\"Shedidcall，yousee。Shekeptherword。Itwaskindofher，wasn’tit？\"
Isatdownintherockingchairbythewindow。
\"Well，\"Iasked，afteramoment，\"whatdidshesay？Didshecondescendtopityherpauperneighbors？\"
\"Roscoe！\"
\"DidsheexpresshorrifiedsympathyandoffertocallyourcasetotheattentionofhercousininchargeofthePoorWardintheCityGeneralHospital，likethatwomanfromtheHarnisshotellastsummer？\"
\"Boy！Howcanyou！\"
\"Oh，well；Iamajealousbeast，Mother；Iadmitit。ButIhavenotbeenabletobringyouflowerslikethatanditgallsmetothinkthatotherscan。Theydon’tdeservetohaveallthebeautifulthingsinlife，whiletherestofushavenone。\"
\"Butitisn’therfaultthatshehasthem，isit？Anditwaskindtosharethemwithus。\"
\"Isupposeso。Well，whatdidshesaytoyou？Dorindasaysshewaswithyounearlyanhour。Whatdidyouandshetalkabout？Shedidnotoffercharity，didshe？\"
\"DoyouthinkIshouldhaveacceptedit，ifshehad？Roscoe，I
haveneverseenyousoprejudicedasyouareagainstournewneighbors。Itdoesn’tseemlikeyou，atall。AndifherfatherandmotherarelikeMissMabel，youareverywrong。Ilikeherverymuch。\"
\"Youwouldtrytolikeanyone，Mother。\"
\"Ididnothavetotrytolikeher。AndIwasalittleprejudiced，too，atfirst。Shewassowealthy，andanonlychild；Ifearedshemightbeconceitedandspoiled。Butsheisn’t。\"
\"Notconceited！Humph！\"
\"No，notreally。Atfirstsheseemedatrifledistant，andI
thoughtherhaughty；but，afterward，whenherstrangenessandconstrainthadwornaway，shewassimpleandunaffectedanddelightful。Andsheisverypretty，isn’tshe。\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Shetoldmeagreatdealaboutherself。ShehasbeenthroughVassarandhastraveledagreatdeal。Thisisthefirstsummersincehergraduationwhichshehasnotspentabroad。SheandI
talkedofRomeandFlorence。I——ItoldherofthemonthIspentinItalywhenyouwereababy，Roscoe。\"
\"Youdidnottellheranythingmore，Mother？Anythingsheshouldnotknow？\"
\"Boy！\"reproachfully。
\"Pardonme，Mother。Ofcourseyoudidn’t。Didshetellyouwhyshecalledonus——onyou，Imean？\"
\"Yes，inaway。Iimagine——thoughshedidnotsayso——thatyouareresponsibleforthat。SheandNellieDeanseemtobewellacquainted，almostfriendly，whichisodd，forIcanscarcelythinkoftwogirlsmoredifferent。ButshelikesNellie，thatisevident，andNellieandGeorgehavetoldheraboutyouandme。\"
\"Isee。Andsoshewascuriousconcerningtheinterestinginvalid。
Probablyanythingevenmildlyinterestingisagodsendtoher，downhere。DidshementiontheShoreLanerumpus？\"
\"Yes。AlthoughImentioneditfirst。Itwasplainthatshecouldnotunderstandyourpositioninthematter，Roscoe，andIexplaineditaswellasIcould。ItoldherthatyoufelttheLanewasanecessitytothetownspeople，andthat，underthecircumstances，youcouldnotsell。Itoldherhowdeeplyyousympathizedwithhermother——\"
\"Didyoutellherthat？\"
\"Why，yes。Itistrue，isn’tit？\"
\"Humph！Mildlyso，maybe。Whatmoredidshesay？\"
\"Shesaidshethoughtsheunderstoodbetternow。Itoldheraboutyou，Boy，andwhatagoodsonyouhadbeentome。Howyouhadsacrificedyourfutureandyourcareerformysake。OfcourseI
