want him, poverty and all? Was she, even now, with eyes
open, deliberately taking her last farewell days of automobiles and
of steam yachts? That voice of hers, that rich summons, with its quiet
certainty of power, sounded in my memory. "John," she had called to him
from the automobile; and thus John had gone away in it, wedged in among
Charley and the fat cushions and all the money and glass eyes. And
now he had resigned from the Custom House! Yes, that was, whatever it
signified, truly amazing--if true.

So I continued to ponder quite uselessly, until the up-country bride
aroused me. She, it appeared, had been greatly carried away by the
beauty of Live Oaks, and was making her David take her there again this
morning; and she was asking me didn't I hope we shouldn't get stuck? The
people had got stuck yesterday, three whole hours, right on a bank in
the river; and wasn't it a sin and a shame to run a boat with ever so
many passengers aground? By the doctrine of chances, I informed her, we
had every right to hope for better luck to-day; and, with the assurance
of how much my felicity was increased by the prospect of having her and
David as company during the expedition, I betook myself meanwhile to my
own affairs, which meant chiefly a call at the Exchange to inquire for
Eliza La Heu, and a visit to the post-office before starting upon a
several hours' absence.

A few steps from our front door I came upon John Mayrant, and saw at
once too plainly that no ease had come to his spirit during the hours
since the bridge. He was just emerging from an adjacent house.

"And have you resigned?" I asked him.

"Yes. That's done. You haven't seen Miss Rieppe this morning?"

"Why, she's surely not boarding with Mrs. Trevise?"

"No; stopping here with her old friend, Mrs. Cornerly." He indicated
the door he had come from. "Of course, you wouldn't be likely to see her
pass!" And with that he was gone.

That he was greatly stirred up by something there could be no doubt;
never before had I seen him so abrupt; it seemed clear that anger had
taken the place of despondency, or whatever had been his previous mood;
and by the time I reached the post-office I had already imagined and
dismissed the absurd theory that John was jealous of Charley, had
resigned from the Custom House as a first step toward breaking his
engagement, and had rung Mrs. Cornerly's bell at this early hour with
the purpose of informing his lady-love that all was