Yes," she admitted, "you did, but--"

Zacheus finished the sentence.

"But you didn't tell TOO much when you told it," he said. "What kind of
an ark did you say?"

And then Galusha explained. The fact that any one in creation should
not know what an archaeologist was seemed unbelievable, but a fact it
evidently was. So he explained and the explanation, under questioning,
became lengthy. Primmie's exclamations, "My savin' soul" and "My Lord of
Isrul" became more and more frequent. Mr. Bloomer interjected a remark
here and there. At length a sound outside caused him to look out of the
window.

"Here comes the old man and Martha," he said. "Cal'late I'd better be
gettin' back aboard. Can't leave Lulie to tend light all the time.
Much obliged to you, Mr. Bangs. You've cruised around more'n I give you
credit for. Um-hm. Any time you want to know about a lightship or--or
lobsterin' or anything, I'd be pleased to tell you. Good-day, sir. So
long--er--Sweet William. See you later."

The "Sweet William" was addressed to Primmie, of course. The bow-legged
little man, rolling from side to side like the lightship of which he
talked so much, walked out of the room. A moment later Martha Phipps and
Captain Jethro Hallett entered it.

Both Miss Phipps and the light keeper seemed preoccupied. The former's
round, wholesome face was clouded over and the captain was tugging at
his thick beard and drawing his bushy eyebrows together in a frown. He
was a burly, broad-shouldered man, with a thin-lipped mouth, and a sharp
gray eye. He looked like one hard to drive and equally hard to turn, the
sort from which fanatics are made.

Primmie scuttled away to the dining room. Galusha rose.

"Good-afternoon, Captain Hallett," he said.

Jethro regarded him from beneath the heavy brows.

"You know Mr. Bangs, Cap'n Jeth," said Martha. "You met this mornin',
didn't you?"

The light keeper nodded.

"We run afoul of each other over to the graveyard," he grunted. "Well,
Martha, I don't know what more there is to say about--about that thing.
I've told you all I know, I cal'late."

"But I want to talk a little more about it, Cap'n Jeth. If Mr. Bangs
will excuse us we'll go out into the dinin' room. Primmie's up in her
room by this time. You will excuse us, won't you, Mr. Bangs? There was a
little business matter the cap'n and I were talkin' about."

Galusha hastened to say that he himself had been on the point of going
to his own room--real