thechokingthecatthing！Howdidyouknowthat？Ineversaidittoyou。"
　　"Oh，itisanoldsaying。Ihavehearditoften；anditdidseemtofitinthiscase。Iimaginedyouwouldunderstandandappreciate。"
　　"Um——yes，"dryly。"Iappreciatedallright。Astounderstanding——
　　well，I’llunderstandlateron。That’sanotherlittleconundrumformetoworkout。Somebody’sbeentalking，ofcourse。Here！
　　holdon！"asIwaswalkingaway："Don’tgo。Iwanttotalktoyou。"
　　HecharacteristicallydidnotaskwhetherornotIwantedtotalktohim，but，asIhappenedtobeinnohurry，Istoppedandwaitedforhimtocontinue。Hethrusthishandsintohispocketsandlookedmeover，verymuchashemighthavelookedoverahorsehewasthinkingofbuying。
　　"Paine，"hesaid，suddenly，"doyouwanttogotowork？"
　　"Work？"Irepeated。"Iamatworkalready。"
　　"You’vegotajob，suchasitis。Itmightbeworkfortheaveragejay，butitisn’tforyou。I’llgiveyousomethingtoworkat——
　　yes，andworkfor。"
　　Istaredathiminwonderingsuspicion。
　　"Whatisthis；anotherDevelopmentCompany？"Idemanded。
　　"Ha！ha！notthistime。No，thisisstraight。Ifyou’llsaythatyou’llworkformeI’llmakeanopeningforyouinmyNewYorkoffice。"
　　Ididnotanswer。Iwastryingtofathomthemotivebehindthisnewmove。
　　"I’llputyoutoworkinmyoffice，"hewenton。"Itmaynotbemuchtobeginwith，butyoucanmakeitanythingyoulike；that’llbeuptoyou。Astosalary——well，Idon’tknowwhatyou’regettinginthatone—horsebank，butI’lldoubleit，whateveritis。Thatwillbethestart，ofcourse。Afterthatitisuptoyou，asI
　　said。"
　　"Mr。Coltonthismaybeagoodjoke，butIdon’tseeit——yet。"
　　"Idon’tjokeofteninbusiness；can’taffordto。"
　　"Youarereallyserious？Youmeanwhatyousay？"
　　"Yes。"
　　"Butwhy？Youdon’tknowanythingaboutme。"
　　"Iknowallthatisnecessary。AndIhavefoundoutthatyouareallright，sofarasbankworkgoes。ThatfellowTaylorandsomeotherstoldmethat。ButIdidn’tneedtheirtelling。Why，man，itispartofmytradetoknowmenwhenIseethem。Ihavetoknow’em。Isaidawhileagothatyoudidn’tbelonginthisforsakenholeofatown。GodknowsitISforsaken！Evenmywifeisbeginningtoadmitthat，andshewasthekeenesttocomehere。
　　SomedayIshallgetsickofitandsellout，Isuppose。"
　　"Sellout？"
　　"Oh，notyet。Mabel——mydaughter——seemstolikeithere，forsomeunknownreason，andwantstostay。AndIdon’tintendtoselluntilI’vebought——whatIsetouttobuy。ButI’mnotthesubjectwe’retalkingaboutjustnow。Youare。Come！here’syourchancetobesomebody。MorechancethanIhad，I’lltellyouthat。Youcangotoworkinmyofficenextweek，ifyouwantto。Willyou？"
　　Ilaughedattheidea。IbelievedIhadfoundthemotiveIwasseeking。"Ofcoursenot，"Isaid。"Youcan’tclosetheLanebythatkindofbribery，Mr。Colton。"
　　"Briberybehanged！Come，come，Paine！Wakeup，orIshallthinkyourbrainsaren’tuptostandard，afterall。WhenIbribeI
　　bribe。WhenIaskamantoworkformetherearenostringstiedtotheoffer。Forgetyourpicayunelandforaminute。TimeenoughtorememberthatwhenI’vegotit，whichwillbesomedayorother，ofcourse。I’mmakingyouthisofferbecauseIwantyou。You’resharp；yousawthroughthatDevelopmentgame。You’reclever——yoursendingmethat’cat’messageprovesit。Andyournottellingmewheretheideaforthemessagecamefromprovesthatyoucankeepyourmouthshut。Icoulduseadozenfellowslikeyou，ifIcouldgetthem。Youinterestedmerightatthestart。AchapwithsandenoughtotellJimColtontogotothedevilisalwaysinteresting。
