Butithadbeenfaroff，unreal。Thencamethevolunteering，and，afterthatthedraft，andtherealitydrewalittlenearer。Work，upontheaviationcampatEastHarnisshadactuallybegun。The，officebuildingswereupandtheshedsfortheworkmen。Theywere，erectingframesforthebarracks，soGabrielBearsereported。The，sightofauniforminOrhamstreetswasnolongersuchanoveltyas，tobringthepopulation，oldandyoung，todoorsandwindows。Miss，MaudHunniwelllaughinglyconfidedtoJedthatshewasbeginningto，havehopes，realhopes，ofseeinggenuinegoldlacesomedaysoon。
CaptainSam，herfather，wasbusy。SessionsoftheExemptionBoard，werenotquiteasfrequentasatfirst，butthecaptaindeclared，themfrequentenough。Andvolunteeringwentonsteadilyhereand，thereamongyoungbloodwhich，havingdrawnalownumberinthe，draft，wastooimpatientforactiveservicetowaititsturn。
GustavusHowes，bookkeeperatthebank，wasoneexample。Captain，SamtoldJedaboutitononeofhiscalls。
“Yep，“hesaid，“Gushasgone，clearedoutyesterdayafternoon。
Goin’tooneofthetrainin’campstotrytolearntobean，officer。Eh？，WhatdidIsaytohim？，Why，Icouldn’tsaynothin’，couldI，but’Hurrah’and’Godblessyou’？，Butit’sleavin’abad，holeinthebankjustthesame。”
Jedaskedifthebankhadanyoneinviewtofillthathole。
CaptainSamlookeddoubtful。
“Well，“hereplied，“we’vegotsomebodyinviewthatwouldliketo，tryandfillit。BarzillaSmallwasintoseemeyesterday，afternoonandhe’ssartinthathisboyLuther——Lute，everybody，callshim——isjusttheonefortheplace。He’sbeentoworkupin，FallRiverinabank，soBarzillasays;thatwouldmeanhemust，havehadsomeexperience。Whetherhe’lldoornotIdon’tknow，buthe’sabouttheonlycandidateinsight，thesewartimes。What，doyouthinkofhim，Jed？”
Jedrubbedhischin。”TofillGusHowes’place？”heasked。
“Yes，ofcourse。Didn’tthinkIwasfiggerin’onmakin’him，PresidentoftheUnitedStates，didyou？”
“Hum！……W-e-e-ll……OnetimewhenIwasalittleshaver，Sam，downtothefishhouse，ItriedonapairofCap’nJabeKelly’s，rubberboots。YourememberCap’nJabe，Sam，ofcourse。Doyou，rememberhisfeet？”
Thecaptainchuckled。”MydadusedtosayJabe’sfeetremindedhim，ofacoupleofchicken-halibut。”
“Um-hm……Well，Itriedonhisbootsandstartedtowalk，acrossthewharfinem……”
“Well，whatofit？，Graciousking！hurryup。Whathappened？”
“Eh？……Oh，nothin’much，onlyseemedtomeI’dhadhalfofmy，walkaforethosebootsbegantomove。”
CaptainHunniwellenjoyedthestoryhugely。Itwasnotuntilhis，laughhaddiedawaytoachucklethatitsapplicationtothebank，situationdawneduponhim。
“Umph！”hegrunted。”Isee。Youcal’latethatLuteSmallwill，fillGusHowes’jobaboutthewayyoufilledthoseboots，eh？，You，mayberight，shouldn’twonderifyouwas，butwe’vegottohave，somebodyandwe’vegottohavehimnow。SoIguesslikelywe’ll，letLutesignonandwaittilllatertofindoutwhetherhe’san，ableseamanora——a——“
Hehesitated，gropingforasimile。Mr。Winslowsuppliedone。
“Oraleak，“hesuggested。
“Yes，that’sit。Say，haveyouheardanythingfromLeanderBabbitt，lately？”
“No，nothin’morethanGabBearsewasreelin’offlasttimehewas，inhere。HowisPhinBabbitt？，Doeshespeaktoyouyet？”
“Notaword。Butthelookshegivesmewhenwemeetwouldsour，milk。He’sdeadsartinthatIhadsomethin’todowithhisboy’s，volunteerin’andhe’llneverforgivemeforit。He’sthebesthand，atunforgivin’Ieversaw。No，no！，Wonderwhathe’dsayifhe，knew’twasyou，Jed，thatwasreallyresponsible？”
Jedshookhishead，butmadenoreply。Hisfriendwasatthedoor。
“Anymoneytotaketothebank？”heinquired。”Oh，no，Itookwhat，youhadyesterday，didn’tI？，Anyerrandsyouwantdoneoverto，Harniss？，MaudandIaregoin’overthereinthecarthis，afternoon。”
Jedseemedtoreflect。”No-o，“hesaid;“no，Iguessnot……
Why，yes，Idon’tknowbutthereis，though。Ifyouseeoneof，thosethingsthesoldiersputoninthetrenchesI’dwishyou’dbuy，itforme。YouknowwhatImean——agasmask。”
“Agasmask！，Graciousking！，Whatonearth？”
Jedsighed。”’Twouldbeconsider’bleprotectionwhenGabeBearse，droppedinandstartedtalkin’，“hedrawled，solemnly。
OctobercameinclearandfineandonaSaturdayinthatmonthJed，andBarbarawentontheirlonganticipatedpicnictotheaviation，campatEastHarniss。Theaffairwasonewhichtheyhadplanned，together。Barbara，havingheardmuchconcerningaviationduring，herdaysofplayingandlisteninginthewindmillshop，hadasked，questions。Shewishedtoknowwhatanaviationwas。Jedhad，explained，whereuponhisyoungvisitorexpressedawishtogoand，seeforherself。”Couldn’tyoutakePetuniaandmesometime，Mr。
Winslow？”sheasked。
“Guessmaybeso，“wasthereply，“providedIdon’tforgetit，same，asyouforgetaboutnotcallin’meMr。Winslow。”
“Oh，I’msosorry。Petuniaoughttohaveremindedme。Can’tyou，takemesometime，UncleJed？”
Hehadinsisteduponherdroppingthe“Mr。”inaddressinghim。
“Yourma’sgoin’tocallmeJed，“hetoldher;“thatistosay，I
hopesheis，andyoumightjustaswell。Ialwaysanswerfairly，promptwheneveranybodysays’Jed，’’causeI’musedtoit。When，theysay’Mr。Winslow’IhavetostopandthinkaweekaforeI
rememberwhotheymean。”
ButBarbara，havingconsultedhermother，refusedtoaddressher，friendas“Jed。”，“Mammasaysitwouldn’tberespect——respectaful，“
shesaid。”AndIdon’tthinkitwouldmyself。Yousee，you’re，olderthanIam，“sheadded。
Jednoddedgravely。”Idon’tknowbutIam，alittle，nowyou，remindmeofit，“headmitted。”Well，Itellyou——callme’Uncle，Jed。’，That’sgotahandletoitbutitain’tsomuchlikethe，handletoanicepitcherasMisteris。’UncleJed’’lldo，won’t，it？”
Barbarapondered。”Why，“shesaid，doubtfully，“youaren’tmy，uncle，really。Ifyouwereyou’dbeMamma’sbrother，like——like，UncleCharlie，youknow。”
Itwasthesecondtimeshehadmentioned“UncleCharlie。”，Jedhad，neverheardMrs。Armstrongspeakofhavingabrother，andhe，wonderedvaguelywhy。However，hedidnotwonderlongonthis，particularoccasion。
“Humph！”hegrunted。”Well，let’ssee。Itellyou：I’llbeyour，step-uncle。That’lldo，won’tit？，You’veheardofstep-fathers？
