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。