\"Allright，Seth，\"shesaid。\"SupposeIdid；whatthen？\"
\"Iwantitback，that’sall。\"
\"Youcanhaveit。Nowwhatdoyous’poseItookitfor？\"
\"I——I——Idon’tknow。\"
\"Youdon’tknow？Humph！DidyouthinkIwantedtokeepitasasouveneeroflastnight’sdoin’s？\"
Hercompanionlookedratherfoolish。Hepickedupahandfulofsandandsifteditthroughhisfingers。
\"No——o，\"hestammered。\"I——Iknowhowpartic’laryouare——youusedtobeaboutsuchthings，andIthoughtmaybeyoudidn’tlikethewaythatbuttonwassewedon。\"
Heglancedupatherwithanembarrassedsmile，whichbroadenedashenoticedherexpression。
\"Well，\"sheadmitted，\"youguessedright。There’ssomethingsI
can’tbeartohaveinmyneighborhood，andyourkindofsewin’isoneof’em。Besides，Iowedyouthatmuchforkeepin’meoutofthewetlastnight。\"
\"Oh！Ijudgedbythewayyoulitintomeforluggin’youacrostthatmarshthatallyouowedmewasagrudge。IDIDlugyou，though，inspiteofyourkickin’，didn’tI？\"
Henoddedwithgrimtriumph。Shesmiled。
\"Youdid，that’safact，\"shesaid。\"Iwasprettymadatthetime，butwhenIcometothinkitoverIfeltdiff’rent。AnyhowI’vesewedonthosebuttonsthewaythey’doughttobe。\"
\"Muchobliged。Iguessthey’llstaynowforaspell。Youalwayscouldsewonbuttonsbetter’nanybodyeverIsee。\"
\"Humph！\"……Then，afteranintervalofsilence：\"Whatareyougrinnin’toyourselfabout？\"
\"Hey？……Oh，Iwasjustthinkin’howyoumendedupthatRogersyoungone’sdudswhenhefelloutofourBartlettpeartree。HewastheraggedestmesseverIcomeacrostwhenIpickedhimup。Yellin’
likeawildthinghewas，andhisclotheshalftoreoff。\"
\"Nowonderheyelled。Caughtstealin’pears——heexpectedtobethrashedforthat——andheKNEWMelindyRogerswouldwhiphim，fortearin’hisSundaysuit。Poorlittlething！LeastIcoulddowastomakehisclotheswhole。Ialwayspityachildwithastepmother，specialwhenshe’sMelindy’skind。\"
\"What’sbecomeofthemRogerses？Stilllivin’inthePerryhouse，arethey？\"
\"No。OldAbelPerryturned’emoutofthatwhentherentgotbehind。He’sthemeanestskinflintthateverstrainedskimmilk。
Hegotmarriedagainayearago。\"
\"NO！Whowasthevictim？SomebodyfromtheFeeble-MindedHome？\"
ShegavethenameofMr。Perry’sbride，andbeforetheyknewitthepairweredeepinvillagegossip。FormanyminutestheydiscussedthehappeningsintheCapeAnnhamlet，andthenSethwasrecalledtothepresentbyacasualglanceathiswatch。
\"Land！\"heexclaimed。\"Lookatthetime！Thistalkwithyouhasseemedso——sonaturalandold-timey，that……Well，I’vegottogo。\"
Hewasscramblingtohisfeet。Shealsoattemptedtorise，butfounditdifficult。
\"Here，\"hecried，\"givemeyourhand。I’llhelpyouup。\"
\"Idon’twantanyhelp。Letmealone。LetmeALONE，Itellyou。\"
Hisanswerwastoseizeheraboutthewaistandswingherbodilytoherfeet。Shewasflushedandembarrassed。Thenshelaughedshortlyandshookherhead。
\"Whatareyoulaughin’at？\"hedemanded，peeringovertheknolltomakesurethatneitherJohnBrownnorMissGrahamwasinsight。
\"Oh，notmuch，\"sheanswered。\"Youkindofsurpriseme，Seth。\"
\"Why？\"
\"’Causeyou’vechangedso。\"
\"Changed？How？\"
\"Oh，changed，that’sall。Youseemtohavemorespunkthanyouusedtohave。\"
\"Humph！Thinkso，doyou？\"
\"Yes，Ido。Ithinkbein’alightkeepermustbegoodforsomefolks——somekindoffolks。\"
\"Iwanttoknow！\"
\"Yes，youbetterbecareful，oryou’llbearealmansomeday。\"
Hisanswerwasanangrystareandasnort。Thenheturnedonhisheelandwasstridingoff。
\"Wait！\"shecalled。\"Holdon！Don’tyouwantyourshirt？Stayhere，andI’llgointothehouseandfetchit。\"
Hewaited，sullenandreluctant，untilshereturnedwiththearticleofapparelinonehandandtheotherconcealedbeneathherapron。
\"Hereitis，\"shesaid，presentingtheshirttohim。
\"Thankyou，\"hegrumbled，takingit。\"Muchobligedforsewin’onthebutton。\"
\"You’rewelcome。Itsquaresusforyourpilotin’meoverthemarsh，that’sall。’Twa’n’tanyfavor；Iowedittoyou。\"
Hewasturningtheshirtoverinhishands。
\"Well，\"hebegan，thenstoppedandlookedfixedlyatthegarment。
\"Iseeyou’vemendedthatholeinthesleeve，\"hesaid。\"Youdidn’towemethat，didyou？\"
Shechangedcolorslightly。
