\"Isee。That’sabrilliantsuggestion，Lute。WhenIadoptitI’llappointyoutoll—keeper。\"
\"Bytime！Iwishyouwould。I’dmakeThophNewcombpayup。Heowesmetencents；betitonetimeandneversettled。\"
Yes，mypositioninDenborohadchanged。ButItooknoprideinthechange，asIhadatfirst；Iknewthereasonforthissuddenburstofpopularity。Theknowledgemadememorecynicalthanever——
cynical，andlonely。ForthefirsttimesinceIcametotheCapeIlongedforarealfriend，notarelativeoranacquaintance，butafriendtotrustandconfidein。Someone，withnostringofhisowntopull，whocaredformebecauseIwasmyself。
AndallthetimeIhadsuchafriendanddidnotrealizeit。Theknowledgecametomeinthisway。Motherhadoneofherseizures，oneofthenowinfrequent\"sinkingspells，\"asthedoctorcalledthem，onaneveningwhenIwasalonewithher。DorindaandLutehadgone，withthehorseandbuggy，tovisitacousininBayport。
Theyweretostayovernightandreturnbeforebreakfastthenextmorning。
Iwasaloneinthedining—roomwhenMothercalledmyname。TherewassomethinginhertonewhichalarmedmeandIhastenedtoherbedside。Oneglanceatherfacewasenough。
\"Boy，\"shesaid，weakly，\"IamafraidIamgoingtobeill。Ihavetriednottoalarmyou，butIfeelfaintandIam——youwon’tbealarmed，willyou？Iknowitisnothingserious。\"
Itoldhernottoworryandnottotalk。Ihurriedouttothekitchen，gotthehotwaterandthebrandy，madeherswallowalittleofthemixture，andbathedherforeheadandwristswithvinegar，anold—fashionedrestorativewhichDorindaalwaysused。
Shesaidshefeltbetter，butIwasanxiousand，assoonasitwassafetoleaveher，hurriedouttobringthedoctor。Shebeggedmenottogo，becauseitwasbeginningtorainandImightgetwet，butIassuredheritwasnotraininghard，andwent。
ItwasnotraininghardwhenIstarted，buttherewaseverysignofaseverestormcloseathand。ItwaspitchdarkandIwaswearyfromstumblingthroughthebushesandovertheroughpathwhenI
reachedthecorneroftheLaneandtheLowerRoad。Thenacarriagecamedownthatroad。ItwasanopenwagonandGeorgeTaylorwasthedriver。HehadbeenuptotheDeans’andwasonhiswayhome。
Ihailedthevehicle，intendingtoaskforaride，butwhenTaylordiscoveredwhohishailerwasheinsistedonmygoingbacktothehouse。Hewouldgetthedoctor，hesaid，andbringhimdownatonce。Iwasafraidhewouldbecaughtinthestorm，andhesitatedinacceptingtheoffer，butheinsisted。Ididgobacktothehouse，foundMotherinmuchthesameconditionaswhenIlefther，andhadscarcelygottenintothekitchenagainwhenTayloroncemoreappeared。
\"IbroughtNelliealongtostaywithyourmother，\"hesaid。\"TheCap’nandtheoldlady\"——meaningMatilda——\"wereupatthemeeting—
houseandwejustleftanotesayingwherewe’dgone。Nellie’sallright。Betweenyouandme，shedon’ttalkyoudeaf，dumbandblindlikeherma，andshe’sgoodcompanyforsickfolks。NowI’llfetchthedoctorandberightback。\"
\"Butit’srainingpitchforks，\"Isaid。\"You’llbewetthrough。\"
\"No，Iwon’t。I’llhaveDocQuimbyhereinnotime。\"