　　I’mofferingyouthischancebecauseIthinkitisagoodchanceforbothofus。Yes，andbecauseIlikeyou，Isuppose，inspiteofyourpig—headedness。Willyoutakeit？"
　　"No，thankyou，"Ianswered。
　　"Why？Becauseyoucan’tleaveyoursickmother？She’llbeallright。Iwastalkingwiththedoctor——Quimby，hisnameis，isn’tit——andhehappenedtomentionthathewasencouragedabouther。
　　Saidshehadbeendistinctlybetterforthelastmonth。"
　　Icouldnotbelieveit。DoctorQuimbyhadsaidnothingofthesorttome。Itwasimpossible。MotherBETTER！
　　"Thatdoesn’tmeansheisgoingtobewellandstrongagain，ofcourse，"headded，notunkindly。"ButIthinkQuimbybelievesshemaybewellenoughto——perhaps——situponeofthesedays。Bewheeledaboutinachair，orsomethingofthatsort……Why！
　　whatisthematter？YoulookedasifIhadknockedyouout。
　　Hasn’tthedoctorsaidanythingtoyou？"
　　"No，"Istammered。IWASknockedout。Icouldnotbelieveit。
　　Mother，thebed—riddeninvalidofsixlongyears，tobewellenoughtositup！touseawheeledchair！Itcouldnotbetrue。Itwastoogoodtobetrue。
　　"So，yousee，youcouldleaveherallright，"wentonColton。"Ifitwasnecessaryyoucouldgetanursedownheretolookafterherwhileyouwereaway。Andyoumightgethomeeveryfortnightorso。
　　Bettertakemyoffer，Paine。Come！"withagruntofimpatientamusement，"don’tkeepmewaitingtoolong。Iamnotusedtocoaxingpeopletoworkforme；itisusuallytheotherwayaround。
　　Thisofferofminehappenstobeprettynearlyadisinterestedone，and，"withoneofhisdrysmiles，"allmyoffersarenotthatkind，asyououghttoknow。Willyousayyesnow？Ordoyouwanttillto—morrowtothinkitover？"
　　ThenewsconcerningMotherhadupsetmegreatly，butmycommon—
　　sensewasnotallgone。ThattherewassomethingbehindhisofferIbelieved，but，eveniftherewerenot——ifitwasdisinterestedandmadesimplybecausemyunearthingoftheBayShore"cat"hadcaughthisfancy——Ididnotconsiderforamomentacceptingit。
　　NotifMotherwaslikeotherwomen，wellandstrong，wouldIhaveacceptedit。InDenboroIwasRoscoePaine，andmylifestorywasmyownsecret。InNewYorkhowlongwoulditbebeforethatsecretandmyrealnamewereknown，andalltheolddisgraceandscandalresurrected？
　　"Whatdoyousay？"askedColton，again。"Wantmoretimetothinkaboutit，doyou？"
　　Ishookmyhead。"No，"Ianswered。"Ihavehadtimeenough。IamobligedfortheofferandIappreciateyourkindness，butIcannotaccept。"
　　Iexpectedhimtoexpressimpatienceor，perhaps，anger；atleasttoaskmyreasonsfordeclining。Buthisonlyutterancewasa"Humph！"Foramomentheregardedmekeenly。Thenhesaid：
　　"Haven’tgottheansweryet，haveI？Allright。Well，"briskly，"whenareyouandIgoingonthatshootingtrip？"
　　"Thereisnoshootingatpresent，"Ianswered，assoonasIcouldadjustmymindtothisnewswitchintheconversation。
　　"Thatso？Anyfishing？"
　　"Ibelievethesquiteaguearerunningoutside。Iheardtheywere。"
　　"What？Squit——which？"
　　"Squiteague。Weakfishsomepeoplecallthem。"
　　"Theyareprettyfairsport，aren’tthey？"