Um-hm。Well，theyain’trealfathers，andastep-uncleain’ta，realuncle。Nowyouthinkthatoverandseeifthatwon’tfixit，first-rate。”
Thechildthoughtitover。”AndshallIcallyou’Step-Uncle，Jed’？”sheasked。
“Eh？……Um……No-o，IguessIwouldn’t。I’monlyaback，step-uncle，anyway——Ialwayscometothebackstepsofyourhouse，youknow——soIwouldn’tsayanythingaboutthesteppart。Youask，yourmaandseewhatshesays。”
SoBarbaraaskedandreportedasfollows：
“ShesaysImaycallyou’UncleJed’whenit’sjustyouandI
together，“shesaid。”Butwhenotherpeoplearearoundshethinks，’Mr。Winslow’wouldbemorerespectaful。”
Itwassettledonthatbasis。
“Can’tyoutakemetotheaviationplacesometime，UncleJed？”
askedBarbara。
Jedthoughthecould，ifhecouldborrowaboatsomewhereandMrs。
ArmstrongwaswillingthatBarbarashouldgowithhim。Both，permissionandtheboatwereobtained，theformerwithlittle，difficulty，afterMrs。ArmstronghadmadeinquiriesconcerningMr。
Winslow’sskillinhandlingaboat，thelatterwithmore。Atlast，CaptainPerezRyder，beingdiplomaticallyapproached，toldJedhe，mightusehiseighteenfootpowerdoryforaday，theonlycost，beingthatentailedbypurchaseofthenecessaryoilandgasoline。
Itwasabeautifulmorningwhentheystartedontheirsixmile，sail，or“chug，“asJedcalledit。Mrs。Armstronghadputupa，lunchforthem，andJedhadabucketofclams，akettle，apailof，milk，somecrackers，onionsandsaltpork，theingredientsofa，possiblechowder。
“Littlemitelatefor’longshorechowderpicnics，ma’am，“hesaid，“butit’sawesterlywindandIcal’late’twillbeprettybalmyin，theleeofthepines。Soon’sitgetsanywayschillywe’llbe，startin’home。Wishyouweregoin’along，too。”
Mrs。Armstrongsmiledandsaidshewishedithadbeenpossiblefor，hertogo，butitwasnot。Shelookedpalethatmorning，soit，seemedtoJed，andwhenshesmileditwaswithanobviouseffort。
“You’renotgoingwithoutlockingyourkitchendoor，areyou，Mr。
Jed？”sheasked。
Jedlookedatherandatthedoor。
“Why，“heobserved，“Iain’tlockedthatdoor，haveI！，Ilocked，thefrontone，theonetotheshop，though。DidyouseethesignI
tackedontheoutsideofit？”
“No，Ididn’t。”
“Ididn’tknowbutyoumighthave。Iputonit：’Closedforthe，day。InquireatAbijahThompson’s。’，Yousee，“headded，hiseye，twinklingeversolittle，“’BijeThompsonlivesinthelasthouse，inthevillage，twomileormoreovertothewest’ard。”
“Hedoes！，Thenwhyintheworlddidyoutellpeopletoinquire，there？”
“Oh，ifIdidn’tthey’dbebotherin’you，probably，andIdidn’t，want’emdoin’that。Iftheywantmeenoughtotravelwayoverto，’Bije’sthey’llcomebackhereto-morrow，Ishouldn’twonder。I
guesslikelythey’dhaveto;’Bijedon’tknowanythingaboutme。”
Herubbedhischinandthenadded：
“Maybe’twouldbeagoodnotiontolockthatkitchendoor。”
Theywerestandingattheedgeofthebluff。Hesaunteredoverto，thekitchen，closedthedoor，andthen，openingthewindowbeside，it，reachedinthroughthatwindowandturnedthekeyinthelock，ofthedoor。Leavingthekeyinthatlockandthewindowstill，open，hecamesaunteringbackagain。
“There，“hedrawled，“Iguesseverything’ssafeenoughnow。”
Mrs。Armstrongregardedhiminamusedwonder。”Doyouusuallylock，yourdoorontheinsideinthatway？”sheasked。
“Eh？……Oh，yes’m。IfIlockeditontheoutsideI’dhaveto，takethekeywithme，andI’msuchanabsent-mindeddumb-head，I’d，beprettysuretoloseit。Comeon，Babbie。Allaboard！”
CHAPTERIX
The“Araminta，“whichwasthenameofCaptainPerez’spowerdory——a，name，sothecaptaininvariablyexplained，“wishedontoher“before，heboughther——chuggedalongsteadilyifnotswiftly。Thecourse，wasalwaysinprotectedwater，insidetheouterbeachesorthrough，thenarrowchannelsbetweenthesandislands，andsotherewereno，wavestocontendwithandnodanger。Jed，inthecourseofhis，variedexperienceafloatandashore，hadpickedupaworking，knowledgeofgasolineenginesand，anyhow，asheinformedhissmall，passenger，the“Araminta’s“enginedidn’tneedanyexperthandling。
“Sherunsjustlikesomefolks’tongues;justgetherstartedand，she’llclackalongallday，“heobserved，addingphilosophically，“andthat’sagoodthing——inanengine。”
“Iknowwhosetongueyou’rethinkingabout，UncleJed，“declared，Barbara。”It’sMr。GabeBearse’s。”
Jedwasmuchamused;heactuallylaughedaloud。”Gabeandthis，enginearedifferentinoneway，though，“hesaid。”It’swithin，theboundsofhumanpossibilitytostopthisengine。”
Theythreadedthelastwindingchannelandcameoutintothebay。
Across，ontheoppositeshore，thenewshedsandlumberpilesof，whatwastobetheaviationcamploomedrawandyellowinthe，sunlight。Abriskbreezeruffledthebluewaterandthepineson，thehilltopsshooktheirheadsandshruggedtheirgreenshoulders。
The“Araminta“chuggedacrossthebay，risingandfallingeverso，littleontheminiaturerollers。
“Whatshallwedo，UncleJed？”askedBarbara。”Shallwegotosee，thecamporshallwehaveourchowderandluncheonfirstandthen，go？”
Jedtookouthiswatch，shookitandheldittohisear——a，precautionaryprocessrenderednecessarybecauseofhishabitof，forgettingtowindit——thenafteralookatthedial，announced，that，asitwasonlyhalf-pastten，perhapstheyhadbettergoto，thecampfirst。
“Yousee，“heobserved，“ifweeatnowweshan’thardlyknow，whetherwe’relatetobreakfastorearlytodinner。”
Barbarawassurprised。
“Why，UncleJed！”sheexclaimed，“Ihadbreakfasteversolongago！
Didn’tyou？”
“Ihaditaboutthesametimeyoudid，Ical’late。Butmy，appetite’solderthanyoursanditdon’ttakesomuchexercise;I
guessthat’sthedifference。We’lleatprettysoon。Let’sgoand，looktheplaceoverfirst。”
TheylandedinalittlecoveonthebeachadjoiningtheGovernment，reservation。Jeddeclareditagoodplacetomakeafire，asit，wasshelteredfromthewind。Heanchoredtheboatattheedgeof，thechannelandthen，pullingupthetopsofhislong-leggedrubber，boots，carriedhispassengerashore。Anothertriportwolanded，thekettle，thematerialsforthechowderandthelunchbaskets。
Jedlookedattheheaponthebeachandthenoffattheboat。