couldnotgointoparticulars，atall，butwetalkedagreatdealaboutyou，Roscoe。\"
\"Thatmusthavebeendeliriouslyinteresting——toher。\"
\"Ithinkitwas。Shetoldmeofyourhelpingherhomethroughthestorm，andofsomethingelseyouhadnottoldme，Boy：ofyourbringingherandMr。Carverofftheflatintheboatthatday。Whydidyoukeepthatasecret？\"
\"Itwasnotworthtelling。\"
\"Shethoughtitwas。Shelaughedaboutit；saidyouhandledtheaffairinamostbusinesslikeandunsentimentalway；sheneverfeltmorelikeabundleofdry—goodsinherlife，butthatthatappearedtobeyourmannerofhandlingpeople。Itwasasomewhatstartlingmanner，butveryeffective，shesaid。Idon’tknowwhatshemeantbythat。\"
Iknew，butIdidnotexplain。
\"Youdon’tmeantosay，Mother，thatyouglorifiedmetoherforanhour？\"Idemanded。
\"No，indeed。Wetalkedofeversomanythings。Ofbooks，andpictures，andmusic。I’mafraidIwasratherwearisome。Itseemedsogoodtohavesomeone——exceptyou，ofcourse，dear——todiscusssuchsubjectswith。Mostofmycallersarenotinterestedinthem。\"
Iwassilent。
\"Sheiscomingagain，shesays，\"continuedMother。\"Shehassomenewbookssheisgoingtolendme。Youmustreadthemtome。Andaren’tthoseroseswonderful？Shepickedthem，herself，intheirconservatory。Itoldherhowfondyouwereofflowers。\"
IjudgedthattheyoungladymusthavegoneawaywiththeideathatIwasacombinationoflongshoreloutandeffeminatedilettante，withthefinancialresourcesoftheformer。Shemightaswellhavethatideaasanyother，Isupposed，but，inhereyes，Imustbemoreofafreakthanever。Ishouldtakecaretokeepoutofthesightofthoseeyesasmuchaspossible。Butthatthemillionaire’sdaughterhadmadeahitontheoccasionofherfirstcallwasplain。
NotonlyhadMotherbeenfavorablyimpressed，buteventhepracticalandunromanticDorinda’sshellwasdented。Shedeignedtoobservethattheyoungladyseemedtohave\"consider’blecommon—sense，considerin’herbringin’up。\"This，fromDorinda，washighpraise，andIwonderedwhatthecallerhadsaidordonetowinsuchatriumph。Lutemadethematterclear。
\"Bytime！\"hesaid，whenheandIweretogether，\"thatgirl’sasmartone。I’dgivesomethin’tohaveherkindofsmartness。
Dorindywasterriblecrankyallthetimeshewasinyourma’sroomandIdidn’tknowwhatwouldhappenwhenshecomeout。Butthefustthingshedonewhenshecomeoutwastolookaroundthedinin’
roomandsay，’Oh！whatapleasant，homeyplace！Andsoclean！
Why，itisperfectlyspotless！’Landsakes！theoldladythawedoutlikeacranberryboginApril。Afterthattheytalkedabouthousekeepin’andcookin’andsuch，sociableascouldbe。Dorindy’sgoin’togiveherherreceiptfordoughnutsnexttimeshecomes。
AndIbetthatgirlnevercookedadoughnutinherlifeoreverwill。IfIcouldthinkoftherightthingtosay，likethat，’twouldsavememore’noneear—ache。ButIneverdothinkofittillthenextday，andthenit’stoolate。\"
Heborrowedmytobacco，filledhispipe，andcontinued：
\"Say，Ros，\"heasked，\"what’syourideaofwhatmadehercomehere？\"
\"ToseeMother，ofcourse，\"Ianswered。
\"That’syournotion，isit？\"
\"Certainly。Whatelse？\"
\"Humph！There’sothersickfolksintown。Whydon’tshegotoseethem？\"