\"Oh，\"shesaid，withatossofherhead，\"that’snothin’。Justforgoodmeasure。Inevercouldabideragsonanybodythat——thatIhadtolookatwhetherIwantedtoornot。\"
\"’Twasrealgoodofyoutomendit，Emeline。Say，\"hestirredthesandwithhisboot，\"youmentionedthatyoucal’latedI’dchangedsome，wasmoreofamanthanIusedtobe。Doyouknowwhy？\"
\"No。Unless，\"withsarcasm，\"itwasbecauseIwa’n’taround。\"
\"Itain’tthat。It’sbecause，Emeline，it’sbecausedownhereI’mnigherbein’whereIbelongthananywhereselsebutoneplace。Thatplaceisatsea。WhenI’monsaltwaterI’maman——youdon’tbelieveit，butIam。OnlandI——Idon’tseemtofitinright。
Keepin’alightlikethisisnextdoortobein’atsea。\"
\"Seth，Iwanttoaskyouaquestion。Whydidn’tyougotoseawhenyouran——whenyouleftme？Is’posedofcourseyouhad。Whydidn’tyou？\"
Helookedatherinsurprise。
\"Gotosea？\"herepeated。\"GotoSEA？HowcouldI？Didn’tI
promiseyouI’dnevergotoseaagain？\"
\"Wasthatthereason？\"
\"Sartin。Whatelse？\"
Shedidnotanswer。Therewasanoddexpressiononherface。Heturnedtogo。
\"Well，good-by，\"hesaid。
\"Good-by。Er——Seth。\"
\"Yes；whatisit？\"
\"I——Iwanttotellyou，\"shestammered，\"thatIappreciatedyourleavin’thatmoneyandstocksatthebankinmyname。Icouldn’ttake’em，ofcourse，but’twasgoodofyou。Iappreciatedit。\"
\"That’sallright。\"
\"Wait。Here！Maybeyou’dlikethese。\"Shetookthehandfrombeneathherapronandextendedittowardhim。Itheldapanheapedwithobjectsflat，brown，anddeliciouslyfragrant。Helookedatthepananditscontentsuncomprehendingly。
\"What’sthem？\"hedemanded。
\"They’remolassescookies。I’vebeenbakin’，andthesearesomeextryonesIhadleftover。Youcanhave’emifyouwant’em。\"
\"Why——why，Emeline！thisismightykindofyou。\"
\"Notamite，\"sharply。\"Ibakedagoodmanymore’nMissRuthandI
candisposeof，andthatpoorhelpermanofyoursoughttobegladtoget’emafterthecast-ironpound-weightsthatyouandhehavebeentryin’toliveon。Mercyonus！thethoughtsofthecookiesheshowedmethismornin’havestayedinmyheadeversince。MademefeelasifIwaspartlyresponsibleformurder。\"
\"Butit’skindofyou，justthesame。\"
\"Rubbish！I’ddoasmuchforapiganyday。There！you’vegotyourshirt；nowyou’dbettergohome。\"
Sheforcedthepanofcookiesintohishandandmovedoff。Thelightkeeperhesitated。
\"I——I’llfetchthepanbackto-morrer，\"hecalledafterherinaloudwhisper。
CHAPTERXII
THELETTERANDTHE’PHONE
Thecookiesappearedonthetablethatevening。Brownnoticedthematonce。
\"Whendidyoubakethese？\"heasked。
Atkinsmadenoreply，sothequestionwasrepeatedwithavariation。
\"Didyoubakethesethisafternoon？\"inquiredthesubstituteassistant。
\"Humph？Hey？Oh，yes，Iguessso。Why？Anythingthematterwith’em？\"
\"Matterwiththem？No。They’rethefinestthingsI’vetastedsinceIcamehere。Newreceipt，isn’tit？\"
\"Cal’lateso。\"
\"Ithoughtitmustbe。I’lltakeanother。\"
Hetookanother，andmanyothersthereafter。Heandhissuperiorclearedtheplatebetweenthem。
Brownwaspreparedforquestionsconcerninghisoccupationoftheafternoonandwasreadywithsomedefiantqueriesofhisown。Butnooccasionaroseforeitherdefianceorcross-examination。Sethneverhintedatasuspicionnormentionedtheyoungladyatthebungalow。Brownthereforeremainedsilentconcerningwhathehadseenfromtheatticwindow。Hewouldholdthatinreserve，andifAtkinseverdidaccusehimofbadfaithorbreachofcontracthecouldretortinkind。Hisconsciencewasclearnow——hewasnomoreofatraitorthanSethhimself——and，thisbeingso，hefeltdelightfullyindependent。Iftroublecamehewasreadyforit，andinthemeantimeheshoulddoashepleased。
Butnotroublecame。Thatday，andformanydaysthereafter，thelightkeeperwassweetnessitself。Heandhishelperhadneverbeenmoreanxioustopleaseeachother，andthehouseatTwin-Lightswas——
toallappearances——anabodeofperfecttrustandpeace。Everyday，whenSethwasasleeporoutoftheway，\"workingontheDaisyM。，\"theassistantswamtothecove，andeverydayhemetMissGrahamthere！Duringthefirstweekhereturnedfromhisdipsexpectingtobeconfrontedbyhissuperior，andreadywithcounteraccusationsofhisown。Afterthisheceasedtocare。SethdidnotaskaquestionandwassotrustfulandunsuspectingthatBrowndecidedhissecretwasundiscovered。Infact，thelightkeeperwassoinnocentthattheyoungmanfeltalmostwicked，asifheweredeceivingachild。Heverynearlyforgotthemeetingbehindthesanddune，havingotherandmuchmoreimportantthingstothinkof。
