d I don't believe you want to
marry me. Now do you--honest?"

Caleb was silent for a full minute. Then he drew a deep breath.

"It don't make no difference whether I do or not, fur's I can see," he
said, gloomily. "It's too late to start home now. I don't know what time
'tis, but we must have been ridin' three or four hours--seems eight or
ten year to me--and we ought to be pretty near to Bayport. If we
should turn back now we wouldn't get home till long after daylight, and
everybody would be up and wantin' to know the whys and wherefores. If we
told 'em we'd been ridin' around together all night, and didn't give any
reasons for it, there'd be talk enough to last till Judgment. No, we've
just got to get married now. That's all there is to it."

Hannah groaned as the truth of this statement dawned upon her. Caleb
gathered the reins in his hands preparatory to driving on, when a new
thought came to him.

"Say, Hannah," he observed, "I suppose you left that note for Kenelm,
didn't you?"

Miss Parker uttered a faint shriek.

"Oh, my soul!" she cried. "I didn't! I didn't! I wrote it, but I was so
upset when I found I couldn't get the doorkey and get out that way that
I left the note in my bureau drawer."

"Tut, tut! Huh! Well, he may find it there; let's hope he does."

"But he won't! He WON'T! He never finds anything, even if it's in plain
sight. He won't know what's become of me--"

"And he'll most likely have the whole town out lookin' for you. I guess
now you see there's nothin' to do but for us to get married--don't you?"

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" wailed Miss Parker, and burst into tears.

Caleb groaned. "Git dap!" he shouted to the horse. "No use cryin',
Hannah. Might's well grin and bear it. The joyful bridal party'll now
proceed."

But the horse refused to proceed, and his driver, peering forward, dimly
saw a black barrier in front of him. He lit the lantern once more and,
getting out of the carryall, discovered that the road apparently ended
at a rail fence that barred further progress.

"Queer," he said. "We must be pretty nigh civilization. Got to Bayport,
most likely, Hannah; there seems to be a buildin' ahead of us there. I'm
goin' to take the lantern and explore. You set still till I come back."

But this Miss Parker refused to do. She declared that she would not wait
alone in those woods for anybody or anything. If her companion was going
to explore so was she. So Mr. Hammond assisted her to alight, and a