e
climbin'-beans." She smiled and gave her daughter a commanding nod.

"Land sakes alive! Le's blow the horn for William," insisted Mrs. Todd,
with some excitement. "He needn't break his spirit so far's to come in.
He'll know you need him for something particular, an' then we can call
to him as he comes up the path. I won't put him to no pain."

Mrs. Blackett's old face, for the first time, wore a look of trouble,
and I found it necessary to counteract the teasing spirit of Almira.
It was too pleasant to stay indoors altogether, even in such rewarding
companionship; besides, I might meet William; and, straying out
presently, I found the hoe by the well-house and an old splint basket at
the woodshed door, and also found my way down to the field where there
was a great square patch of rough, weedy potato-tops and tall ragweed.
One corner was already dug, and I chose a fat-looking hill where the
tops were well withered. There is all the pleasure that one can have in
gold-digging in finding one's hopes satisfied in the riches of a good
hill of potatoes. I longed to go on; but it did not seem frugal to dig
any longer after my basket was full, and at last I took my hoe by the
middle and lifted the basket to go back up the hill. I was sure that
Mrs. Blackett must be waiting impatiently to slice the potatoes into the
chowder, layer after layer, with the fish.

"You let me take holt o' that basket, ma'am," said the pleasant, anxious
voice behind me.

I turned, startled in the silence of the wide field, and saw an elderly
man, bent in the shoulders as fishermen often are, gray-headed and
clean-shaven, and with a timid air. It was William. He looked just like
his mother, and I had been imagining that he was large and stout like
his sister, Almira Todd; and, strange to say, my fancy had led me to
picture him not far from thirty and a little loutish. It was necessary
instead to pay William the respect due to age.

I accustomed myself to plain facts on the instant, and we said
good-morning like old friends. The basket was really heavy, and I put
the hoe through its handle and offered him one end; then we moved easily
toward the house together, speaking of the fine weather and of mackerel
which were reported to be striking in all about the bay. William had
been out since three o'clock, and had taken an extra fare of fish.
I could feel that Mrs. Todd's eyes were upon us as we approached the
house, and although I fell behind in the