\"Nothin’。\"
\"Nothin’，Iguess。Ifyouwasflatterin’yourselfwiththeideathatIcameheretochaseafteryou，youneverwasmoremistakeninyourlife，oreverwillbe。Yousetdown。YouandIhavegottotalk。Setrightdown。\"
Thelightkeeperhesitated。Thenheobeyedordersbyseatinghimselfonanoilbarrellyingonitssidenearthewall。Thelanternheplacedonthefloorathisfeet。Mrs。Bascomperchedononeofthelowerstepsoftheironstairs。
\"Now，\"shesaid，\"we’vegottotalk。SethBascom——\"
Sethstartedviolently。
\"Whatisit？\"askedthelady。\"Whydidyoujumplikethat？Nobodycomin’，isthere？\"
\"No。No……ButIcouldn’thelpjumpin’whenyoucalledmethatname。\"
\"Thatname？It’syourname，isn’tit？Oh，\"shesmiledslightly；\"I
remembernow。You’vetakenthenameofAtkinssincewesaweachotherlast。\"
\"Ididn’ttakeit；itbelongedtome。Youknowmymiddlename。I
justdroppedtheBascom，that’sall。\"
\"Isee。Justasyoudropped——someotherresponsibilities。Whydidn’tyoudropthewholechristenin’andstartfresh？Whydidyouhangonto’Seth’？\"
Thelightkeeperlookedguilty。Mrs。Bascom’ssmilebroadened。\"I
know，\"shewenton。\"Youdidn’treallyliketodropitall。Itwastoomuchofathingtodoonyourhook，andtherewasn’tanybodytotellyoutodoit，andsoyoucouldn’tquitebespunkyenoughto——\"
Heinterruptedher。\"Thatwa’n’tthereason，\"hesaidshortly。
\"Whatwasthereason？\"
\"Youwanttoknow，doyou？\"
\"Yes，Ido。\"
\"Well，the’Bascom’partwa’n’tminenomore——notallmine。I’dgivenittoyou。\"
\"O——oh！oh，Isee。Andyouranawayfromyournameasyouranawayfromyourwife。Isee。And……why，ofcourse！youcamedownheretorunawayfromallthewomen。MissRuthsaidthismornin’
shewastold——Idon’tknowwhoby——thatthelightkeeperwasawoman-
hater。Areyouthewoman-hater，Seth？\"
Mr。Atkinslookedatthefloor。\"Yes，Ibe，\"heanswered，sullenly。
\"Doyouwonder？\"
\"Idon’twonderatyourrunnin’away；thatIshouldhaveexpected。
Butthere，\"morebriskly，\"thisain’tgettin’usanywhere。You’rehere——andI’mhere。Nowwhat’syourideaofthebestthingtobedone，underthecircumstances？\"
Sethshiftedhisfeet。\"Oneofusbettergosomewhereselse，ifyouaskme，\"hedeclared。
\"Runawayagain，youmean？Well，Isha’n’trunaway。I’mMissRuth’shousekeeperforthesummer。IansweredheradvertisementintheBostonpaperandweagreedastowagesandsoon。Ilikeherandshelikesme。CourseifI’dknownmyhusbandwasintheneighborhood，Ishouldn’thavecomehere；butIdidn’tknowit。NowI’mhereandI’llstaymytimeout。Whatareyougoin’todo？\"
\"I’mgoin’tosendinmyresignationaskeeperoftheselights。
That’swhatI’mgoin’todo，andI’lldoitto-morrow。\"
\"Runawayagain？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Why？\"
\"Why？WHY？EmelineBascom，doyouaskmethat？\"
\"Ido，yes。Seehere，Seth，weain’tchildren，norsentimentalyoungfolks。We’resensible，orwe’doughttobe。Landknowswe’reoldenough。Ishallstayhereandyououghtto。NobodyknowsIwasyourwifeorthatyouwasmyhusband，andnobodyneedstoknowit。
Weain’tevengotthesamenames。We’restrangers，far’sfolksknow，andwecanstaystrangers。\"
\"But——buttoseeeachothereverydayand——\"
\"Whynot？We’veseeneachotheroftenenoughsothatthesightwon’tbesowonderful。Andwe’llkeepourbein’marriedasecret。
Isha’n’tboastofit，forone。\"
\"But——buttoSEEeachother——\"
\"Well，weneedn’tseeeachothermuch。Why，weneedn’tseeeachotherany，unlessIhavetorunovertoborrersomethin’，sameasneighborshavetoeveryonceinawhile。Icanguesswhat’stroublin’you；it’syoungBrown。You’vetoldhimyou’reawoman-
hater，haven’tyou？\"
\"Yes，Ihave。\"
\"Humph！Isheone，too？\"
Thelightkeeper’smouthwastwistedwithaviolentemotion。Herememberedhisviewofthatafternoon’sswimminglesson。
\"Hesaidhewas，\"hesnarled。\"Hepretendsheis。\"
Mrs。Bascomsmiled。\"Iwanttoknow，\"shesaid。\"Umph！I
thought……However，it’snomatter。Perhapsheis。Anyhowhecanpretendtobeandyoucanpretendtobelievehim。That’llbetheeasiestway，Iguess。Ofcourse，\"sheadded，\"Iain’ttellin’