\"Perhapsshedoes。Idon’tknow。\"
\"Ibetyoutencentsshedon’t。No，I’vebeenreasonin’ofitout，sameasIgen’rallydo，andI’vegotsomenotionsofmyown。Youdon’tcal’lateherpasentherso’stosortofsoftsoaparoundtowardhisgettin’theShoreLane？Youdon’tcal’late’twaspartofthatgame，doyou？\"
Thatsuppositionhadcrossedmymindmorethanonce。IwasashamedofitandnowIdeniedit，indignantly。
\"Ofcoursenot，\"Ianswered。
\"Well，Idon’tthinkso，myself。Butif’tain’tthatit’sanotherreason。ShemaybeinterestedinComfort；Idon’tsaysheain’t；
butthatain’tallshe’sinterestedin。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"
\"Nevermind。Iain’tsaidnothin’。I’mjustwaitin’tosee，that’sall。Ihavehadsomeexperienceinthisworld，Ihave。
There’sdifferenttimescomin’forthisfamily，yousetthatdowninyourlog—book，RosPaine。\"
\"Lookhere，Lute；ifyouarehintingthatMissColtonorherpeopleintendofferinguscharity——\"
\"Whosaidanythingaboutcharity？No；ifshehadthatideeinherhead，hertalkwithyourmawoulddriveitout。’Tain’tcharity，I
ain’tsayin’what’tis……Iwonderhow’twouldseemtoberich。\"
\"Lute，you’regrowingmorefoolisheveryday。\"
\"SoDorindysays；butshenoryouain’tofferednoproofyet。Allright，youwaitandsee。Andsay，Ros，don’tmentionourtalktoDorindy。She’smore’nextrydownonmejustnow，andifIbreathethatMabelColton’snameshehopsrightupintheair。How’dI
knowthataskin’ifawomanwho’sbeensickinbedsixyearormorewas’in’meantcouldshehavefolkscometoseeher？\"
MotherwouldhavediscussedtheColtonswithmefrequently，butI
avoidedthesubjectasmuchaspossible。Thepromisedbooksarrived——broughtoverbyJohnson，thebutler，whoviewedourhumblequarterswithloftydisdain——andIreadoneofthemaloudtoMother，achaptereachevening。Moreflowerscamealsoandthedarkenedbedroombecameabowerofbeautyandperfume。IfIhadyieldedtomyownwishesIshouldhavereturnedbothrosesandbooks。Itwasbetter，asIsawit，thatweandourwealthyneighborshadnothingtodowitheachother。Realfriendshipwasoutofthequestion；thememoryofMrs。Colton’sfrigidbowandherreferencetomeasa\"person\"provedthat。Herdaughtermightthinkotherwise，ormightthinkthatshethoughtso，butIknewbetter。However，IdidnotliketopainMotherbyrefusingofferingswhich，toher，wereexpressionsofsympathyandregard，soIhadnoprotestandtriedtoenthuseoverthegiftsandloans。
Afterall，whatdidtheyamountto？Onetea—rosebredfromDorinda’scarefullytendedbush，oronegushfulstorybookselectedbyAlmenaDoanefromthenewadditionstothetownlibraryandsentbecauseshethought\"Mrs。Comfortmightfinditsortofsoothin’
anddistractin’，\"meantmorerealunselfishthoughtandkindlyfeelingthanalltheconservatoryexoticsandnewnovelswhichtherichgirl’swhimsuppliedfromheroverflowingstore。Iwassurprisedonlythatthewhimlastedsolong。
Behindallthis，Ithink，andconfirmingmyfeeling，wasthefactthatMissColtondidnotrepeathercall。Aweekormorepassedandshedidnotcome。Icaughtglimpsesofheroccasionallyintheauto，oratthepost—office，butItookcarethatsheshouldnotseeme。Ididnotwishtobeseen，thoughpreciselywhyIcouldnothaveexplainedeventomyself。Thememoryofthatnightintherain，andofourmeetingsinthegrove，troubledmebecauseIcouldnotkeepthemfrommymind。Theykeptrecurring，nomatterwhatI
