as too quick for him; she sprang into the skiff, unwound
the rope, and pushed off before he guessed her intention.

"I can row myself home and I mean to," she announced, taking up the
oars defiantly.

"Nelly," he implored.

Nelly looked at him wickedly.

"You'd better go back to your friends. That old woman with the
eyeglasses is watchin' you."

Winslow said something strong under his breath as he went back to the
others. Will Evans and his chums began to chaff him about Nelly, but
he looked so dangerous that they concluded to stop. There is no
denying that Winslow was in a fearful temper just then with Mrs.
Keyton-Wells, Evans, himself, Nelly--in fact, with all the world.

His friends drove him home in the evening on their way to the station
and dropped him at the Beckwith farm. At dusk he went moodily down to
the shore. Far up the Bend was dim and shadowy and stars were shining
above the wooded shores. Over the river the Pennington farmhouse
lights twinkled out alluringly. Winslow watched them until he could
stand it no longer. Nelly had made off with his skiff, but Perry
Beckwith's dory was ready to hand. In five minutes, Winslow was
grounding her on the West shore. Nelly was sitting on a rock at the
landing place. He went over and sat down silently beside her. A full
moon was rising above the dark hills up the Bend and in the faint
light the girl was wonderfully lovely.

"I thought you weren't comin' over at all tonight," she said, smiling
up at him, "and I was sorry, because I wanted to say goodbye to you."

"Goodbye? Nelly, you're not going away?"

"Yes. The cats were in the pantry when I got home."

"Nelly!"

"Well, to be serious. I'm not goin' for that, but I really am goin'.
I had a letter from Dad this evenin'. Did you have a good time after I
left this afternoon? Did Mrs. Keyton-Wells thaw out?"

"Hang Mrs. Keyton-Wells! Nelly, where are you going?"

"To Dad, of course. We used to live down south together, but two
months ago we broke up housekeepin' and come north. We thought we
could do better up here, you know. Dad started out to look for a place
to settle down and I came here while he was prospectin'. He's got a
house now, he says, and wants me to go right off. I'm goin' tomorrow."

"Nelly, you mustn't go--you mustn't, I tell you," exclaimed Winslow in
despair. "I love you--I love you--you must stay with me forever."

"You don't know what you're sayin', Mr. Winslow," said Nelly coldly.
"