\"Oh，tryingthefeelofthewater，hey？Guessyouwon’tfinditverychilly。AsapreparatorytonicI’drecommendstrawberriesandcream。Nellie，getRosasaucerofthosegenuinehome—raisedberries，whydon’tyou？\"
Nellielaughed。\"Roscoe，\"shesaid，\"isn’thedreadful！HeknowsweboughttheseberriesinBoston。It’smuchtooearlyforthenativeones。Buttheyreallyareverynice，thoughhedoesmakesuchfunofthem。\"
ShewentintothevestrytogettheberriesandIsatdownatthetablebesideTaylorandlookedaboutme。
\"Mosteverybody’shere，\"heobserved。\"Andthey’llbegladtoseeyou，Ros。Getoutandshakehandsandbesociable，afteryou’vedoneyourdutybythefruit。Howarethingsathome？\"
\"Motherisherselfagain，Iamgladtosay。George，Ihavescarcelythoughtofanythingexceptwhatyoutoldmetheothernight。\"
\"Thenit’stimeyoudid。That’sonereasonwhyIwantedyoutocomehere。You’vebeenthinkingtoomuchaboutyourself。\"
\"Itisn’tofmyself，butofMother。IfyouhaddroppedahintwhenthatBostonreportercame——\"
\"Now，lookhere，Ros，wouldYOUhavedroppedhintsifthingshadbeentheotherwayaround？\"
\"Idon’tknow。\"
\"Iknowyouwouldn’t。What’stheuseofgivingtheDenborogossipmillachancetorunovertime？Greatheavens！itworkstwelvehoursadayas’tis。\"
\"Itwasmightygoodofyou，justthesame。\"
\"No，itwasn’t。Thewholeaffairwasyourbusinessandnobodyelse’s。\"
\"Well，asIsaidbefore，ifeverIhaveanopportunitytodoasmuchforyou——notthatIeverwill。\"
\"Howdoyouknowyouwon’t？Anybody’sliabletobegossipedaboutsometimeorother。\"
\"Notyou。YouareDenboro’sshininglight。Themothersandfathersherepointyououtasanexampleofwhatindustryandambitionandhonesteffortmayriseto。I——\"
\"Shutup！\"Hesaiditalmostsavagely。\"There！\"headded，quickly，\"let’schangethesubject。Talkaboutsomethingworthwhile。Humph！IguesstheymustbeopeninganothercrateofthoseBoston’homegrowns，’judgin’bythetimeittakesNellietogetyoursample。\"
\"Iaminnohurry。Howareaffairsatthebank？\"
\"Oh，so，so。Don’tknowagoodmanwhowantsajob，doyou？HenrySmall’sgoingtoleavethemiddleofnextmonth。\"
\"Small，thebookkeeper？Why？\"
\"Gotabetterchanceuptothecity。Idon’tblamehim。Don’ttellanybodyyet；it’sasecret。Say，Ros，DOyouknowofagood，sharp，experiencedfellow？\"
Ismiled。\"Isitlikely？\"Iasked。\"Howlargeismyacquaintanceamongsharp，experiencedfellowsdownhere？\"
\"Notsolargeasitoughttobe，I’llgiveintothat。Butyouknowone。\"
\"DoI，indeed？Whoishe？\"
\"Yourself。Youwouldn’ttakeSmall’sjob，wouldyou？\"
\"I？\"Ilaughedaloud。
\"It’snojoke。You’vehadalotofbankingexperience。I’veheardaboutitamongmycityfriends，whodon’tknowIknowyou。CourseIrealizetheplaceiswaybeneathwhatyououghttohave，but——\"
\"Oh，don’tbesarcastic。No，thankyou，George。\"
\"Allright，ifyousayso。ButImeantit。Youdon’tneedthesalary，Iknow。But——Ros，doyoumindifItalkplainforamoment？\"
Iwonderedwhatwascomingnow。\"No，\"Ianswered。\"Goaheadandtalk。\"