　　"Yes，fair。Nothinglikebluefish，however。"
　　"Allright。Whatisthematterwithourgoingsquint——squint——
　　somethingorotheringoneofthesedays？Willyougo？Orareyouaspig—headedaboutthatasyouareaboutotherthings？"
　　Ilaughed。"Notquite，"Isaid。"Ishouldbegladofyourcompany，Mr。Colton。"
　　"NextSaturdaysuityou？"
　　"Yes。Afterbankhours。"
　　"Allright。I’lllookaftertheboat。Youprovidethebaitandtackle。That’sfair，isn’tit？Right。Beonhandatmydockatoneo’clock。Morning。"
　　Hewalkedoff。Neitherofushadthoughtofthetide——he，probably，notrealizingthathighwaterwasanimportantfactor，andIbeingtoomuchagitatedbywhathehadsaidaboutMother，andthesuddennesswithwhichthefishingtripwasplanned，tothinkcalmlyofanything。
　　Thatweekwasastrangeonetome，andthefirstofmanystrangeones。Mymanneroflifewaschanging，althoughIdidnotrealizeitandalthoughthechangecamethroughnoeffortofmyown。Ourhouse，whichhadbeensolongalmostahermitage，ifahomecontainingfourpersonsmightbecalledthat，wasgraduallybecomingasocialcenter。MatildaDeanhadcalledonceaweekregularlyforsometimeandthisparticularweekCaptainJedcamewithher。CaptainElishaWarrenandhiscousinandhousekeeper，MissAbbieBaker，drovedownforahalf—hour’sstay。GeorgeTaylorandNelliespentaneveningwithus。IfearedtheunaccustomedrushofcompanymighthaveabadeffectuponMother，butsheseemedactuallythebetterforit。SheprofessedtobelievethatDenborowasawakeningtothefactofmymeritsasamanandacitizen。
　　"Theyarefindingyououtatlast，Boy，"shesaid。Ilaughedather。Iknewbetter。Itwasbecauseofmypositioninthebankthatthesepeoplecame。Iwasmakinggoodthere，apparently，andthesurpriseatthiscausedCaptainWarrenandtheresttotakeanew，andnodoubttransitoryinterestinme。
　　AndIthoughtIknewCaptainJed’sreasonforcoming。Aninterviewbetweenusgavemetheinkling。MatildawasinMother’sroomandDeanandIweretogetherinthedining—room。
　　"Ros，"saidthecaptain，suddenly，"youain’tbackin’water，areyou？"
　　"Backingwater？Whatdoyoumeanbythat？"
　　"InthisLanebusiness。Youain’tcal’latin’tosellouttoColton，afterall？"
　　"Well，hardly。Whydoyousaythat？"
　　"Nothin’，maybe。Buttheytellmeyou’rekindofthickwiththeR’yalfamilylately。BeriahHoltsaysheseeyouandtheColtongirlcomeoutofthewoodsbackofhisplaceoneafternoonaspellago。Shewasonhorsebackandyouwaswalkin’，butBeriahsaysyouandshewasmightyfriendly。"
　　Imighthaveexpectedthis。InDenboroonedoesfewthingsunnoticed。
　　"ShehadlostherwayinthewoodsandIhelpedhertofindtheroadhome，"Isaid，"thatwasall。"
　　"Hum！Youhelpedhertofindtheroadthenightofthestrawberryfestival，too，didn’tyou？"
　　"Howintheworlddidyoufindthatout？"
　　"Oh，itjustsortofdriftedaround。I’vegotprettybigears——
　　maybeyou’venoticed’em——andtheygen’rallycatchsomeofwhat’sblowin’past。Therewasacoachmanmixedupinthatnight’sworkandhetalkedsome，Ishouldn’twonder；mostofhiskinddo。"
　　"Well，whatofit？"Iasked，sharply。"IhelpedherasIwouldyourdaughterifshehadbeencaughtaloneinastormlikethat。I
　　shouldhavebeenashamednotto。"
　　"Sartin！Needn’tgetmadaboutit。What’sthisaboutyourtakin’
