingtheopeninginitsuppersurface，wasfloatingunderthewharf，towhichitwasattachedbyarope。Brownkneltonthestring-pieceandpeereddownatit。Itfloateddeepinthewater，thetideripplingstronglythroughit，betweenthelaths。Thecoverwasfastenedwithawoodenbutton。
Thesubstituteassistant，afteradealoffutileandexasperatingpokingwiththehandleofthenet，managedtoturnthebuttonandthrowbacktheleather-hingedcover。Throughthesquareopeningthewaterbeneathlookeddarklygreen。Therewasmuchseaweedinthecar，andoccasionallythisweedwasstirredbylivingthingswhichmovedsluggishly。
JohnBrownreversedthenet，and，lyingflatonthewharf，gingerlythrustthebusinessendofthecontrivancethroughtheopeningandintothedark，weed-streakedwater。Thenhebeganfeelingforhisprey。
Hecouldfeelit。Apparentlythecarwasalivewithlobsters。Ashemovedthenetthroughthewatertherewasalwaysonejustbeforeitorbehindit；butatleasttenminuteselapsedbeforehemanagedtogetoneinit。Atlength，whenhisarmswerewearyandhispatiencealmostexhausted，thesubmergednetbecameheavy，andthehandleshookinhisgrasp。Heshortenedhisholdandbegantopullinhandoverhand。Hehadalobster，abiglobster。
Hecouldseeapairofclawsopeningandshuttingwickedly。Heraisedthecreaturethroughtheopening，balancedthenetonitsedge，roseononeknee，triedtostanderect，stumbled，losthisholdonthehandleandshotthelobsterneatlyoutofthemeshes，overtheedgeofthecar，andintothefreewatersofthechannel。
Thenheexpressedhisfeelingsaloudandwithemphasis。
Fiveminuteslaterhegotanother，butitwastoosmalltobeofuse。Intwentyminuteshenettedthreemore，twoofwhichgotaway。
Thethird，however，hedraggedpantinglytothewharfandsatbesideit，gloating。Itwashisforkeeps，anditwasabigone，thegreat-grandaddyoflobsters。Itsclawsclashedandsnappedatthetwineofthenetlikeapairofgiantnutcrackers。
Carryingitasfarfromhisbodyasitsweightattheendofthehandlewouldpermit，heboreitintriumphtothekitchen。Toboilalobsteralivehadseemedameantrick，andcruel，whenSethAtkinsfirstorderedhimtodoit。Nowhedidn’tmind；itwouldservethethingrightforbeingsohardtocatch。Enteringthekitchen，hebalancedthenetacrossachairandsteppedtotherangetoseeifthewaterwasboiling。Itwasnot，andforaverygoodreason——thefirehadgoneout。AgainMr。Brownexpressedhisfeelings。
Thefire，newlykindled，hadburnedtothelastash。Ifhehadbeentheretoaddmorecoalinseason，itwouldhavesurvived；buthehadbeenotherwiseengaged。Therewasnothingtobedoneexceptrakeouttheashesandbeginanew。Thishedid。Whenheremovedthekettlehedecidedatoncethatitwasmuchtoosmallforthepurposerequiredofit。Toboilalobsterofthatsizeinakettleofthatsizewouldnecessitateboilingoneendatatime，andthat，bothforthevictimandhimself，wouldbetroublesomeandagonizing。Hehuntedaboutforalargerkettleand，findingnone，seizedindesperationuponthewashboiler，filledit，andliftedittothetopofthestoveabovetheflickeringnewfire。
Thefireburnedslowly，andhesatdowntorestandwait。Ashesankintothechair——notthatacrosswhichthenettedlobsterwasbalanced，butanother——hebecameawareofcurioussoundsfromwithout。Distantsoundstheywere，faroffandfaint，butgrowingsteadilylouder；wailsandlong-drawnhowls，mournfulanddespairing。
\"A-a-oo-ow！Aa-ow-ooo！\"
\"Whatintheworld？\"mutteredBrown，andranoutofthekitchenandaroundthecornerofthehouse。
Therewasnothinginsight，nothingstrangeorunusual，thatis。