\"Wellthen，Itellyou，asafriend，that’twouldbeagoodthingforyouifyoudidtakethatjob，orsomeotherone。Don’tmakemuchmatterwhatitis，butyououghttodosomething。You’retoocleverafellowtobehangingaround，shootingandfishing。You’rewastingyourlife。\"
\"Thatwaswastedlongago。\"
\"No，itwasn’t。Butitwillbeifyoudon’tchangeprettysoon。I
tellyouyououghttogetinterestedinsomethingthatcounts。Youmightmakeabignameforyourselfyet。\"
\"That’senoughofthat。Ihaveanamealready。Youknowit，andyouknowwhatwasmadeofit。\"
\"YOUdidn’tmakeitthatkindofaname，didyou？Andyou’reyoungenoughtomakeitsomethingaltogetherdifferent。Yououghtto。
Youoweittoyourmotherandyouoweittoyourself。Asitis，ifyoukeepon，you’ll——\"
\"George，you’vesaidenough。Noonebutyouwouldhavebeenpermittedtosayasmuch。Youdon’tunderstand。\"
\"Maybenot，but，Ros，Idon’tliketohavepeoplearoundherecallyou——\"
\"Idon’tcareacontinentalwhattheycallme。Idon’twantthemtoknowwhoIam，butforpublicopiniongenerallyIcarenothing。\"
Heleanedbackinhischair。HisfacewasinshadowandIcouldnotseeit，buthistonewasgraveenough。
\"Youthinkyoudon’t，\"hesaid，slowly，\"buttheremaycomeatimewhenyouwill。Theremaycomeatimewhenyougetsointerestedinsomething，orsomeperson，thatthethoughtofwhatfolkswouldsayif——ifanythingwentwrongwouldkeepyouawakenightafternight。
Oh，Itellyou，Ros——Hello，Nellie！thoughtyou’dgoneSouthtopickthoseberriesyourself。Twosaucersfull！Well，IsupposeI
musteattheothertosaveit——unlessRosherewantsboth。\"
Isaidonewouldbequitesufficientforthepresent，andwethreechatteduntilMrs。Deancameoverandmonopolizedthechat。
\"Don’tgo，Roscoe，\"protestedthematron。\"TheCap’n’shereandhe’llwanttotalktoyou。He’sdreadfulinterestedinyoujustnow。Don’ttalkaboutnobodyelse，scurcely。YousetstillandI’llgofetchhim。\"
ButIrefusedto\"set。\"IknewthecauseofCaptainJedediah’sinterest，andwhathewishedtotalkabout。IroseandannouncedthatIwouldstrollaboutabit。TaylorspoketomeasIwasleaving。
\"Ros，\"hesaid，earnestly，\"youthinkofwhatItoldyou，willyou？\"
IsawagroupofpeoplehurryingtowardtheentranceofthegroundsandIfollowedthem，curiousastothecauseoftheexcitement。Anautomobilehadstoppedbythegate。SimEldredgecamehasteningupandseizedmebythearm。
\"Gosh！it’sRos，\"heexclaimed，inhismysteriouswhisper。\"I
hadn’tseenyouafore；justgotheremyself。ButI’mgladyouARE
here。I’llseethatyouandhimgetachancetotalkprivate。\"
\"Who？\"Iasked，tryingtopullmyarmfree。
\"Why，Mr。Colton。Didn’tyouknow？Yes，sir，that’shiscar。
He’scomeandso’shisdaughterandthatyoungCarverfeller。I
believethey’vecometotakeinthesociable。Theretheybe！See’em！See’em！\"
Isawthem。ColtonandVictorhadalreadyalightedandMissColtonwasdescendingfromthetonneau。Thereweretwoothermeninthecar，besideOscar，thechauffeur。
\"Whoarethoseotherpeople？\"Iasked。
\"Idon’tknow，\"whisperedSim，excitedly。\"StaywhereyoubeandI’llfindout。I’llberightback，now。Don’tyoumove。\"