　　hisMajestyofffishin’nextSaturday？"
　　Allofmypersonalaffairsseemedtobecommonproperty。Iwaslosingmytemperinspiteofmyrecentgoodresolutions。
　　"Lookhere，CaptainDean，"Isaid，"Ihavearighttotakeanyonefishing，ifIchoose。Mr。ColtonaskedmetodoitandIsawnoreasonforsayingno。"
　　"Funnyheshouldaskyou。Heain’taskedanybodyelseintown。"
　　"Idon’tknowthatandIdon’tcare。IshalldoasIplease。I
　　havenogrievanceagainsttheColtons。Ishallnotsellthemmyland，butIreservetherighttomeetthem——yes，andtoassociatewiththem——ifIchoose。Youandyourfriendsmayaswellunderstandthat，Captain。"
　　"There！there！don’tgethuffy。Iain’tgottherighttosaywhatyourrightsare，Ros。AndIdon’tthinkforaminuteyou’dbackwaterontheLanebusinessa—purpose。ButIdothinkyou’retakin’
　　chances。Itellyou，honest，I’mscartofoldColton，inaway，andIain’tscartofmanyfolks。He’safighterandhe’ssmart。
　　HeandIhavehadsometalks——"
　　"Youhave？"Iinterrupted。
　　"Yup。Livelysquabblestheywas，too。Eachofusexpressin’ouropinionoft’otherandnotholdin’backanythingtospeakof。I
　　don’tknowhowhefeltwhenwequit，butIknowIrespectedhim——
　　forhisoutandopencussednessandgrit，ifnothin’else。AndI
　　thinkhefeltthesamewayaboutme。Buthe’ssmart——consarnhim，heis！AndHEneverbackswater。That’swhyIthinkyou’retakin’
　　chancesinbein’toofriendlywithhim。He’slayin’lowand，ifyougetoffyourguardjustoncehe’llgrab。"
　　Ihesitated；thenImadeupmymind。
　　"CaptainDean，"Isaid，"hissmartnesshasn’tcaughtmeyet。I’mgoingtotellyousomething，butfirstyoumustpromisenottotellanyoneelse。"
　　HepromisedandItoldhimofMr。KeeneandtheBayShoreCompany。
　　Helistened，interruptingwithchucklesandexclamations。WhenI
　　hadfinishedheseizedmyhandandwrungit。
　　"Bytheeverlastin’！"heexclaimed，"thatwasgreat！Isayagain，you’reallright，RosPaine。Even_I_swalleredthatDevelopmentCompany，hook，line，andsinker。ButYOUsawthroughit！"
　　"Itellyouthis，"Isaid，"sothatyouwillunderstandIhavenointentionofbackingwater。"
　　"Iknowyouain’t。KnewitaforeandnowIknowitbetter。ButI
　　can’tunderstandwhattheColtongameis——andthereisagame，sure。Thatdaughterofhis，now——shemaybeinitorshemaynot。
　　She’sprettyandIwillgiveinthatshe’sfolksyandsociablewithusnatives；it’ssurprisin’，considerin’herbringin’up。NellieandMatildylikeher，Nellieespecial。They’rerealchummy，asyoumightsay。Talkandtalk，justaseasyandcommonasyouandI
　　thisminute。I’veheard’emtwoorthreetimesatmyhousewhentheythoughtIwasn’tlistenin’andtwiceoutofthethreetheywastalkin’aboutyou。"
　　"AboutME？"Irepeated。
　　"Yes。Idon’twonderyou’resurprised。Iwasmyself。AskedNellieaboutitandshejustlaughed。Saidyouwastheprincipalobjectofinterestintownjustnow，whichismoreorlesstrue。
　　Butitmakesmesuspicious，allthesame。WhyshouldagirllikethatColtononetalkaboutafellerlikeyou？You’reasfurapart，fur’sanythingincommonisconcerned，asmolassesisfromvinegar。
　　Ain’tthatso？"
　　Itwasso，ofcourse，butheneednothavebeensobrutallyfrankintellingme。However，Inoddedandadmittedthathewasright。