HedroveoffandNellieDeanwentintoMother’sroom。IhadalwaysconsideredNellieamilk—and—wateryyoungfemale，butsomehowherquietwaysandsoftvoiceseemedjustwhatwereneededinasickroom。IleftthetwotogetherandcameouttowaitforTaylorandthedoctor。
Buttheydidnotcome。Thestormwasunderfullheadwaynow，andthewindwasdashingtheraininsheetsagainstthewindows。I
waitednearlyanhourandstillnosignofthedoctor。
NelliecameoutofMother’sroomandclosedthedoorsoftlybehindher。
\"She’squietnow，\"shewhispered。\"Ithinkshe’sasleep。WheredoyousupposeGeorgeis？\"
\"Goodnessknows！\"Ianswered。\"Ishouldn’thavelethimgo，anightlikethis。\"
\"I’mafraidyoucouldn’tstophimifhismindwasmadeup。He’sdreadfuldeterminedwhenhesetsouttobe。\"
\"He’sagoodfellow，\"Isaid，topleaseher。Sheworshippedthecashier，afactofwhichallDenborowasaware，andwhichcausedgossiptoreportthatshedidthecourtingforthetwo。
Sheblushedandsmiled。
\"Hethinksalotofyou，\"sheobserved。\"He’salwaystalkingtomeaboutyou。It’sagoodthingyou’reamanorIshouldbejealous。\"
Ismiled。\"Iseemtobetalkedaboutgenerally，justnow，\"saidI。
\"Areyou？Oh，youmeanabouttheShoreLane。Yes，Pacan’tmakeyououtaboutthat。Hesaysyou’vegotsomethingupyoursleeveandhehasn’tdecidedwhatitis。IaskedGeorgewhatPameantandhejustlaughed。Hesaidwhateveryouhadinyoursleevewasyouraffairand，ifhewasanyjudgeofcharacter，itwouldstaytheretillyougotreadytoshakeitout。Healwaysstoodupforyou，evenbeforetheShoreLanebusinesshappened。IthinkhelikesyoubetterthananyoneelseinDenboro。\"
\"Presentcompanyexcepted，ofcourse。\"
\"Oh，ofcourse。Ifthatwasn’texceptedIshouldREALLYbejealous。Then，\"moreseriously，\"Roscoe，doesitseemtoyouthatGeorgeisworriedortroubledaboutsomethinglately？\"
IthoughtofTaylor’ssuddenchangeofexpressionthatdayinthebank，andofhisremarkthathewishedhehadmychance。ButI
concealedmythoughts。
\"Theprospectofmarriageisenoughtomakeanymanworried，isn’tit？\"Iasked。\"Iimagineherealizesthatheisn’tgoodenoughforyou。\"
Therewassarcasminthisremark，sarcasmofwhichIshouldhavebeenashamed。Butshetookitliterallyandasacompliment。Shelookedatmereproachfully。
\"Goodenoughforme！\"sheexclaimed。\"He！SometimesIwonderifitisrightformetobesohappy。Ifeelalmostasifitwaswrong。Asifsomethingmusthappentopunishmeforit。\"
Ididnotanswer。Totellthetruth，Iwasenvious。Therewasrealhappinessintheworld。Thiscountrygirlhadfoundit；thatMabelColtonwould，nodoubt，finditsomeday——unlessshemarriedherVictor，inwhichcaseIhadmydoubts。Butwhathappinesswasinstoreforme？
Nelliedidmostofthetalkingthereafter；principallyaboutGeorge，andwhyhedidnotcome。AtlastshewentintoseeifMotherneededher，and，twentyminuteslater，whenIlookedintothebedroom，Isawthatshehadfallenasleeponthecouch。
Mother，too，seemedtobesleeping，andIleftthemthus。
Itwasalmosteleveno’clockwhenthesoundofcarriagewheelsintheyardbroughtmetothewindowandthentothedoor。DoctorQuimbyhadcomeatlastandTaylorwaswithhim。Thedoctor，inhismackintoshandovershoes，wasdryenough，buthiscompanionwaswettotheskin。