Ididnotmove，notbecausehehadorderedmetostaywhereIwas，butbecauseIwascurious。ThespotwhereIstoodwasinshadowandIknewtheycouldnotseeme。
ColtonandhisdaughterweretalkingwithVictor，whoremainedbythestepoftheauto。
\"Well，Mabel，\"observed\"BigJim，\"\"hereweare，thoughwhyIdon’tknow。IhopeyouenjoythisthingmorethanIamlikelyto。\"
\"OfcourseIshallenjoyit，Father。Lookatthedecorations。
Aren’ttheyperfectlyWONDERFUL！\"
\"Especiallythecolorscheme，\"drawledVictor。\"Mabel，Icallyourattentiontothered，blueandpurplelanterns。Someclass？Yes？
Well，Imustgo。I’llbebackinaveryshorttime。IfParkerwasn’tstartingforEuropeto—morrowIshouldn’tthinkofleaving，butI’msureyou’llforgiveme，underthecircumstances。\"
\"Iforgiveyou，Victor，\"repliedthegirl，carelessly。\"Butdon’tbetoolong。\"
\"No，don’t，\"addedherfather。\"IpromisedMrs。ColtonthatI
shouldnotbeawaymorethananhour。She’sverynervousto—nightandImaybesentforanytime。Sodon’tkeepuswaiting。\"
\"Nofearofthat。I’llbebacklongbeforeyouarereadytogo。I
wouldn’tmissthis——er——affairmyselfforsomething。Ah，ourcombinationfriend，theundertakingpostmaster。\"
Sim’shatwasinhishandandhewasgreetingMr。Colton。
\"Proudtoseeyouamongstus，sir，\"saidSim，withunction。\"TheMethodistfolksarehavin’quiteatimeto—night，ain’tthey？\"
\"Howd’yedo，Eldredge，\"wasthegreatman’ssalutation，notatalleffusive。\"Wheredoesallthiscrowdcomefrom？Didn’tknowthereweresomanypeopleintheneighborhood。\"
\"’Mosteverybody’soutto—night。Church’llmakeconsider’blemoney。Goodevenin’，MissColton。Mr。Carver，pleasedtomeetyouagain，sir。\"
Theyoungladymerelynodded。Victor，whosefootwasonthestepofthecar，didnotdeigntoturn。
\"Thanks，\"hedrawled。\"Iam——er——embalmed，I’msure。Allready，Phil。Lethergo，Oscar。\"
Theautomovedoff。Mr。Coltongavehisarmtohisdaughterandtheymovedthroughthecrowd，Eldredgeactingasmasterofceremonies。
\"It’sallright，Elnathan，\"orderedSim，addressingthegate—
keeper。\"Don’tbotherMr。Coltonabouttheadmissionnow。I’llsettlewithyou，myself，later。Now，Mr。Colton，youandtheladycomerightalongwithme。Ain’tmettheministeryet，haveyou？
Hesaidyouwan’ttohomewhenhecalled。Andyouletmegetyousomestrawberries。They’refust—rate，ifIdosayit。\"
Heledthewaytowardthetables。IwatchedtheprogressfromwhereIstood。Itwasinterestingtoseehowthevisitorsweretreatedbythedifferentgroups。Some，likeSim，weregushingandobsequious。Afew，CaptainJedamongthem，walkedstubbornlyby，eithernoddingcoldlyorpayingnoattention。Others，likeGeorgeTaylorandDoctorQuimby，wereneitherobsequiousnorcold，merelybowingpleasantlyandsaying，\"Goodevening，\"asthoughgreetingacquaintancesandequals。Yes，thereWEREgoodpeopleinDenboro，quiet，unassuming，self—respectingcitizens。
Oneofthemcameuptomeandspoke。
\"Hello，Ros，\"saidCaptainElishaWarren，\"Sim’shavin’thetimeofhislife，isn’the？\"
\"Heseemstobe，\"Ireplied。
\"Yes。Well，there’ssomesatisfactioninhavin’athickshell；
