softly on Barney's door, and heard him coming to open it
at once. When he saw her standing there he gave a great start, and
did not say anything. Charlotte thought he did not recognize her in
the dusk.

"It's me, Barney," she said.

"I know you," said Barney. She held out the package to him. "I've
brought this back," said she.

Barney made no motion to take it from her.

"I can't take it," she said, firmly.

Suddenly Barney threw up his hands over his face. "Can't you take
just that much from me, Charlotte? Can't you let me do as much as
that for you?" he groaned out.

"No, I can't," said Charlotte. "You must take it back, Barney."

"Oh, Charlotte, can't you--take that much from me?"

"I can take nothing from you as things are," Charlotte replied.

"I wanted you to have a dress. I saw you had given the other away. I
didn't think--there was any harm in buying it for you, Charlotte."

"It isn't your place to buy dresses for me as things are," said
Charlotte. She extended the package, and he took it, as if by force.
She heard him sob.

"You must never try to do anything like this again," she said. "I
want you to understand it, Barney."

Then she went away, and left him standing there holding his discarded
gift.

Chapter XIV

After a while the village people ceased to have the affairs of Barney
Thayer and Charlotte Barnard particularly upon their minds. As time
went on, and nothing new developed in the case, they no longer dwelt
upon it. Circumstances, like people, soon show familiar faces, and
are no longer stared after and remarked. The people all became
accustomed to Barney living alone in his half-furnished house season
after season, and to Charlotte walking her solitary maiden path. They
seldom spoke of it among themselves; sometimes, when a stranger came
to town, they pointed out Barney and Charlotte as they would have any
point of local interest.

"Do you see that house?" a woman bent on hospitable entertainment
said as she drove a matronly cousin from another village down the
street; "the one with the front windows boarded up, without any step
to the front door? Well, Barney Thayer lives there all alone. He's
old Caleb Thayer's son, all the son that's left; the other one died.
There was some talk of his mother's whippin' him to death. She died
right after, but they said afterwards that she didn't, that he run
away one night, an' went slidin' downhill, an' that was what killed
him; he'd al