youwhattodowithanyideathatyou’lldoitbecauseIsayso。
Thetimeforthatisallpastandgone。Butitseemstomethat，foronceinmylife，I’dbemanenoughtostickitout。Iwouldn’trunawayagain。\"
Sethdidnotanswer。Hescowledandstaredatthecircleoflanternlightonthestonefloor。Mrs。Bascomrosefromherseatonthestairs。
\"Well，\"sheobserved，\"Imustbegettin’backtothehouseifIwanttogetanysleepto-night。IdoubtifIgetmuch，forabodydon’tgetoverashock，suchasI’vehad，inaminute。ButI’mgoin’togetoveritandI’mgoin’tostayrighthereanddomywork；I’mgoin’togothroughwithwhatseemstobemyduty，nomatterhowharditis。I’vedoneitafore，andI’lldoitagain。I’vepromised，andIkeepmypromises。Goodnight。\"
Shestartedtowardthedoor。Herhusbandsprangfromtheoilbarrel。
\"Holdon，\"hecried；\"youwaitaminute。I’vegotsomethin’tosay。\"
Sheshookherhead。\"Ican’twait，\"shesaid；\"I’vegottogo。\"
\"No，youain’t，neither。Youcanstayaspelllonger，ifyouwantto。\"
\"Perhaps，butIdon’twantto。\"
\"Whynot？Whatareyouafraidof？\"
\"Afraid！Idon’tknowasI’mafraidofanything——thatis，\"withacontemptuoussniff，\"nothin’Iseearoundhere。\"
\"ThenwhatareYOUrunnin’awayfor？\"
Thiswasputtingthematterinanewlight。Mrs。Bascomregardedherhusbandwithwrathfulamazement，whichslowlychangedtoanamusedsmile。
\"Oh，\"shesaid，\"ifyouthinkI’mrunnin’away，why——\"
\"Idon’tseewhatelse’tis。IfIain’tscarttohaveyouhere，I
don’tseewhyyoushouldbescarttostay。Setdownonthemstairsagain；Iwanttotalktoyou。\"
Theladyhesitatedaninstantandthenreturnedtoherformerseat。
Sethwentbacktohisbarrel。
\"Emeline，\"hesaid。\"I’llstayhereonmyjob。\"
Shelookedsurprised，butshenodded。
\"I’mgladtohearit，\"shesaid。\"I’mgladyou’vegotthatmuchspunk。\"
\"Yup；well，Ihave。Icamedownheretogetclearofeverybody，womenmostofall。Nowtheonewomanthat——that——\"
\"Thatyou’speciallywantedtogetclearof——\"
\"No！No！thatain’tthetruth，andyouknowit。Shesetouttogetclearofme——andIletherhaveherway，sameasIdoneineverythingelse。\"
\"Shedidn’tsetouttogetclearofyou。\"
\"Shedid。\"
\"No，shedidn’t。\"
\"Isayshedid。\"
Mrs。Bascomroseoncemore。SethBascom，\"shedeclared，\"ifallyouwantedmetostayhereforistobeoneofapairofkatydids，hollerin’ateachother，I’mgoin’。I’mnobug；I’mawoman。\"
\"Emeline，yousetdown。You’vehoveoutawholelotofhintsaboutmynotbein’amanbecauseIrunawayfromyourhouse。DoyouthinkI’dhavebeenmoreofamanifI’dstayedinit？Stayedthereandbeenayallerdogtobekickedoutofonecornerandintoanotherbyyouand——andthatbrother-in-lawofyours。That’sallIwas——adog。\"
\"Humph！ifadog’stherightbreed——andbigenough——it’shisownfaultifhe’skickedtwice。\"
\"Notifhecaresmoreforhismasterthanhedoesforhimself——
’taint。\"
\"Why，yes，itis。Hecanmakehismasterrespecthimbyprovin’heain’tthekindofdogtokick。Andmaybeoneofhismasters——hisrealmaster，forhehadn’toughttohavebutone——mightbeneedin’
therightkindofwatchdogaroundthehouse。Mightbeintroubleher——himself，Imean；andbehopin’andprayin’forthedogtoprotecther——him，Ishouldsay。Andthenthe——\"
\"Emeline，whatareyoutalkin’about？\"
\"Oh，nothin’，nothin’。Seth，what’stheuseofustwosettin’hereattwelveo’clockatnightandquarrelin’overwhat’spastandsettled？Isha’n’tdoit，forone。Idon’twanttoquarrelwithyou。\"
Sethsighed。\"AndIdon’twanttoquarrelwithyou，Emeline，\"heagreed。\"Asyousay，there’snosenseinit。Dear！dear！this，whenyoucometothinkofit，isthequeerestthingaltogetherthateverwasintheworld，Iguess。Ustwohadallcreationtoroam’roundin，andwelandedatEastboroTwin-Lights。ItseemsalmostasifProvidencedoneit，forsomepurposeorother。\"
\"Yes；ortheothercritter，forHISpurposes。Howdidyouevercometobekeeperofalight，Seth？\"