thenyoudon’tmindbein’steppedon。Yet，Idon’tknow；sometimesIthinkfellersofSim’skindenjoybein’steppedon，providedthebootthatdoesitispatentleather。\"
\"Iwonderwhytheycamehere，\"Imused。
\"Who？theColtons？Why，forthesamereasonchildrengotothecircus，Ishouldn’twonder——tolaughattheclowns。Ilaughmyselfsometimes——though’tain’talwaysattheirkindofclowns。Speakin’
ofthat，youngCarver’singoodcompanythisevenin’，ain’the？\"
\"Whowerethosefellowsintheauto？\"Iasked。
\"Didn’tyourecognizethem？OnewasPhilSomers——sonoftherichwidowwhoownsthebigcottageatHarniss。’Totherisabirdofthesameflockdownvisitin’em。Carver’stakin’’emovertoOstabletosaygood—bytoanotherspecimen，acollegemate，whoismigratin’toEuropetomorrow。ThechauffeurtoldDan，myman，aboutitthisafternoon。Thechauffeurfiggeredthat，knowin’thecrowd，’twaslikelytobealivelyfarewell。Hello！there’sAbbiehailin’me。Seeyoulater，Ros。\"
IknewyoungSomersbyreputation。Heandhisfriendswereawildset，ifreportwastrue。
EldredgehadhintedthatheintendedarranginganinterviewbetweenColtonandmyself。Theprospectdidnotappealtome。AtfirstI
decidedtogohomeatonce，butsomethingakintoCaptainDean’sresentfulstubbornnesscameoverme。Iwouldnotbedrivenhomebythosepeople。Ifoundanunoccupiedcampchair——oneofSim’s，whichherentedforfunerals——andcarriedittoadarkspotintheshrubberyneartheborderoftheparsonagelawnandnotfarfromthegate。ThereIseatedmyself，litacigarandsmokedinsolitude。
ElnathanMullet，evidentlyconsideringhislaborsasdoor—keeperover，wascountinghistakingsbylanternlight。Themoonwaslowinthewestandalittlebreezewasnowstirringtheshrubbery。ItwasverywarmfortheseasonandImentallyprophesiedthundershowersbeforemorning。
Ihadsmokedmycigarperhapshalfthroughwhenacarriagecamedowntheroadandstoppedbeforethegate。ThedriverleanedforwardandcalledtoMullet。
\"Hi，Uncle！\"heshouted。\"You，bythegate！IsMr。Coltonhere？\"
Elnathan，whowas，apparently，halfasleep，lookedup。
\"Hey？\"hequeried。\"Mr。Colton？Yes，he’shere。Wanthim，doyou？\"
\"Yes。Whereishe？\"
\"Upyondersomewheres。Thereheis，bySarahBurgess’stable。Mr。
Colton！Mr。Col——ton！Somebodywantsye！\"
\"Whatinblazesdidyouyelllikethatfor？\"protestedthecoachman，springingfromthecarriage。\"Stopit，d’yehear？\"
\"Yousaidyouwantedhim，didn’tyou？Mr。Colton！Hi！Comehere！\"
Coltoncamehurryingdowntothegate，hisdaughterfollowingmoreslowly。
\"What’sthematter？\"heasked。
Thecoachmantouchedhishat。
\"Ibegyourpardon，sir，\"hesaid；\"thismanstartedyellingbeforeIcouldstophim。Iwascomingtotellyou。Mrs。Coltonsaysshe’sverynervous，sir，andpleasecomehomeatonce。\"
Coltonturnedwithashrugtohisdaughter。\"Wemighthaveexpectedit，Mabel，\"hesaid。\"Come。\"
Buttheyoungladyseemedtohesitate。\"IbelieveIwon’tgoyet，Father，\"shesaid。\"Motherdoesn’tneedbothofus。Victorwillbehereverysoon，andwepromisedtowaitforhim，youknow。\"
\"Wecanleaveword。You’dbettercome，Mabel。Heavensandearth！
