"Iunderstand，"hesaid。"Ihaveheardaboutyou，Mr。Paine。
　　This，however，isadifferentmatter。Wearenothogs，Mr。Paine，butbusinessmen。Ifourplansgothrough，Denborowillbegratefultousandtoyou。"
　　"IFtheygothrough？Ithoughtyouwerecertainoftheirgoingthrough。"
　　"Certainly，certainly。Thereis，ofcourse，an’if’inallhumanplans，butourparticular’if’isasmallone。Ihopeyouwillnameyourfigurenow，atonce。Don’tbeafraid。Wearedisposedtobeliberal。And，understand，thisisentirelyacashtransaction。Youshallhavethemoneyinonehandasyousignthecontractwiththeother。Ha！ha！Whatisthepricetobe？"
　　ButIwouldnotnameaprice。IseemedtofeelasunreasonablyreluctanttoclosewiththeBayShoreDevelopmentCompanyasIhadbeenwithCaptainJedorColton。
　　"ShallImakeabid？"askedKeene。
　　"No，notyetatanyrate。Tellme，this：Whoselandhaveyoualreadybought？"
　　Heshookhishead。"That，ofcourse，"hesaid，withthesamegracioussmile，"Icanhardlytelleventoyou。Someofthedealsarenotyetclosed，and，asabusinessmanyourself，Mr。Paine，you——"
　　"Iamnotabusinessman，"Iinterrupted，impatiently。"Atleast，notmuchofaone。Yousaytherearecapitalistsbehindyourscheme。Whoarethey？"
　　Helaidhishandonmyknee。"Why，that，"hesaid，"isasecretnooneissupposedtoknow。Men——financierssuchasweareproudtoserve——permittheirnamestobeknownonlywhenthecorporationisreadytobeginactualoperations。Thatisnaturalenough。IfI
　　weretomentionnames——well，someofyourYankeeneighborswouldwanttobecomemillionairesbeforeselling。"
　　Therewastruthinthis。Iimaginethatheguessedhehadmadeanimpression，forhewentontoshouthispraisesofthecompanyandthegreatnessofitsplan。Hetalkedandtalked；infacthetalkedtoomuch。Ididnotliketohearhim。IdidnotlikeHIM，thatwasthetrouble。Hewastoosmoothandvolublealtogether。Andhemadeamistakeinpattingmyknee。
　　"Verywell，"saidI，risingfrommychair；"I’llthinkitover。"
　　Hewasplainlydisappointed。"Idon’twishtohurryyou，ofcourse，"hesaid，notmovingfromhischair，"butweareanxioustoclose。Thisistobecash，remember，andIstandreadytomakeanoffer。Iamsurewecanreachanagreement，satisfactorytobothsides，Mr。Paine。"
　　"Perhaps，butIprefertothinkthematteroverbeforenamingapriceorhearingyouroffer。"
　　AsamatteroffactIdidnotintendtosell，orconsiderselling，untilIhaddiscussedthewholeaffairwithMother。Buttherewasnoneedtotellhimthat。
　　"Iamsorry，Iconfess，"hesaid。"Ihopedthisparticulardealmightbeclosed。Wehavesomanyoftheselittledetails，Mr。
　　Paine，andtimeismoney。However，ifyouinsistuponit，I
　　presumethecompanywillbewillingtowaitafewdays。"
　　"Iamafraiditwillhaveto。"
　　"Verywell，verywell。Ishallbedownagaininadayortwo。Ofcourse，waitingmayhavesomeeffectupontheprice。To—dayIwasempoweredto……Youdon’tcaretohear？Verywell。Sogladtohavemetyou，Mr。Paine。Ofcourseyouwillnotmentionthesubjectofourinterviewtoanyone。Businesssecrets，youknow。
　　Thankyou，thankyou。AndIwillseeyouagain——Thursday，shallwesay？"
　　IrefusedtosayThursday，principallybecausehehadsaiditfirst。IsuggestedSaturdayinstead。Heagreed，shookhandsasifIwereanoldfriendfromwhomhepartedwithregret，andleftme。
　　No，IdidnotlikeMr。Keene。Hewastoopoliteandtoofamiliar。
　　And，asIthoughtoverhiswords，thewholeprospectusoftheBayShoreDevelopmentCompanyseemedsingularlyvague。Theproposaltobuymylandwasdefiniteenough，buttherestofitwas，apparently，verymuchintheair。Therewastoomuchsecrecyaboutit。Noonewastotellanyoneanything。IwasgladIhadinsistedupontimeforconsideration。Iintendedtoconsiderthoroughly。
