Iwaswonderingthatverything。Thatparticularthunderclapwaslouderandmoreterrifyingthanthoseprecedingit。However，therewasnouseinalarmingher。
\"Iguessnot，\"Ianswered。\"He’llbeheresoon，Iamsure。\"
Buthedidnotcome。Thestormseemedtobepassingover。Theflasheswerejustasfrequent，buttherewasalongerintervalbetweeneachflashanditsthunderpeal。Therainwasstillasteadydownpour。
MissColtonwasplainlygrowingmoreanxious。
\"Wherecanhebe？\"shemurmured。
\"Don’tbefrightened，\"Iurged。\"Heisallright。I’llgoandlookhimup，ifyoudon’tmindbeingleftalone。\"
\"Can’t——can’twegotogether？\"
\"Wecould，ofcourse，butthereisnouseinyourgettingwetterthanyouare。IfyouarewillingtostayhereIwillrunuptheroadandseeifIcanfindhim。\"
\"Thankyou。Butyouwillgetwetyourself。\"
\"Oh，Iamwetalready。Taketheumbrella。I’llbebackinaminute。\"
Ipressedthehandleoftheumbrellaintoherhand——itwasassteadyasmine——anddartedoutintotheflood。Ithinkshecalledmetocomeback，butIdidnotobey。IranuptheroaduntilIwassomedistancebeyondthepointwhereIhadstoppedtherunaway，buttherewerenosignsofhorse，carriageorcoachman。Icalledrepeatedly，butgotnoreply。Then，reluctantly，Igaveitupandreturnedtotheporch。
ShegavealittlegaspofreliefwhenIreachedherside。
\"Oh！\"sheexclaimed，\"didyoufindhim？\"
\"No，\"Ianswered。\"Heseemstohavegoneon。Hecannothavegonefar。ItisonlyalittlewaytotheCorners。\"
\"Is——isn’tthereahouse，ahousewithpeoplelivinginit，nearthisplace？\"
\"Nonearerthanyourhouse，MissColton。WeseemtohavechosenthemostforsakenspotinDenborotobecastawayin。Iamverysorry。\"
\"Iamnotfrightenedformyself。ButIknowmyfatherandmotherwillbealarmedifIdon’tcomesoon。IamsureCaesarmusthaverunawayagain，andIamafraidJenkinsmustbehurt。\"
Ihadthoughtofthat，too。Onlyanaccidentcouldexplainthecoachman’snon—appearanceor，atleast，hisnotsendinghelptohismistress。
\"Ifyouarereallynotafraidtoremainhere，MissColton，\"Isaid，\"Iwillgotoyourhousemyself。\"
\"Ohno！Someonewillcomesoon。Ican’tunderstandwhereVictor——
Mr。Carver——canbe。Hewastohavejoinedmeatthechurch。\"
Ididnotanswer。KnowingMr。Carver’sassociatesandtheerranduponwhichhehadgone，IimaginedIcouldguessthecauseofhisdelay。ButIdidnotspeakmyguess。
\"Thestormisnotasseverejustnow，\"Isaid。\"Icangettoyourhouseinalittlewhile，ifyouarewillingIshouldleaveyou。\"
Sheputherhandonmyarm。\"Come，\"shesaid。\"Shallwestartnow？\"
\"Butyoumustnotgo。Youcouldn’tgetthereonfoot，suchanightasthis。\"
\"Yes，Ican。Imeanto。Pleasecome。\"
Istillhesitated。Shetookherhandfrommyarmandsteppedoutintotherain。\"Areyoucoming？\"shesaid。
Ijoinedher，stillprotesting。Wesplashedonthroughthemudandwater，sheclinginglightlytomyarmandIholdingtheperfectlyuselessumbrellaoverherhead。Therainwasdescendingsteadilyandtheskyoverheadwasjustblack，butalongthewesternhorizon，asIcaughtaglimpseofitbetweenthetrees，Ifanciedtheblacknesswasalittlelessopaque。Thestormwaspassingover，sureenough。