\"Why——why——Idon’tknow。Iusedtobeintheservice，’foreIwenttoseamuch。YourememberItoldyouIdid。AndIsortofdrifteddownhere。Ididn’tcaremuchwhatbecameofme，andIwantedalonesomeholetohidein，andthisfilledthebill。I’vebeenhereeversinceIleft——left——whereIusedtobe。But，Emeline，howdidYOUcomehere？Youansweredanadvertisement，youtoldme；butwhy？\"
\"’CauseIwantedtodosomethin’toearnmylivin’。Iwasalone，andIrentedmyhouseandboarded。Butboardin’ain’tmuchcomfort，’speciallywhenyouboardwhereeverybodyknowsyou，andknowsyourstory。SoI——\"
\"Waitaminute。Youwasalone，yousay？Wherewas——wasHE？\"
\"He？\"
\"Yes。YouknowwhoImean。\"
Hewouldnotspeakthehatedname。Hiswifespokeitforhim。
\"Bennie？\"sheasked。\"Oh，heain’tbeenwithmefor’mosttwoyearnow。He——hewentaway。He’sinNewYorknow。AndIwasaloneandIsawMissGraham’sadvertisementforahousekeeperandansweredit。
Ineededthemoneyand——\"
\"Holdon！Youneededthemoney？Why，youhadmoney。\"
\"Abnerleftmealittle，butitdidn’tlastforever。And——\"
\"Youhadmore’nalittle。Iwrotetobankfolksthereandturnedovermyaccounttoyou。AndIsent’emapowerofattorneyturnin’
oversomestocks——youknowwhattheywas——toyou，too。Idonethatsoon’sIgottoBoston。Didn’ttheytellyou？\"
\"Yes，theytoldme。\"
\"Well，then，thatoughttohavehelpedalong。\"
\"Youdon’ts’poseItookit，doyou？\"
\"Why——whynot？\"
\"Whynot！Doyous’poseI’dusethemoneythatbelongedtothehusbandthatrunoffandleftme？Iain’tthatkindofawoman。
Themoneyandstocksareatthebankyet，Is’pose；anyhowthey’rethereforallofme。\"
Thelightkeeper’smouthopenedandstayedopenforsecondsbeforehecoulduseitasatalkingmachine。Hecouldscarcelybelievewhathehadheard。
\"But——butIwantedyoutohaveit，\"hegasped。\"Ileftitforyou。\"
\"Well，Ididn’ttakeit；’tain’tlikely！\"withfieryindignation。
\"DidyouthinkIcouldbeboughtofflikea——amean——oh，Idon’tknowwhat？\"
\"But——butIleftitatthebank——foryou。What——what’llIdowithit？\"
\"Idon’tknow，I’msure。YoumightgiveittoSarahAnnChristy；I
wouldn’twonderifshewaslessparticularthanIbe。\"
Seth’sgunswerespiked，forthemoment。Hefeltthebloodrushtoface，andhisfists，ashebrandishedthemintheair，trembled。
\"I——I——you——you——\"hestammered。\"I——I——youthinkI——\"
Heknewthathiscompanionwouldregardhisagitationasanevidenceofconsciousguilt，andthisknowledgedidnothelptocalmhim。Hestrodeupanddownthefloor。
\"Lookout，\"saidMrs。Bascom，coldly，\"you’llkickoverthelantern。\"
Herhusbandstoppedinhisstride。\"Darnthelantern！\"heshouted。
\"S-sh-sh！you’llwakeuptheBrownman。\"
Thiswarningwasmoreeffective。ButSethwasstillfurious。
\"EmelineBascom，\"hesnarled，shakinghisforefingerinherface，\"you’vesaidoverandoverthatIwa’n’taman。Youhave，haven’tyou？\"
Shewaslookingathisshirtcuff，thenbutafewinchesfromhernose。
\"Whosewedonthatbutton？\"sheasked。
Thiswassounexpectedthathiswrathwas，fortheinstant，displacedbyastonishment。
\"What？\"heasked。\"Whatbutton？\"
\"Thatoneonyourshirtsleeve。Whosewediton？\"
\"Why，Idid，ofcourse。Whatacrazyquestionthatis！\"
Shesmiled。\"Iguessedyoudid，\"shesaid。\"Nobodybutamanwouldsewawhitebuttononawhiteshirt——oronethatwaswhiteonce——
withblackthread。\"
Helookedatthebuttonandthenather。Hisangerreturned。
\"YousaidIwa’n’taman，didn’tyou？\"hedemanded。
\"Yes，Idid。ButI’llhavetotakepartofitback。You’rehalfamananyhow；thatsewin’provesit。\"
\"Huh！Iwanttoknow。Well，maybeIain’taman；maybeI’monlyhalfaone。ButIain’tafool！Iain’tafool！\"
Shesighedwearily。\"Well，allright，\"sheadmitted。\"Isha’n’targueit。\"
\"Youneedn’t。Iain’t——oranyhowIain’tanEVERLASTIN’fool。Andnobodybuttheeverlastin’estofallfoolswouldchaseSarahAnnChristy。Ididn’t。Thatwholebusinesswasjustoneofyour——yourBennieD。’slies。Youknowthat，too。\"
\"Iknowsomeonelied；Iheard’em。Theydeniedseein’SarahAnn，andIsaw’emwithher——withmyowneyesIsaw’em……Butthere，there，\"sheadded；\"thisisenoughofsuchtalk。I’mgoin’
now。\"
\"Ididn’tlie；Iforgot。\"