“Now，“hesaid，slowly，“thequestioniswhathaveIleftaboard，thatIoughttohavefetchedashoreandwhathaveIfetchedhere，thatoughttobeleftthere？……Hum……Iwonder。”
“Whatmakesyouthinkyou’vedoneanythinglikethat，UncleJed？”
askedBarbara。
“Eh？……Oh，Idon’tthinkit，Iknowit。I’veboardedwith，myselfforforty-fiveyearandIknowifthere’sanythingIcanget，cross-eyedI’lldoit。JustaslikelyasnotI’vemadethebucket，ofclamsfasttothatropeoutyonderandhoveitoverboard，and，prettysoonyou’llseemetryin’tomakechowderoutofthe，anchor……Ahhum……well……
’Asnumberlessasthesandsontheseashore，Asnumberlessasthesandsontheshore，Oh，whatasight’twillbe，whentheransomedhostwesee，Asnumberlessas——’
Well，whatdoyousay？，Shallweheaveaheadfortheplacewhere，UncleSam’sbirdsaregoin’tonest——histwo-leggedbirds，Imean？”
Theywalkedupthebeachalittleway，thenturnedinland，climbed，adunecoveredwithbeachgrassandemergedupontheflatmeadows，whichwouldsoonbetheflyingfield。Theywalkedaboutamongthe，sheds，theframesofthebarracks，andinspectedtheoffice，buildingfromoutside。Thereweregangsofworkmen，carpenters，plumbersandshovelers，butalmostnouniforms。Barbarawas，disappointed。
“ButthereAREsoldiershere，“shedeclared。”Mammasaidthere，were，officersoldiers，youknow。”
“Ical’latethereain’tverymanyyet，“explainedhercompanion。
“Onlythefewthat’sincharge，Iguesslikely。Byandbythere’ll，beenough，officersandmenboth，butnowthere’sonlycarpenters，andsuch。”
“ButthereareSOMEofficerones——“insistedBabbie。”Iwonder——
Oh，see，UncleJed，throughthatwindow——see，aren’tthose，soldiers？，They’vegotonsoldierclothes。”
Jedpresumedlikelythattheywere。Barbaranodded，sagely。”And，they’reofficers，too，“shesaid，“I’msuretheyarebecause，they’reintheoffice。Dotheycallthemofficersbecausethey，workinoffices，UncleJed？”
Afteranhour’swalkingabouttheywentbacktotheplacewhere，theyhadlefttheboatandJedsetaboutmakingthechowder。
Barbarawatchedhimbuildthefireandopentheclams，butthen，growingtiredofsittingstill，shewasseizedwithanidea。
“UncleJed，“sheasked，“can’tyouwhittlemeashingleboat？，You，knowyoudidonceatourbeachathome。Andthere’sthecunningest，littlepondtosailiton。Mammawouldletmesailitthere，I
know，’causeitisn’tabitdeep。Youcomeandsee，UncleJed。”
The“pond“wasapuddle，perhapstwentyfeetacross，leftbythe，outgoingtide。Itsgreatestdepthwasnotmorethanafoot。Jed，absent-mindedlydeclaredthepondtobesafeenoughbutthathe，couldnotmakeashingleboat，nothavingthenecessaryshingle。
“Wouldyouifyouhadone？”persistedtheyounglady。
“Eh？……Oh，yes，sartin，Iguessso。”
“Allright。Hereisone。Ipickeditupontopofthatlittle，hill。Iguessitblewthere。It’sblowingeversomuchharderup，therethanitishereonthebeach。”
Theshingleboatbeinghurriedlymade，itsownerbeggedforapaper，sail。”Theotheroneyoumademehadapapersail，UncleJed。”
Jedpleadedthathehadnopaper。”There’ssomewrapped’roundthe，lunch，“hesaid，“butit’sallbutterandsuch。’Twouldn’tbeany，goodforasail。Er——er——don’tyouthinkwe’dbetterputoff，makin’thesailtillwegethomeor——orsomewheres？，Thischowder，issortofonmyconsciencethisminute。”
Babbieevidentlydidnotthinkso。Shewentawayonanexploring，expedition。Inafewminutesshereturned，asheetofpaperinher，hand。
“ItwasblowingaroundjustwhereIfoundtheshingle，“she，declared。”It’sarealniceplacetofindthings，uponthathill，place，UncleJed。”
Jedtookthepaper，lookedatitabsently——hehadtakenoffhis，coatduringthefire-buildingandhisglasseswerepresumablyin，thecoatpocket——andthenhastilydoubleditacross，thrustthe，mastofthe“shingleboat“throughitattopandbottom，andhanded，thecrafttohissmallcompanion。
“There！”heobserved;“theresheis，launched，riggedandallbut，christened。Callherthe——the’Geranium’——the’Sunflower’——what’s，thenameofthatdollbabyofyours？，Oh，yes，the’Petunia。’，Call，herthatandsetherafloat。”
ButBarbarashookherhead。
“Ithink，“shesaid，“ifyoudon’tmind，UncleJed，Ishallcall，thisone’Ruth，’that’sMamma’sname，youknow。Theotheroneyou，mademewasnamedforPetunia，andwewouldn’twanttoname’emALL
forher。Itmightmakehertoo——too——，Oh，whatAREthosethings，youmake，UncleJed？，Intheshop，Imean。”
“Eh？，Windmills？”
“No。Theothers——thoseyoutellthewindwith。Iknow——vanes。It，mightmakePetuniatoovain。That’swhatMammasaidImustn’tbe，whenIhadmynewcoat，theonewiththefur，youknow。”
Shetrottedoff。Jedbusiedhimselfwiththechowder。Afew，minuteslateravoicebehindhimsaid：“Hi，there！”Heturnedto，seeabroad-shoulderedstranger，evidentlyacarpenterorworkman，ofsomesort，standingatthetopofthesandduneandlookingdown，athimwithmarkedinterest。
“Hi，there！”repeatedthestranger。
Jednodded;hisattentionwascenteredonthechowder。”Howd’ye，do？”heobserved，politely。”Niceday，ain’tit？……Hum……
Aboutfiveminutesmore。”
Theworkmanstrodedownthebank。
“Say，“hedemanded，“haveyouseenanythingofaplan？”
“Eh？……Hum……Twoplatesandtwospoons……andtwo，tumblers……”
“Hey！，Wakeup！，Haveyouseenanythingofaplan，Iaskyou？”
“Eh？……Aplan？……No，Iguessnot……No，Iain’t……
Whatisit？”
“WhatISit？，Howdoyouknowyouain’tseenitifyoudon’tknow，whatitis？”
“Eh？……Idon’t，Iguesslikely。”
“Say，you’reaqueerduck，itstrikesme。Whatareyouupto？
Whatareyoudoin’here，anyway？”
Jedtookthecoverfromthekettleandstirredthefragrant，bubblingmasswithalong-handledspoon。
“Aboutdone，“hemused，slowly。”Just……about……done。
Givehertwominutesmoreforluckandthen……”
Buthisvisitorwasbecomingimpatient。”Areyoudeaforareyou，tryin’togetmygoat？”hedemanded。”Becauseifyouareyou’re，prettyclosetodoin’it，I’lltellyouthat。YouanswerwhenI
speaktoyou;understand？，Whatareyoudoin’here？”
HistonewassoloudandemphaticthatevenMr。Winslowcouldnot，helpbuthearandunderstand。Helookedup，vaguelytroubled。
“I——Ihopeyou’llexcuseme，Mister，“hestammered。”I’mafraidI
