ked as she had when she asked me if I was rebellious.

But Vesty said quickly: "I wish you would. I am so afraid in the dark!"

Afraid in the dark! Not she; but this was some ointment for that
unconscious thrust Miss Pray had given.

I walked home with her. Coming back, there was ever a slight crackling
in the bushes and stealthy breathing behind me. It was the lad, Jimmy
Kirtland, sent by Vesty surreptitiously to see that I arrived safely at
Miss Pray's.

I regarded sacredly this innocent device, but, arrived in the house, I
heard Jimmy outside pleading cautiously to Miss Pray through the window
that he was afraid to go back alone.

Miss Pray tried to arouse one of her two orphans--her help: for answer
they screamed aloud, sinking back into a sleep deep with snores of
utter repose.

"Sh! sh!" she said. "I'll go home with you, Jimmy."

I had not taken off my great-coat. I went out of my room and followed
them, unseen. In sight of the Kirtland home-light Jimmy ran in, glad.
Miss Pray turned to face the darkness alone; she went a few paces,
stopped, hesitated, and began to weep softly.

"I am here to walk home with you, Miss Pray," I said. "Come; I can see
very well in the dark."

"Thank God!" said she, and came toward me with a little bound; for it
seemed that it did not make any difference to her in this emergency
that I did not know how to spell.

VII

"SETTIN' ON THE FENCE"--THE SHIFTY SPECTRE

"Admiral 's I sum-sit-up," collector of road-taxes, a title cheerfully
accorded him through the genial courtesy of the Basin, came down from
the Point.

In the distance we could hear him approaching as usual, the passionless
monotone of his voice growing ever nearer and more distinct, as he
flapped methodically first one rein, then the other, over the unhurried
action of his horse, sagely admonishing him to "G'long! ye old fool!
Git up! ye old skate!"

His mortal conversation, too, though cutting and profound, was, in the
deepest sense, without rancor or emotion.

"'S I sums it up," said he, "yer road down through the woods 's gittin'
more ridick'lous 'n ever."

"Poo! poo! Wouldn't be afraid to bet ye she ain't," said Captain Pharo
Kobbe, with glowing pipe.

"Ye seem to boast yerselves 't ye don't belong to nothin' down here,"
continued the admiral; "but ye does. Ye belongs to a shyer town. Ye
orter have some pride. 'S I sums it up, be you goin' to pay yer rates,
or work 'em out mendin'