y and walked swiftly across
the sand. Agnes felt her arm touched, and turned to see Ethel
standing, pale and erect, beside her.

"Let us go home," said the latter unsteadily. "It is very damp here--I
feel chilled."

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Agnes penitently. "I ought to have told you to
bring a shawl. It is always damp on the shore after sunset. Here,
Snuffy, give me my mackerel. Thank you. I'm ready now, Miss Lennox."

They reached the lane before Agnes remembered to ask the question
Ethel dreaded.

"Oh, did you see Young Si? And what do you think of him?"

Ethel turned her face away and answered with studied carelessness. "He
seems to be quite a superior fisherman so far as I could see in the
dim light. It was very dusky there, you know. Let us walk a little
faster. My shoes are quite wet."

When they reached home, Miss Lennox excused herself on the plea of
weariness and went straight to her room.

* * * * *

Back at the shore Young Si had recovered himself and stooped again to
his work. His face was set and expressionless. A dull red burned in
each bronzed cheek. He threw out the mackerel mechanically, but his
hands trembled.

Snuffy strolled over to the boat. "See that handsome girl, Si?" he
asked lazily. "One of the Bentleys' boarders, I hear. Looks as if she
might have stepped out of a picture frame, don't she?"

"We've no time to waste, Curtis," said Young Si harshly, "with all
these fish to clean before bedtime. Stop talking and get to work."

Snuffy shrugged his shoulders and obeyed in silence. Young Si was not
a person to be trifled with. The catch was large and it was late
before they finished. Snuffy surveyed the full barrels complacently.

"Good day's work," he muttered, "but hard--I'm dead beat out. 'Low
I'll go to bed. In the name o' goodness, Si, whar be you a-goin' to?"

Young Si had got into a dory and untied it. He made no answer, but
rowed out from the shore. Snuffy stared at the dory blankly until it
was lost in the gloom.

"Ef that don't beat all!" he ejaculated. "I wonder if Si is in his
right senses? He's been actin' quar right along, and now to start off,
Lord knows whar, at this hour o' night! I really don't believe it's
safe to stay here alone with him."

Snuffy shook his unkempt head dubiously.

Young Si rowed steadily out over the dark waves. An eastern breeze was
bringing in a damp sea fog that blurred darkly over the outlines of
horizon and