haven’tbeenpayin’attentionthewayI’doughtto。Yousee，I’m，makin’achowderhereandit’sjustaboutgottotheplacewhere，youcan’t——“
“Lookhere，you，“beganhisquestioner，buthewasinterruptedin，histurn。Overtheedgeofthebankcameayoungmaninthekhaki，uniformoftheUnitedStatesArmy。Hewasanofficer，asecond，lieutenant，andaveryyoungandverynewsecondlieutenantat，that。Hisfacewaswhiteandheseemedmuchagitated。
“What’sthematterhere？”hedemanded。Then，seeingJedforthe，firsttime，heasked：“Whoisthismanandwhatishedoinghere？”
“That’sjustwhatIwasaskin’him，sir，“blusteredtheworkman。
“Ifoundhimherewiththisfiregoin’andIaskedhimwhohewas，andwhathewasdoin’。Iaskedhimfirstifhe’dseentheplan——“
“Hadhe？”brokeintheyoungofficer，eagerly。Then，addressing，Jed，hesaid：“Haveyouseenanythingoftheplan？”
Jedslowlyshookhishead。”Idon’tknow’sIknowwhatyoumeanby，aplan，“heexplained。”Iain’tbeenhereverylong。Ijust——，My，soulandbody！”
Hesnatchedthekettlefromthefire，tookoffthecover，sniffed，anxiously，andthenadded，withasighofrelief，“Whew！，Ideclare，IthoughtIsmeltitburnin’。Saveditjustintime。Whew！”
ThelieutenantlookedatJedandthenattheworkman。Thelatter，shookhishead。
“Don’taskme，sir，“hesaid。”That’sthewayhe’sbeenactin’
eversinceIstruckhere。Eitherhe’sbattyorelsehe’s，pretendin’tobe，oneortheother。Lookhere，Rube！”heroaredat，thetopofhislungs，“canthecheaptalkandanswerthe，lieutenant’squestionsoryou’llgetintotrouble。D’yehear？”
Jedlookedupathim。”I’mprettynighsureIshouldhearifyou，whisperedalittlelouder，“hesaid，gently。
Theyoungofficerdrewhimselfup。”That’senoughofthis，“he，ordered。”Aplanhasbeenlosthereonthisreservation，a，valuableplan，adrawingof——well，adrawingthathastodowith，thelayingoutofthiscampandwhichmightbeofvaluetothe，enemyifhecouldgetit。Itwasonmytableintheofficeless，thananhourago。Nowitismissing。Whatweareaskingyouis，whetherornotyouhaveseenanythingofit。Haveyou？”
Jedshookhishead。”Idon’tthinkIhave，“hereplied。
“Youdon’tthink？，Don’tyouknow？，Whatisthematterwithyou？
Isitimpossibleforyoutoansweryesornotoaquestion？”
“Um——why，yes，Ical’late’tis——tosomequestions。”
“Well，byGeorge！，You’refreshenough。”
“Now——now，ifyouplease，Iwasn’tintendin’tobefresh。Ijust——“
“Well，youare。Whoisthisfellow？，Howdoeshehappentobe，here？，Doesanyoneknow？”
Jed’sfirstinterrogator，thebigworkman，beingtheonlyone，presentbesidethespeakerandtheobjectofthequestion，tookit，uponhimselftoanswer。
“Idon’tknowwhoheis，“hesaid。”Andhewon’ttellwhyhe’s，here。Looksmightysuspicioustome。Shouldn’twonderifhewasa，Germanspy。They’reallaroundeverywheres，sothepaperssay。”
Thisspeechhadacuriouseffect。ThestoopintheWinslow，shouldersdisappeared。Jed’stallformstraightened。Whenhe，spokeitwasinatoneevenmorequietanddeliberatethanusual，buttherecouldbenoshadowofadoubtthathemeantwhathesaid。
“Excuseme，Mister，“hedrawled，“butthere’soneortwonamesthat，justnowIcan’tallowanybodytocallme。’German’isoneand，’spy’isanother。Andyouput’embothtogether。Iguesslikely，youwasonlyfoolin’，wasn’tyou？”
Theworkmanlookedsurprised。Thenhelaughed。”ShallIcalla，guard，sir？”heasked，addressingthelieutenant。”Betterhavehim，searched，Ishouldsay。Ninechancestoonehe’sgottheplanin，hispocket。”
Theofficer——hewasveryyoung——hesitated。Jed，whohadnottaken，hiseyesfromthefaceofthemanwhohadcalledhimaGermanspy，spokeagain。
“Youhaven’tansweredmeyet，“hedrawled。”Youwasonlyfoolin’
whenyousaidthat，wasn’tyou？”
Thelieutenant，whomayhavefeltthathehadsuddenlybecomea，negligiblefactorinthesituation，essayedtotakecommandofit。
“Shutup，“heordered，addressingWinslow。Thentotheother，“Yes，callaguard。We’llseeifwecan’tgetastraightanswer，fromthisfellow。Hurryup。”
Theworkmanturnedtoobey。But，tohissurprise，hispathwas，blockedbyJed，whoquietlysteppedinfrontofhim。
“Iguesslikely，ifyouwasn’tfoolin’，you’dbettertakebackwhat，youcalledme，“saidJed。
Theylookedateachother。Theworkmanwastallandstrong，but，Jed，nowthathewasstandingerect，wasalittletaller。His，hands，whichhungathissides，werebigandhisarmslong。Andin，hismildblueeyetherewasalookofunshakabledetermination。
Theworkmansawthatlookandstoodstill。
“Hurryup！”repeatedthelieutenant。
Justhowthesituationmighthaveendedisuncertain。Howitdid，endwasinanunexpectedmanner。Fromtherearofthetrio，from，thetopofthesandyridgeseparatingthebeachfromthemeadow，a，newvoicemadeitselfheard。
“Well，Rayburn，what’sthetrouble？”itasked。
Thelieutenantturnedbriskly，so，too，didMr。Winslowandhis，vis-a-vis。Standingatthetopoftheridgewasanotherofficer。
Hewasstandingtherelookingdownuponthemand，althoughhewas，notsmiling，Jedsomehowconceivedtheideathathewasmuchamused，aboutsomething。Nowhedescendedtheridgeandwalkedtowardthe，groupbythefire。
“Well，Rayburn，whatisit？”heaskedagain。
Thelieutenantsaluted。
“Why——why，MajorGrover，“hestammered，“we——thatisIfoundthis，manhereontheGovernmentpropertyand——andhewon’texplainwhat，he’sdoinghere。I——Iaskedhimifhehadseenanythingofthe，planandhewon’tanswer。Iwasjustgoingtoputhimunderarrest，as——asasuspiciouspersonwhenyoucame。”
MajorGroverturnedandinspectedJed，andJed，forhispart，inspectedthemajor。Hesawawellset-upmanofperhapsthirty-
five，dark-haired，brown-eyedandwithacloselyclippedmustache，aboveapleasantmouthandafirmchin。Theinspectionlasteda，minuteormore。Thenthemajorsaid：
“Soyou’reasuspiciouscharacter，areyou？”
Jed’shandmovedacrosshischininthegesturehabitualwithhim。
“Ineverknewitafore，“hedrawled。”Asuspiciouscharacterisan，importantone，ain’tit？，I——er——I’mflattered。”
“Humph！，Well，yourealizeitnow，Isuppose？”
“Cal’lateI’llhaveto，long’syour——er——chummietheresaysit’s，so。”
TheexpressionofhorroruponLieutenantRayburn’sfaceathearing，himselfreferredtoas“chummie“tohissuperiorofficerwasworth，seeing。