\"SorryI’msolate，Ros，\"saidthedoctor。\"IwaswayuptoEbenezerCahoon’sinWestDenboro。There’saneweditionofEbenezer，madeportthismorning，andIwasalittlebitconcernedaboutthemissus。She’sallright，though。How’syourmother？\"
\"Better，Ithink。She’sasleepnow。SoisNellie。IsupposeGeorgetoldyoushewaswithher。\"
\"Yes。GeorgehadaroughpassageoverthatWestDenbororoad。
It’sbadenoughindaylight，butonanightlikethis——whew！I
carriedawayawheelturningintoEbenezer’syard，andifGeorgehadn’thadhisteamalongIdon’tknowhowI’dhavegothere。I’llgorightinandseeMrs。Paine。\"
HeleftusandIturnedtoTaylor。
\"You’resoakedthrough，\"Ideclared。\"Comeouttothekitchenstove。Whatintheworldmadeyoudrivewayuptothatforsakenplace？It’sagoodsevenmiles。Comeouttothekitchen。Quick！\"
Hesatdownbythestoveandputhiswetbootsonthehearth。I
mixedhimaglassofthebrandyandhotwaterandhandedhimacigar。
\"Whydidyoudoit，George？\"Isaid。\"Ineverwouldhavethoughtofaskingsuchathing。\"
\"Iknowit，\"hesaid。\"Courseyouwouldn’taskit。There’splentyinthistownthatwould，butyouwouldn’t。Maybethat’sonereasonIwassogladtodoitforyou。\"
\"Iamalmostsorryyoudid。Itistoogreatakindnessaltogether。
I’mafraidIshouldn’thavedoneasmuchforyou。\"
\"Goon！Yes，youwould。Iknowyou。\"
Ishookmyhead。
\"No，youdon’t，\"Ianswered。\"CaptainJed——yourprospectivefather—in—law——saidtheotherdaythathehadbeenmistaken；hethoughtheknewme，buthewasbeginningtofindhedidnot。\"
\"Didhesaythat？Whatdidhemean？\"
\"Iimaginehemeanthewasn’tsurewhetherIwasthefoolhehadbelievedmetobe，orjustasharprascal。\"
Taylorlookedatmeovertheedgeofhisglass。
\"Youthinkthat’swhathemeant，doyou？\"
\"Iknowit。\"
Heputtheglassonthefloorbesidehimandlaidahandonmyknee。
\"Ros，\"hesaid，\"Idon’tknowforsurewhattheCap’nmeant，thoughifhethinksyou’reeitheroneofthetwohe’sthefool。But_I_
knowyou——better，maybe，thanyouknowyourself。AtleastI
believeIknowyoubetterthananyoneelseinthetown。\"
\"Thatwouldn’tbesayingmuch。\"
\"Wouldn’tit？Well，maybenot。Butwhosefaultisit？It’syours，thewayIlookatit。Ros，I’vebeenmeaningtohaveatalkwithyousomeday；perhapsthisisasgoodatimeasany。YoumakeabigmistakeinthewayyoutreatDenboroandthefolksinit。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"
\"Imeanjustthat。Yourwholeattitudeiswrong，hasbeenwrongeversinceyoufirstcameheretolive。Younevergaveanyofusachancetoknowyouandlikeyou——anybodybutme，Imean，andevenI
neverhadbuthalfachance。Youmakeamistake，Itellyou。
There’slotsofgoodfolksinthistown，lotsof’em。Cap’nElishaWarren’soneof’emandthere’splentymore。They’recountrymen，sameasIam，butthey’regood，plain，sensiblefolks，andthey’dliketolikeyouiftheyhadachance。YoubelongtotheTownImprovementSociety，butyounevergotoameeting。Yououghttogetoutandmixmore。\"
Ishruggedmyshoulders。\"Iguessmymixingwouldn’tbeverywelcome，\"Isaid。\"And，besides，Idon’tcaretomix。\"