didorwhereIwent。No，Ididnotwanttomeetheragain。
Somehow，thesightandmemoryofhermadememoredissatisfiedanddiscontentedthanever。Ifoundmyselfmoodilywishingforthingsbeyondmyreach，longingtobesomethingmorethanIwas——morethanthenobodywhichIknewImustalwaysbe。IrememberedmyfeelingsonthemorningofthedaywhenIfirstsawher。Nowtheyseemedalmostlikepremonitions。
Ikeptaway；notonlyfromher，butfromGeorgeTaylorandCaptainDeanandthetownspeople。Iwenttothevillagescarcelyatall。
SimEldredge，whohadevidentlyreceivedordersfromheadquarterstodroptheLane\"agency，\"troubledmenomore，merelygloweringreproachfullywhenwemet；andAlvinBaker，whosenotehadbeenrenewed，althoughhehailedmewitheffusivecordiality，didnotpresshissocietyuponme，havingnoaxetogrindatpresent。ZebKendrickwasusingtheLaneagain，buthetookcaretobringnomore\"billiardroomers\"aspassengers。IhadasyetheardnothingfrommyquarrelwithTimHallet。
IspentagooddealofmytimeintheComfort，orwanderingabouttheshoreandinthewoods。Onewarm，cloudymorningthenotionseizedmetogouptothepondsandtryforblackbass。Therearebassinsomeofthelargerponds——lakestheywouldbecalledanywhereelseexceptonCapeCod——and，ifoneislucky，andtheweatherisright，andthebaittempting，theymaybecaught。Thisparticularmorningpromisedtofurnishtheproperbrandofweather，andashortexcursionontheflatsprovidedasupplyofshrimpsandminnowsforbait。Dorinda，whohappenedtobeingoodhumor，putupalunchformeand，atseveno’clock，withmyrodandlandingnetintheircases，strapped，withmyfishingbootsandcoffeepot，tomyback，andmybaitpailinonehandandlunchbasketintheother，Istartedonmytramp。ItwasalongfourmilestoSeabury’sPond，mydestination，andLute，towhom，likemostcountrypeople，theideaofafour—milewalkwassheerlunacy，urgedmyharnessingthehorseanddrivingthere。ButIknewtheovergrownwoodroadsandthedifficultyofpilotingavehiclethroughthem，and，moreover，Ireallypreferredtogoafoot。SoI
marchedoffandlefthimprotesting。
Veryfewsummerpeople——andonlysummerpeopleorirresponsiblepersonslikemyselfwastetimeinfreshwaterfishingontheCape——
knewwhereSeabury’sPondwas。Itlayfarfrommacadamroadsandautomobilethoroughfaresanditssandyshoreswereborderedwithverdure—cladhillsshuttingitinlikethesidesofabowl。ToreachitfromDenboroonelefttheBayportroadat\"BeriahHolt’splace，\"followedBeriah’scowpathtothepasture，plungedintotheoakandbirchgroveatthesouthernedgeofthatpasture，emergedonagrass—grownandbush—encumberedtrackwhichhadoncebeenthewaytosomeearlysettler’shome，andhadbeenforsakenforyears，andfollowedthattrack，inallitswindings，untilhesawthegleamofwaterbetweentheupperfringeofbrushandthelowerlimbsofthetrees。Thenheleftthetrackandclambereddownthesteepslopetothepond。