Julypassed，andthefirstthreeweeksofAugustfollowedsuit。Theweather，whichhadbeenglorious，suddenlygavethatpartofthecoastasurprisepartyintheformofathreedays’storm。Itwasanoffshoregale，butfierce，andthelighthousebuildingsrockedinitsgrasp。Bathingwasoutofthequestion，andoneofSeth’sdoriesbrokeitsanchorropeandwenttopiecesinthebreakers。
AtkinsandBrownsleptbutlittleduringthestorm，bothbeingondutythegreaterpartofthetime。
Thefourthdaybrokeclear，butthewindhadchangedtotheeastandthebarometerthreatenedmorebadweathertocome。WhenSethcameintobreakfasthefoundhishelpersoundasleepinakitchenchair，hisheadonthetable。Theyoungmanwasprettywellwornout。
Atkinsinsisteduponhisgoingtobedfortheforenoon。
\"OfcourseIsha’n’t，\"protestedBrown。\"It’smywatch，andyouneedsleepyourself。\"
\"No，Idon’t，neither，\"wasthedecidedanswer。\"Isleptbetweentimesupinthetower，offandon。Yougoandturnin。I’vegottodriveovertoEastborobyandby，andIwantyoutobewideawakewhileI’maway。Weain’tdonewiththisspellofweatheryet。
We’llhaverainandaneasterlyblowbynight，seeifwedon’t。Yougorightstraighttobed。\"
\"Ishalldonothingofthesort。\"
\"Yes，youwill。I’myourbossandIorderyoutodoit。Nobacktalk，now。Go！\"
SoBrownwent，unwillingbutverytired。Hewassoundasleepintenminutes。
Sethbusiedhimselfaboutthehouse，occasionallysteppingtothewindowtolookoutattheweather。Anobserverwouldhavenoticedthatbeforeleavingthewindowoneachoftheseoccasions，hisgazeinvariablyturnedtowardthebungalow。Histhoughtsweremoreconstantthanhisgaze；theyneverlefthislittlecottageacrossthecove。Infact，theyhadscarcelyleftitforthepastmonth。
Hewashedthebreakfastdishes，settheroominorder，andwasturningoncemoretowardthewindow，whenheheardafootstepapproachingtheopendoor。Heknewthestep；itwasonewithwhichhehadbeenfamiliarduringotherandhappierdays，andnow，oncemore——afteralltheyearsandhissavagedeterminationtoforgetandtohate——ithadthepowertoawakenstrangeemotionsinhisbreast。
Yethisfirstmovewastorunintothelivingroomandclosehishelper’schamberdoor。Whenhecamebacktothekitchen，shuttingtheliving-roomdoorcarefullybehindhim，Mrs。Bascomwasstandingonthesill。Shestartedwhenshesawhim。
\"Landsakes！\"sheexclaimed。\"You？Ical’lated，ofcourse，youwasabedandasleep。\"
Thelightkeeperwavedhishands。
\"S-sh-h！\"hewhispered。
\"WhatshallIs-sh-habout？Youryoungman’sgonesomewhere，I
s’pose，elseyouwouldn’tbehere。\"
\"No，heain’t。He’sturnedin，tiredout。\"
\"Oh，thenIguessI’dbettergobackhome。’TwashimIexpectedtosee，else，ofcourse，Ishouldn’thavecome。\"
\"Oh，Iknowthat，\"withasigh。\"Where’syourboss，MissGraham？\"
\"She’sgoneforawalkalongshore。Icameoverto——tobringbackthemeggsIborrowed。\"
\"Didyou？Wherearethey？\"
Thehousekeeperseemedembarrassed，andherplumpcheeksreddened。
\"I——IdeclareIforgottobring’emafterall，\"shestammered。
\"Iwanttoknow。That’sfunny。Youdon’toften——thatis，youdidn’tusetoforgetthingshardlyever，Emeline。\"
\"Hum！yourememberalot，don’tyou。\"
\"Iremembermore’nyouthinkIdo，Emeline。\"
\"That’senoughofthat，Seth。RememberwhatItoldyoulasttimewesaweachother。\"
\"Oh，allright，allright。Iain’trakin’upbygones。Is’poseI
deserveallI’mgettin’。\"
\"Is’poseyoudo。Well，long’sIforgottheeggsIguessImightaswellbetrottin’back……You——you’vebeenallright——youandMr。Brown，Imean——forthelastfewdays，whilethestormwasgoin’
on？\"
\"Um-h’m，\"gloomily。\"Howaboutyoutwoovertothebungalow？
You’vekeptdryandsnug，Ijudge。\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Ididn’tknowbutyoumightbekindofnervousandscartwhen’twasblowin’。Allaloneso。\"
\"Humph！I’vegotusedtobein’alone。AsforMissRuth，Idon’tthinkshe’sscartofanythin’。\"