“Oh，Isay，sir！”heexplained。Themajorpaidnoattention。
“Whatwereyouandthisman，“indicatingthebigcarpenter，“bristlinguptoeachotherfor？”heinquired。
“Well，thisguyhe——“begantheworkman。MajorGrovermotionedhim，tobequiet。
“Iaskedtheotherfellow，“hesaid。Jedrubbedhischinonce，more。
“HesaidIwasaGermanspy，“hereplied。
“Areyou？”
“No。”，Theanswerwaspromptenoughandemphaticenough。Major，Grovertuggedatthecornerofhismustache。
“Well，I——Iadmityoudon’tlookit，“heobserved，dryly。”What’s，yournameandwhoareyou？”
Jedtoldhisname，hisplaceofresidenceandhisbusiness。
“Isthereanyoneaboutherewhoknowsyou，whocouldproveyou，werewhoyousayyouare？”
Mr。Winslowconsidered。”Ye-es，“hedrawled。”Ye-es，Iguessso。
’ThophMullettand’BialHardyandGeorgieT。Nickersonand，SquealerWixon，they’reallcarpenterin’overhereandthey’refrom，Orhamandknowme。Thenthere’sBlueyBatcheldorandEmulousBaker，and’Gawpy’——ImeanFreddieG——and——“
“There，there！，That’squitesufficient，thankyou。Doyouknow，anyofthosemen？”heasked，turningtotheworkman。
“Yes，sir，IguessIdo。”
“Verywell。Goupandbringtwoofthemhere;notmorethantwo，understand。”
Jed’saccuserdeparted。MajorGroverresumedhiscatechizing。
“Whatwereyoudoinghere？”heasked。
“Eh？，Me？，Oh，Iwasjustpicnicin’，asyoumightsay，alongwitha，littlegirl，daughterofaneighborofmine。Shewantedtosee，wherethesoldierswasgoin’tofly，soIborrowedPerezRyder’s，powerdoryandwecameover。’Twasgettin’alongdinnertimeandI
builtafiresoastocook……Mysoul！”withagaspof，consternation，“Iforgotallaboutthatchowder。Andnowit’sgot，stonecold。Yes，sir！”droppingonhiskneesandremovingthe，coverofthekettle，“stonecoldornextdoortoit。Ain’tthata，shame！”
LieutenantRayburnsnortedindisgust。Hissuperiorofficer，however，merelysmiled。
“Nevermindthechowderjustnow，“hesaid。”Soyoucameoverhere，forapicnic，didyou？，Littlelateforpicnics，isntit？”
“Yes——ye-es，“drawledJed，“’tiskindoflate，but’twasanice，moderatedayandBabbieshewantedtocome，so——“
“Babbie？，That’sthelittlegirl？……Oh，“withanod，“I
remembernow。Isawamanwithalittlegirlwanderingaboutamong，thebuildingsalittlewhileago。Wasthatyou？”
“Ye-es，yes，thatwasme……Tut，tut，tut！，I’llhavetowarm，thischowderallupagainnow。That’stoobad！”
Voicesfrombehindtheridgeannouncedthecomingofthecarpenter，andthetwo“identifiers。”，Thelatter，Mr。EmulousBakerandMr。
“Squealer“Wixon，wereonthebroadgrin。
“Yup，that’shim，“announcedMr。Wixon。”Hello，Shavin’s！，Gotyou，tookupforaGermanspy，havethey？，That’sagoodone！haw，haw！”
“Doyouknowhim？”askedthemajor。
“Knowhim？”Mr。Wixonguffawedagain。”Knownhimallmylife。He，livesovertoOrham。Makeswindmillsandwhirlagigsandsuchfor，young-onestoplaywith。HEain’tanyspy。Hisname’sJed，Winslow，butwealwayscallhim’Shavin’s，’’countofhiswhittlin’
upsomuchgoodwood，youunderstand。Ain’tthatso，Shavin’s？
Haw，haw！”
JedregardedMr。Wixonmournfully。
“Um-hm，“headmitted。”Iguesslikelyyou’reright，Squealer。”
“Ibetyou！，There’sonlyoneShavin’sinOrham。”
Jedsighed。”There’sconsider’blemanysquealers，“hedrawled;
“someinstiesandsomerunnin’loose。”
MajorGrover，whohadappearedtoenjoythisdialogue，interrupted，itnow。
“Thatwouldseemtosettlethespyquestion，“hesaid。”Youmay，go，allthreeofyou，“headded，turningtothecarpenters。They，departed，Jed’sparticularenemymutteringtohimselfandMr。Wixon，laughinguproariously。ThemajoroncemoreaddressedJed。
“Whereisthelittlegirlyouwerewith？”heasked。
“Eh？，Oh，she’soveryonderjust’roundthep’int，sailin’a，shingleboatImadeher。ShallIcallher？”
“No，itisn’tnecessary。Mr。Winslow，I’msorrytohaveputyouto，allthistroubleandtohavecooledyour——er——chowder。Thereisno，regulationagainstvisitorstoourreservationherejustnow，althoughtherewillbe，ofcourse，lateron。Thereisarule，againstbuildingfiresonthebeach，butyoubrokethatin，ignorance，I’msure。Thereasonwhyyouhavebeencross-questioned，to-dayisaspecialone。Aconstructionplanhasbeenlost，as，LieutenantRayburnhereinformedyou。Itwasonhisdeskinthe，officeandithasdisappeared。Itmayhavebeenstolen，ofcourse，or，asbothwindowswereopen，itmayhaveblownaway。Youare，sureyouhaven’tseenanythingofit？，Haven’tseenanypapers，blowingabout？”
“I’msureitdidn’tblowaway，sir，“putinthelieutenant。”I’m，positiveitwasstolen。Yousee——“
Hedidnotfinishhissentence。TheexpressionuponJed’sface，causedhimtopause。Mr。Winslow’smouthandeyeswereopening，widerandwider。
“Sho！”mutteredJed。”Sho，now！……’Tain’tpossiblethat……
Isnumif……Sho！”
“Well，whatisit？”demandedbothofficers，practicallyinconcert。
Jeddidnotreply。Insteadheturnedhishead，putbothhandsto，hismouthandshouted“Babbie！”throughthematthetopofhis，lungs。Thethirdshoutbroughtafaint，“Yes，UncleJed，I’m，coming。”
“Whatareyoucallingherfor？”askedLieutenantRayburn，forgettingthepresenceofhissuperiorofficerinhisanxious，impatience。Jeddidnotanswer。Hewaskneelingbesidehis，jacket，whichhehadthrownuponthesandwhenhelanded，andwas，fumblinginthepockets。”Dearme！dearme！”hewasmuttering。
“I’msartintheymustbehere。IKNOWIput’emherebecause……
OW！”
Hewaskneelingandholdingthecoatwithonehandwhilehefumbled，inthepocketswiththeother。Unconsciouslyhehadleaned，backwarduntilhesatuponhisheels。Now，withanoddexpression，ofmingledpainandrelief，hereachedintothehippocketofhis，trousersandproducedapairofspectacles。Hesmiledhisslow，fleetingsmile。
“There！”heobserved，“Ifound’emmyway——backwards。Anybodyelse，wouldhavefound’embylookingfor’em;Ilost’emlookin’for’em，andfound’embysittin’on’em……Oh，hereyouare，Babbie！
Sakesalive，you’resortofdampish。”
Shewasallofthat。Shehadcomerunninginanswertohiscall，andhadtheshingleboathuggedclosetoher。Thewaterfromit，hadtrickleddownthefrontofherdress。Hershoesandstockings，weresplashedwithwetsand。