Joshua，Seth’soldhorse，pickettedtoapostinthebackyardandgrazing，ortryingtograze，onthestubbybeachgrass，wastheonlylivingexhibit。Butthesoundscontinuedandgrewlouder。
\"Aa-ow-ooo！Ow-oo-ow-ooo！\"
Overtheriseofadune，ahundredyardsoff，wheretheroadtoEastborovillagedippedtowardsaswampyhollow，appearedahorse’sheadandthetopofacoveredwagon。Amomentlaterthedriverbecamevisible，afreckledfacedboygrinninglikeapumpkinlantern。Thehorsetrottedthroughthesanduptothelights。
Joshuawhinniedasifheenjoyedtheprospectofcompany。Fromthebackofthewagon，somewherebeneaththeshadeofthecover，aroseaheartrendingwail，reekingofsorrowandagony。
\"Aa-ow-OOO！Ooo-aa-OW！\"
\"Forheaven’ssake，\"exclaimedthelightkeeper’shelper，runningtomeetthevehicle，\"whatisthematter？\"
Theboygrinnedmoreexpansivelythanever。\"Whoa！\"heshouted，tothehorsehewasdriving。Theanimalstoppedinhistracks，evidentlygladoftheopportunity。Anotherhowlburstfromthecovereddepthsofthewagon。
\"I’vegothim，\"saidtheboy，withatriumphantnodandajerkofhisthumboverhisshoulder。\"He’sinthere。\"
\"He？Who？What？\"
\"Job。He’sinthere。Hearhim？He’sbeengoin’onlikethateversincehefinishedhisbone，andthatwasovertwomileback。Say，\"
admiringly，\"he’ssomesinger，ain’the！Hearthat，willye？\"
Anotherwailarosefromthewagon。Brownhastenedtotherearofthevehicle，onthecanvassideofwhichwerepaintedthewords\"HenryG。Goodspeed，Groceries，DryandFancyGoodsandNotions，Eastboro，\"andpeeredinoverthetailboard。Theinteriorofthewagonwaswellnighfilledbyabigboxwithstripsofboardnailedacrossitstop。Frombetweenthesestripsatawnynosewasuplifted。Asthehelperstaredwonderinglyattheboxandthenose，theboysprangfromhisseatandjoinedhim。
\"That’shim，\"declaredtheboy。\"Hi，there，Job，tuneupnow！
What’sthematterwithye？\"
Hisanswerwasanunearthlyhowlfromthebox，accompaniedbyamightyscratching。Theboylaugheddelightedly。
\"Ain’theawonder？\"hedemanded。\"Oughttobeinchurchchoir，hadn’the。\"
Brownsteppedonthehubofarearwheel，and，clingingtothepostofthewagoncover，lookeddownintothebox。Thecreatureinsidewasaboutthesizeofamontholdcalf。
\"It’sa——it’sadog，\"heexclaimed。\"Adog，isn’tit？\"
\"Sure，it’sadog。Orhe’llbeadogwhenhegrowsup。Nothin’butapupnow，heain’t。where’sSeth？\"
\"Seth？Oh，Mr。Atkins；he’snothere。\"
\"Ain’the？Where’shegone？\"
\"Idon’tknow。\"
\"Don’tye？When’shecomin’back？HUSHUP！\"Thislastwasacommandtotheprisonerinthebox，whopaidabsolutelynoattentiontoit。
\"Idon’tknowwhenhe’llbeback。Doyouwanttoseehimpersonally？Won’tIdo？I’minchargeheretillhereturns。\"
\"Beye？Oh，you’rethenewassistantfromBoston。You’lldo。AllIwanttodoisunloadhim——Job，Imean——andleaveacouplebundlesofflypaperSethordered。Here！\"loweringthetailboardandclimbingintothewagon，youcatchaholtoft’otherendofthebox，andI’llshoveonthisone。Hushup，Job！Nobody’sgoin’toeatye——’lessit’sthemoskeeters。Now，then，mister，herehecomes。\"
Hebeganpushingtheboxtowardtheopenendofthewagon。Thedog’swhinesandscreamsandscratchingsfurnishedanaccompanimentalmostdeafening。
\"Wait！Stop！Forheaven’ssake，wait！\"shoutedBrown。\"Whatareyouputtingthatbruteoffherefor？Idon’twanthim。\"
\"Yes，youdo。Sethdoes，anyhow。HenryG。madehimapresentofJoblasttimeSethwasovertothestore。Didn’thetellye？\"
Thenthesubstituteassistantremembered。Thiswasthe\"half-grownpup\"Atkinshadsaidwastobebroughtoverbythegroceryboy。
Thiswasthecreaturetheyweretoaccept\"ontrial。\"
\"Well，byGeorge！\"heexclaimedindisgust。