\"Iknowyoudon’t，butyououghtto，justthesame。\"
\"Nonsense！George，I’mnotblind，ordeaf。Don’tyousupposeI
knowwhatWarrenandDeanandtherestthinkofme？Theyconsidermealoaferandnogood。I’veheardwhattheysay。I’venoticedhowtheytreatme。\"
\"Howyoutreatthem，youmean。Youareascoldandfreezingasacakeofice。Theywaswillingtobefriendsbutyouwouldn’thaveit。And，asfortheircallingyoualoafer——well，that’syourownfault，too。YouOUGHTtodosomething；notwork，perhaps，butyou’dbeawholelotbetteroffifyougotreallyinterestedinsomething。Getintopolitics；getintotownaffairs；getoutandknowthepeopleyou’relivingwith。\"
\"Idon’tcaretoknowthem；andI’msuretheydon’tcaretoknowme。\"
\"Yes，theydo。Iunderstandhowyoufeel。InthisShoreLanematternow：youthinkCap’nJedandColton，becausetheypretendtocallyouafool，don’trespectyoufortakingthestandyouhave。
Theydo。Theydon’tunderstandyou，maybe，buttheycan’thelprespectingyouand，iftheyknewyouevenaswellasIdo，they’dlikeyou。Come！Iain’tthrowin’anybouquets，butwhydoyousupposeI’dbewillingtodrivetoWestDenborofortytimesover，onfortytimesworsenightsthanthis，foryou？Why？\"
\"Heavenknows！Wouldyou？\"
\"Iwould。Ilikeyou，Ros。ItookashinetoyouthefirsttimeI
metyou。Idon’tknowwhyexactly。Whydoesanybodylikeanybodyelse？ButIthinkawholelotofyou。Iknowthissoundsfoolish，andyoudon’tfeelthatwaytowardsme，butit’sthetruth。\"
Iwasamazed。IhadalwayslikedGeorgeTaylor，butIneverfeltanystrongaffectionforhim。IwasalittlelessindifferenttohimthantoothersinDenboro，thatwasall。AndIhadtakenitforgrantedthathislikingformewasofthesamecasual，lukewarmvariety。Tohearhimdeclarehimselfinthiswaywasastonishing——
he，thedry，keen，Yankeebanker。
\"Butwhy，George？\"Irepeated。
\"Idon’tknowwhy；Itoldyouthat。It’sbecauseIcan’thelpit，Isuppose。Orbecause，asIsaid，Iknowyoubetterthananyoneelse。\"
Isighed。\"Nobodyknowsmehere，\"Isaid。
\"Oneknowsyou，Ros。Iknowyou。\"
\"Youmaythinkyoudo，butyoudon’t。YoucanthankGodforyourignorance。\"
\"MaybeIain’tsoignorant。\"
Ilookedathim。Hewaslookingmestraightintheeye。
\"Whatdoyouknow？\"Iasked，slowly。
\"Iknow，foronething，thatyournameain’tPaine。\"
Icouldnotanswer。IamnotcertainwhetherIattemptedtospeakormove。Idorememberthatthepressureofhishandonmykneetightened。
\"It’sallright，Ros，\"hesaid，earnestly。\"Nobodyknowsbutme，andnobodyevershallknowifIcanhelpit。\"
\"How——howmuchdoyouknow？\"Istammered。
\"Why，prettymuchall，Iguess。I’veknowneversinceyourmotherwastakensick。SomethingsIreadinthepaper，andthepicturesof——ofyourfather，putmeon，andafterwardsIgotmorecertainofit。Butit’sallright。Nobodybutmeknowsorshallknow。\"
Ileanedmyheadonmyhand。Hepattedmyknee，gently。
\"Are——areyousurenooneelseknows？\"Iasked。
\"Certainsure。Therewasonetimewhenitmighthaveallcomeout。
AreporterfellowfromoneoftheBostonpapersgotonthetracksomehowandcamedownheretoinvestigate。LuckilyIwasthefirstmanhetackled，andIsteeredhimaway。IpresumelikelyIliedsome，butmyconscienceiseasysofarasthatgoes。\"