“Isdinnerready，UncleJed？”sheasked，eagerly。Thenbecoming，awarethatthetwostrangegentlemenstandingbythefirewere，reallyandtruly“officerones，“shelookedwide-eyedupatthem，andutteredaninvoluntary“Oh！”
“Babbie，“saidJed，“letmeseethatboatofyoursaminute，will，you？”
Babbieobedientlyhandeditover。Jedinspecteditthroughhis，spectacles。Thenhepulledthepapersailfromthesharpened，stick——themast——unfoldedit，lookedatit，andthenextendeditat，arm’slengthtowardMajorGrover。
“That’syourplanthing，ain’tit？”heasked，calmly。
Bothofficersreachedforthepaper，buttheyounger，remembering，intime，drewback。Theothertookit，gaveitaquickglance，and，thenturnedagaintoMr。Winslow。
“Wheredidyougetthis？”heasked，crisply。
Jedshookhishead。
“Shegaveittome，thislittlegirlhere，“heexplained。She，wantedasailforthatshinglecraftIwhittledoutforher。
CourseifI’dhadonmyspecsIpresumelikelyI’dhavenoticed，that’twasanoutofthecommonsortofpaper，but——Iwaswearin’
’eminmypantspocketjustthen。”
“Wheredidyougetit？”demandedRayburn，addressingBarbara。The，childlookedfrightened。MajorGroversmiledreassuringlyather，andshestammeredaratherfaintreply。
“Ifounditblowingarounduponthelittlehillthere，“shesaid，pointing。”ItwasblowingrealhardandIhadtoruntocatchit，beforeitgottotheedgeofthewater。I’m——I——I’msorryIgave，ittoUncleJedforasail。Ididn’tknow——and——andhedidn’t，either，“sheadded，loyally。
“That’sallright，mydear。Ofcourseyoudidn’tknow。Well，Rayburn，“turningtothelieutenant，“there’syourplan。Yousee，itdidblowaway，afterall。Ithinkyouowethisyounglady，thanksthatitisnotoutinmid-channelbythistime。Takeit，backtotheofficeandseeiftheholesinithavespoiledits，usefulnesstoanyextent。”
Thelieutenant，veryredintheface，departed，bearinghis，preciousplan。Jedheavedasighofrelief。
“There！”heexclaimed，“nowIpresumelikelyIcanattendtomy，chowder。”
“Theimportantthingsoflife，eh？”queriedMajorGrover。
“Um-hm。Idon’tknow’sthere’sanythingmuchmoreimportantthan，eatin’。It’sakindofexpensivehabit，butanawfulhardoneto，swearoffof……Hum……Speakin’ofimportantthings，was，thatplanofyoursveryimportant，Mr——ImeanMajor？”
“Rather——yes。”
“Sho！……AndIstuckitonastickandsetitafloatona，shingle。Ical’lateifSamHunniwellknewofthathe’dsay’twas，characteristic……Hum……Sho！……Ireadonceabouta，fellerthatfoundwherethegreatsealofEnglandwashidandhe，usedittocracknutswith。Iguesslikelythatfellermusthave，beenmygreat，great，greatgranddad。”
MajorGroverlookedsurprised。
“I’vereadthatstory，“hesaid，“butIcan’trememberwhere。”
Jedwasstirringhischowder。”Eh？”hesaid，absently。”Where？
Oh，’twasin——the——er——’PrinceandthePauper，’youknow。Mark，Twainwroteit。”
“That’sso;Iremembernow。Soyou’veread’ThePrinceandthe，Pauper’？”
“Um-hm。ReadabouteverythingMarkTwaineverwrote，Ishouldn’t，wonder。”
“Doyoureadagooddeal？”
“Some……There！，Nowwe’llcallthatchowderdoneforthe，secondtime，Iguess。Setdownandpassyourplate，Babbie。
You’llsetdownandhaveabitewithus，won’tyou，Mr——Major——I
snumI’veforgotyourname。Youmustn’tmind;Iforgetmyown，sometimes。”
“Grover。IamamajorintheEngineers，stationedhereforthe，presenttolookafterthisconstructionwork。No，thankyou，I
shouldliketostay，butImustgobacktomyoffice。”
“Dear，dear！，That’stoobad。BabbieandIwouldlikefirst-rate，tohaveyoustay。Wouldn’twe，Babbie？”
Barbaranodded。
“Yes，sir，“shesaid。”Andthechowderwillbeawf’lygood。Uncle，Jed’schowdersalwaysare。”
“I’msureofit。”，MajorGrover’slookofsurprisewasmoreevident，thaneverashegazedfirstatBarbaraandthenatMr。Winslow。
Hisnextquestionwasaddressedtothelatter。
“Soyouarethisyounglady’suncle？”heinquired。ItwasBarbara，whoanswered。
“Notmyreallyuncle，“sheannounced。”He’sjustmymake-believe，uncle。Hesayshe’smystep-uncle’causehecomestoourback，stepssomuch。Buthe’salmostbetterthanarealuncle，“she，declared，emphatically。
Themajorlaughedheartilyandsaidhewassureofit。Heseemed，tofindthepairhugelyentertaining。
“Well，good-by，“hesaid。”Ihopeyouandyourunclewillvisitus，againsoon。AndIhopenexttimenoonewilltakehimforaspy。”
Jedlookedmournfullyatthefire。”I’vebeentookforafool，oftenenough，“heobserved，“butaspyisaconsider’bleworse，guess。”
Groverlookedathim。”I’mnotsosure，“hesaid。”Iimagineboth，guesseswouldbeequallybad。Well，good-by。Don’tforgettocome，again。”
“Thankyou，thankyou。Andwhenyou’reovertoOrhamdropinsome，dayandseeBabbieandme。Anybody——theconstableoranybody——will，tellyouwhereIlive。”
Theirvisitorlaughed，thankedhim，andhurriedaway。SaidBarbara，betweenspoonfuls：
“He’sarealniceofficerone，isn’the，UncleJed？，PetuniaandI
likehim。”
Duringtherestoftheafternoontheywalkedalongthebeach，pickedupshells，inspected“horse-foot“crabs，jellyfishand，“sandcollars，“andenjoyedthemselvessothoroughlythatitwas，afterfourwhentheystartedforhome。TheearlyOctoberdusk，settleddownastheyenteredthewindingchannelbetweenthesand，islandsandthestretchesofbeaches。Barbara，wrappedinanold，coatofCaptainPerez’s，which，smellingstronglyoffish，hadbeen，foundinalocker，seemedtobethinkingveryhardand，fora，wonder，sayinglittle。Atlastshebrokethesilence。
“ThatMr。Majorofficermanwas’stonishedwhenIcalledyou’Uncle，Jed，’“sheobserved。”Why，doyous’pose？”
Jedwhistledafewbarsandpeeredoverthesideattheseaweed，markingtheborderofthenarrow，shallowchannel。
“Ical’late，“hedrawled，afteramoment，“thathehadn’tnoticed，howmuchwelookalike。”
ItwasBarbara’sturntobeastonished。
“ButweDON’Tlookalike，UncleJed，“shedeclared。”Notasingle，bit。”
Jednodded。”No-o，“headmitted。”Ipresumethat’swhyhedidn’t，noticeit。”
Thisexplanation，whichotherpeoplemighthavefoundsomewhat，unsatisfactory，appearedtosatisfyMissArmstrong;atanyrateshe，accepteditwithoutcomment。Therewasanotherpauseinthe，conversation。Thenshesaid：