　　"Yes，"hesaid。"Ablindhorsecouldseetherewasnosensible，openandabove—boardreasonforHERbein’interestedinYOU。Sothere’sanotherreason，thewayIlookatit，andthat’swhyI’dbemightycareful，mightycareful，Ros。Herpa’sgotanewtrickuphissleeveandshe’shelpin’himplayit，that’smynotion。Sobecareful，won’tyou。"
　　"I’llbecareful，"saidI。Iknew，aswellasIknewmyrealname——
　　whichhedidnot——thatMabelColtonwasnothelpingherfatherplayanytricks。Ihadseenenoughofhertobecertainshewasnottricky。And，besides，ifshewereinsympathywithherparent，whyhadshegivenmethehintwhichputmeonthetrailoftheDevelopmentCompany？Whyhadshegivenmethehintatall？Thatwastherealriddle，andIhadnot，asyet，hituponaplausibleanswer。ThoseIhadhituponwereridiculousandimpossible，andI
　　putthemfrommymind。Butshewasnottricky，thatIknew。
　　CaptainJedchangedthesubjectandwetalkedofNellie’swedding，whichwastotakeplaceinamonth。Thecaptainwasfullofvariousemotions，regretatlosinghisdaughterandjoybecauseofhergettingsuchagoodhusband。Hislastwordswerethese：
　　"Ros，"hesaid，"becareful，formysakefullasmuchasyours。
　　ThisLanebusinessandNellie’sgettin’marriedhavesortofpossessedme，sameastheevilspiritsdidtheswine，inscriptur’。
　　Ilayawakenightsfussin’forfearthemarriagewon’tturnouthappyorforfearyou’llselltheLaneafterall。Andone’sjustaslikelytohappenast’other——whichmeansthey’rebothimpossible，Ical’late。ButlookoutforthatColtongirl，whateverelseyoudo。She’sagooddealbetterlookin’thanherdad，butshe’sjustasdangerous。Youmarkmywords，son，thefellerthatplayswithfiretakeschances。Sodon’tbeTOOsociablewithanyofthetribe。"
　　AndtheverynextafternoonthedangerouspersonherselfcalledandsheandIspentanhourinMother’sroom，wherethethreeofuschattedlikeoldfriends。ShehadtherarepowerofmakingoneforgetselfandpersonalworriesandIcouldreadilyunderstandwhyMotherhadbeensocompletelywonbyher。Shewasbrightandcheeryandsympathetic。Heretherewasnotraceoftheprideofclassandthearrogancewhichhadcausedmetohatehersoheartilyatfirst。Itseemedalmostasifshehadsetherselfthetaskofmakingmelikeherinspiteofmyprejudices。Myreasontoldmethatthiscouldnotbe；itwasmerelyherfancyforMotherwhichcausedhertonoticemeatall；shehadasmuchassaidsomorethanonce。ButIdidlikeher；Iacknowledgeditinmythoughts；
　　and，aftershehadgone，theroom，withitsdrawnshades，seemeddoublydarkandgloomy。MotherwassilentforafewminutesandI，too，saidnothing。Then：
　　"Sheisawonderfulgirl，isn’tshe，Roscoe，"saidMother。
　　Shewasaltogethertoowonderful，thatwasthetrouble。Agirllikeherhadnoplaceinourlives。Iwentoutforawalkandasmokebythebluffedge；and，almostbeforeIknewit，Ifoundmyselfstandingattheborderofthegrove，lookingatthegreathouseandtryingtoguesswhichwasherroomandifshewasthereandofwhatorwhomshemightbethinkingjustthen。"Markmywords，son，"CaptainJedhaddeclared，"thefellerthatplayswithfiretakeschances。"
　　Iturnedonmyheelandsetoutforhome。Iwouldtakenochances。
　　Imustnotplaywithfire，eventhoughtheflameshad，forthemoment，dazzledme。Ihadcalledmyselfafoolmanytimesinthepastfewyears，butIwouldnotbesogreatafoolasthat。