\"Well，Iwassortofnervousaboutyou，ifyouwa’n’taboutyourself。’Twasconsider’bleofagaleofwind。IthoughtonespellI’dblowoutofthetopofthetower。\"
\"SodidI。Icouldseeyourshadowmovin’’roundupthereonceinawhile。Whatmadeyoucomeoutonthegalleryintheworstofitnightaforelast？\"
\"Oh，thebirdswassmashin’themselvestopiecesagainsttheglasssameastheyalwaysdoinastorm，andI……Butsay！’twasaftertwelvewhenIcameout。How’dyoucometoseeme？Whatwasyourdoin’upthattimeofnight？\"
Mrs。Bascom’scolordeepened。Sheseemedputoutbythequestion。
\"Somuchracketabodycouldn’tsleep，\"sheexplainedsharply。\"I
thoughttheshingleswouldliftrightofftheroof。\"
\"Butyouwa’n’tlookin’attheshingles。Youwaslookin’atthelighthouses；youjestsaidso。Emeline，wasyoulookin’forme？
Wasyouworriedaboutme？\"
Hebentforwardeagerly。
\"Hush！\"shesaid，\"you’llwakeuptheotherwoman-hater。\"
\"Idon’tcare。Idon’tcareifIwakeupallcreation。Emeline，I
believeyouwasworriedaboutme，sameasIwasaboutyou。More’nthat，\"headded，convictionandexultationinhistone，\"Idon’tbelieve’twaseggsthatfetchedyouherethismornin’atall。I
believeyoucametofindoutifwe——ifIwasallright。Didn’tyou？\"
\"Ididn’tcometoSEEyou，besureofthat，\"withemphaticscorn。
\"Iknow。Butyouwasgoin’toseeBrownandfindoutfromhim。
Answerme。Answermenow，didn’t——\"
Shesteppedtowardthedoor。Heextendedanarmandheldherback。
\"Youanswerme，\"hecommanded。
Shetriedtopasshim，buthisarmwaslikeanironbar。Shehesitatedamomentandthenlaughednervously。
\"Youcertainlyhavetooktoorderin’folksroundsincetheolddays，\"shesaid。\"Why，yes，then；Ididcometofindoutifyouhadn’tgotcold，orsomethin’。You’resuchachildandI’msuchasoft-headedfoolIcouldn’thelpit，Ical’late？\"
\"Emeline，s’poseIhadgotcold。S’poseyoufoundIwassick——whatthen？\"
\"Why——why，thenIguesslikelyI’dhaveseenthedoctoronmywaythroughEastboro。Ishallbegoin’thatwayto-morrerwhenIleavehere。\"
\"Whenyouleavehere？Whatdoyoumeanbythat？\"
\"JustwhatIsay。MissGraham’sgoin’toBostonto-morrer，andI’mgoin’withher——asfarasthecity。\"
\"But——butyou’recomin’back！\"
\"WhatshouldIcomebackherefor？Mysummerjob’sover。Ifyouwanttoknow，myprincipalreasonforcomin’herethismornin’wastosaygood-by——toMr。Brown，ofcourse。\"
Seth’sarmdropped。Heleanedheavilyagainstthedoorpost。
\"You’regoin’away！\"heexclaimed。\"You’regoin’away！Where？\"
\"Idon’tknow。Backhome，Is’pose。ThoughwhatI’lldowhenIgetthereIdon’tknow。I’vesoldthehouse，soIdon’texactlyknowwhereI’llputup。ButIguessI’llfindaplace。\"
\"You’vesoldyourhouse？Thehouseweusedtolivein？\"
\"Yes。Themanthat’sbeenhirin’ithasboughtit。I’mglad，forI
needthemoney。Sogood-by，Seth。’Tain’tlikelywe’llmeetagaininthislife。\"
Shestartedtowardthedooroncemore，andthistimehewastoogreatlydisturbedandshakenbywhatshehadtoldhimtodetainher。
Atthethreshholdsheturnedandlookedathim。
\"Good-by，Seth，\"shesaidagain。\"Ihopeyou’llbehappy。And，\"
withahalfsmile，\"ifIwasyouI’dstaykeepin’lights；it，orsomethin’else，hasimprovedyouawholelot。Good-by。\"
Thenhesprangforward。\"Emeline，\"hecried，\"Emeline，wait。Youmustn’tgo。Ican’tletyougothisway。I……What’sthat？\"
\"That\"wasthesoundofhorse’sfeetandtherattleofwheels。Thelightkeeperrantothewindow。
\"It’sHenryG。’sgrocerycart，\"hesaid。\"Ical’latehe’sfetchin’
sometruckIorderedlastweek。Doyouwanthimtoseeyouhere？\"
\"Idon’tcare。Hedon’tknowbutwhatyouandmearethebestoffriends。Yet，Idon’tknow。Maybeit’sjustaswellhedon’tseeme；thenthere’llbenoexcusefortalk。I’llstepinsideandwait。\"
Shereturnedtothekitchen，andSethwentouttomeetthewagon。
Itsdriverwastheboywhohadbroughttheflypaperand\"Job。\"
\"Hello，\"hailedtheyoungster，pullinginhissteed；\"howbeyou，Mr。Atkins？I’vegotsomeofthemthingsyouordered。Therestain’tcomefromBostonyet。Soon’stheydo，HenryG。’llsend’emdown。Howyoufeelin’thesedays？Ain’tboughtnomoredogs，haveyou？\"
Sethcurtlyrepliedthathe\"wa’n’tspeculatin’indogstonogreatextentanymore，\"andtookthepackageswhichtheboyhandedhim。