\"Allright，then，youforgot。Iain’tjealous，Seth。Iwa’n’tevenjealousthen。EventhenIgiveyouachance，andyoudidn’ttakeit——you’forgot’instead。I’mgoin’backtothebungalow，butaforeIgolet’sunderstandthis：you’retostayhereatthelights，andI
staywhereIamashousekeeper。Wedon’tseeeachotheranyoftenerthanwehaveto，andthenonlywhennobodyelseisaround。Wewon’tletmyMissGrahamnoryourBrownnoranybodyknowwe’veevermetafore——oraremeetin’now。Isthatit？\"
Sethhesitated。\"Yes，\"hesaid，slowly，\"Iguessthat’sit。But，\"
headded，anxiously，\"I——Iwishyou’dbe’speciallycarefulnottoletthatyoungfellerwho’sworkin’formeknow。Himandmehada——
asortofagreementand——andI——I——\"
\"Hesha’n’tknow。Good-by。\"
Shefumbledwiththelatchoftheheavydoor。Hesteppedforwardandopeneditforher。Thenightwasverydark；aheavyfog，almostarain，haddriftedinwhiletheyweretogether。Shedidn’tseemtonoticeormindthefogorblackness，butwentoutanddisappearedbeyondthefaintradiancewhichthelanterncastthroughtheopendoor。Sheblunderedonandturnedthecornerofthehouse；thensheheardstepsbehindher。
\"Whoisit？\"shewhispered，insomealarm。
\"Me，\"whisperedthelightkeeper，gruffly。\"I’llgowithyouaways。\"
\"No，ofcourseyouwon’t。I’mgoin’alone。\"
\"It’stoodarkforyoutogoalone。You’lllosetheway。\"
\"I’mgoin’alone，Itellyou！Goback。Idon’twantyou。\"
\"Iknowyoudon’t；butI’mgoin’。You’llfetchupinthecoveorsomewheresifyoutrytonavigatethispathonyourownhook。\"
\"Isha’n’t。I’musedtofindin’myownway，andI’mgoin’alone——asI’vehadtodoforagoodwhile。Goback。\"
Shestoppedshort。Sethstopped，also。
\"Goback，\"sheinsisted，addingscornfully：\"Idon’tcareforyourhelpatall。I’mpartic’laraboutmycompany。\"
\"Iain’t，\"sullenly。\"Anyhow，I’mgoin’topilotyouaroundtheendofthatcove。Yousha’n’tsayIletyougetintotroublewhenI
mighthavekeptyououtofit。\"
\"Say？WhowouldIsayitto？ThinkI’msoproudofthisnight’scruisethatI’llbragofit？WILLyougoback？\"
\"No。\"
Theydescendedthehill，Mrs。Bascominadvance。Shecouldnotseethepath，butplungedangrilyonthroughthedrippinggrassandbushes。
\"Emeline——Emeline，\"whisperedSeth。Shepaidnoattentiontohim。
Theyreachedthefootoftheslopeandsuddenlytheladyrealizedthathershoes，alreadywet，werenowankledeepinwater。Andthereseemedtobewateramidthelonggrassallabouther。
\"Why？Whatintheworld？\"sheexclaimedinvoluntarily。\"Whatisit？\"
\"Thesaltmarshattheendofthecove，\"answeredthelightkeeper。
\"Itoldyouyou’dfetchupinitifyoutriedtogoalone。Beentryin’totellyouyouwasoffthetrack，butyouwouldn’tlistentome。\"
Andshewouldnotlistentohimnow。Turning，shesplashedpasthim。
\"Holdon，\"hewhispered，seizingherarm。\"Thatain’ttheway。\"
Sheshookherselffromhisgrasp。
\"WILLyouletmebe，andmindyourownbusiness？\"shehissed。
\"No，Iwon’t。I’vesetouttogetyouhome，andI’lldoitifI
havetocarryyou。\"
\"Carryme？You？YouDARE！\"
Hisanswerwastopickherupinhisarms。Shewasnolightweight，andshefoughtandwriggledfiercely，butSethwasbigandstrongandheheldhertight。Shedidnotscream；shewastooanxiousnottowakeeitherthesubstituteassistantorMissGraham，butshemadeherbearerallthetroubleshecould。Theysplashedonforsomedistance；thenSethsetheronherfeet，andbeneaththemwasdryground。
\"There！\"hegrumbled，breathlessly。\"NowIcal’lateyoucan’tmisstherestofit。There’sthebungalowrightinfrontofyou。\"
\"You——you——\"shegasped，chokingly。
\"Ugh！\"gruntedherhusband，andstalkedoffintothedark。
CHAPTERXI
BEHINDTHESANDDUNE
\"Afoglastnight，wasn’tthere？\"inquiredBrown。Breakfastwasover，andSethwaspreparingforhisday’ssleep。
\"Yes，someconsider’ble，\"wasthegruffanswer；then，moresharply，\"How’dyouknow？’Twasallgonethismornin’。\"
\"Oh，Iguessed，that’sall。\"
\"Humph！Guessed，hey？Youwa’n’tupinthenight，wasyou？\"
\"No。Sleptlikeatopallthrough。\"
\"Humph！……Well，that’sgood；sleep’sagoodthing。Cal’lateI’llturninandgetalittlemyself。\"