Iamagoodwalker，butIwastiredlongbeforeIreachedtheslope。Thebaitpail，whichIrefilledwithfreshwateratBeriah’spump，grewheavierasIwenton，andIbegantothinkLuteknewwhathewastalkingaboutwhenhedeclaredmetobe\"plumbcrazy，hoofin’itfourmileloadeddownwithallthatdunnage。\"
However，whenthelong\"hoof\"wasover，andIsatdowninapatchof\"hog—cranberry\"vinesforasmoke，withthepondbeforeme，I
wasmeasurablyhappy。ThiswasthesortofthingIliked。HeretherewerenoShoreLanecontroversies，butrealindependenceandpeace。
AftermysmokewasfinishedandIhadrested，Icarriedmy\"dunnage\"aroundtothepointwhereIintendedtobeginmyfishing，putthelunchbasketinashadyplacebeneaththebushes，andthebaitpailinthewaternearby，changedmyshoesforthefishingboots，riggedmyrodandwasready。
Atfirstthefishingwasratherpoor。Thepondwasfullofperchandtheyweretroublesome。Byandby，however，Ihookedafour—
poundpickerelandhestirredmylaggingambition。Iwadedon，castingandplayingbeyondthelilypadsandsedge。AtlastIgotmyfirstbass，asmallone，andhadscarcelylandedhimthanabigfellowstruck，fought，roseandbrokeaway。Thatwasspursufficient。AlltheforenoonIwadedabouttheshoresofthatpond。Whenathalf—pasteleventhesuncameoutandIknewmysportwasover，forthetimeatleast，Ihadfourbass——twoofthemfineones——andtwo，pickerel。ThenIrememberedmyappetiteandDorinda’sluncheon。
Iwentbacktothepointandinspectedthecontentsofthebasket。
Sandwiches，coldchicken，eggs，doughnutsandapplepuffs。Theylookedgoodtome。Alsotherewerepepperandsaltinonepaper，sugarinanother，coffeeinathird，andmilkinabottle。I
collectedsomedrychipsandbranchesandpreparedtokindleafire。AsIbentovertheheapofsticksandchipsIheardthesoundofhorses’hoofsinthewoodsnearby。
Iwassurprisedandannoyed。TheprincipalcharmofSeaburyPondwasthatsofewpeoplevisitedit。Alsofewerstillknewhowgoodthefishingwasthere。Iwasnotmorethanordinarilyselfish，butIdidnotcaretohavetheplaceoverrunwithexcursionistsfromthecity，whohadnoscruplesastonumberandsizeoffishcaughtandwouldruinthesportastheyhadruineditatotherandbetterknownponds。Thepasserby，whoeverhewas——anativeprobably——
would，ifhesawme，askquestionsconcerningmyluck，andbealmostsuretotelleveryonehemet。Ileftmyfireunkindled，steppedbacktotheshadeofthebushesandwaitedinsilence，hopingthedriverwouldgoonwithoutstopping。Therewasnorealroadonthissideofthepond，buttherewasanabandonedwoodtrack，likethatbywhichIhadcome。Thehorsewasapproachingalongthetrack；thesoundsofhoofsandcracklingbranchesgrewplainer。
TheoddpartofitwasthatIheardnorattleofwheels。Itwasalmostasifthepersonwasonhorseback。Thisseemedimpossible，becausenooneinDenboroorBayport——nooneIcouldthinkof，atleast——ownedorrodeasaddlehorse。Yetthehoofbeatsgrewlouderandtherewasnosqueak，orjolt，orrattletobearthemcompany。TheycametoapointinthewoodsdirectlyoppositewhereIsatintheshadeofthebushesandtheretheystopped。Thentheyrecommencedandthecrackleofbrancheswaslouderthanever。Therider，whoeverhewas，wascomingdownthebanktothepond。