\"Didn’tSethtellye？\"askedtheboyagain。
\"Yes……Yes，Ibelievehedid。But——\"
\"ThenstandbywhileIunloadhim。Herehecomesnow。H’isthimdowneasyasyoucan。\"
Thatwasnottooeasy，fortheendoftheboxslidfromthetail-
boardtothegroundwithathumpthatshookthebreathfromtheprisonerwithin。Butthebreathcamebackagainandfurnishedmotivepowerformoreandworsehowlsandwhines。Joshuaprickeduphisearsandtrottedtothefurtherendofhishalter。
\"There！\"saidHenryG。’sboy，jumpingtothegroundbesidethebox，\"that’soffmyhands，thankthemercy！Here’syourflypaper。Fivedozensheets。Youmusthaveprettynighasmanyfliesdownhereasyouhavemoskeeters。Well，solong。Igottobegoin’。\"
\"Waitaminute，\"pleadedBrown。\"WhatshallIdowiththis——er——
blesseddog？Ishesavage？Whydidyoubringhiminacrate——likeapiano？\"
\"’Cause’twastheeasiestway。Youcouldn’ttiehimup，notinacartnobigger’nthis。Might’swelltieupanelephant。Besides，hewon’tstaytiedupnowheres。BustedmoreclotheslinesthanI’vegotfingersandtoes，thatpuphas。Heneedsachaincabletokeephimtohismoorin’s。Don’tye，Job，youoldearthquake？Hey？\"
Hepoundedonthebox，andtheearthquakeobligedwitharenewedseriesofshocksandshakings。
Thelightkeeper’sassistantsmiledinspiteofhimself。
\"WhonamedhimJob？\"heasked。
\"HenryG。’scousinfromBoston。Hesaidheseemedtobealwayssufferin’andfillin’thelandwithroarin’s，likeJobintheBible。
So，bein’ashehadn’tnonameexceptcusswords，thatonestuck。I
cal’lateHenryG。’sgladenoughtogetridofhim。Ho！ho！\"
\"DidMr。Atkinsseehis——this——didheseehispresentbeforeheacceptedit？\"
\"No。That’sthebestpartofthejoke。Well，\"clamberingtohisseatandpickingupthereins，\"I’vegotfivemileofsandandmoskeeterstonavigate，soI’vegottobejoggin’。Oh，say！goin’
toleavehimintheboxthere，beye？\"
\"Iguessso，forthepresent。\"
\"Well，Iwouldn’tleavehimtoolong。He’sstronger’nSamsonandthePhilippinesrolledtogether，andhe’shumpeduphisbacksomuchonthewayacrostthathe’sstartedmostofthenailsinthemslatsovertopofhim。Itellyewhatyoudo：Givehimaboneorachunkoftoughmeattochawon。Thenhe’llresteasyforaspell。
Goodbye。IwishIcouldstayandseeSethwhenhelooksathispresent，butIcan’t。Gid-dap，January。\"
Thegrocerywagonrolledoutoftheyard。TheforsakenJobsentaroarofregretafterhim。Also，he\"humpedushisback，\"andthenailsholdingtheslatsinplacestartedandgavealarmingly。JohnBrownhastenedtothehouseinquestofabone。
CHAPTERV
THEGOINGOFJOSHUA
Hefoundone，afteratime，therelicofaham，withagooddealofmeatonit。Atkins，economicalsoul，wouldhaveprotestedinhorroragainstthesinfulwaste，buthishelperwouldcheerfullyhavesacrificedawholehogtoquietthewailsfromtheboxintheyard。
Hepushedthehambonebetweentheslats，andJobreceiveditgreedily。Thehowlsandwhinesceasedandweresucceededbygnawingsandcrunchings。Brownreturnedtothekitchentoinspecthisneglectedfire。
Thistimethefirewasnotout，butitburnedslowly。Thewaterinthewashboilerwasonlylukewarm。Thebiglobsterinthenetbalancedonthechairclashedhisclawswickedlyasthesubstituteassistantapproached。Thedoorhadbeenleftopen，andtheroomhummedwithflies。Brownshutthedoorand，whilewaitingforthewatertoheat，separatedadozensheetsofthestickyflypaperandplacedtheminconspicuousplaces。Hewonderedashedidsowhatsomeofhisformeracquaintanceswouldsayiftheycouldseehim。
He——HE——acook，andaroustabout，adishwasherandascrubberofbrassatEastboroTwin-Lights！Howlongmusthestaythere？Formonthsatleast。Heshouldbethankfulthathewasthere；thankfulthattherewassuchaplace，wherenoonecameandwherehecouldremainuntilhewasforgotten。Hewasthankful，ofcoursehewas。