“Idon’tknow，afterall，asIoughttocallyou’UncleJed，’Uncle，Jed。”
“Eh？，Whynot，forthelandsakes？”
“’Causeunclesmakepeoplecryinourfamily。IheardMammacrying，lastnight，aftershethoughtIwasasleep。AndIknowshewas，cryingaboutUncleCharlie。Shecriedwhentheytookhimaway，you，know，andnowshecrieswhenhe’scominghomeagain。Shecried，awf’lywhentheytookhimaway。”
“Oh，shedid，eh？”
“Yes。HeusedtolivewithMammaandmeatourhousein，Middleford。He’sawfulnice，UncleCharlieis，andPetuniaandI
wereveryfondofhim。Andthentheytookhimawayandwehaven’t，seenhimsince。”
“He’sbeensick，maybe。”
“Perhapsso。Buthemustbewellagainnowcausehe’scominghome;
Mammasaidso。”
“Um-hm。Well，Iguessthatwasit。Probablyhehadtogotothe——
thehospitalorsomewhereandyourmahasbeenworriedabouthim。
He’shadanoperationmaybe。Lotsoffolkshaveoperations，nowadays;it’sgottobethefashion，seemsso。”
Thechildreflected。
“Dotheyhavetohavepolicemencometotakeyoutothehospital？”
sheasked。
“Eh？……Policemen？”
“Yes。’TwastwobigpolicementookUncleCharlieawaythefirst，time。Wewerehavingsupper，MammaandheandI，andNorawentto，thedoorwhenthebellrangandthebigpolicemencameandUncle，Charliewentawaywiththem。AndMammacriedso。Andshewouldn’t，tellmeabitabout……Oh！OH！，I’vetoldaboutthepolicemen！
MammasaidImustn’tever，EVERtellanybodythat。And——andIdid！
IDID！”
Aghastatherowndepravity，shebegantosob。Jedtriedto，comfortherandsucceeded，afterafashion，atleastshestopped，crying，althoughshewassilentmostofthewayhome。AndJed，himselfwassilentalso。Hesharedherfeelingofguilt。Hefelt，thathehadbeentoldsomethingwhichneitherhenoranyoutsider，shouldhaveheard，andhissensitivespiritfoundlittle，consolationinthefactthatthehearingofithadcomethroughno，faultofhis。Besides，hewasnotsosurethathehadbeen，faultless。Hehadpermittedthechild’sdisclosurestogoonwhen，perhaps，heshouldhavestoppedthem。Bythetimethe“Araminta’s“
noseslidupontheslopingbeachatthefootofthebluffbefore，theWinslowplacesheheldtwoconscience-strickenculpritsinstead，ofone。
AndifRuthArmstrongsleptbutlittlethatnight，asherdaughter，saidhadbeenthecasethenightbefore，shewasnottheonly，wakefulpersoninthatpartofOrham。Shewouldhavebeen，surprisedifshehadknownthathereccentricneighborandlandlord，wasalsolyingawakeandthathisthoughtswereofherandher，trouble。ForJed，althoughhehadheardbutthebarestfragmentof，thestoryof“UncleCharlie，“amerehintdroppedfromthelipsof，achildwhodidnotunderstandthemeaningofwhatshesaid，had，heardenoughtomakeplaintohimthatthesecretwhichtheyoung，widowwashidingfromtheworldwasasecretinvolvingsorrowand，heartbreakforherselfandshameanddisgraceforothers。The，detailshedidnotknow，nordidhewishtoknowthem;hewas，entirelydevoidofthatsortofcuriosity。Possessionofthe，littleknowledgewhichhadbeengivenhim，or，rather，hadbeen，thrustuponhim，andwhichGabeBearsewouldhaveconsidereda，gossiptreasuretrove，apromiseofgreatertreasurestobe，diligentlymined，toJedwasamiserable，culpablething，likethe，custodyofstolenproperty。Hefeltwickedandmean，asifhehad，beencaughtpeepingunderawindowshade。
CHAPTERX
Thatnightcameasuddenshiftintheweatherandwhenmorning，broketheskywasgrayandovercastandthewindblewrawand，penetratingfromthenortheast。Jed，atworkinhisstockroom，sortingavariegatedshipmentofmillsandvaneswhichweretogo，toawinterresortonthewestcoastofFlorida，was，ashemight，haveexpressedit，downatthemouth。Hestillfeltthesenseof，guiltofthenightbefore，butwithithefeltaredoubled，realizationofhisownincompetence。Whenhehadsurmisedhis，neighborandtenanttobeintroublehehadfeltastrongdesireto，helpher;nowthatsurmisehadchangedtocertaintyhisdesireto，helpwasstrongerthanever。Hepitiedherfromthebottomofhis，heart;sheseemedsoaloneintheworldandsoyoung。Sheneededa，sympatheticcounselorandadvisor。Buthecouldnotadviseorhelp，becauseneitherhenoranyoneelseinOrhamwassupposedtoknow，ofhertroubleanditsnature。Evenifsheknewthatheknew，wouldsheacceptthecounselofShavingsWinslow？，Hardly！，No，sensiblepersonwould。Howthetownsfolkwouldlaughiftheyknew，hehadevensomuchasdreamedofofferingit。
Hewastoodowncasteventosingoneofhislugubrioushymnsorto，whistle。Insteadhelookedattheletterpinnedonabeambeside，himanddraggedfromthevariouspilesonehalf-dozencrowvanes，onehalf-dozengullvanes，onedozenmedium-sizedmills，onedozen，smallmills，threesailors，etc。etc。assetforthuponthat，order。Oneofthecrowsfelltothefloorandheaccidently，steppeduponitandsnappeditsheadoff。Hewasgazingsolemnly，downatthewreckwhenthedoorbehindhimopenedandastrong，blastofdamp，coldwindblewin。HeturnedandfoundthatMrs。
Armstronghadopenedthedoor。Sheenteredandcloseditbehind，her。
“Goodmorning，“shesaid。
Jedwassurprisedtoseeheratsuchanearlyhour;alsojustat，thattimehersuddenappearancewaslikeasortofmiracle，asif，thethoughtsinhisbrainhadtakenshape，hadmaterialized。Fora，momenthecouldnotregainpresenceofmindsufficienttoreturn，hergreeting。Then，noticingthebrokenvaneonthefloor，she，exclaimed：
“Oh，youhavehadanaccident。Isn’tthattoobad！，Whendidit，happen？”
Helookeddownatthedecapitatedcrowandtouchedoneofthe，pieceswiththetoeofhisboot。
“Justthisminute，“heanswered。”Isteppedonitandawayshe，went。Didaprettyneat，cleanjob，didn’tI？……Um-hm……
IwonderifanybodysteppedonMYhead’twouldbreaklikethat。
Probablynot;thewoodinitistoogreen，Ical’late。”
Shesmiled，butshemadenocommentonthischaracteristicbitof，speculation。Insteadsheasked：“Mr。Winslow，areyouverybusy，thismorning？，Isyourworktooimportanttosparemejustafew，minutes？”
Jedlookedsurprised;hesmiledhisone-sidedsmile。
“No，ma’am，“hedrawled。”I’vebeenprettybusybut’twan’tabout，anythingimportant。Ipresumelikely，“headded，“thereain’t，anybodyinOstableCountythatcanbesobusyasIcanbedoin’