　　CHAPTERXIV
　　WhenIlefttheboathouseIdidnotgodirectlyhome，butwanderedalongthebeach。IhadpuzzledmybrainwithMr。KeeneandhiserranduntilIdeterminednottopuzzleitanylongerthatday。IfmysuspicionswereunfoundedandexistedmerelybecauseofmydislikeoftheBayShoreCompany’srepresentative，thentheywerenotworthworry。IftheywerewellfoundedIhadalmostaweekinwhichtodiscoverthefact。Iwoulddismissthewholematterfrommythoughts。ThequestionastowhetherornotIwouldsellthelandatalltoanybody，whichwas，afterall，therealquestion，I
　　resolvedtoputoffansweringuntilIhadhadmytalkwithMother。
　　Iwalkedonbythewater’sedgeuntilIreachedtheLane；turningintothatmuchcovetedstripofterritoryIcontinueduntilIcameoppositetheColtonmansion，where，turningagain，Istrolledhomewardbythepaththroughthegrove。UnconsciouslymywanderingthoughtsstrayedtoMabelColton。ItwasherethatIhadmetherontwooccasions。IhadanoddfeelingthatIshouldmeetherhereagain，thatshewasherenow。Ihadnoreasonforthinkingsuchathing，certainlythewishwasnotfathertothethought，butateverybendinthepath，astheundergrowthhidtheway，Iexpected，asIturnedthecorner，toseehercomingtowardme。
　　Butthepathwas，saveformyself，untenanted。Iwasalmostatitsend，wherethepinesandbusheswerescatteringandthefieldofdaisies，nowinfullbloom，began，whenIheardaslightsoundatmyleft。Ilookedinthedirectionofthesoundandsawher。Shewasstandingbeneathagnarled，moss—drapedoldpinebythebluffedge，lookingoutoverthebay。
　　Istopped，involuntarily。ThenImovedonagain，asnoiselesslyasIcould。Butatmyfirststepsheturnedandsawme。Iraisedmyhat。Shebowed，coldly，soitseemedtomysupersensitiveimagination，andIreplacedthehatandcontinuedmywalk。I
　　thoughtIheardthebushesnearwhichshestoodrustleasifshehadmoved，butIdidnotlookback。
　　Then，closebehindme，Iheardhervoice。
　　"Mr。Paine，"shesaid。
　　Iturned。Shehadfollowedmeandwasstandinginthepath，abitoutofbreath，asifshehadhurried。Iwaitedforhertospeak，butshedidnot。
　　"Goodafternoon，MissColton，"Isaid，awkwardly。Someonehadtospeak，wecouldnotstandstaringateachotherlikethat。
　　Shesaid"Goodafternoon，"also。Thentherewasanotherintervalofsilence。
　　"You——youwishedtospeaktome？"Istammered。
　　"IDIDspeaktoyou，"withsignificantemphasisonthe"did。""I
　　thoughtyoumight，possibly，beinterestedtoknowthatDonandI
　　reachedhomesafelytheotherday。"
　　ConsideringthatshehadcalleduponMothersince，itseemedtomethatmyknowledgeofherreachinghomesafelymighthavebeentakenforgranted；butIsaid：
　　"Iamverygladtohearit，MissColton。"
　　"Wehadnodifficultyinfindingthewayafteryouleftus。"
　　Thewaybeingalmoststraight，andoverthemaintraveledroads，this，too，wasfairlyobvious。
　　"Ifeltsureyouwouldhavenotrouble——afterIleftyou，"I
　　answered，withasignificantemphasisofmyown。
　　Shedidnotreplyand，asIhadnothingfurthertosay，Iwaitedforhertocontinue，ortobreakofftheinterview。Shedidneither，butstood，asifirresolute，lookingdownandstirringwithherfoottheleavesattheedgeofthepath。Suddenlyshelookedup。
　　"Mr。Paine，"shesaid，"youaremakingithardformetosaywhatI
　　intended。ButIthinkIshouldsayit，andsoIwill。IbegyourpardonforspeakingasIdidwhenIlastsawyou。Ihadnorighttojudgeorcriticizeyou，nonewhatever。"
　　"Youdonotneedtoapologize，MissColton。Whatyoutoldmewasprobablytrueenough。"