　　CHAPTERXV
　　SoIresolved，moreresolutelythanever，tokeepoutofherway，toseeaslittleofheraspossible！and，ashadhappenedbeforetosimilarresolutionsofminewithwhichshewasconcerned，thisonewasrenderednon—effective，throughnofaultofmyown，almostassoonasitwasmade。ForonSaturdayafternoon，asIapproachedtheColtonwharf，ladenwithbaitandrodsforthefishingexcursionintheColtonboat，Isawherstandingtherebesideherfather，waitingforme。
　　"We’vegotapassenger，Paine，"said"BigJim。""You’vemetherbefore，Ibelieve——onthewaterandinit。Noobjectionstomydaughter’sgoingalong，haveyou？"
　　WhatcouldIsay；excepttoannouncedelightattheadditiontoourparty？PerhapsIdidnotsayitasheartilyasImight，for，MissColton，whowasregardingmewithamischievoussmile，observeddemurely：
　　"Iamsurehemustbedelighted，Father。Mr。PaineknowsIamveryfondoffishing；don’tyou，Mr。Paine？"
　　"Yes；oh，yes，ofcourse，"Istammered。
　　"Hedoes，eh！"Herfatherseemedsurprised。"Howdidhefindthatout？"
　　Ithoughtthequestionwasaddressedtoher，soIdidnotanswer。
　　Sheseemedtothinkotherwise，forshesaid：
　　"Didyouhear，Mr。Paine？FatheraskshowyouknewIwasfondoffishing。"
　　"Why——er——youtoldmeso，MissColton，"Ireplied。IfshehadnotrelatedherSeaburyPondexperiencetoherparentsIdidnotproposetobetrappedintodoingso。Shelaughedmerrily。
　　"DidI？"sheasked。"Yes，IbelieveIdid。"
　　Mr。Coltonlookedatus，eachinturn。
　　"Humph！"heobserved；"Idon’tseemtobeaboardthistrain。
　　What’sthejoke？"
　　Shesavedmetheproblemofinventingasatisfactoryanswer。
　　"Oh，it’salittlejokeofMr。Paine’sandmyown，"sheexplained。
　　"I’lltellyouaboutitbyandby，Father。Itwouldtaketoolongtotellnow。Hesavedmylifeoncemore，that’sall。"
　　"Oh！that’sall！Humph！Andyoudidnotthinkatriflelikethatworthmentioningtome，Isuppose。Wouldyoumindtellingmewhatitwashesavedyoufromthistime？"
　　"Fromstarvation。Iwasafamishedwayfarerandhetookmein。
　　There，Daddy，don’tpuzzleyourpoorbrainanylonger。ItisallrightandI’lltellyouallaboutitwhenwegethome。NowIamsureweshouldbestartingifwearetohaveanyfishingatall。
　　Shallwecastoff，Mr。——thatis，CaptainPaine？"
　　Thatfishingtripwasnotahugesuccessifjudgedsolelybythesizeofthecatch。Theweakfishwerenothungryorwedidnottemptthemwithbaittotheirtastethatday。Wegotahalfdozen，ofwhichIcaughtthree，MissColtontwo，andherfatherbutone。
　　His，however，wasabigone，muchthebiggestofthesix，andhehadaglorioustimelandingit。Hefishedasheappearedtodoeverythingelse，withintenseearnestnessanddetermination。Heevidentlyconsideredthestruggleasortofpersonaldisagreementbetweenthefishandhimselfand，asusual，intendedtohavehisway。Hesucceededafterawhile，andannouncedthathehadnotenjoyedanythingasmuchsincearrivinginDenboro。
　　Hisdaughteralsoseemedtobeenjoyingherself。Shewasquiteasgoodafisherasherfather，and，whenthesportwasover，andwereeledinourlinespreparatorytostartingforhome，ralliedhimnotalittleathavingbeentheleastsuccessfuloftheparty。Hetookherteasinggood—naturedly。
　　"Youthinkitisquiteafeattogetthebetterofyourolddad，don’tyou，mylady，"heobserved。