Butbeforeitpasseditgaveusonegoodbysalute。WehadaboutreachedthepointontheShoreLanewhereIfirstmetherandCarverintheauto。TheshakybridgeoverMullet’scranberrybrookwasjustahead。Then，withoutwarning，theblacknightsplitwideopen，ajaggedstreakoffireshotfromheaventoearthandseemedtoexplodealmostinourfaces。IwasalmostknockedoffmyfeetandmyfingerstingledasifIhadbeenholdingthehandlesofanelectricbattery。Theumbrellaflewoutofmyhandsand，sofarasIwasconcerned，vanishedutterly。IbelieveElnathanpickeduptheruinnextday，butjustthenIneitherknewnorcaredwhathadbecomeofit。Ihadotherthingstothinkof。
ButforamomentIcouldnotthinkatall。IwasconsciousofagreatcrashingandrustlingandsplinteringdirectlyinfrontofmeandthenIrealizedthattheyoungladywasnolongerclingingtomyarm。Ilookedaboutandupthroughthedarkness。Thendown。
Shewaslyingatmyfeet。
Ibentoverher。
\"MissColton！\"Icried。\"MissColton！Areyouhurt？\"
Sheneitheranswerednormoved。MybrainwasstillnumbfromtheelectricshockandIhadadazedfearthatshemightbedead。I
shookhergentlyandshemoaned。Ispokeagainandagain，butshedidnotanswer，nortrytorise。TherainwaspouringdownuponusandIknewshemustnotliethere。Sooncemore，justasIhaddoneinthedingy，butnowunderquitedifferentcircumstancesandwithentirelydifferentfeelings，Istoopedandliftedherinmyarms。
MyyearsofoutdoorlifeinDenborohadhadonegoodeffectatleast；theyhadmademestrong。Icarriedherwithlittleefforttothebridge。AndthereIstopped。Thebridgewasblocked，coveredwithamassofwetleafybranchesandsplinteredwood。Thelightningbolthadmissedusbyjustthatmuch。Ithadoverthrownanddemolishedthebigwillowtreebythebrookandtogetthroughoroverthetanglewasimpossible。
Soagainhistoryrepeateditself。IdescendedthebankatthesideofthebridgeandwadedthroughthewaterswithMabelColtoninmyarms。Istaggereduptheoppositebankandhurriedon。Shelayquiet，herheadagainstmyshoulder。Herhathadfallenoffandawet，fragrantstrandofherhairbrushedmycheek。OnceIstoppedandbentmyheadtolisten，tomakesurethatshewasbreathing。
Shewas，Ifeltherbreathuponmyface。AfterwardsIrememberedallthis；justthenIwasmerelythankfulthatshewasalive。
Ihadgonebutalittlewayfurtherwhenshestirredinmyarmsandspoke。
\"Whatisit？\"sheasked。\"Whatisthematter？\"
\"Nothing，\"Ianswered，withasighofrelief。\"Itisallright。
Weshallbetheresoon。\"
\"Butwhatisthematter？Whyareyou——letmewalk，please。\"
\"Youhadbetterstayasyouare。Youarealmosthome。\"
\"Butwhyareyoucarryingme？Whatisthematter？\"
\"You——youfainted，Ithink。Thelightning——\"
\"Ohyes，Iremember。DidIfaint？Howridiculous！Pleaseletmewalknow。Iamallright。ReallyIam。\"
\"ButIthink——\"
\"Please。Iinsist。\"
Isethergentlyonherfeet。Shestaggeredalittle，butshewaspluckyand，afteramoment，wasabletostandandwalk，thoughslowly。
\"Youaresureyoucanmanageit？\"Iasked。
\"Ofcourse！ButwhydidIfaint？Ineverdidsuchathingbeforeinmylife。\"
\"Thatflashwasclosetous。Itstruckthebigwillowbythebrook。\"
\"Didit！Asnearasthat？\"
\"Yes。Don’ttrytotalk。\"
\"ButIamallright……Iamnothurtatall。Arewealmosthome？\"
\"Yes。Thosearethelightsofyourhouseaheadthere。\"
Wemovedonmorerapidly。AsweturnedinattheColtonwalkshesaid，\"Why；ithasstoppedraining。\"