\"Andyouhavetoldnoone？NotevenNellie？\"
\"No。ItellNelliemostthings，butnotall——notall。\"
Irememberedafterwardsthathesighedashesaidthisandtookhishandfrommyknee；butthenmyagitationwastoogreattodomorethancasuallynoticeit。Irosetomyfeet。
\"George！George！\"Icried。\"I——Ican’tsaytoyouwhatIshouldlike。Butwhy——WHYdidyoushieldme？Andlieforme？Whydidyoudoit？Iwashardlymorethanastranger。\"
Hesighed。\"Don’tknow，\"heanswered。\"Inevercouldquiteseewhyaman’ssinsshouldbevisitedonthewidowsandfatherless。
And，ofcourse，Irealizedthatyouandyourmotherchangedyournameandcamedownheretogetawayfromgossipandtalk。ButI
guesstherealreasonwasthatIlikedyou，Ros。Loveatfirstsight，sameaswereadabout；hey？\"
Helookedupandsmiled。Iseizedhishand。
\"George，\"Isaid，chokingly，\"IdidnotbelieveIhadarealfriendintheworld，exceptMotherandDorindaandLute，ofcourse。I
can’tthankyouenoughforshieldingusalltheseyears；there’snouseinmytrying。ButifeverIcandoanythingtohelpYOU——
anything——I’lldoit。I’llsweartothat。\"
Heshookmyhand。
\"Iknowyouwill，Ros，\"hesaid。\"ItoldyouIknewyou。\"
\"IfeverIcandoanything——\"
Heinterruptedme。
\"There’sonethingyoucandorightnow，\"hesaid。\"That’sgetoutandmix。That’llpleasemeasmuchasanything。Andbeginrightoff。Why，seehere，theMethodistsocietyisgoingtogiveastrawberryfestivalonthemeeting—houselawnnextThursdaynight。
Abouteverybody’sgoing，NellieandIincluded。Youcome，willyou？\"
Ihesitated。Ihadheardaboutthefestival，butIcertainlyhadnotcontemplatedattending。
\"Come！\"heurged。\"Youwon’tsaynotothefirstfavorIaskyou。
Promisemeyou’llbeonhand。\"
BeforeIcouldanswer，weheardthedoorofMother’sroomopen。
GeorgeandIhastenedintothedining—room。DoctorQuimbyandNellieDeanwerethere。Nellierushedovertoherlover’sside。
\"Youbadboy，\"shecried。\"You’rewetthrough。\"
DoctorQuimbyturnedtome。
\"Yourma’sgettingonallright，\"hedeclared。\"Aboutallthatailshernowisthatshewantstoseeyou。\"
GeorgewasassistingNellietoputonherwraps。
\"Gottoleaveyounow，Ros，\"hesaid。\"Cap’nJedandMatildy’llthinkwe’veelopedaheadoftime。Good—night。Oh，say，willyoupromisemetotakeinthestrawberryfestival？\"
\"Why\"Ianswered，\"Isuppose——Yes，Mother，I’mcoming——Why，yes，George，I’llpromise，topleaseyou。\"
IhaveoftenwonderedsincewhatmylifestorywouldhavebeenifI
hadnotmadethatpromise。
CHAPTERVIII
TheMethodistchurchstoodontheslopeofalittlehill，backfromtheMainRoad，andtheparsonagewasnextdoor。Betweenthechurchandtheparsonagewasastretchoflawn，dottedwithshrubsandcedarsandshadedbytwobigsilver—leafpoplars。Itwasonthislawnthat，providedthenightwasfair，thestrawberryfestivalwastobeheld。Iftheweathershouldbeunpropitiousthefestivalwastobeinthechurchvestry。