Withthemwasabundleofnewspapersandanaccumulationofmailmatter。
\"Ifetchedthemailforthebungalow，too，\"saidtheboy。\"There’stwoorthreelettersforthatGrahamgirlandoneforMrs。Bascom。
She’shousekeeperthere，youknow。\"
\"Yes。Here，youmight’swellleavetheirmailalongwithmine。
I’llseeit’sdelivered，allright。\"
\"Willyou？Muchobliged。Goin’totakeitoveryourself？Betterlookout，hadn’tyou？ThatGrahamgirl’sapeach；allthefellersatthestore’stalkin’abouther。Seemsapityshe’swastin’hersassietyonawoman-haterlikeyou；that’swhattheysay。Youain’tgettin’overyourfemalehate，areyou？Haw，haw！\"
Mr。Atkinsregardedhisquestionerwithsterndisapproval。
\"There’ssomethings——suchaschronicsassiness——somefolksnevergetover，\"heobservedcaustically。\"Thoughwhengreenhidesaretoofreshtheycanbetanned；don’tforgetthat，youngfeller。Anymorechattyremarksyou’vegottoheaveover？No？Well，allright；
thenI’dbetrottin’backhomeifIwasyou。HenryG。’llhavetoshutupshopifyoudeprivehimofyourvaluableservicestoolong。
Gooddaytoyou。\"
Thedriver，somewhatabashed，gatheredupthereins。\"Ididn’tmeantomakeyoumad，\"heobserved。\"Anythinginourlineyouwanttoorder？\"
\"No。I’mcal’latin’togotothevillagemyselfthisafternoon，andifIwantanymoregroceriesI’llorder’emthen。Asformakin’memad——well，don’tyouflatteryourself。Amoskeetercanpesterme，buthedon’tmakememadbutonce——andhisfuneral’sheldrightafterwards。Nowtrotalongandkeepintheshademuchasyoucan。
You’resofreshthesunmightspileyou。\"
Theboy，lookingratherfoolish，laughedanddroveoutoftheyard。
Seth，hisarmsfull，wentbacktothekitchen。Hedumpedthepackagesandnewspapersonthetableandbegansortingtheletters。
\"Hereyouare，Emeline，\"hesaid。\"Here’sMissGraham’smailandsomethin’foryou。\"
\"Forme？\"Thehousekeeperwassurprised。\"Aletterforme！Whatisit，Iwonder？Somethin’aboutsellin’thehousemaybe。\"
Shetooktheletterfromhimandturnedtothelightbeforeopeningit。Sethsatdownintherockerandbeganinspectinghisownassortmentofcircularsandpapers。Suddenlyheheardasoundfromhiscompanion。Glancinguphesawthatshewasleaningagainstthedoorpost，theopenletterinherhand，andonherfaceanexpressionwhichcausedhimtospringfromhischair。
\"Whatisit，Emeline？\"hedemanded。\"Anybadnews？\"
Shescarcelynoticedhimuntilhespokeagain。Thensheshookherhead。
\"No，\"shesaidslowly。\"Nothin’but——butwhatImighthaveexpected。\"
\"Butwhatisit？Itisbadnews。Can’tIhelpyou？Pleaseletme，ifIcan。I——I’dliketo。\"
Shelookedathimstrangely，andthenturnedaway。\"Iguessnobodycanhelpme，\"sheanswered。\"Leastofall，you。\"
\"Whynot？I’dliketo；honest，Iwould。Ifit’saboutthathousebusinessmaybeI——\"
\"Itain’t\"
\"Thenwhatisit？Please，Emeline。Iknowyoudon’tthinkmuchofme。Maybeyou’vegotgoodreasons；I’mpasttheplacewhereI’ddenythat。I——I’vebeenfeelin’meaner’nmeanereverydaylately。
I——Idon’tknow’sIdonerightinrunnin’offandleavin’youthewayIdid。Don’tyous’poseyoucouldgivemeanotherchance？
Emeline，I——\"
\"SethBascom，whatdoyoumean？\"
\"JustwhatIsay。Emeline，youandmewasmightyhappytogetheronce。Let’stryitagain。Iwill，ifyouwill。\"
Shewasstaringathimingoodearnestnow。
\"Why，Seth！\"sheexclaimed。\"Whatareyoutalkin’about？You——thechronicwoman-hater！\"
\"Thatbeblessed！Iwa’n’treallyawoman-hater。IonlythoughtI
was。And——andIneverhatedyou。RightthroughtheworstofitI
neverdid。Let’stryitagain，Emeline。You’reintrouble。Youneedsomebodytohelpyou。Givemethechance。\"
Therewasawistfullookinhereyes；sheseemed，orsohethought，tobewavering。Butsheshookherhead。\"Iwasintroublebefore，Seth，\"shesaid，\"andyoudidn’thelpmethen。Yourunoffandleftme。\"
\"Youjustasmuchastoldmetogo。Youknowyoudid。\"
\"No，Ididn’t。\"
\"Well，youdidn’ttellmetostay。\"
\"Itneverseemedtomethatahusband——ifhewasaman——wouldneedtobecoaxedtostaybyhiswife。\"
\"Butdon’tyoucareaboutmeatall？Youusedto；Iknowit。AndI
alwayscaredforyou。Whatisit？Honest，Emeline，younevertookanystockinthatSarahAnnChristydoin’s，youknowyoudidn’t；