Ithad，thoughIhadnotnoticedit。TheflashwhichsmashedthewillowhadbeentheaccompanimentofwhatLutewouldcallthe\"clearing—upshower。\"Thestormwasreallyover。
WesteppedupontheporticoofthebighouseandIrangthebell。
Thebutleropenedthedoor。Hisface，ashesawthepairofdripping，bedraggledoutcastsbeforehim，wasworthlookingat。Hewasshockedoutofhisdignity。
\"Why！Why，MissMabel！\"hestammered，withalmosthumanagitation。
\"What——\"
Avoice，apetulantfemalevoice，calledfromtheheadofthestairs。
\"Johnson，\"itquavered，\"whoisit？Mabel，isthatyou？\"
ThelibrarydoorflewopenandMr。Coltonhimselfappeared。
\"Eh？What？\"heexclaimed。\"ByGeorge！Mabel，wherehaveyoubeen？Ihavebeenraisingheavenandearthtolocateyou。The’phoneseemstobeoutoforderand——GreatScott，girl！you’rewetthrough。Jenkins，what——？Hey？Why，itisn’tJenkins！\"
Thefactthathisdaughter’sescortwasnotthecoachmanhadjustdawneduponhim。Hestaredatmeiniratebewilderment。Beforehecouldaskaquestionorhisdaughtercouldspeakorexplaintherecamealittleshriekfromthestairs，arustleofsilkenskirts，andaplump，white—facedwomaninanelaboratehousegownrushedacrossthehallwithbothwhitearmsoutstretched。
\"Mabel！\"shecried，\"whereHAVEyoubeen。Youpoorchild！Ihavebeenalmostbesidemyself，and——\"
MissColtonlaughinglyavoidedtherush。\"Takecare，Mother，\"shewarned。\"Iamverywet。\"
\"Wet？Why！you’reabsolutelydrenched！Jenkins——Mabel，whereisJenkins？Andwhoisthis——er——person？\"
Ithoughtitquitetimeformetowithdraw。
\"Goodnight，MissColton，\"Isaid，andsteppedtowardthedoor。
But\"BigJim\"roaredmyname。
\"It’sthat——it’sPaine！\"heexclaimed。\"Here！whatdoesthismean，anyway？\"
Ithinkhisdaughterwasabouttoexplain，whentherecameanotherinterruption。Fromthedrivewaysoundedtheblareofanautohorn。
Johnsonthrewopenthedoorjustasthebigcarwhirleduptotheporch。
\"Hereweare！\"laughedCarver，emergingfrombehindthedrawncurtainsofthemachine。\"Homeagainfromaforeignshore。Comein，fellows，andhaveadrink。We’vehadwaterenoughforonenight。Comein。\"
Hestumbledashecrossedthesill，recoveredhisbalance，laughed，andthenallatonceseemedtobecomeawareofthegroupinthehall。Helookedabouthim，swayingalittleashedidso。
\"Ah，Mabel！\"heexclaimed，genially。\"Gotherefirst，didn’tyou？
SorryIwaslate，butitwasalloldParker’sfault。Wouldn’tletussaygoodby。Butwecamesomewhenwedidcome。ThebridgeisdownandwemadeOscarrunherrightthroughthewater。Greatex—
experience。Hello！Why，what’smatter？Who’sthis？What？it’sReuben，isn’tit！Mabel，whatonearth——\"
Shepaidnoattentiontohim。Iwasatthedoorwhensheovertookme。
\"Mr。Paine，\"shesaid，\"Iamverygratefulforyourkindness。Bothforwhatyouhavedonetonightandforyourhelptheotherafternoon。Thankyou。\"
Sheheldoutherhand。Itookit，scarcelyknowingthatIdidso。
\"Thankyou，\"shesaid，again。Imurmuredsomethingorotherandwentout。AsIsteppedfromtheporchIheardVictor’svoice。
\"Well，byJove！\"heexclaimed。\"Mabel！\"
Ilookedback。Hewasstandingbythedoor。Shewentpasthimwithoutreplyingorevenlookingathim。FromtheautomobileI
heardsmotheredchucklesandexclamations。Thebutlerclosedthedoor。