AllthatdayDorindawasbusybakingandicingcake。Shewasnotgoingtothefestival——partlybecauseIwasgoingandshecouldnotleaveMother——butprincipallybecausesuchaffairswerealtogethertoofrivoloustofitinherschemeoforthodoxy。\"Idon’trecollect，\"shesaid，\"thattheapostlesdidmuchstrawberryfestivalin’；theyhadotherthingstoattendto。\"Lute，however，wasgoingandifhehadbeeninvitedtoaPresidentialreceptionhecouldnothavebeenmuchmoreexcited。Hewasdressedandreadyatsuppertime，althoughthefestivaldidnotbeginuntilseven—
thirty。
\"ThinkI’mallright，Dorindy，doyou？\"hequeried，anxiouslyturninghimselfaboutforhiswife’sinspection。\"Howaboutthesenewpants？Furenoughdownonmyboots，bethey？\"
Dorindalookedhimoverwithacriticaleye。\"Um—hm，\"sheobserved，\"thatendof’emseemstobeallright。ButIcal’latetheupperendain’tbeenintroducedtoyourvestyet。Anyhow，thetwodon’tseemtobewellenoughacquaintedtoassociateclose。\"
Lutebentforwardtoinspectthehiatusbetweentrousersandwaistcoat。\"Bytime！\"heexclaimed，\"ItoldSimEldredgetheywastooshortinthewaist。Hesaidiftheywasanylongerthey’dwrinkleunderthearms。Idon’tknowwhattodo。IfIhist’emupthey’llbewhatthefellerscallhigh—water，won’tthem？\"
\"Humph！I’drutherhave’emhigh—waterthanshoalinthemiddleofthechannel。You’llhavetoaverageupsomehow。Ioughttohaveknownbetterthantotrustyoutobuyanythingallbyyourself。\"
Shecondescendedtoapproveofmyappearancewhen，anhourlater，I
camedownstairs，garbedinmybest。
\"Humph！\"shevouchsafed，afteralonglook。\"Ideclare！I’dhardlyknowyou，Roscoe。Youlookmoreasyouusedtowhenyoufustcomeheretolive。\"
\"Thanks，\"Ianswered，drily。\"I’mgladtoseethatyourespectoldage。Thissuitisvenerableenoughtocommandthatkindofrespect。\"
\"’Tain’tthesuit，thoughthat’sallrightenough。It’sthewayyouwearit，Iguess。YoulookBETTERthanyouusedto。You’rebrownedupandbroadenedoutandit’srealbecomin’。But，\"sheadded，withcharacteristiccaution，\"youmustrememberthatgoodlooksdon’tcountformuch。Myfatherusedtosaytomethathandsomeisthathandsomedoes。NotthatIwassohomelyI’dscarethecrows，buthedidn’twantmetobevain。Nowdon’tfalloverboardinTHATsuit，willyou？\"
MothernoticedmyunwontedgrandeurwhenIwentintosaygood—
nighttoher。
\"Why，Roscoe！\"sheexclaimed。\"Youmustconsiderthisstrawberryfestivalveryimportant。\"
\"Why，Mother？\"
\"Becauseyou’vetakensuchpainstodressforit。\"
\"Itdidnotrequireagreatdealofpains。ImerelyputonwhatDorindacallsmySundayclothes。Idon’tknowwhyIdid，either。
Icertainlydon’tconsiderthefestivalimportant。\"
\"Iamgladyoudid。Ihavebeenalittletroubledaboutyouoflate，Boy。Ithasseemedtomethatyouweregrowing——well，notcareless，exactly，butindifferent。Asifyouwerelosinginterestinlife。Idon’tblameyou。Compelledtowasteyourtimehereinthecountry，acompaniontoabedriddenoldwomanlikeme。\"
\"Hush，Mother。You’renotold；andastowastingmytime——why，Mother，youknow——\"
\"Yes，yes，Boy，Iknowwhatyouwouldsay。Butitdoestroubleme，nevertheless。Ioughttobidyougobackintotheworld，andtakeyourplaceamongmen。AhundredtimesIhavebeenuponthepointoftellingyoutoleaveme，but——but——IamSOselfish。\"