　　Theconventionalanswertothiswouldhavebeenahalf—hearteddenialofmystatement。IpresumeIexpectedsomethingofthesort。Butthisgirlwasnotconventional。
　　"Yes，"shesaid，thoughtfully，"Ithinkitwas。IfIhadnotthoughtsoIshouldnothavesaidit。Butthatmakesnodifference。
　　YouandIarestrangers，almost，andIhadnorighttospeakasI
　　did。Iamimpulsive，Iknowit，andIoftendoandsaythingsonimpulsewhichIamsorryforafterward。Ioffendedyou。"
　　"Ohno，no，"Iputin，hurriedly。Shehadoffendedme，butthisfrankconfessiontouchedmemorethantheoffensehadhurt。Shewasdoingahardthinganddoingithandsomely。
　　"Yes，Ioffendedyou，"sherepeated，firmly。"Ihaveconsideredthematteragooddealsincethen，anditseemstomethatyouwererighttofeeloffended。YouhadbeenverykindtomeonseveraloccasionsandIhadbeenyour"——withahalfsmile——"yourguestthatday。Ishouldnothavehurtyourfeelings。Willyouacceptmyapology？"
　　"Why，yes，ofcourse，sinceyouinsist，MissColton。"
　　"Thankyou。"
　　Shewasturningtogo；andIcouldnotlethergothus。Althoughshehadapologizedforspeakingherthoughtshehadnotretractedthethoughtitself。Iwasseizedwithadesireforjustificationinhereyes。Iwantedtoexplain；forgettingforthemomentthatexplanationswereimpossible。
　　"MissColton，"Isaid，impulsively。
　　"Yes？"
　　"MayI——mayIsayaword？"
　　"Certainly，ifyouwish。"
　　Sheturnedagainandfacedme。
　　"MissColton，I——I——"Ibegan，andpaused。
　　"Well？"shesaid，patiently，"Whatisit？"
　　"MissColton，"Iblunderedon，"youshouldnothaveapologized。
　　Youwereright。Yourestimateofmewasprettynearlycorrect。I
　　realizedthatwhenyougaveitandIhavebeenrealizingiteversince。IdeservedwhatIgot——perhaps。ButIshouldnotwishyoutothink——thatis，I——well，Ihadreasons，theyseemedtomereasons，forbeingwhatIwas——whatIam。Idoubtiftheywerealtogethergoodreasons；Iaminclinednowtothinktheywerenot。
　　ButIhadcometothinkthemgood。Yousee，I——I——"
　　Istopped，facetofacewiththefactthatIcouldnotgivethosereasonstoheroranyoneelse。Shewaslookingatmeexpectantly，andwith，soitseemedtome，anexpressionofreal，almosteagerinterest。Ifaltered，triedtogoon，andthensurrendered，absolutely，tothehopelessnessofthesituation。
　　"Itisnouse，"Isaid，"Ican’ttellyouwhatthosereasonswere。"
　　IturnedasIsaidit。Ididnotcaretoseeherexpressionchange。IknewwhatshemustbethinkingandIhadnodesiretoreadthethoughtinhereyes。Istoodthere，waitingforhertoleaveindisgust。
　　"Ican’ttellyou，"Irepeated，stubbornly。
　　"Verywell。"HertonewasascoldlyindifferentasIhadanticipated。"Wasthatallyouwishedtosaytome，Mr。Paine？"
　　"MissColton，IshouldliketoexplainifIcould。ButIcannot。"
　　"Praydon’ttroubleyourself。IassureyouIhadnointentionsofaskingforyour——reasons。Goodafternoon。"
　　Iheardherskirtsbrushtheleavesattheborderofthepath。Shewasgoing；andthecontemptuoussluratmy"reasons"provedthatshedidnotbelievethemexistent。Shebelievedmetobealiar。
　　"MissColton，"Isaid，sharply；"wait。"
　　Shekepton。
　　"Wait，"Isaidagain。"Listentome。"
　　Sheseemedtohesitateandthenturnedherhead。
　　"Iamlistening，"shesaid。"Whatisit？"
　　"Youhavenorighttodisbelieveme。"
　　"Idisbelieveyou？WhyshouldyouthinkIdisbelieveyou？Iamnotsufficientlyinterestedtobelieveordisbelieve，Iassureyou。"
　　"Butyoudo。Youjudgeme——"
　　"_I_judgeyou！Youflatteryourself，Mr。Paine。"
　　"Butyoudo。Youapologizedjustnowforjudgingmewithoutahearingtheotherday。Youacknowledgedthatyoushouldnothavedoneit。Youaredoingthesamethingnow。"
