-I'll stand my ground," and the
captain gently slid into the calmer waters of his afternoon nap.

When he waked the house was still, and with sudden consciousness of
approaching danger, and a fear lest Mrs. French might have some last
words to say if she found him awake, he stole out of his house as
softly as possible and went down-town, hiding his secret woes and
joining in the long seafaring reminiscences with which he and his
friends usually diverted themselves. As he came up the street again
toward supper-time, he saw that the blinds were thrown open in the
parlor windows, and his heart began to beat loudly. He could hear
women's voices, and he went in by a side gate and sought the quiet
garden. It had suffered from a touch of frost; so had the captain.

Mrs. French heard the gate creak, and presently she came to the garden
door at the end of the front entry. "Come in, won't ye, cap'n?" she
called, persuasively, and with a mighty sea oath the captain rose and
obeyed.

The house was still. He strode along the entry lite a brave man: there
was nothing of the coward about Asaph Ball when he made up his mind to
a thing. There was nobody in the best parlor, and he turned toward the
sitting-room, but there sat smiling Mrs. French.

"Where is the gal?" blew the captain.

"Here I be, sir," said Mrs. French, with a flushed and beaming face.
"I thought 't was full time to put you out of your misery."

"What's all this mean? _Whoo! whoo!_"

"Here I be; take me or leave me, uncle," answered the housekeeper: she
began to be anxious, the captain looked so bewildered and irate.
"Folks seemed to think that you was peculiar, and I was impressed that
it would be better to just come first without a word's bein' said, and
find out how you an' me got on; then, if we didn't make out, nobody 'd
be bound. I'm sure I didn't want to be."

"Who was that I heard talking with ye as I come by?" blew the captain
very loud.

"That was Mis' Cap'n Topliff; an' an old cat she is," calmly replied
Mrs. French. "She hasn't been near me before this three months, but
plenty of stories she's set goin' about us, and plenty of spyin' she's
done. I thought I'd tell you who I was within a week after I come, but
I found out how things was goin', and I had to spite 'em well before I
got through. I expected that something would turn up, an' the whole
story get out. But we've been middlin' comfortable, haven't we, sir?
an' I thought 't was 'bout time to