　　"OfcourseIdo。Itis，isn’tit？"
　　Hechuckled。"Well，maybeyou’reright，"headmitted。"Youdoitoftenerthananyoneelse，thatiscertain。Paine，youmighttakelessonsfromher，ifyouarestillhopingtokeepupyourendinthelittlefightyouandIhaveonhand。"
　　Sheturnedtomeandsmiled。Hergracefulheadwassilhouettedagainsttheredglowofthesunsetandaloosenedstrandofherhairwavedinthelightbreeze。
　　"IthinkMr。Painedoesnotneedlessonsfromanyone，"shesaid。
　　"Heseemstobeholdinghisownverywell。"
　　"Buthe’sfrightened，allthesame。Come，Paine，ownupnow。Youknowyouarefrightened，don’tyou？"
　　"Notvery，"Ianswered，truthfully。
　　"So？Thenyouaren’tassensibleasyououghttobe。Awisemanknowswhentobescared。Let’smakealittlebetonit。I’llbetyoutwotoonethatI’llownthatlandofyoursinsideofsixmonths。"
　　Ishookmyhead。"Ineverbetoncertainties，"Ideclared。"I
　　shouldbeashamedtocollectmywinnings。"
　　Thisseemedtoamusethemboth，fortheybothlaughed。
　　"Father，"saidMissColton，"Iamafraidyoudon’tlearnbyexperience。Youhavelostonebetalready，youknow。"
　　"That’sso。AndIhaven’tpaidityet，either。Imust，oryou’llbetellingeveryonethatIamapoorsport。Paine，thisyoungladybetmeanewpipeagainstaboxofglovesthatyouwouldn’t——"
　　"Father，"brokeintheyounglady，herself，"stop。"
　　"Oh，allright，allright。Justasyousay。ButItellyouthis，Paine；SHEhasn’tanyscruplesagainstbettingoncertainties。"
　　Shewasleaningagainstthecockpitrail，lookingforward，andI
　　couldnotseeherface。Shespokewithoutturning。
　　"Youthoughtyourswasthecertainty，"shesaid。"YouwarnedmethatIwassuretolose。"
　　"DidI？Well，youmay，evenyet。Onthewhole，IthinkI’llwaitawhilebeforebuyingthosegloves。Remember，therewasnotimelimit。Whenyousaidthat——"
　　"Father，"morefirmly，"pleasebequiet。Youhavesaidquiteenough。Mr。Paineisnotlikelytobeinterestedinthefamilygambling。"
　　Iwasinterestedinthisparticular"gamble。"Thewagerhad，obviously，somethingtodowithme。IsupposeIshouldhavefeltflatteredatbeingmadethesubjectofabetinsuchselectcircles，butIdidnot。Ihadnotbeeninformedastothedetailsofthatbet。
　　Therewasnothingmoresaidaboutitatthetimeandmypassengerstalkedofotherthingsaswesailedhomebeforethefastdyingbreeze。ItdiedalmostaltogetheraswepassedthelighthouseatCrowPointandenteredthebayand，foranhour，webarelyheldourownagainstthetide。Thesunset，twilightcame，andthestarsappearedonebyone。Colton，lyingatfulllengthonthedeckforwardofthecockpit，smokedinlazyenjoyment。Hisonlyremarkintenminuteswastotheeffectthathiswifehadprobablydrownedusall，inhermind，adozentimesoverbynow。
　　Hisdaughter，sittingbytherailandlookingoutoverthesmooth，darklyglimmeringwater，badehimbequiet。
　　"Youmustnottalk，"shesaid。"ThisisthemostwonderfulnightI
　　everexperienced。Howstillitis！Youcanheareverysound。
　　Hark！"
　　Fromthedusk，toport，cametheclearstrokesofachurchbellstrikingeight。
　　"ThatistheclockattheMethodistChurch，isn’tit？"askedMissColton。
　　"Yes，"saidI。
　　"Thechurchwherethestrawberryfestivalwasheld？"
　　"Yes。"
　　Coltonstruckamatchtorelighthiscigar。