　　"Iapologizedforpresumingtoofferadvicetoastranger。Ididnotapologizefortheadviceitself。Ithinkitgood。Idonotcaretoarguethematterfurther。"
　　"Youarenotaskedtoargue。ButyoursneeratmyreasonsprovesthatyoubelievethatIhavenoneandammerelytryingtojustifymyselfwithtrumpedupandlyingexcuses。Youarewrong，andsinceyoupresumedtojudgemethenyoumustlistentomenow。Ihave——
　　orhad——reasonsforlivingasIhavedone，forbeingtheidlerandgood—for—nothingyoubelievemetobe。Ican’ttellyouwhattheyare；Icantellnoone。ButIdoaskyoutobelievethatIhavethem，thattheyarereal，andthatmybeingwhatyoutermedambitionlessandacountryloaferisnotmyconditionfromchoice。
　　Itismyrighttoinsistuponyourbelievingthat。Doyoubelieveit？"
　　AtlastIhadmadeanimpression。Myearnestnessseemedtohaveshakenhercontemptuousindifference。Shelookedatmesteadily，frowningalittle，butregardingmelessasifIwereaclodandmoreandmoreasifIwerethepuzzleshehadoncedeclaredmetobe。Ididnotshunherlooknow，butmetiteyetoeye。
　　"Doyoubelieveme？"Idemanded。
　　Slowlyherfrownwasdisappearing。
　　"Doyoubelieveme？"Isaid，again。"Youmust。"
　　"Must？"
　　"Yes，youmust。Ishallmakeyou。Ifnotnow，atsomeothertime。
　　Youmustbelieveme，MissColton。"
　　Thefrowndisappearedaltogetherandshesmiled。
　　"IfyouordermetoIsupposeImust，"shesaid，withashrugofmockresignation。"Ishouldhavelearnedbythistimethatitisuselesstosaynowhenyousayyes，Mr。Paine。"
　　"Butdoyou？"
　　Sheturnedaltogetherandfacedme。
　　"Iamverygladtobelieveyou，"shesaid，withsimpledirectness。
　　Istammereda"Thankyou"andwassilent。Idarednottrustmyselftospeakatthemoment。Somehowthesincerityofherwordsmovedmefarmorethantheirtriflingimportwarranted。ShehaddeclaredherbeliefthatIwasnotaliar，thatwasall；andyetIstoodtherefightingdownallsortsofridiculousemotions。Thesituationwasdecidedlystrained，but，asusual，shesavedit。
　　"Itseemstome，"shesaid，withthetwinklewhichIhadlearnedtorecognizeasaforerunnerofmischiefonherpart，"thatyouareinclinedtomakemountainsoutofmole—hills，Mr。Paine。Wasthereanyneedtobequitesofiercelytragic？And，besides，Ithinkthatevennowyouhavenottoldthewholetruth。"
　　"Thewholetruth？Why，MissColton，Ihavejustexplainedthat——"
　　"Oh，notthattruth！Yourmysterious’reasons’arenotmyaffair。
　　AndIhavetoldyouthatIwaswillingtotakethoseontrust。Butyouhavenotbeenquitetruthfulinanotherparticular。Youintimatedthatyouwereanidler。Ihavebeengiventounderstandthatyouarefarfrombeinganidlerjustnow。"
　　Iwasrelieved。"Oh，Isee！"Iexclaimed。"Youmean——someonehastoldyouofmyemploymentatthebank。"
　　"Anumberofpersonshavetoldme。SurelyyoudidnotexpecttokeepTHATasecret——inDenboro？"
　　"Well，scarcely，"Iadmitted，withalaugh。"ThatwasknownalmostbeforeIwassureofitmyself。YoushouldhaveseenEldredge’sfacewhenIannouncedmyintention。AndLute——Mrs。Rogers’
　　husband——hasn’tcompletelyrecoveredyet。Thesightofme，actuallytryingtoearnaliving，wastoomuchforhim。Youseewhatamiracleworkeryouare，MissColton。"
　　"DidyoureallyacceptthepositionsimplybecauseofwhatIsaidtoyou？"
　　"Yes。Thechancehadbeenofferedmebefore，butitwasyourfranknessthatshockedmeintotakingit。"
　　"Notreally？Youarejoking。"
　　"No，I’mnot。Youareresponsible。Areyousorry？"
　　Heranswerwasaquestion。
　　"Areyou？"sheasked。
　　"No。Atfirstitseemedridiculousandstrange，eventomyself；
　　butnowIlikethework。Itislikeoldtimes。"