now，didyou？\"
Shewasclosetotears，butshesmiledinspiteofthem。
\"Well，no，Seth，\"sheanswered。\"IwillconfessthatSarahAnnneverworriedmemuch。\"
\"ThenDON’Tyoucareforme，Emeline？\"
\"IcareforyoumuchasIeverdid。Ineverstoppedcarin’foryou，foolthatIam。Butasforlivin’withyouagainandrunnin’theriskof——\"
\"Youwon’trunanyrisk。YousayI’veimproved，yourself。Yourprincipalfaultwithmewas，asIunderstandit，thatIwastoo——
too——somethin’orother。ThatIwa’n’tmanenough。Byjiminycrimps，I’llshowyouthatI’maman！Givemethechance，andnothin’nornobodycanmakemeleaveyouagain。Besides，there’snobodytocomebetweenusnow。Wewasallrightuntilthat——thatBennieD。camealong。Hewastheonethattookthestarchoutofme。Nowhe’soutoftheway。HEwon’tbotherusanymoreand……
Why，whatisit，Emeline？\"
Forshewaslookingathimwithanexpressionevenmorestrange。
Andagainsheshookherhead。
\"Iguess，\"shebegan，andwasinterruptedbythejingleofthetelephonebell。
Theinstrumentwasfastenedtothekitchenwall，andthelightkeeperhastenedtoanswerthering。
\"Testin’thewireafterthestorm，mostlikely，\"heexplained，takingthereceiverfromthehook。\"Hello！……Hello！……
Yep，thisisEastboroLights……I’mthelightkeeper，yes……
Hey？……MissGraham？……Rightnextdoor……Yes……
WHO？\"Then，turningtohiscompanion，hesaidinanastonishedvoice：\"It’ssomebodywantstotalkwithyou，Emeline。\"
\"WithME？\"Mrs。Bascomcouldhardlybelieveit。\"Areyousure？\"
\"Sotheysay。AskedmeifIcouldgetyoutothe’phonewithoutanytrouble。She’srightherenow，\"headded，speakingintothetransmitter。\"I’llcallher。\"
Thehousekeeperwonderinglytookthereceiverfromhishand。
\"Hello！\"shebegan。\"Yes，thisisMrs。Bascom……Who？……
What？……OH！\"
Thelastexclamationwasalmostagasp，butSethdidnothearit。
Asshesteppedforwardtothe’phoneshehaddroppedherletter。
Atkinswentoverandpickeditup。Itlayfacedownwardonthefloor，andthelastpage，withthefinalsentenceandsignature，wasuppermost。Hecouldnothelpseeingit。\"Soweshallsoonbetogetherasofold。Yourlovingbrother，Benjamin。\"
WhenMrs。Bascomturnedawayfromthe’phoneafteraratherprotractedconversationshelookedmoretroubledthanever。ButSethwasnotlookingather。Hesatintherocking-chairanddidnotmovenorraisehishead。Shewaitedforhimtospeak，buthedidnot。
\"Well，\"shesaidwithasigh，\"IguessImustgo。Good-by，Seth。\"
Thelightkeeperslowlyrosetohisfeet。\"Emeline，\"hestammered，\"youain’tgoin’without——\"
Hestoppedwithoutfinishingthesentence。Shewaitedamomentandthenfinisheditforhim。
\"I’llansweryourquestion，ifthat’swhatyoumean，\"shesaid。
\"Andtheanswerisno。Allthingsconsidered，Iguessthat’sbest。\"
\"ButEmeline，I——I——\"
\"Good-by，Seth。\"
\"Sha’n’tI，\"desperately，\"sha’n’tIseeyouagain？\"
\"Iexpecttobearoundhereforanotherdayorso。ButIcan’tseeanythin’tobegainedbyourmeetin’。Good-by。\"
TakingherletterandthoseaddressedtoMissGrahamfromthetableshewentoutofthekitchen。Sethfollowedherasfarasthedoor，thenturnedandcollapsedintherocking-chair。
CHAPTERXIII
\"JOHNBROWN\"CHANGESHISNAME
\"Soweshallsoonbetogetheragainasofold。Yourlovingbrother，Benjamin。\"
Thesentencewhichhadmethiseyesashepickedupthenotewhichhiscallerhaddroppedwasstillbeforethem，burnedintohismemory。Benjamin！\"BennieD。\"！theloathedandfearedandhatedBennieD。，causeofalltheBascommatrimonialheartbreaks，hadwrittentosaythatheandhissister-in-lawweresoontobetogetherastheyusedtobe。Thatmeantthattherehadbeennoquarrel，butmerelyatemporaryseparation。Thatsheandhewerestillfriendly。Thattheyhadbeenincorrespondenceandthatthe\"inventor\"wascomingbacktotakehisoldplaceasautocratinthehouseholdwithallhisoldinfluenceoverEmeline。Seth’snew-foundcourageandmanhoodhadvanishedatthethought。BennieD。’snamehadscarcelybeenmentionedduringthevariousinterviewsbetweenthelightkeeperandhiswife。Shehadsaidherfirsthusband’sbrotherhadbeeninNewYorkfortwoyears，andhermannerofsayingitledSethtoimagineapermanentseparationfollowingsomesortofdisagreement。Andnow！andnow！HerememberedBennieD。’ssuperiorairs，hispolitesneers，hiswayofturningeverytricktohisadvantageandofpervertingandmisrepresentinghis，Seth’s，mostinnocentspeechandactionintocrimesofthefirstmagnitude。HerememberedthemeaningofthoselastfewmonthsintheCapeAnnhomestead。Allhisfierydeterminationtobewhathehadoncebeen——