Amomentmoreandthetallswamp—huckleberrybushesattheedgeofthesandybeachpartedandbetweenthemsteppedgingerlyaclean—
cut，handsomebrownhorse，whichthrewupitsheadatthesightofthewaterandthentrottedlightlytowardit。Therider，whosatsoeasilyinthesaddle，wasagirl。AndthegirlwasMabelColton！
Shedidnotnoticemeatfirst，butgaveherattentiontothehorse。Theanimalwadedintothewatertoitskneesand，inobediencetoapullonthereins，stopped，bentitshead，andbegantodrink。Thentheriderturnedinherseat，lookedabouther，sawtheheapofwoodforthefire，theopenlunchbasket，therodsandlanding—net，and——me。
Ihadsteppedfromthebusheswhenshefirstappearedandwasstandingmotionless，staring，Iimagine，likewhatDorindasometimescalledherhusband——a\"borngump。\"TherewasFateinthis！nodoubtaboutit。ThefurtherIwenttoavoidthisgirl，andthemoreoutlandishandforsakenthespottowhichIfled，thegreaterthecertaintyofourmeeting。Afeelingofhelplessnesscameoverme，asifIwereintheclutchofdestinyandnoeffortofminecouldbreakthatclutch。
Foramomentshelookedasifshemightbethinkingthesamething。
Shestartedwhenshesawmeandherlipsparted。
\"Oh！\"sheexclaimed，softly。Thenwegazedateachotherwithoutspeaking。
Shewasthefirsttorecoverfromthesurprise。Herexpressionchanged。Thelookofalarmcausedbymysuddenappearanceleftherface，butthewonderremained。
\"Why！Why，Mr。Paine！\"shecried。\"Isityou？\"
Isteppedforward。
\"Why，MissColton！\"saidI。
Shedrewabreathofrelief。\"ItISyou！\"shedeclared。\"Iwasbeginningtobelieveinhallucinations。Howyoustartledme！Whatareyoudoinghere？\"
\"ThatisexactlywhatIwasgoingtoaskyou，\"Ireplied。\"Iamhereforafishingexcursion。Butwhatbroughtyoutothisout—of—
the—wayplace？\"
Shesmiledandpattedthehorse’sshoulder。\"Donherebroughtme，\"
sheanswered。\"HesawthewaterandIknewhewasthirsty，soI
camestraightdownthebank。ButIdidn’texpecttofindanyonehere。Ihaven’tseenahorseorahumanbeingforanhour。Whataprettylittlelakethisis。Whatisitsname？\"
\"ItiscalledSeabury’sPond。Howdidyoufindit？\"
\"Ididn’t。Donfoundit。HeandIcameforagallopinthewoodsandIlethimchoosehisownpaths。Ihavebeeninhischargeallthemorning。Ihaven’ttheleastideawhereweare。There，Don！
youhavehadenoughandyouaresplashingusdreadfully。Comeback！\"
Shebackedthehorseoutofthewaterandturnedhisheadtowardthewoods。
\"Itisgreatfuntobelost，\"sheobserved。\"Ididn’tsupposeanyonecouldbelostinDenboro。\"
\"Butthisisn’tDenboro。Seabury’sPondisinBayporttownship。\"
\"Isit，really？InBayport？ThenImustbealongwayfromhome。\"
\"Youare；fourmilesandahalf，atleast。Morethanthatovertheroad。\"
Shelookedatherwatchandfrownedslightly。
\"Dearme！\"shesaid。\"Anditisaftertwelvealready。IamperfectlysureIcan’tfindthewaybackintimeforluncheon。\"
\"Ishallbegladtogowithyouandshowyoutheway。\"
\"No，indeed！DonandIwillgethomesafely。Thisisn’tthefirsttimewehavebeenlosttogether，thoughnotonCapeCod。OfcourseIshouldn’tthinkoftakingyoufromyourfishing。Haveyouhadgoodluck？\"
\"Prettyfair。Somebassandtwogood—sizedpickerel。\"
\"Really！Bass？Ididn’tknowtherewereanyabouthere。MayI