　　"Oldtimes？"
　　Iwasforgettingmyselfagain；talkingtoomuchwasadangeroustrain——forme。Ilaughed，withpretendedcarelessness。
　　"Why，yes；Iwasemployedinabankatonetime。IthinkItoldyouthat。Haveyoubeenmotoringmuchoflate，MissColton？"
　　"Yes。Tellme，please：Youreallylikeyourwork？"
　　"Yes，Ido。"
　　"ThenIwillansweryourquestion。Iamnotabitsorry。IamgladIwasimpertinentandintrusive，especiallynowthatIhaveapologizedandyouhaveacceptedtheapology。IamverygladI
　　toldyouyoushoulddosomethingworthwhile。"
　　"EvenifitwerenothingmorethantofollowThophNewcomb’sexampleandsellfish。"
　　"Yes，"laughingly，"eventhat。IWASimpertinent，wasn’tI！I
　　don’twonderyouwereoffended。"
　　"Ineededtheimpertinence，Iguess。Butfrankly，MissColton，I
　　can’tseewhyyoushouldbegladbecauseIhavegonetowork。I
　　can’tseewhatdifferencemyworkingoridlingcanpossiblymaketoyou。"
　　"Oh，itdoesn’t，ofcourse——exceptongeneralprinciples。Iamadreadfulidlermyself；butthen，Iamawoman，andidlenessisawoman’sright。"
　　IthoughtofDorindaandoftheotherhousewivesofDenboroandhowlittleofthatparticular"right"theyenjoyed；whichthoughtbroughtagainandforciblytomymindthedifferencebetweenthisgirl’slifeandtheirs——andMother’s——andmyown。
　　"Aman，"continuedMissColton，sagely，"shouldnotidle。Heshouldworkandworkhard——sothattherestofusmaybeasgoodfornothingasweplease。Thatisphilosophy，isn’tit？"
　　"Yes。"
　　"Youweregoodenoughnottosaywhatsortofphilosophy。Thankyou。Butseriously，Mr。Paine，Iamfondofyourmother——veryfond，consideringourshortacquaintance——andwhenIsawherlyingthere，sopatient，anddeprivedofthelittleluxuriesandconvenienceswhichsheneeds，andwhichalittlemoremoneymightbringtoher，itseemedtome……Gracious！whatalotofnonsenseIamtalking！Whatisthematterwithmethisafternoon？
　　Dolet’schangethesubject。Haveyousoldyourlandyet，Mr。
　　Paine？Ofcourseyouhaven’t！Thatismorenonsense，isn’tit。"
　　Ithinkshehadagainspokenmerelyontheimpulseofthemoment；
　　doubtlesstherewasnodeliberateintentiononherparttobringmetoarealizationofmyposition，thepositionIoccupiedinherthoughts；butifshehadhadsuchanintentshecouldnothavedoneitmoreeffectively。ShebelievedmetohavebeenneglectingMother，andherinterestinmy"doingsomethingworthwhile"wasinspiredmerelybecauseshewishedMothertobesuppliedwiththose"luxuriesandconveniences"shehadmentioned。Well，myquestionwasanswered；thiswasthedifferencemyworkingoridlingmadetoher。And，foraminuteortwo，Ihadbeenfoolishenoughtofancyherinterested，asafriend，inmysuccessorfailureinlife。I
　　mighthaveknownbetter。Andyet，becauseofthenoveltyofthething，becauseIhadsofewfriends，Ifeltapangofdisappointment。
　　ButIresolvedsheshouldnotknowshehaddisappointedme。I
　　mighthavebeenafool，butIwouldkeepmyfoolishnessasecret。
　　"No，MissColton，"Isaid，withasmile，"Ihaven’tsoldyet。"
　　"Fathersaidhesawyouatthebank。Didhesayanythingabouttheland？"
　　"Hesaidhisofferwasstillopen，thatwasall。"
　　"Youareresolvednottosell。"
　　"Tohim？Yes，Iamresolved。Ithinkheknowsit。Itriedtomakeitplain。"
　　"Yousaytohim。Areyouthinkingofsellingtoanyoneelse？Tothetown？"
　　"No。Probablynottoanyone。Certainlynottoyourfatherorthetown。"
　　Shelookedatme，withanoddexpression，andseemedtohesitate。
　　"Mr。Paine，"shesaid，slowly，"wouldyouresentmygivingyouanotherbitof——advice？"
　　"Notatall。Whatisitthistime？"