IwalkedhomeasfastasIcould。Dorindawaswaitingupforme。
WhatshesaidwhenshesawtheruinofmySundaysuithadbetternotberepeated。ShewasstillsayingitwhenItookmylampandwentuptobed。
CHAPTERIX
Thestrawberryfestivalandthe\"tempest\"were，ofcourse，thesubjectsmostdiscussedatthebreakfasttablenextmorning。Lutemonopolizedtheconversation，afactforwhichIwasthankful，foritenabledmetododgeDorinda’squestionsastomyownadventures。
Ididnotcaretotalkaboutthelatter。Myfeelingsconcerningthemwerecuriouslymixed。WasIgladorsorrythatFatehadchosenmetoplayoncemoretheroleofrescuerofayoungfemaleindistress？ThatmyplayingoftherolehadalteredmystandinginMabelColton’smindIfeltreasonablysure。Herwordsatpartingwithmerangtrue。Shewasgrateful，andshehadshakenhandswithme。Doubtlessshewouldtellherfatherthewholestoryandhe，too，incommondecency，wouldbegratefultomeforhelpinghisdaughter。But，afterall，didIcareforgratitudefromthatfamily？Andwhatformwouldthatgratitudetake？WouldColton，likeVictorCarver，offertopaymeformyservices？No，hardlythat，Ithought。Hewasamanofwideexperienceand，ifhedidofferpayment，itwouldbeinsomelesscrudeformthanafivedollarbill。
ButIdidnotwantpaymentinanyform。Ididnotwantcondescensionandpatronizingthanks。Ididnotwantanything——thatwasit。Uptonow，theoccupantsofthebighouseandIhadbeenenemies，openandconfessed。Ihad，sofaraspossible，keptoutoftheirwayandhopedtheywouldkeepoutofmine。Butnowthesituationwasmorecomplicated。Ididnotknowwhattoexpect。Ofcoursetherewasnochanceofourbecomingfriends。Thedifferenceinsocialposition，astheyreckonedit，madethattooridiculoustoconsiderasapossibility，evenifIwishedit，whichIdistinctlydidnot。Butsomething，aninterview，awkwardanddisagreeableforbothsides，orapatronizingnoteofthanks，was，attheveryleast，certaintofollowthehappeningsofthepreviousnight。IwishedIhadgonehomewhentheColtonsfirstcametothefestival。IwishedIhadnotpromisedTaylorthatIwouldattendthatfestival。Iwished——I
wishedagreatmanythings。ThethoughtofyoungCarver’spublicsnubbingbeforehisfriendswasmyoneunmixedsatisfaction。I
ratherimaginedthathewasmoreuncomfortablethanIwasorcouldbe。
Lutecrowedvaingloriouslyoverhisowngoodjudgmentinleavingforhomeearly。
\"Idon’tknowhow’twas，\"hedeclared。\"Somethin’seemedtotellmewewasinforaturribletempest。Iwassettin’talkin’withAlvinBakerandeatin’mysecondsasserofberries，when——\"
\"SECONDsasser？\"interruptedDorinda，sharply。\"Where’dyougetmoneyfortwosassers？Igaveyouthirtycentswhenyoustartedforthatfestival。Itcostyoufifteentogetinsidethegate，andMatildyDeantoldmethechurchfolkswascal’latin’tochargefifteenforahelpin’ofberriesandcream。Andyouhadtwosassers，yousay。Whopaidforthesecondone？\"
Herhusbandswallowedhalfacupofcoffeebeforereplying。Thenhisreplyhadnothingtodowiththequestion。
\"Idon’tknowhow’twas，\"hewenton。\"Ijusthadthefeelin’，that’sall。Sortofapresent——presentuary，Iguess，comeoverme。
Ilookedupattheskyand’twasgettin’black，andthenIlookedtothewest—ardandIseeaflashoflightnin’。’Nothin’butheatlightnin’，’saysAlvin。’Heatlightnin’nothin’！’saysI，’Itellyou——\"