Butwhatalifetolive！
HewonderedwhatAtkinsthoughtofhim；howmuchthelightkeeperguessedconcerninghisidentityandhisstory。Hecouldnotguesswithinmilesofthetruth，buthemustindulgeinsomecuriousspeculations。ThenhefelltowonderingaboutSethhimself。Whatwasitthatthelight-keeperwashidingfromtheworld？Oddthattwopeople，eachpossessingasecret，shouldcometogetheratthatlonelyspot。WherewasitthatSethwentalmosteveryafternoon？
Hadthesedailyabsencesanyconnectionwiththegreatmystery？
Hedistributedthesheetsofflypaperabouttheroom，inplaceswherehejudgedthemlikelytodothemostgood，andhadthesatisfactionofseeinganumberofthetormentinginsectscaughtimmediately。Thenhetestedthewaterintheboiler。Itwaswarmer，evenhot，butnotboiling。
Hehadalmostforgottenthedog，butnowwasremindedbytheanimalitself，who，havingapparentlyswallowedthebonewhole，beganoncemoretohowllugubriously。Browndecidedtolethimhowlforthepresent，and，goingintotheliving-room，pickedupanoldmagazineandbeganlistlesslytoread。
Thehowlsfromtheyardcontinued，swelledtoacrescendoofshrieksandthensuddenlyceased。Amomentlatertherewasathumpandamightyscratchingatthekitchendoor。Thesubstituteassistantdroppedthemagazineandsprangfromhischair。
\"GoodLord！\"heexclaimed；\"Ibelieve——\"
Hedidnotfinishthesentence。Therewasnoneed。Ifhehadanydoubtsastothecauseoftheracketatthedoortheyweredispelledbyahowllikeafogwhistle。\"Job\"hadescapedfromdurancevileandwasseekingcompanionship。
Brownmutteredanexclamationofimpatienceand，openingthedooraverylittleway，peepedthroughthecrack。Thepup——helookedlikeascrawnyyounglion——hailedhisappearancewithaseriesofwildyelps。HismouthopenedlikeaMammothCaveinminiature，andafootofredtongueflappedlikeadangersignal。
\"Getout，youbrute！\"orderedBrown。
Jobdidnotgetout。Insteadheyelpedagainandcaperedwiththegraceofacow。Hisfeetandlegsseemedtohavegrownoutofproportiontotherestofhim；theywereenormous。Downthelengthofhisyellowbackwerethreerawfurrowswhichthenailsoftheboxcoverhadscrapedasheclimbedfromunderthem。
\"Nicedog！\"coaxedthelightkeeper’shelper。\"Nicedoggie！Goodoldboy！\"
Thegoodoldboyprancedjoyfullyandmadeachargeatthedoor。
Brownslammeditshutjustintime。
\"Clearout！\"heyelled，frombehindit。\"Goaway！Goandliedown！\"
Theanswerwasamightyhowlofdisappointmentandanassaultonthedoorwhichthreatenedtoshatterthepanels。Job’spawswerearmedwithclawsproportionatetotheirsize。
Thiswouldneverdo。Thepaintonthatdoorhadbeenfurnishedbythegovernment，andAtkinswasverycarefulofit。Brown，within，poundedaprotestandagaincommandedthedogtogoandliedown。
Job，without，thumpedandscratchedandhowledlouderthanever。Hehaddecidedlythebestoftheduet，andthedoorwassufferingeverysecond。Brownpickedupthefireshovelandthrewthedoorwideopen。
\"Getout！\"heroared。\"GetoutorI’llkillyou！\"
Hebrandishedtheshovel，expectinganassault。Butnonecame。ItwasevidentthatJobknewashovelwhenhesawit，hadencounteredothershovelsinthecourseofhisbriefyounglife。Hisearsandtaildrooped，andhebackedaway。
\"Clearout！\"repeatedBrown，advancingthreateningly。Witheachstepoftheadvance，Jobretreatedacorrespondingdistance。Whentheassistantstopped，hestopped。Brownloweredtheshovelandlookedathim。Thedoggrovelledinthesandandwhineddolefully。