le parson.

"Not unless he's given me up and rowed back to the town," I assured
him contritely, "and I hope to heaven you know who he is, for I don't!
He's a thoroughly good fellow, anyhow, and he knows us, and from what
I've seen of him he strikes me as just about the man we want."

"Thank you for that 'we,' Jerry," said Roger soberly, putting his arm
over my shoulder, and I realised suddenly and completely that I had
taken the jump and cleared my last ditch: Roger's interest in to-day's
event, for good or bad, was mine.

"I'll run and call him," I began, "and mind you mention his name
directly, for it's a bit awkward for me all this while." Something
struck me and I turned back.

"By the way," I tried to say easily, "do you want me to--to begin any
explanations?"

He laughed shortly.

"Good old Jerry!" he said affectionately. "No, I'll manage that when I
find out who he is. Hurry him along, for breakfast is ready."

I dashed off to the landing and hailed the boat, now plainly visible
on the bright, clear moving sea. She flew in like a swallow, the
oarsman coat off and dripping, and evidently royally content.

"Has Roger got a change for me?" he called as he reached the landing.
"I won't keep him ten minutes longer, but I'd like to go over the side
here, tremendously."

I, too, had begun to be conscious of a wrinkled, cinder-coated
feeling, and Roger, who had followed me at a distance, turned at my
shout and ran back to the cottage, returning with a white armful of
linen and towels just as we had slipped into the blue, cold water. I
shall never forget his expression of mingled relief, real pleasure and
amusement as he recognised my companion's face, bobbing upon the
surface.

"This is mighty good of you, Elder," he said simply, and reached down
from the slippery stone to shake the dripping hand held out to him.

Then it came to me in a flash. Tip Elder, of course! He was supposed
to have been christened Tyler, but was never known by any other name
than Tippecanoe, for reasons clearer in those days than these, the old
political war cry in connection with his boating fame having proved
too temptingly obvious to the rest of his class crew. He was in
Roger's class; I remembered how, even then, he had dragged Roger down
to some boys' club of his to give a boxing lesson once to some of his
proteges. He and Russell Dodge had a notable and historic quarrel once
because Tip had refused to break an engagement in or