\"Whopaidforthatsecondsasserofberries？\"repeatedhiswife，relentlessly。
\"Whynow，Dorindy——\"
\"Whopaidfor’em？If’twasAlvinBakeryououghttobeashamedofyourself，spongin’onhimforyourvittles。\"
\"Alvin！Goodland！didyoueverknowhimtopayforanythinghedidn’thaveto？\"
\"NevermindwhatIknow。Didyougettrustedfor’em？HowmanytimeshaveItoldyou——\"
\"Inevergottrusted。Iain’tthatkind。AndIdidn’tsponge’em，neither。Ipaidcash，rightoutofmyownpocket，likeaman。\"
\"Youdid！Um—hm。Iwanttoknow！Wellthen——MAN，wheredidthecashinthatpocketcomefrom？\"
Lutesquirmed。\"I——I——\"hestammered。
\"Wherediditcomefrom？Answerme。\"
\"Well——well，Dorindy，yousee——whenyousentmeuptothestoret’otherdayafterthebrownsugarand——andnumber50spoolcottonyougivemeseventy—fivecents。Yourememberyoudid，yourself。\"
\"Yes，andIrememberyousaidtherewasaholeinyourpocketandyoulostthechange。Iain’tlikelytoforgetit，andIshouldn’tthinkyou’dbe。\"
\"Ididn’tforget。Bytime！myearsain’tdonesingin’yet。Butthatshowshowrecklessyoutalktome。Ineverlostthatchangeatall。Ifounditafterwardsinmyvest，soallyourjawin’wasjustfornothin’。Ros，sheoughttobegmypardon，hadn’tshe？
Hadn’tshenow？\"
Dorindasavedmethetroubleofanswering。
\"Um—hm！\"sheobserved，dryly。\"Well，I’llbegmyownpardoninstead，forbein’sodumbasnottogothroughyourvestmyself。
SoTHAT’Swheretheotherfifteencentscomefrom！Isee。Well，youmarchouttothewoodpileandchoptillItellyoutoquit。\"
\"But，Dorindy，I’vegotoneofmydyspepsyspells。Idon’tfeelrealgoodthismornin’。ItoldyouIdidn’t。\"
\"Folksthatmakepigsofthemselvesonstolenberrieshadn’toughttofeelgood。Exerciseisfinefordyspepsy。Youmarch。\"
Lutemarched，andImarchedwithhimasfarasthebackyard。
ThereIlefthim，groaningbeforethewoodpile，andwentdowntotheboathouse。
TheComfort’soverhaulingwascompleteandIhadlaunchedhertheweekbefore。Nowshelayanchoredattheedgeofthechannel。ForthewantofsomethingmoreimportanttodoItookdownmyshotgunandbegantopolishitsalreadyglitteringbarrels。
TryasImightIcouldnotgetthememoryofmyadventureinthe\"tempest\"outofmyhead。Irevieweditfromendtoend，thinkingofmanythingsImighthavedonewhich，inthelightofwhatfollowed，wouldhavebeenbetterandmoresensible。If，insteadofleavingthecoachman，Ihadremainedtohelphimwiththefrightenedhorse，Ishouldhavebeenbetteremployed。BetweenuswecouldhavesubduedtheanimalandMissColtonmighthaveriddenhome。I
wonderedwhathadbecomeofJenkinsandthehorse。IwonderedifthegirlknewIcarriedherthroughthebrook。Victorhadsaidthebridgewasdown；shemustknow。Iwonderedwhatshethoughtoftheproceeding；probablythatsplashingaboutwithyoungladiesinmyarmswasahabitofmine。
ItoldmyselfthatIdidnotcarewhatshethought。Iresolvedtoforgetthewholeaffairandtofocusmyattentionuponcleaningthegun。ButIcouldnotforget。IwadedthatbrookadozentimesasIsatthere。Irememberedeverydetail；howstillshelayinmyarms；howwhiteherfacelookedasthedistantlightningflashesrevealedittome；howherhairbrushedmycheekasIbentoverher。Iwasusingawadofcottonwastetopolishthegunbarrel，andIthrewitintoacorner，havingtheinsanenotionthat，insomeway，theassociationofideascamefromthatbunchofwaste。