nothin’important。”
“Andyoucanspareafewminutes？，I——Iwanttotalktoyouvery，much。Iwon’tbelong，really。”
Heregardedherintently。Thenhewalkedtowardthedoorleading，tothelittleworkroom。”Comerightinhere，ma’am，“hesaid，gravely;adding，aftertheyhadenteredtheotherapartment，“Take，thatchair。I’llsitoverhereonthebox。”
Hepulledforwardtheboxandturnedtofindherstillstanding。
“Dositdown，“heurged。”Thatchairain’tverycomfortable，I
know。PerhapsI’dbettergetyouanotheronefrommysittin’-room，inyonder。”
Hewasonhiswaytocarryoutthesuggestion，butsheinterrupted，him。”Oh，no，“shesaid。”Thisonewillbeperfectlycomfortable，I’msure，only——“
“Yes？，Istheresomethin’thematterwithit？”
“Notthematterwithit，exactly，butitseemstobe——occupied。”
Jedsteppedforwardandpeeredovertheworkbenchatthechair。
Itsseatwaspiledhighwithsmallpasteboardboxescontaining，hardware-screws，tacksandmetalwashers——whichheusedinhismill，andvane-making。
“Sho！”heexclaimed。”Hum！，Doesseemtobetaken，asyousay。I
recollectnow;alotofthatstuffcameinbyexpressdaybefore，yesterdayafternoonandIpiledituptherewhileIwasunpackin’
it。Here！”apparentlyaddressingthehardware，“yougetoutof，that。Thatseat’sreserved。”
Hestretchedalongarmovertheworkbench，seizedthechairbythe，backandtippeditforward。Thepasteboardboxeswenttothefloor，inaclatteringrush。Onecontainingwashersbrokeopenandthe，littlemetalringsrolledeverywhere。Mr。Winslowdidnotseemto，mind。
“There！”heexclaimed，withevidentsatisfaction;“sitrightdown，ma’am。”
Theladysatasrequested，herfeetamidthehardwareboxesandher，handsuponthebenchbeforeher。Shewasevidentlyverynervous，forherfingersgrippedeachothertightly。And，whenshenext，spoke，shedidnotlookathercompanion。
“Mr。Winslow，“shebegan，“I——Ibelieve——thatis，Babbietellsme，that——thatlastevening，whenyouandshewereonyourwayback，hereintheboat，shesaidsomething——shetoldyousomething，concerningour——my——familyaffairswhich——which——“
Shefaltered，seemingtofindithardtocontinue。Jeddidnot，wait。Hewasbythistimeatleastasnervousasshewasand，considerablymoredistressedandembarrassed。Herosefromthebox，andextendedaprotestinghand。
“Now，now，ma’am，“hebegged。”Now，Mrs。Armstrong，please——please，don’tsayanymore。Itain’tnecessary，honestitain’t。She——
she——thatchildshedidn’ttellmemuchofanythinganyhow，andshe，didn’tmeantotellthat。Andifyouknewhowashamedand——and，meanI’vefelteversincetothinkIletmyselfhearthatmuch！，I
hope——Idohopeyoudon’tthinkItriedtogethertotellme，anything。Idohopeyoudon’tthinkthat。”
Hisagitationwassoacuteandsoobviousthatshelookedathimin，wonderforamoment。Thenshehastenedtoreassurehim。
“Don’tdistressyourself，Mr。Winslow，“shesaid，smilingsadly。
“Ihaven’tknownyouverylongbutIhavealreadylearnedenough，aboutyoutoknowthatyouareanhonorableman。IfIdidnotknow，thatIshouldn’tbeherenow。ItistruethatIdidnotmeanfor，youoranyonehereinOrhamtolearnofmy——ofourtrouble，andif，BabbiehadnottoldyousomuchIprobablyshouldneverhavespoken，toyouaboutit。Thepoorchild’sconsciencetroubledhersolast，eveningthatshecamecryingtomeandconfessed，anditisbecause，Igatheredfromherthatshehadtoldenoughtomakeyouatleast，guessthetruththatIamherenow。Ipreferthatyoushouldhear，thestoryjustasitisfromme，ratherthanimaginesomething，whichmightbeworse。Don’tyousee？”
Jedsaw，buthewasstillverymuchperturbed。
“Now，now，Mrs。Armstrong，“hebegged，“don’ttellmeanything，pleasedon’t。Ilaidawakeaboutallnightthinkin’whatI’dought，todo，whetherI’doughttotellyouwhatBabbiesaid，orjustnot，troubleyouatallandtrytoforgetIeverheardit。That’swhat，Idecidedfinally，toforgetit;andIwill——IvowanddeclareI
will！，Don’tyoutellmeanything，andletmeforgetthis。Now，please。”
Butsheshookherhead。”Thingslikethatarenotsoeasily，forgotten，“shesaid;“evenwhenonetriesashardtoforgetasI
amsureyouwould，Mr。Winslow。No，Iwanttotellyou;Ireally，do。Pleasedon’tsayanymore。Letmegoon……Oh，“witha，suddenburstoffeeling“can’tyouseethatImusttalkwith，SOMEONE——IMUST？”
Herclaspedfingerstightenedandthetearssprangtohereyes。
PoorJed’sdistresswasgreaterthanever。
“Now——now，Mrs。Armstrong，“hestammered，“allImeanttosaywas，thatyoumustn’tfeelyou’vegottotellme。Courseifyouwant，to，that’sdifferentaltogether。WhatI’mtryin’tosay，“he，added，withadesperateattempttomakehismeaningperfectly，clear，“isnottopayanyattentiontoMEatallbutdojustwhat，YOUwantto，that’sall。”
Evenonthevergeoftearsasshewas，shecouldnotforbear，smilingalittleatthisproclamationofcompleteself-effacement。
“IfearImustpaysomeattentiontoyou，“shesaid，“ifIamto，confideinyouand——andperhapsaskyourhelp，youradvice，afterwards。IhavereachedapointwhenImustasksomeone’s，advice;IhavethoughtmyselfintoamazeandIdon’tknowwhatto，do——Idon’tknowWHATtodo。Ihavenonearrelatives，nofriends，hereinOrham——“
Jedheldupaprotestinghand。
“Excuseme，Mrs。Armstrong，“hestammered;“Idon’tknowasyou，recollect，probablyitmightnothavemeantasmuchtoyouasit，didtome;butaspellagoyousaidsomethin’aboutcountin’meas，afriend。”
“IknowIdid。AndImeantit。Youhavebeenverykind，and，Barbaraissofondofyou……Well，perhapsyoucanadviseme，atleastyoucansuggest——or——or——helpmetothink。Willyou？”
Jedpassedhishandacrosshischin。Itwasobviousthather，askinghiscounselwassimplyalastresort，adesperate，forlorn，hope。Shehadnorealconfidenceinhisabilitytohelp。Hewould，havebeenthelasttoblameherforthis;herestimateofhis，capabilitieswaslikehisown，thatwasall。
“W-e-e-ll，“heobserved，slowly，“astogivin’myadvice，whena，man’saskedtogiveawaysomethin’that’sworthnothin’theleast，hecandoissayyesandtrytolookgenerous，Ical’late。IfI
canadviseyouany，why，I’llfeelproud，ofcourse。”
