had
not remained.

Matters were still in this uncomfortable and mysterious state when Hazel
put his finishing stroke to her abode.

He was in high spirits that evening, for he had made a discovery; he had
at last found time for a walk, and followed the river to its source, a
very remarkable lake in a hilly basin. Near this was a pond, the water of
which he had tasted and found it highly bituminous; and, making further
researches, he had found at the bottom of a rocky ravine a very wonderful
thing--a dark resinous fluid bubbling up in quite a fountain, which,
however, fell down again as it rose, and hardly any overflowed. It was
like thin pitch.

Of course in another hour he was back there with a great pot, and half
filled it. It was not like water, it did not bubble so high when some had
been taken; so he just took what he could get. Pursuing his researches a
little further he found a range of rocks with snowy summits apparently;
but the snow was the guano of centuries. He got to the western extremity
of the island, saw another deep bay or rather branch of the sea, and on
the other side of it a tongue of high land running out to sea. On that
promontory stood a gigantic palmtree. He recognized that with a certain
thrill, but was in a great hurry to get home with his pot of pitch; for
it was in truth a very remarkable discovery, though not without a
parallel. He could not wait till morning, so with embers and cocoanut he
made a fire in the bower, and melted his pitch, which had become nearly
solid, and proceeded to smear the inside of the matting in places, to
make it thoroughly watertight.

Helen treated the discovery at first with mortifying indifference. But he
hoped she would appreciate Nature's bounty more when she saw the
practical use of this extraordinary production. He endeavored to lead her
to that view. She shook her head sorrowfully. He persisted. She met him
with silence. He thought this peevish, and ungrateful to Heaven; we have
all different measures of the wonderful; and to him a fountain of pitch
was a thing to admire greatly and thank God for; he said as much.

To Helen it was nasty stuff, and who cares where it came from? She
conveyed as much by a shrug of the shoulders, and then gave a sigh that
told her mind was far away.

He was a little mortified, and showed it. One word led to another, and at
last what had been long fermenting came out.

"Mr. Hazel," said she, "you and I are at cross purpos