It——thewaste——wasgrimyandanythingbutfragrant，asdifferentfromthedarklockwhichthewindhadblownagainstmyfaceasanythingwellcouldbe，butthehurrywithwhichIdiscardeditprovesmyimbecilityatthattime。Confoundthegirl！shewasanuisance。Iwantedtoforgetherandherfamily，andthesulphurouspersonagetowhosecareIhadonceconsignedtheheadofthefamilyapparentlytookacharacteristicdelightinarrangingmatterssothatIcouldnot。
Theshotgunwas，atlast，sospotlessthatevenapretenseoffurthercleaningwasridiculous。Ihelditlevelwithmyeyeandsquintedthroughthebarrels。
\"Don’tshoot，\"saidavoicefromthedoorway；\"I’llcomedown。\"
Iloweredthegun，turnedandlooked。\"BigJim\"Coltonwasstandingthere，cigarinmouth，caponthebackofhisheadandbothhandsinhispockets，exactlyashehadappearedinthatsamedoorwaywhenheandIfirstmet。Theexpectedhadhappened，partofitatleast。Hehadcometoseeme；thedisagreeableinterviewIhadforeseenwasathand。
Henoddedandenteredwithoutwaitingforaninvitation。
\"Morning，\"hesaid。
\"Goodmorning，\"saidI，guardedly。Iwonderedhowhewouldbegintheconversation。Ourpreviousmeetinghadendedalmostinafight。Wehadbeenfightingbyproxyeversince。Iwaspreparedformoretrouble，forhaughtycondescension，forperfunctoryapology，foralmostanythingexceptwhathappened。Hisnextremarkmighthavebeenaddressedtoanacquaintanceuponwhomhehadcasuallydroppedinforafriendlycall。
\"That’sagoodlookinggunyou’vegotthere，\"heobserved。\"Let’sseeit。\"
Iwastooastonishedtoanswer。\"Let’slookatit，\"herepeated，holdingouthishand。
MechanicallyIpassedhimthegun。Heexamineditasifhewasusedtosuchthings，brokeit，snappeditshut，triedthelockswithhisthumbandhandeditbacktome。
\"Anythingworthshootingaroundhere？\"heasked，pullingthearmchairtowardhimandsitting。
IthinkIdidnotlethimseehowastonishedIwasathisattitude。
Itriednotto。
\"Whyyes，\"Ianswered，\"intheseason。Plentyofcoots，someblackduck，andquailandpartridgeinthewoods。\"
\"Thatso！Peters，thatcarpenterofmine，saidsomethingofthesort，Iremember，butIwouldn’tbelievehimunderoath。IcouldshootHIMwithmoreorlesspleasure，butthereseemstobenoopensessionforhisspecies。Where’syourlaunch？\"
\"Outyonder。\"IpointedtotheComfortathermoorings。Helooked，butmadenocomment。Iroseandputthegunintherack。
ThenIreturnedtomychair。Heswungaroundinhisseatandlookedatme。
\"Well，\"hesaid，grimly，butwithatwinkleinhiseye，\"thelasttimeyouandIchattedtogetheryoutoldmetogotothedevil。\"
ThiswasquitetrueandImighthaveaddedthatIwasgladofit。
Butwhatwouldbetheuse？Ididnotansweratall。
\"Ihaven’tgonethereyet，\"hecontinued。\"Cameoverhereinstead。
Gotdryyet？\"
\"Dry？\"
\"Yes。YouwereanythingbutdrywhenIsawyoulastnight。Havemanysuchcloudburstsasthatintheseparts？\"
\"Notmany。No。\"
\"Ihopenot。Idon’twantanotheruntilIsellthathorseofmine。
Thechapwhostuckmewithhimisafriendofmine。Hewarrantedthebeastperfectlysafeforaninfantinarmstodriveandnotafraidofanythingshortofanearthquake。Heisalovelyliar。I