Hemovedtowardthelivingroom。Atthedoorhepausedandaskedanotherquestion。
\"How’dyou——er——guesstherewasfoglastnight？\"heinquired。
\"Oh，thatwaseasy；everything——grassandbushes——weresowetthismorning。Thosebootsofyours，forexample，\"pointingtothepairthelightkeeperhadjusttakenoff，\"theylookasifyouhadwornthemwading。\"
Hisbackwastowardhissuperiorashespoke，thereforehedidnotseethestartwhichthelattergaveatthisinnocentobservation，northehorrifiedglareatthesoakedboots。ButhecouldnothelpnoticingthechangeinSeth’svoice。
\"Wa——wadin’？\"repeatedAtkinsfaintly。\"What’sthatyousay？\"
\"Isaidthebootswereaswetasifyouhadbeenwading。Why？\"
\"Wha——whatmadeyousayafoolthinglikethat？HowcouldIgowadin’ontopofalighthouse？\"
\"Idon’tknow……There，there！\"impatiently，\"don’taskanymorequestions。Ididn’tsayyouhadbeenwading，andIdidn’tsupposeyoureallyhad。Iwasonlyjoking。WhatISthematterwithyou？\"
\"Nothin’……nothin’。Soyouwasjustjokin’，hey？Ha，ha！Yes，yes，wadin’upinalighthousewouldbeaprettygoodjoke。I——I
didn’tseeitatfirst，youknow。Ha，ha！Ithoughtyoumustbeoffyourhead。Thoughtyou’dbeenswimmin’toomuchorsomethin’。
Solong，I’mgoin’tobed。\"
Butnowitwasthehelper’sturntostartandstammer。
\"Wait！\"hecried。\"What——whatdidyousayaboutmy——er——swimming，wasit？\"
\"Oh，nothin’，nothin’。Iwasjustjokin’，sameasyouwasaboutthewadin’。Ha，ha！\"
\"Ha，ha！\"
Bothlaughedwithgreatheartiness。Thedoorshutbetweenthem，andeachstareddoubtfullyathissideofitforseveralmomentsbeforeturningaway。
ThatforenoonwasadismaloneforJohnBrown。Histroublesomeconscience，stirredbySeth’sreferencetoswimming，wasagaininfullworkingorder。Hetriedtostifleitsreproaches，triedtogivehisentireattentiontohislaborsaboutthelightsandinthekitchen，buttheconsciousnessofguiltwastoostrong。Hefeltmeanandtraitorous，aBenedictArnoldonasmallscale。HehadcertainlytreatedAtkinsshabbily；Atkins，themanwhotrustedhimandbelievedinhim，whomhehadloftilyreprovedfor\"spying\"andthenbetrayed。Yet，inawayhistreason，sofar，hadbeenunavoidable。Hehadpromised——hadevenOFFEREDtoteachtheGrahamgirlthe\"sidestroke。\"Hehadnotmeanttomakesuchanofferorpromise，butFatehadtrickedhimintoit，andhecouldnot，asagentleman，backoutaltogether。Hehadbeencompelledtogiveheronelesson。Butheneednotgiveheranother。Heneednotmeetheragain。Hewouldnot。HewouldkeeptheagreementwithSethandforgetthetenantsofthebungalowaltogether。GoodoldAtkins！
GoodoldSeth，thewoman-hater！Howtruehewastohiscreed，thecreedwhichhe，Brown，hadsolatelyprofessed。Itwasagoodcreed，too。Womenwereatthebottomofalltheworld’stroubles。
Theydeservedtobehated。Hewouldnever，never——
\"Well，byGeorge！\"heexclaimedaloud。
Hewaslookingoncemoreatthelightkeeper’sbigleatherboots。
Oneofthemwaslyingonitsside，andtheupturnedsoleandheelwerethicklycoatedwithblueclay。Hecrossedtheroom，pickedupthebootsandexaminedthem。Eachwassmearedwiththeclay。Heputthemdownagain，shookhishead，wanderedovertotherocking-
chairandsatdown。
Sethhadcleanedandgreasedthosebootsbeforehewenttobedthedaybefore；Brownhadseenhimdoingit。Hehadputthemonaftersupper，justbeforegoingonwatch；thesubstituteassistanthadseenhimdothat，also。Therefore，theclaymusthavebeenacquiredsometimeduringtheeveningornightjustpast。Andcertainlytherewasnoclayatthe\"topofthelighthouse，\"oranywhereintheneighborhoodexceptatonespot——thesaltmarshattheinnerendofthecove。Sethmusthavevisitedthatmarshinthenighttime。Butwhy？And，ifhehaddoneso，whydidhenotmentionthefact？And，nowthatthehelperthoughtofit，whyhadhebeensoagitatedatthecasualremarkconcerningwading？Whatwasheupto？NowthattheDaisyM。andstoryofthewifewerenolongersecrets，whathadSethAtkinstoconceal？
Brownthoughtandguessedandsurmised，butguessesandsurmiseswerefruitless。Hefinishedhisdishwashingandbegananotheroftheloathedhousekeepingtasks，thatofrummagingthepantryandseeingwhateatableswereavailableforhisluncheonandtheeveningmeal。
