lost one of the hands already--Tony."

"I swan! What's the matter with him?"

"His mother says Tony is scared to sail again with the _Seamew_.
Some Portygee foolishness."

"I told you them Portygees warn't worth the grease they sop their
bread in," declared Cap'n Ira.

The two on the rear seat of the carryall paid no attention to this
conversation.

"I'm real pleased," said the old woman, "that you are going to
dinner with Lucretia Latham, Ida May. Your mother thought a sight of
her, and 'Cretia did of Sarah Honey, too. Sarah was one of the few
who seemed to understand Lucretia. She's so dumb. I declare I can't
never get used to her myself. I like folks lively about me, and I
don't care how much they talk--the more the better.

"Lucretia Latham might have got her a good man and been happily
married long ago, if it hadn't been that when a feller dropped in to
call on her she sat mum all the evening and never said no more than
the cat.

"I remember Silas Payson, who lived over beyond the port, took quite
a shine to Lucretia, seeing her at church. Or, at least, we thought
he did. Silas began going down to Latham's Folly of an evening, now
and then, and setting up with Lucretia. But after a while he left
off going and said he cal'lated he'd join the Quakers over to
Seetawket. Playing Quaker meeting with just one girl to look at
didn't suit, noway." And the old woman laughed placidly.

"Tunis says he understands his aunt," ventured the girl.

"Tunis has had to put up with her. But he can say nothing a good
deal himself, if anybody should ask ye. That's the only fault I've
found with Tunis. I've heard Ira talk at him for a straight hour in
our kitchen, and all the answer Tunis made was to say 'yes' twice."

The girl did not find the captain of the _Seamew_ at all
inarticulate later, as they crossed the old fields of the Ball place
and walked down the slope into the saucerlike valley where lay
Latham's Folly. She had never known Tunis to be more companionable
than on this occasion. He seemed to have gained the courage to
talk on more intimate topics than at any time since their
acquaintanceship had begun.

"I guess you know," he observed, "that most all the money Uncle Peke
left me--after what the lawyers got--I put into that schooner.
There's a mortgage on her, too. You see, although the old place will
come to me by and by, Aunt Lucretia has rights in it while she
lives. It's sort of entailed, you know. I could