admirehisqualificationsinthatrespect，andhopetotradewithhimagain。Hebucksthestockmarketoccasionally。\"
Hesmiledashesaidit。Therewasnottheslightestmaliceinhistone，but，ifIhadbeenthe\"friend，\"Ishouldhavekeptclearofstocksforawhile。
\"Whatbecameofthehorse？\"Iasked。
\"Ranawayagain。Jenkinshadjustgotbackintothecarriagewhenanotheroneofthosethunderclapsstartedmoretrouble。Thehorseranfourmiles，moreorless，andstoppedonlywhenthewheelsgotjammedbetweentwotrees。Ipaidninehundreddollarsforthatcarriage。\"
\"Andthecoachman？\"
\"Oh，helitonhishead，fortunately，andwasn’thurt。Spenthalfthenighttryingtofindaphonenotoutofcommissionbutfailed。
Gothomeaboutfouro’clock，leadingthehorse。Paine——\"
\"Yes？\"
\"OfcourseyouknowwhatI’vecomeherefor。I’mmuchobligedtoyou。\"
\"That’sallright。You’rewelcome。\"
\"MaybeIam，butIamobliged，justthesame。NotonlyforthehelpyougaveMabel——mydaughter——lastnight，butforthatbusinessinthebaytheotherafternoon。\"
Soshehadtoldhimthewholestory。Rememberingherlastwords，asIleftherinthehall，Ihadratherimaginedshewould。
\"Thatdidn’tamounttoanything，\"Isaid，shortly。
\"Why，yes，itdid。Itmighthaveamountedtoawholelot。IaskedPeterssomequestionsaboutthetidesouthereand，fromwhathesaid，Ijudgethatbeingstuckontheshoalsinasquallmightnotbealtogetherajoke。Mabelsaysyouhandledtheaffairmightywell。\"
Ididnotanswer。Hechuckled。
\"HowdidyoungCarverenjoyplayingsecondfiddle？\"heasked。
\"FromwhatI’veseenofhimhegenerallyexpectstoleadtheband。
Happy，washe？\"
Iremainedsilent。Hesmiledbroadly。
\"Heisn’tanytoohappythismorning，\"hewenton。\"Thatyoungmanwon’tdo。Ineverquotedhimwithintwentypointsofpar，butMabelseemedtolikehimandhermotherthoughthewastherealthing。Mrs。C。couldn’tforgetthathisfamilyisoneoftheoldestonthelist。PersonallyIdon’tgamblemuchonfamilies；
knowalittleaboutmyownandthatlittleisenough。Butwomenaredifferent。However，familyornot，hewon’tdo。Ishouldtellhimsomyself，butIguessMabelwillsavemethetrouble。She’sgotasurprisingamountofcommon—sense，consideringthatshe’sanonlychild——andwhoherparentsare。Bytheway，Paine，whatdidCarversaywhenyouputhimashore？\"
\"He——hesaid——oh，nothingofimportance。\"
\"Yes，Iknowthat。Ilistenedtohisexplanationslastnight。Butdidhesayanything？\"
\"Why，heofferedtopaymeformywork。\"
\"Didhe？Howmuch？\"
\"Ididnotwaittofindout。\"
\"Andyouhaven’theardfromhimsince？\"
Ihesitated。
\"Haveyou？\"herepeated。
\"Well，I——Ireceivedanotefromhimnextday。\"
\"Humph！Offeringapologies？\"
\"No。\"
\"Sentyoumoney，didn’the？\"
Ilookedathiminsurprise。\"Didhetellyou？\"Iasked。
\"No，nobodytoldme。I’monlytryingtofindoutwhetherornotI
havelostallmyjudgmentofhumannaturesinceIstruckthissandheap。Hedidsendyoumoneythen。Howmuch？\"
\"Mr。Colton，I——\"
\"Comenow！Howmuch？\"
\"Well——hesentmefivedollars。\"
\"No！hedidn’t！\"
\"Iamtellingyouthetruth。\"
\"Yes，\"slowly，\"Iknowyouare。I’vegotthatmuchjudgmentleft。
Sentyoufivedollars，didhe。Andyousentitback。\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Anymessagewithit？\"