\"Hush，Mother，please。\"
\"Yes，IAMselfishandIknowit。Iamgrowingstrongereveryday；
Iamsureofit。Justalittlelonger，Roscoe，justalittlelonger，andthen——\"
\"Mother，I——\"
\"There，there！\"shestrokedmyhand。\"Wewon’tbesad，willwe。
Itpleasesmetoseeyoutakinganinterestinaffairs。IthinkthisShoreLanemattermaybeagoodthing，afterall。DorindasaysthatLuthertellsheryouarebecomingverypopularintownbecauseofyourindependentstand。Everyonerecognizesyourpublicspirit。\"
\"Didshetellyouthat？\"
\"Notinthosewords。YouknowDorinda。Butwhatamountstothat。
IamsuretheDenboropeopleareveryproudofyou。\"
Ithoughtofmy\"popularity\"andtheadmirationofmy\"publicspirit\"asmanifestedintheattentionsofCaptainJedandEldredgeandtheirfollowers，andIturnedmyheadawaysothatshemightnotseemyface。
\"AndIamgladyouaregoingtothestrawberryfestival。Ican’trememberwhenyouattendedsuchafunctionbefore。Boy——\"
\"Yes，Mother。\"
\"Thereisn’tanyreason，anyspecialreason，foryourgoing，isthere？\"
\"Why，whatdoyoumean？\"
\"Imean——well，youareyoungandIdidnotknowbut，perhaps，someoneelsewasgoing，someoneyouwereinterestedin，and——and——\"
Ilaughedaloud。\"Mother！\"Isaid，reproachfully。
\"Whynot？Iamveryproudofmyhandsomeboy，andIknowthat——\"
\"There！there！Ihaven’tnoticedthatmybeautyissofascinatingastobedangerous。No，Mother，thereisno’specialreason’formygoingto—night。IpromisedGeorgeTaylor，thatwasall。\"
\"Well，Iamsureyouwillhaveagoodtime。Kissme，Boy。Good—
night。\"
Iwasbynomeanssosureofthegoodtime。Infact，Iloiteredonmywaytothevillageanditwaswellpasteighto’clockwhenI
paidmyfifteencentsadmissionfeetoElnathanMulletatthegateofthechurchgroundsandsauntereduptheslopetowardthelightsandgaietyofthestrawberryfestival。
TheladiesoftheMethodistsociety，underwhosemanagementtheaffairwasgiven，werefortunateintheirchoiceofanevening。
TheearlyrisenmoonshonefromacloudlessskyandtherewassolittlebreezethattheJapaneselanterns，hungabovethetables，wentoutonlyoccasionally。The\"beautyandeliteofDenboro\"——seenextweek’sCapeCodItem——werepresentinforceand，minglingwiththem，or，ifnotmingling，atleastinspectingthemwithinterest，weresomeoftheearlyarrivalsamongthecottagersfromSouthDenboroandBayport。IsawLute，proudlyconsciousofhisnewlavendertrousers，inconversationwithMatildaDean，andI
wonderedwhowasthewinnerinthatwordyrace。CaptainJedediahstruttedarminarmwiththeminister。ThophNewcombandAlvinBakerweretherewiththeirwives。SimeonEldredgehadnotyetputinanappearancebutIknewthathewouldassoonastheeveningmailwassorted。
IfoundNellieDeaninchargeofatable，andGeorgeTaylorseatedatthattable。Iwalkedoverandjoinedthem。
\"Goodevening，Nellie，\"saidI。\"Well，George，hereIam，yousee。\"
Heshookmyhandheartily。\"Iseeyouare，\"hesaid。\"Goodboy！
Howdoesitseemtosplashintosociety？\"
\"Ihaven’tsplashedyet。Ihaveonlyjustarrived。\"