　　"Shouldn’tthinkthatwouldbeapleasantremindertoeitherofyou，"heobserved。"Iammightysureitwasn’ttome。"
　　MissColtondidnotanswer，nordidI。
　　Thebreezesprangupagainsoonafter，fromadifferentquarterthistime，butthetidehadebbedsofarthatIwasobligedtomakethedetouraroundtheendoftheflatuponwhichVictorhadgroundedthedingy。"BigJim"raisedhimselfonhiselbow。
　　"Hello！"heexclaimed，"here’sanotherjoyfulspot。Mabel，itwasalongheresomewherethatPaineacquiredthehabitofcarryingyouaboutlikeabundle。Itmusthavebeenapicturesqueperformance。
　　WishImighthaveseenit。"
　　Helaughedheartily。
　　"Father，"saidtheyounglady，coldly，"don’tbesilly——please。"
　　Hechuckledandlaydownagain，andnoonespokeduringtherestofthevoyage。ItwasafterninewhenIbroughttheboatuptothewharf，madeherfast，andloweredandfurledthesail。
　　"Bettercomeuptothehousewithusandhaveabittoeat，Paine，"
　　urgedColton。"Youmustbehungry；IknowIam。"
　　"Oh，no，thankyou，"saidI。"Supperwillbewaitingformeathome。"
　　"Gladtohaveyou，ifyou’llcome。Tellhimtocome，Mabel。"
　　MissColton’sinvitationwasnotover—cordial。
　　"IpresumeMr。Paineknowswhatisbestforhimtodo，"shesaid。
　　"Ofcourseweshallbegladtohavehim，ifhewillcome。"
　　Ideclined，and，afterthankingmeforthesailandthepleasureofthefishingtrip，theyleftme，Coltoncarryinghisbigsquiteaguebythegills，itstailslappinghislegasheclimbedthebluff。A
　　momentlaterIfollowed。
　　Thenightwas，asmyfemininepassengerhadsaid，wonderfullyquiet，andsoundscarriedalongway。AsIreachedthejunctureofthepathandtheLaneIheardavoicewhichIrecognizedasMrs。
　　Colton’s。ShewasevidentlystandingontheverandaofthebighouseandIheardeveryworddistinctly。
　　"Youaresounthinking，James！YouandMabelhavenoregardformyfeelingsatall。Ihavebeenworriedalmosttodeath。Doyourealizethetime？IwarnedyouagainsttrustingyourselftothecareofthatcommonFELLOW——"
　　The"fellow"heardnomore。Hedidnotwishto。Hewastrampingheavilythroughthedew—soakedundergrowth。Heneedednownocounselagainst"playingwithfire。"ThecuttingcontemptofMrs。
　　JamesW。Colton’sremarkwasfire—extinguishersufficientforthatnight。
　　MissColtonandImetagainatthedoorofthebankadayortwolater，justatclosingtime。SamWheelerhadalreadygoneandI
　　leftGeorgeathisdesk，poringoverpapersandbusilyfiguring。
　　Hewasworkingovertimemuchoflateandexplainedhisindustrybythefactofhisapproachingmarriageandhisdesiretomakethingseasyformetohandlewhilehewasonhisbriefweddingtrip。I
　　wasnotmuchalarmedbytheprospect。HewastobegonebutaweekandIhadbecomesufficientlyfamiliarwiththeroutinetofeelconfidentinassumingtheresponsibility。Small，mypredecessor，hadabrotherwhohadformerlybeenemployedinthebankandwasnowoutofwork，andhewascomingintohelpduringthecashier’sabsence。Iwasnotworriedbytheprospectofbeingleftincharge，butIwasworriedaboutGeorge。He，soitseemedtome，hadgrownpaleandthin。Alsohewasnervouslyirritableandnotatalllikehisusualgood—naturedself。Itriedtojokehimintobetterhumor，buthedidnotrespondtomyjokes。Heseemed，too，torealizethathisoddbehaviorwasnoticeable，forhesaid：