　　"Why，nothing。Imustnotgiveyouanyadviceatall。Iwon’t。
　　InsteadI’llgiveyouoneofFather’spetproverbs。Itisn’tanelegantone，butheisveryfondofrepeatingit。’Therearemorewaysofkillingacatthanchokingittodeathwithbutter。’
　　There！youwilladmititisnotelegant。"
　　"ButMissColton！Killingacat！Whatintheworld？"
　　"Youmustn’taskme。Ishouldn’thavesaideventhat。Butremember，itisfather’spetproverb。Imustgo。PleasegivemylovetoyourmotherandtellherIshallcallagainsoon。
　　Good—by。"
　　Shewalkedbrisklyawayanddidnotlookback。Iwenthome。I
　　thoughtagreatdealduringtheeveninganduntillatethatnight。
　　When，atlast，IdidgotobedIhadnotmademuchprogressintheproblemofthecat，butIdidbelievethattherewasaratinthevicinity。Iwasbeginningtoscentone。IfIwasnotmistakenitcalleditselftheBayShoreDevelopmentCompany。
　　IsaidnothingtoMotherofthenewproposaltobuyourland，butnextmorningatthebankIwrotealettertothecashierofabankinBoston，oneofourcorrespondents，andwithwhichourlittleinstitutionwasonveryfriendlyterms。IaskedthecashiertomakesomeguardedinquiriesconcerningtheBayShoreCompany，tofindout，ifpossible，whowasbehinditandalsotoinquireconcerningBarclayandKeene，therealestatebrokersofMilkStreet。
　　ThereplytomyletterreachedmeonFriday。Itwassatisfactory，eminentlyso。Andwhen，onSaturdayafternoon，Mr。Keene，blandandsmilingasever，madehisappearanceatthehouse，Iwasreadyforhim。Istoodonthestepandmadenomovetoinvitehimwithin。"Well，Mr。Paine，"hesaid，cordially，"areyoureadytotalkbusiness？"
　　"Quiteready，"Ianswered。
　　Hebeamedwithsatisfaction。
　　"Good！"heexclaimed。"Thenwhatisyourfigure？"
　　"Myfigureisanaught，"Ireplied，withemphasis。"YoumaytellyouremployerthatIdonotcaretosellthelandtohim，nomatterwhetherhecallshimselfJamesColtonortheBayShoreDevelopmentCompany。Ohyes；and，ifyoulike，youmayaddthatthisparticularcatdeclinestobechoked。"
　　Mr。Keeneshowedsignsofchoking，himself，andIshutthedoorandlefthimoutside。Lute，whohadbeenlisteningatthedining—roomwindowandhadheardonlyfragmentsofthebriefinterview，wasinastateofaddedincoherence。
　　"Well，bytime！"hegasped。"What——whatsortoftalkwasthat？
　　Chokin’acat！Acat！！Weain’tgotnocat。"
　　"Haven’twe？"Iobserved。"Why，no，sowehaven’t！PerhapsyouhadbetterexplainthattoMr。Keene，Lute。Itmayhelphimtounderstandthesituation。AndaddthatIsuggesthistellingthepersonwhosenthimherethatsoft—soapisnoimprovementonbutter。"
　　IthinkLutedidtellhimjustthat，doubtlesswithallsortsofexcusesformyinsanity，forthenextday，Sunday，asIwalkedalongthebeach，abigbodycameploughingdownthesandyslopeandjoinedme。
　　"Hello！"saidColton。
　　"Goodmorning，"saidI。
　　"Howareindependenceandpublicspiritthesedays？"
　　"Verywell，thankyou。HowareDevelopmentCompaniesdeveloping？"
　　Heputbackhisheadandlaughed。Hedidnotseemabitchagrinedordiscomfited。Thejokewasonhim，buthecouldenjoyit，nevertheless。InspiteofmyantagonismtowardthismanIcouldnothelpadmiringcertaintraitsofhischaracter。Hewasbig，ineveryway。Littlerepulsesorsetbacksdidnottroublehim。
　　"Say，"hesaid，"howdidyouknowaboutthatcat？"
　　"Sawhisfootprints，"Ireplied。"Theywerealloverthescheme。
　　AndyourfriendKeenepurredtooloud。"
　　"Idon’tmeanthat。Keenewasafool；thatwasplainenoughforanyonetosee。Ihadtousehim；ifBarclayhadn’tbeensickitmighthavebeendifferent。Buthowdidyoucometosendmethatmessageaboutthebutter？Man，thatisoneofmyfavoritesayings——