youdon’twantanyMOREofthis，doyou？\"
Itwasevidentthathehadhadquiteenoughofthefestival。Shelaughedlightly。
\"I’mfindingitveryentertaining，\"shesaid。\"Ineversawsomanyquaintpeople。Thereisonegirl，aMissDean，whomIamreallygettingacquaintedwith。She’sascountryascanbe，butshe’sveryinteresting。\"
\"Humph！shemustbe。Dean，hey？Daughterofmyparticularfriend，theancientmariner，Isuppose。Idon’tliketoleaveyouhere。
WhatshallItellyourmother？\"
\"TellherIamquitesafeandinperfectlyrespectablecompany。\"
\"Humph！Icanimaginehowrespectableshe’llthinkitis。Well，I
knowit’suselesstourgeifyouhavemadeupyourmind。Idon’tseewhereyougetyourstubbornnessfrom。\"
\"Don’tyou？Icanguess。\"
\"Itisn’tfromyourdad。Nowdobecareful，won’tyou？IfVictordoesn’tcomesoonIshallsendthecarriage。\"
\"Oh，hewillcome。It’sallright，Father，dear。Iamquiteabletotakecareofmyself。\"
Herfathershookhishead。\"Yes，\"heobserved，\"Iguessyouare。
Allright，Jenkins。\"
Hegotintothecarriageandwasdrivenoff。MissColtonturnedandwalkedbacktothetables。Irelitmycigar。
Anotherhalf—hourpassed。
Mulletfinishedhiscounting，tookuphismoneyboxandlanternandleftthegateunguarded。Groupsofhome—goingpeoplebegantocomedownthehill。Horses，whichhadbeenstandingunderthechurchshedsorhitchedinneighboringyards，appearedandthevariousbuggiesandtwo—seaterstowhichtheywereattachedwerefilledanddrivenaway。CaptainWarrenandMissAbbieBaker，hishousekeeper，wereamongthefirsttoleave。AbijahHammond，thesexton，begantakingdownthelanterns。Thestrawberryfestivalwasalmostover。
Irosefrommycampchairandpreparedtostartforhome。AsI
steppedfrombehindtheshrubberythemoonlightsuddenlywentout，asifithadbeenturnedofflikeagasjet。Exceptforthefewremaininglanternsandthegleamsfromthechurchwindowsanddoorthedarknesswascomplete。Ilookedatthewesternsky。Itwasblack，andlowdownalongthehorizonflashesoflightningwereplaying。Myprophecyofshowerswastobefulfilled。
TheladiesoftheMethodistSociety，assistedbytheirhusbandsandmalefriends，werehurryingthetablesandchairsindoors。I
pickedupandfoldedthechairIhadbeenoccupyingandjoinedthebusygroup。Itwassodarkthatfaceswerealmostinvisible，butI
recognizedSimEldredgebyhisvoice，andGeorgeTaylorandI
bumpedintoeachotherasweseizedthesametable。
\"Hello，Ros！\"exclaimedthecashier。\"Thoughtyou’dgone。Goingtohaveatempest，ain’twe。\"
\"Tempest\"isCapeCodforthunderstorm。Iagreedthatonewasimminent。
\"HoldontillIgetthisstuffintothevestry，\"continuedTaylor，\"andI’lldriveyouhome。I’llbereadyprettysoon。\"
Ideclinedtheinvitation。\"I’llwalk，\"Ianswered。\"YouhaveNellietolookafter。IfyouhaveaspareumbrellaI’llborrowthat。WhereisNellie？\"
\"Oh，she’soveryonderwithMissColton。Theyhavebeenmakingeachother’sacquaintance。Say，Ros，she’sagooddealofagirl，thatColtonone，didyouknowit？\"
Ididnotanswer。
