treet"
and have supper. She said she was glad to meet Mr. Ellery. The young
minister affirmed his delight in meeting her. Then she disappeared in
the misty twilight and John Ellery surreptitiously wiped his perspiring
forehead with his cuff, having in his late desire for the primal
necessities forgotten such a trifling incidental as a handkerchief.

"Well, Mr. Ellery," observed Keziah, turning to her guest, or employer,
or incumbrance--at present she was more inclined to consider him the
latter--"well, Mr. Ellery, this has been kind of unexpected for all
hands, ain't it? If I'd known you was comin' to-day, I'd have done my
best to have things ready, but Cap'n Elkanah said not before day after
to-morrow and--but there, what's the use of talkin' that way? I didn't
know I was goin' to keep house for you till this very forenoon. Mercy
me, what a day this has been!"

The minister smiled rather one-sidedly.

"It's been something of a day for me," he admitted. "I am ahead of time
and I've made a lot of trouble, I'm afraid. But yesterday afternoon I
was ready and, to tell the truth, I was eager to come and see my new
home and get at my work. So I started on the morning train. Then the
stage broke down and I began to think I was stranded at Bayport.
But this kind-hearted chap from Wellmouth--I believe that's where he
lived--happened to pull up to watch us wrestling with the smashed wheel,
and when he found I was in a hurry to get to Trumet, offered to give me
a lift. His name was--was Bird. No, that wasn't it, but it was something
like Bird, or some kind of a bird."

"Bird?" repeated Keziah thoughtfully. "There's no Birds that I know of
in Wellmouth. Hum! Hey? 'Twa'n't Sparrow, was it?"

"That was it--Sparrow."

"Good land! Emulous Sparrow. Run consider'ble to whiskers and tongue,
didn't he?"

"Why, yes; he did wear a beard. As for tongue--well, he was
conversational, if that's what you mean."

"That's what I mean. If you rode twelve mile with Emulous, you must have
had an earache for the last six. Did he ask a question or two about your
personal affairs, here and there between times?"

Mr. Ellery laughed.

"Yes, one or two, between times," he admitted.

"I shan't die of surprise. Did you tell him who you was?"

"No-o, to be honest, I didn't. He was so very anxious to find out,
that--well, I dodged. I think he believed I was going to visit Captain
Daniels."

"Good enough! If I was governor of this state I wouldn