"backsliders" had no effect. Mr. Bangs perched himself on the fence.

"Give it to her, fellers!" he called after them.

"Talk Dutch to her! Let her know that there's one child she can't
abuse."

At the foot of the steps Asaph paused.

"Say, Cy," he whispered, "don't you think I better not go in? It ain't
really my business, you know, and--and--Well, I'm on the s'lectmen and
she might be frightened if she see me pouncin' down on her. 'Tain't as
if I was just a common man. I'll go and set along of Bailey and you go
in and talk quiet to her. She'd feel so sort of ashamed if there was
anyone else to hear the rakin' over--hey?"

"Now, see here, Ase," expostulated the captain, "I don't like to do this
all by myself! Besides, 'twas you chaps put me up to it. You ain't goin'
to pull out of the race and leave me to go over the course alone, are
you? Come on! what are, you afraid of?"

His companion hotly denied that he was "afraid" of anything. He had
all sorts of arguments to back his decision. At last Captain Cy lost
patience.

"Well, BE a skulk, if you want to!" he declared. "I've set out to see
this thing through, and I'm goin' to do it. Only," he muttered, as he
entered the downstairs vestibule, "I wish I didn't feel quite so much as
if I was stealin' hens' eggs."

Miss Dawes herself opened the door in response to his knock.

"Oh, it's you, Cap'n Whittaker," she said. "Come in, please."

Captain Cy entered the schoolroom. It was empty, save for the teacher
and himself and one little girl, who, seated at a desk, was writing
busily. She looked up and blushed a vivid red. The little girl was
Bos'n.

"Sit down, Cap'n," said Miss Phoebe, indicating the visitor's chair.
"What was it you wanted to see me about?"

The captain accepted the invitation to be seated, but he did not
immediately reply to Miss Dawes's question. He dropped his hat on the
floor, crossed his legs, uncrossed them, and then observed that it was
pretty summery weather for so late in the fall. The teacher admitted the
truth of his assertion and waited for him to continue.

"I--I s'pose school's pretty full, now that cranb'ryin' 's over," said
Captain Cy.

"Yes, pretty full."

"Gettin' along first rate with the scholars, I hear."

"Yes."

This was a most unpromising beginning, really no beginning at all. The
captain cleared his throat, set his teeth, and, without looking at his
companion, dove headlong into the business which had brought hi