Hespreadthevariousoddsandendsonthekitchentable，preparatorytotakingaccountofstock。Apartofaslabofbacon，asaltcodfish，somecoldclamfritters，afewmolassescookies，andhalfaloafofbread。Hehadgottenthusfarintheinventorywhenashadowdarkenedthedoorway。HeturnedandsawMrs。Bascom，thebungalowhousekeeper。
\"Goodmornin’，\"saidMrs。Bascom。
Brownansweredcoldly。Whyonearthwasitalwayshislucktobepresentwhenthesefemalenuisancesmadetheirappearance？Andwhycouldn’ttheylethimalone，justashehaddeterminedtoletthemalone——inthefuture？OfcoursehewasgladthatthecallerwasnotMissGraham，butthisonewasbadenough。
\"Morning，\"hegrunted，andtookanotherdish，thisonecontainingasectionofdryandancientcake，Seth’smanufacture，fromthepantry。
\"Whatyoudoin’？Gettin’breakfastthistimeofday？\"askedthehousekeeper，enteringthekitchen。Shehadasmallbowlinherhand。
\"No，\"repliedBrown。
\"Dinner，then？Prettyearlyforthat，ain’tit？\"
\"Iamnotgettingeitherbreakfastordinner——orsupper，madam，\"
repliedthehelper，withemphasis。\"IsthereanythingIcandoforyou？\"
\"Well，Idon’tknowbutthereis。Icomeoverhopin’youmight。
How’sthestings？\"
\"Thewhat？\"
\"Thewaspbites。\"
\"They’reall，right，thankyou。\"
\"You’rewelcome，I’msure。Didyouputthecoldmudon’em，sameasItoldyouto？\"
\"No……Whatwasityouwanted？\"
Mrs。Bascomlookedaboutforaseat。Therockerwasattheoppositesideoftheroom，andtheotherchaircontainedagarmentbelongingtoMr。Atkins，onewhichthatgentleman，withcharacteristicdisregardoftheconventionalities，haddiscardedbeforeleavingthekitchenandhadforgottentotakewithhim。Theladypickedupthegarment，lookedatit，andsatdowninthechair。
\"Yourbossistobed，Is’poselikely？\"sheasked。
\"YoumeanMr。Atkins？Isupposelikelyheis。\"
\"Um。Ijudgedhewasby\"——withaglanceatthegarmentwhichshestillheld——\"thelooksofthings。WhatintheworldAREyoudoin’——
cleanin’house？\"
Theyoungmansighedwearily。\"Yes，\"hesaidwithforcedresignation，\"somethingofthatsort。\"
\"Seein’whattherewastoeat，Iguess。\"
\"Youguessright。Yousaidyouhadanerrand，Ithink。\"
\"DidI？Well，IcometoseeifIcouldn’t……What’sthatstuff？
Cake？\"
Sherose，pickedupasliceofthedrycake，brokeitbetweenherfingers，smelledofit，andreplaceditontheplate。
\"’Tiscake，ain’tit？\"sheobserved；\"oritwas，sometimeorother。
Whomadeit？You？\"
\"No。\"
\"Oh，yourboss，Mr。——er——Atkins，hey？\"
\"Yes。Consideringthatthereareonlytwoofushere，andIdidn’tmakeit，itwouldseemprettycertainthathemusthave。\"
\"Yes，Iguessthat’sright；unless’twassomethatwashedashorefromNoah’sArk，andit’stoodryforthat。Whatoneartharethese？\"pickinguponeofthemolassescookies；\"stovelids？\"
Browngrinned，inspiteofhisannoyance。
\"Thosearesupposedtobecookies，\"headmitted。
\"Arethey？Yes，yes。Mr。Atkinsresponsibleforthem？\"
\"No——o。I’mafraidthoseareoneofmyexperiments，underMr。
Atkins’sdirectionsandorders。I’mratherproudofthosecookies，myself。\"
\"You’doughttobe。There，there！\"withasmile，\"IguessyouthinkI’mprettyfreewithmycriticismandremarks，don’tyou？Youmustexcuseme。Housekeepin’——’speciallythecookin’part——ismyhobby，asyoumightsay，andIwasinterestedtoseehowacoupleofmengotalongwiththejob。Imustn’tsetaroundandkeepyoufromyourwork。Youmightwanttomakesomemorecookies，orsomethin’。\"
Thesubstituteassistantlaughedaloud。\"Iwasn’tthinkingofit，\"
hesaid；\"butIshallbegladtomaketheattemptifitwouldaffordyouamusement。\"
Mrs。Bascomlaughed，too。\"Iguessyou’rebetternaturedthanI
thoughtyouwas，\"sheobserved。\"Itmightamusemesome，Iwilladmit，butIain’tgotthetime。Icametoborrowsomebutter，ifyou’vegotanytospare。Downherewe’reasfarfromsuppliesasthefellerthatruntheArkIwasmentionin’，oldNoahhimself。\"