seethem？\"
\"Certainly。Theyareoverthereinthebushes。\"
Sheswunglightlydownfromthesaddleand，takingherhorsebythebridle，ledhimtowardthespotwheremycatchlay，coveredwithleavesandwetgrass。Iremovedthecoveringandshebentoverthefish。
\"Oh，splendid！\"sheexclaimed，withenthusiasm。\"Thatbigonemustbeathree—pounder。Ienvyyou。Bassfishingisgreatsport。Didyougettheseonafly——thebass，Imean？\"
\"No。Iuseaflyinthespringandfall，butseldominJuneorJuly，here。Thoseweretakenwithlivebait—shrimp。Thepickerelwithminnows。Areyoufondoffishing，MissColton？\"
\"Yes，indeed。Whoa，Don！steady！Yes，IfishagooddealinSeptember，whenweareatourlodgeintheAdirondacks。Troutthere，principally。ButIhavecaughtbassinMaine。IthoughtI
mustgiveitupthisyear。Ididnotknowtherewerefish，infreshwater，ontheCape。\"
\"Thereare，afew。Thepeopleaboutherepaynoattentiontothem。
Theyscornsuchsmallfry。Codandpollockaremoreintheirline。\"
\"Isupposeso。Butthatisallthebetterforyou，isn’tit？WereyoufishingwhenIinterruptedyou？\"
\"No，Iwasjustgettingreadyforlunch。Myfirewasreadytokindle。\"
\"Fire？Whydidyouneedafire？\"
\"Formycoffee。\"
\"Coffee！Youarealuxuriouspicnicer，Mr。Paine。Hotcoffeeonafishingtrip！andwithoutaguide。Andyouareunfeeling，besides，foryouremindmethatIamveryhungry。Imustgoatonce。HowfaramIfromhome？Fourmiles，didyousay？\"
\"Fourandahalf，ormore，byroad。Andtheroadsarelikethoseyouhavebeentravelingthismorning。Idoubtifyoucouldfindtheway，evenwithyourhorse’shelp。ImustinsistupongoingwithyouasfarasthemainroadbetweenDenboroandBayport。\"
\"Ishallnotpermitit。\"
\"ButIinsist。\"
Heranswerwasalittlelaugh。Sheputherfootinthestirrupandvaultedtothesaddle。
\"Yourinsistingisuseless，yousee，\"shesaid。\"YouareonfootandIhavetheadvantage。No，DonandIwillgoalone，thankyou。
Now，willyoupleasetellmetheway？\"
Ishruggedmyshoulders。\"Gobackalongtheroadyoucame，\"I
said，\"untilyoureachthesecond，no，thethird，pathtotheright。Followthattothesecondontheleft。Thenfollowthatfortwohundredyardsorsountil——well，untilyoureachaclumpofbushes，highbushes。Behindtheseisanotherpath，ablindone，andyoumusttakecaretopicktherightclump，becausethereisanotheronewithapathbehinditandthatpathjoinstheroadtoHarniss。IfyoushouldtaketheHarnissroadyouwouldgomilesoutofyourway。TaketheblindpathIspeakofand——\"
Sheinterruptedme。\"Stop！stop！\"sheexclaimed；\"pleasedon’t。I
amabsolutelybewilderedalready。IhadnoideaIwasinsuchamaze。Letmesee！Secondtotheright；thirdtotheleft——\"
\"No，thirdtotherightandsecondtotheleft。\"
\"Andthenthebushesandthechoiceofblindpaths。Don，IseeplainlythatyouandImusttrusttoProvidence。Well，itisfortunatethatthefamilyareaccustomedtomyways。Theywon’tbealarmed，nomatterhowlateImaybe。\"
\"MissColton，Iamnotgoingtoallowyoutogoalone。OfcourseI
amnot。Icansetyouontherightroadandgetbackhereinplentyoftimeforfishing。Thefisharenothungryinthemiddleoftheday。\"
\"No，butyouare。Iknowyoumustbe，because——no，goodday，Mr。
Paine。\"