\"Oh，Iknowyou’redownonthewholelotof’em，\"headded，laughing；\"butsheis，justthesame。Kindoftop—loftyandcondescending，butthat’sthefaultofherbringing—up。She’sallrightunderneath。ToogoodforthatCarvercub。Bytheway，ifhedoesn’tcomeprettysoonI’llphoneherpatosendthecarriageforher。IfIwasColtonIwouldn’tputmuchconfidenceinCarver’sshowingupinahurry。Yousawtheganghewaswith，didn’tyou？
Theydon’tgethometillmorning，tilldaylightdothappear，asausualthing。Hello！that’sthecarriagenow，ain’tit？Guesspapawasn’ttakinganychances。\"
Sureenough，therewerethelightsofacarriageatthegate，andI
heardthevoiceofJenkins，thecoachman，shouting。NellieDeancalledTaylor’snameandhehurriedaway。Afewmomentslaterhereturned。
\"She’soff，safeandsound，\"hesaid。\"Ijudgedshewasn’tanytoowellpleasedwithherVictorfornotshowinguptolookoutforher。\"
Asharpflashoflightningcuttheskyandarattlingpealofthunderfollowed。
\"Rightontopofus，ain’tit！\"exclaimedGeorge。\"Sureyoudon’twantmetodriveyouhome？Allright；justasyousay。HoldontillIgetyouthatumbrella。\"
Heborrowedanumbrellafromtheparsonage。Itookit，thankedhim，andhastenedoutofthechurchgrounds。IlookeduptheroadasIpassedthroughthegate。Icouldhaveseenanauto’slampsforalongdistance，buttherewerenoneinsight。WithamaliciouschuckleIthoughtthatmyparticularfriendVictorwasnottakingthesurestwayofmakinghimselfpopularwithhisfiancee，ifthatwaswhatshewas。
ThestormovertookmebeforeIwashalf—waydowntheLowerRoad。A
fewdropsofrainsplashedtheleaves。AlightningstrokesonearandsharpthatIfanciedIcouldhearthehisswasaccompaniedbyasavagethunder—clap。Thencametheroarofwindinthetreesbytheroadsideanddowncametherain。Iputupmyumbrellaandbegantorun。Wehavefew\"tempests\"inDenboro，thosewedohavearealmostworthyofthename。
IhadreachedthegroveofbirchesperhapstwohundredyardsfromtheShoreLanewhenoutofthewetdarknessbeforemecameplungingahorsedrawingacoveredcarriage。IhadsprungtoonesidetoletitgobywhenIheardaman’svoiceshouting，\"Whoa！\"Thevoicedidnotcomefromthecarriagebutfromtheroadbehindit。
\"Whoa！Stophim！\"itshouted。
Ijumpedbackintotheroad。Thehorsesawmeappeardirectlyinfrontofhim，shiedandreared。ThecarriagelampswerelightedandbytheirlightIsawthereinsdragging。Iseizedthemandheldon。Itwasallinvoluntary。Iwasusedtohorsesandthisonewasfrightened，thatwasall。
\"Whoa，boy！\"Iordered。\"Whoa！Standstill！\"
Thehorsehadnointentionofstandingstill。
Hecontinuedtorearandplunge。I，clingingtothereins，foundmyselfrunningalongside。Ihadtoruntoavoidthewheels。ButI
ranasslowlyasIcould，andmyonehundredandninetypoundsmaderunning，ontheanimal’spart，amuchlesseasyexercise。
Thevoicefromtherearcontinuedtoshoutand，inanothermoment，amanseizedthereinsbesideme。Togetherwemanagedtopullthehorseintoawalk。Thentheman，whomIrecognizedastheColtoncoachman，ventedhisfeelingsinacomprehensiveburstofprofanity。Iinterruptedtheservice。
\"Whatisthematter？\"Iasked。