Browntookthebowlfromherhandsandwenttothepantrytogetthebutter。Whenheturnedagainshewasstandingbythedoor，onehandhiddenbeneathherapron。Shetookthebowlwiththeother。
\"Muchobliged，\"shesaid。\"I’llfetchthisbacksoon’sthegrocerycartcomes。MissGrahammadearrangementstohavehimdriveacrosseverySaturday。Or，rather，Iarrangedforitmyself。Herhead’stoofullofpaintin’andscenerytothinkofmuchelse。Itellheryoucan’teatanilepaintin’——unlessyou’rebornagoat。Good-by。\"
Shewentaway。Brownchuckledandwentonwithhisaccountofstock。
Seth\"turnedout\"ratherearlythatday。Athalfpastoneheappearedinthekitchen，partiallydressed。
\"Whereintimeismyshirt？\"hedemandedimpatiently。
\"Yourwhat？\"
\"Myshirt。IthoughtItookitoffouthere。CouldhaveswornI
did。GuesslikelyIdidn’t，though。Mustbegettin’absent-
minded。\"
Hewasonhiswaybacktothebedroomwhenhishelpercalled。
\"Youdidtakeitoffouthere，\"hecried。\"Itwasonthatchairthere。Irememberseeingit。Probablyithasfallenonthefloorsomewhere。\"
Atkinsreturned，grumblingthatthekitchenfloorwasa\"healthyplacetoheaveashirt。\"
\"Whereisit？\"heaskedafterahurriedsearch。\"Ican’tfinditnowheres。Didn’tputitinthefire，didye？\"
\"OfcourseIdidn’t。Isawit……Why，Irememberthatwoman’spickingitupwhenshesatdown。\"
\"Woman？Whatwoman？\"
\"ThatBaskin——Buskin——whateverhernameis。Thehousekeeperatthebungalow。\"
\"Wasshe——HERE？\"Seth’squestionwasalmostashout。Hishelperstaredathim。
\"Yes，\"heanswered；\"shewas。Shecametoborrowsomebutter。\"
\"To——toborrow——butter？\"
\"Why，yes。Youdidn’tthinkIinvitedherinforamorningcall，didyou？Don’tactasifyouhadbeenstruckbylightning。It’snotsoveryserious。We’vegottoexpectsometroubleofthatkind。
IgotridofherassoonasIcould。\"
\"You——youdid？\"
\"Yes，Idid。Youshouldthankme。Iamondutyduringtheday，andIsupposemostofthatsortofthingwillfallonme。You’relucky。
Ourneighborsaren’tlikelytomakemanycallsafterdark……
What’sthematternow？Whyareyoulookingatmelikethat？\"
Sethwalkedtothedoorandleanedagainstthepost。Brownrepeatedhisquestion。\"WhatISthematter？\"heasked。\"YouactjustasyoudidwhenIfirsthappenedintothisforsak——thisplace。Ifyou’vegotanymorehideoussecretsupyoursleeveI’mgoingtoquit。\"
\"Secrets！\"Atkinslaughed，ortriedto。\"Iain’tgotanysecrets，\"
hedeclared，\"anymorethanyouhave。\"
Thelatterhalfofthisspeechshutofffurtherquestioning。Brownturnedhastilyaway，andthelightkeeperwentintohisbedroomandfinisheddressing。
\"Findyourshirt？\"askedtheyoungmananhourorsolater。
\"Hey？Yes，yes；Ifoundit。\"
\"Inyourroom？That’sodd。IcouldhaveswornIsawitouthere。
Isthatityou’rewearing？\"
\"Hey？No。Thatwas——wassortofs’iled，soIputonmyotherone。
I——Ical’lateI’llgooverandworkontheDaisyM。aspell，unlessyouneedme。\"
\"Idon’tneedyou。Goahead。\"
ThetimedraggedforJohnBrownafterhissuperior’sdeparture。
Therewasworkenoughtobedone，buthedidnotfeellikedoingit。
Hewanderedaroundthehouseandlights，gloomy，restlessanddespondent。Occasionallyheglancedattheclock。
Itwasabeautifulafternoon，justtheafternoonforaswim，andhewasdebarredfromswimming，notonlythatday，butforallthesummerdaystocome。NomatterwhatSeth’snewsecretmightbe，itwassurelynotconnectedwiththefemalesex，andBrownwouldbetruetothesolemncompactbetweenthem。HecouldnotbatheinthecovebecauseMissGrahamwouldbethere。
Atfouro’clockhestoodintheshadowofthelighttowerlookingacrossthecove。AshelookedhesawMissGraham，inbathingattire，emergefromthebungalowanddescendthebluff。Shedidnotseehimand，tomakesurethatshemightnot，hedodgedbackoutofsight。Thenhesawsomethingelse。
Outonthedunesbackofthebarnhecaughtaglimpseofafiguredartingtocoverbehindaclumpofbushes。Thefigurewasafamiliarone，butwhatwasitdoingthere？Hewatchedthebushes，buttheydidnotmove。Thenheenteredthehouse，wentupstairs，andcautiouslypeeredfromthebackatticwindow。