SethBascom，theself-respectingmanandhusband——collapsedandvanished。Hegroanedinabjectsurrender。Hecouldnotgothroughitagain；hewasafraid。Ofanyotherpersononearthhewouldnothavebeen，buttheunexpectedresurrectionofBennieD。madehimahesitatingcoward。Thereforehewassilentwhenhiswifelefthim，andherealizedthathisopportunitywasgone，goneforever。
Inuttermiseryandself-hatredhesat，withhisheadinhishands，besidethekitchentableuntileleveno’clock。Thenherose，gotdinner，andcalledBrowntoeatit。Heatenothinghimself，sayingthathe’dlosthisappetitesomehoworother。AfterthemealheharnessedJoshuatothelittlewagonandstartedonhisdrivetoEastboro。\"I’llbebackearly，Ical’late，\"werehislastwordsashedroveoutoftheyard。
Afterhehadgone，andBrownhadfinishedclearingawayandtheotherhousekeepingtaskswhichwerenowsuchaburden，thesubstituteassistantwentouttositonthebenchandsmoke。Thethreatenedeasterlywindhadbeguntoblow，andtheskywasdarkwithtumblingclouds。Theyoungmanpaidlittleattentiontotheweather，however。Allskiesweregloomysofarashewasconcerned，andthedarkestdaywasnoblackerthanhisthoughts。Occasionallyheglancedatthebungalow，andononesuchoccasionwassurprisedtoseeacarriage，oneoftheturnoutssuppliedbytheEastboroliverystable，rolluptoitsdoorandMrs。Bascom，thehousekeeper，emerge，climbtotheseatbesidethedriver，andbedrivenawayinthedirectionofthevillage。Heidlywonderedwhereshewasgoing，butwasnotparticularlyinterested。When，ahalfhourlater，RuthGrahamleftthebungalowandstrolledoffalongthepathatthetopofthebluff，hewasverymuchinterestedindeed。Herealized，ashehadbeenrealizingforweeks，thathewasmoreinterestedinthatyoungwomanthaninanythingelseonearth。Also，thathehadnoright——miserableoutcastthathewas——tobeinterestedinher；andcertainlyitwouldbethewildestinsanitytoimaginethatshecouldbeinterestedinhim。
Forwhatthelightkeepermightsayordo，intheeventofhissecretbeingdiscovered，hedidnotcareintheleast。Hewaslongpastthatpoint。Andforthebreakingoftheirsolemncompacthedidnotcareeither。Sethmightormightnothaveplayedthetraitor；that，too，wasamatterofnoimportance。Sethhimselfwasofnoimportance；neitherwashe。Therewasbutoneimportantpersoninthewholeworld，andshewasstrollingalongthebluffpathatthatmoment。Thereforehelefthisseatonthebench，hurrieddowntheslopetotheinnerendofthecove，notingabsentlythatthetideofthepreviousnightmusthavebeenunusuallyhigh，climbedtothebungalow，turnedthecorner，andwalkedslowlyinthedirectionofthetrimfigureinthebluesuit，whichwaswalking，evenmoreslowly，justaheadofhim。
ItmaybegatheredthatJohnBrown’sfeelingsconcerningtheoppositesexhadchanged。Theyhad，andhehadchangedinotherways，also。Howmuchofachangehadtakenplacehedidnothimselfrealize，untilthisveryafternoon。Hedidnotrealizeiteventhenuntil，afterheandthegirlinbluehadmet，andthecustomaryexpressionsofsurpriseattheircasualmeetinghadbeenexchanged，theyoungladyseatedherselfonaduneoverlookingthetumblingseaandobservedthoughtfully：
\"Ishallmissallthis\"——withawaveofherhandtowardthewaves——
\"nextweek，whenIambackagaininthecity。\"
Brown’scapwasinhishandasshebegantospeak。Aftershehadfinishedhestoopedtopickupthecap，whichhadfallentotheground。
\"Youaregoingaway——nextweek？\"hesaidslowly。
\"Wearegoingto-morrow。IshallremaininBostonforafewdays。
ThenIshallvisitafriendintheBerkshires。AfterthatImayjoinmybrotherinEurope；I’mnotsureastothat。\"
\"To-morrow？\"
\"Yes！\"
Therewasanotheroneofthoseembarrassingintervalsofsilencewhichoflateseemedtooccursooftenintheirconversation。MissGraham，asusual，wasthefirsttospeak。
\"Mr。Brown，\"shebegan。Thesubstituteassistantinterruptedher。