\"Oh，thisblessed——\"orwordstothateffect——\"horseisscaredofthunder；that’sall。He’sanewone；wejustboughthimbeforewecamedownhereandIhadn’tlearnedhislittletricks。Whoa！standstill，orI’llbreakyourdumbneck！Say，\"turningtome，\"goback，willyou，andseeifshe’sallright。\"
\"Who？\"
\"MissColton——theoldman’sdaughter。ShegotoutwhenhebegantodanceandIwasholdinghimbythebridle。Thencamethatbigflashandhebrokeloose。Gobackandseetoher，willyou？I
can’tleavethishorse。\"
ForjustamomentIhesitated。Iamashamedofmyhesitationnow，butthisissupposedtobeatruthfulchronicle。ThenIwentbackdowntheroad。ByanotherflashoflightningIsawtheminister’sumbrellaupsidedowninthebusheswhereIhaddroppedit，andI
tookitwithme。IwasaboutaswetasIwellcouldbebutIamgladtosayIrememberedthattheumbrellawasaborrowedone。
AfterIhadwalked，orstumbled，orwadedalittlewayIstoppedandcalled。
\"MissColton，\"Icalled。\"Whereareyou？\"
\"Here，\"cametheanswerfromjustahead。\"Isthatyou，Jenkins？\"
IdidnotreplyuntilIreachedherside。
\"Youarenothurt？\"Iasked。
\"No，notatall。Butwhoisit？\"
\"Iam——er——yourneighbor。Paineismyname。\"
\"Oh！\"thetonewasnotenthusiastic。\"WhereisJenkins？\"
\"Heisattendingtothehorse。Pardonme，MissColton，butwon’tyoutakethisumbrella？\"
Thisseemedtostrikeherasatrifleabsurd。\"Why，thankyou，\"
shesaid，\"butIamafraidanumbrellawouldbeuselessinthisstorm。Isthehorseallright？\"
\"Yes，thoughheisverymuchfrightened。I——\"
Iwasinterruptedbyanotherflashandterrificreportfromdirectlyoverhead。Theyoungladycameclosertome。
\"Oh！\"sheexclaimed。
Ihadanidea。TheflashhadmadeoursurroundingsaslightasdayforaninstantandacrosstheroadIsawSylvanusSnow’soldhouse，untenanted，abandonedandfallingtodecay。ItookMissColton’sarm。
\"Come！\"Isaid。
Shehungback。\"Whereareyougoing？\"sheasked。
\"Justacrosstheroadtothatoldhouse。Ontheporchweshallbeoutoftherain。\"
ShemadenofurtherobjectionsandtogetherwestumbledthroughthewetgrassandoverSylvanus’sweed—grownflowerbeds。IpresumeI
shallneveragainsmellthespicyfragranceof\"oldmaids’pinks\"
withoutthinkingofthatnight。
Ifoundtheedgeofthepiazzabythedirectprocessofbarkingmyshinsagainstit，andhelpedherupontothecreakingboards。Mysanguinestatementthatweshouldbeoutoftherainprovednotquitetrue。Therewasaroofaboveus，butitleaked。Iunfurledthewetumbrellaandhelditoverherhead。
Forsomemomentsafterwereachedthepiazzaneitherofusspoke。
Theroaroftherainontheshinglesoftheporchandthesplashandgurgleallaboutuswouldhavemadeconversationdifficult，evenifwehadwishedtotalk。I，forone，didnot。Atlastshesaid：
\"DoyouseeorhearanythingofJenkins？\"
Ilistened，ortriedto。Iwaswonderingmyselfwhathadbecomeofthecoachman。
\"No，\"Ianswered，\"Idon’thearhim。\"
\"Wheredoyousupposeheis？Hecouldnothavebeenfarawaywhenyoumethim。\"
\"Hewasnot。AndIknowheintendedtocomebackatonce。\"
\"Youdon’tsupposeCaesar——thehorse——ranawayagain？Whenthatsecondcrackcame？\"