Thebushesremainedmotionlessforsomeminutes。Thentheystirredeversoslightly，andabovethemappearedtheheadofSethAtkins。
Sethseemedtobewatchingthecoveandthelights。Foranotherminutehepeeredoverthebushes，firstatthebathingwatersbelowandthenathisowndwelling。Browngroundhisteeth。Thelight-
keeperwas\"spying\"again，waswatchingtoseeifheviolatedhiscontract。
Butno，thatcouldnotbe，fornowSeth，apparentlysurethatthecoastwasclear，emergedfromhishidingplaceandraninastoopingpostureuntilhereachedanotherclumpfurtheroffandnearertheendofthecove。Heremainedthereaninstantandthenran，stillcrouching，untilhedisappearedbehindahighduneattherearofthebungalow。Andtherehestayed；atleastBrowndidnotseehimcomeout。
Whathedidsee，however，wasjustasastonishing。Thelandwarddoorofthebungalowopened，andMrs。Bascom，thehousekeeper，steppedoutintotheyard。Sheseemedtobelisteningandlooking。
Apparentlyshemusthaveheardsomething，forshemovedawayforsomelittledistanceandstoodstill。Then，abovetheedgeofthedune，showedSeth’sheadandarm。Hebeckonedtoher。Shewalkedbrisklyacrosstheinterveningspace，turnedtheragged，grass-growncorneroftheknollanddisappeared，also。Brown，scarcelybelievinghiseyes，waitedandwatched，buthesawnomore。NeitherSethnorthehousekeepercameoutfrombehindthatdune。
Butthesubstituteassistanthadseenenough——quiteenough。SethAtkins，Seth，thewoman-hater，themanwhohadthreatenedhimwithallsortsofpenaltiesifheeversomuchaslookedatafemale，wasmeetingoneofthesexhimself，meetingheronthesly。WhatitmeantBrowncouldnotimagine。ProbablyitexplainedtheclaysmearsonthebootsandSeth’sdiscomfitureofthemorning；butthatwasimmaterial。Thefact，theoneessentialfact，wasthis：thecompactwasbroken。Sethhadbrokenit。Brownwasrelievedofallresponsibility。Ifhewishedtoswiminthatcove，nomatterwhomightbethere，hewasperfectlyfreetodoit。Andhewoulddoit，byGeorge！Hehadbeenbetrayed，scandalously，meanlybetrayed，anditwouldservethebetrayerrightifhepaidhiminhisowncoin。
Hedarteddowntheatticstairs，randownthepathtotheboathouse，hurriedlychangedhisclothesforhisbathingsuit，ranalongtheshoreofthecreekandplungedin。
MissGrahamwavedahandtohimasheshookthewaterfromhiseyes。
Overbehindthesandduneamoreorlessinterestinginterviewwastakingplace。Seth，havingmadesurethathiswhistleswereheardandhissignalsseen，sankdownintheshadowandawaiteddevelopments。Theywerenotlongincoming。Afirmfootstepcrunchedthesand，andMrs。Bascomappeared。
\"Well，\"sheinquiredcoldly，\"what’sthematternow？\"
Mr。Atkinswavedanagitatedhand。
\"Setdown，\"hebegged。\"Scoochdownoutofsight，Emeline，forthelandsakes。Don’tstanduptherewhereeverybodycanseeyou。\"
Theladyrefusedto\"scooch。\"
\"IfIain’tashamedofbein’seen，\"sheobserved，\"Idon’tknowwhyyoushouldbe。Whatareyoudoin’overhereanyhow；skippin’’roundinthesandlikeahoptoad？\"
Thelightkeeperrepeatedhisplea。
\"Dosetdown，Emeline，please，\"heurged。\"Ithoughtyouandme’dagreedthatnobody’doughttoseeustogether。\"
Mrs。Bascomgatheredherskirtsaboutherandwithgreatdeliberationseatedherselfuponahummock。
\"Wedidhavesomesuchbargain，\"shereplied。\"That’swhyIcan’tunderstandyourhidin’atmybackdoorandwhistlin’andwavin’likeayoungone。Whatdidyoucomeherefor，anyway？\"
Sethansweredwithrighteousindignation。
\"Icomeformyshirt，\"hedeclared。
\"Yourshirt？\"
\"Yes，myothershirt。Ileftitinthekitchenthismornin’，andthat——thathelperofminesaysyouwasinthechairalongwithit。\"
\"Humph！DidhehavetheimpudencetosayItookit？\"
\"No——o。No，coursehedidn’t。Butit’sgoneand——and——\"
\"WhatwouldIwantofyourshirt？Didn’tthinkIwascal’latin’towearit，didyou？\"
\"No，but——\"
\"Ishouldhopenot。Iain’taDoctorMaryWalker，orwhateverhernameis。\"
\"Butyoudidtakeit，justthesame。I’msartinyoudid。Youmusthave。\"
Thelady’smouthrelaxed，andtherewasatwinkleinhereye。