\"Pleasedon’tcallmethat，\"heblurtedinvoluntarily。\"It——oh，confoundit，itisn’tmyname！\"
Sheshouldhavebeenverymuchsurprised。Heexpectedhertobe。
Insteadsheansweredquitecalmly。
\"Iknowit，\"shesaid。
\"YouDO？\"
\"Yes。Youare’Russ’Brooks，aren’tyou？\"
RussellBrooks，aliasJohnBrown，droppedhiscapagain，butdidnotpickitup。Heswallowedhard。
\"Howonearthdidyouknowthat？\"heaskedassoonashecouldsayanything。
\"Oh，itwassimpleenough。Ididn’treallyknow；Ionlyguessed。
Youweren’tareallightkeeper，thatwasplain。Andyouweren’tusedtowashingdishesordoinghousework——that，\"withtheirrepressiblecurlofthecornersofherlips，\"wasjustasplain。
WhenyoutoldmethatfibaboutmeetingmybrotherherelastsummerIwassureyouhadmethimsomewhere，probablyatcollege。SoinmynextlettertohimIdescribedyouaswellasIcould，mentionedthatyouwereasgoodorabetterswimmerthanhe，andaskedforparticulars。Heansweredthattheonlyfellowhecouldthinkofwhofittedyourdescriptionwas’Russ’Brooks——Russell，Isuppose——ofNewYork；thoughwhatRussBrookswasdoingaslightkeeper’sassistantatEastboroTwin-LightsheDIDN’Tknow。NeitherdidI。
Butthen，THATwasnotmybusiness。\"
Thesubstituteassistantdidnotanswer：hecouldnot，onsuchshortnotice。
\"So，\"continuedthegirl，\"IfeltalmostasifIhadknownyouforalongtime。YouandHoraceweresuchgoodfriendsatcollege，andhehadoftentoldmeofyou。Iwasverygladtomeetyouinreallife，especiallyhere，whereIhadnoonebutMrs。Bascomtotalkto；Mr。
Atkins，byreasonofhisaversiontomyunfortunatesex，beingbarred。\"
Mr。Brown’s——orMr。Brooks’——nextspeechharkedbacktoherpreviousone。
\"I’lltellyouwhileI’mhere，\"hebegan。
\"Youneedn’t，unlessyouwish，\"shesaid。\"Ihavenorighttoknow\"——adding，withcharacteristicfemininity，\"thoughI’mdyingto。\"
\"ButIwantyoutoknow。AsItoldAtkinswhenIfirstcame，I
haven’tmurderedanyoneandIhaven’tstolenanything。I’mnotacrookrunningfromjustice。I’mjustaplainidiotwhofelloverboardfromasteamerand\"——bitterly——\"hadn’tthegoodlucktodrown。\"
Shemadenocomment，andhebeganhisstory，tellingitmuchashehadtoldittothelightkeeper。
\"There！\"hesaidinconclusion，\"that’sthewholefoolbusiness。
That’swhyI’mhere。Noneedtoaskwhatyouthinkofit，I
suppose。\"
Shewassilent，gazingatthebreakers。Hedrewhisownconclusionsfromhersilence。
\"Isee，\"hesaid。\"Well，Iadmitit。I’malowdownchump。Still，ifIhadittodooveragain，Ishoulddoprettymuchthesame。A
fewthingsdifferently，butingeneraltheverysame。\"
\"Whatwouldyoudodifferently？\"sheasked，stillwithoutlookingathim。
\"Foronething，Iwouldn’trunaway。I’dstayandfacethemusic。
Earnmylivingorstarve。\"
\"Andnowyou’regoingtostayhere？\"
\"NolongerthanIcanhelp。IfIgettheappointmentasassistantkeeperI’llbegintosaveeverycentIcan。JustassoonasIgetenoughtowarrantriskingitI’llheadforBostononcemoreandbegintheearningorstarvingprocess。And，\"withasnapofhisjaws，\"Idon’tintendtostarve。\"
\"Youwon’tgobacktoyourfather？\"
\"IfheseesfittobegmypardonandacknowledgethatIwasright——
nototherwise。Andhemustdoitofhisownaccord。ItoldhimthatwhenIwalkedoutofhisoffice。Itwasmycontributiontoourfondfarewell。Hiswasthathewouldseemedamnedfirst。Possiblyhemay。\"
Shesmiled。
\"Youmusthavebeenacharmingpairofpepperpots，\"sheobserved。
\"Andtheyounglady——whatofher？\"
\"SheknowsthatIamfired，cutoffevenwithouttheusualshilling。
Thatwillbequitesufficientforher，Ithink。\"
\"Howdoyouknowitwill？Howdoyouknowshemightnothavebeenwillingtowaitwhileyouearnedthatlivingyouaresosureiscoming？\"
\"Wait？Shewaitforme？AnnDavidsonwaitforamanwithoutacentwhilehetriedtoearnagoodmanydollars？Humph！youamuseme。\"
\"Whynot？Youdidn’tgiveherachance。Youcalmlytookitforgrantedthatshewantedonlymoneyandsocialpositionandyouwalkedoffandlefther。Howdoyouknowshewouldn’thavelikedyoubetterfortellingherjusthowyoufelt。Ifagirlreallycaredforamanitseemstomethatshewouldbewillingtowaitforhim，yearsandyearsifitwerenecessary，providedthat，duringthattime，hewastryinghisbestforher。\"
