, still in its crisp folds, and with
an absurd and yet pretty care wiped her face with it. He wiped it all
over, the moist forehead, the firm chin where beads stood glistening,
and Miss Amabel let him, saying only as he finished:

"Father used to perspire on his chin."

"There," said Jeffrey. He folded the handkerchief and returned it to its
bag. "Now you're a nice dry child. I suppose you've got your shoes full
of dirt. Mine are when I've been out here."

"Never mind my shoes," said she. "Jeff, how nice you are. How much you
are to-day like what you used to be when you were a boy."

"I feel rather like it nowadays," said Jeff, "I don't know why. Except
that I come out here and play by myself and they all let me alone."

"But you mustn't play tricks," said Miss Amabel. "You must be good and
not play tricks on other people."

Jeff drew up his knees and clasped his hands about them. His eyes were
on the corn shimmering in the heat.

"What's in your bonnet, dear?" said he. "I hear a buzz."

"What happened the other night?" she asked. "It came to my ears, I won't
say how."

"Weedie told you. Weedie always told."

"I don't say it was Mr. Weedon Moore."

She was speaking with dignity, and Jeffrey laughed and unclasped his
hands to pat her on the arm.

"I wonder why it makes you so mad to have me call him Weedie."

She answered rather hotly, for her.

"You wouldn't do it, any of you, if you weren't disparaging him."

"Oh, we might. Out of affection. Weedie! good old Weedie! can't you hear
us saying that?"

"No, I can't. You wouldn't say it that way. Don't chaff me, Jeff. What
do they say now--'jolly' me? Don't do that."

Again Jeffrey gave her a light touch of affectionate intimacy.

"What is it?" said he. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to let Weedon Moore talk to people who are more ignorant
than the rest of us, and tell them things they ought to know. About the
country, about everything."

"You don't want me to spoil Weedie's game."

"It isn't a game, Jeff. That young man is giving up his time, and with
the purest motives, to fitting our foreign population for the duties of
citizenship. He doesn't disturb the public peace. He takes the men away
after their day's work--"

"Under cover of the dark."

"He doesn't run any risk of annoying people by assembling in the
streets."

"Weedie doesn't want any decent man to know his game, whatever his game
is."

"I won't answer that, Jeffrey. B