. Paget," returned Carrie Baker, coldly, while Julia
Carrington merely bowed.

"I trust you are quite over the excitement of a couple of mornings ago,"
went on the rich young man, to Julia.

"Oh, yes," she returned, shortly.

"I guess I got the worst of that," went on Percy. "I got pitched out in
double-quick order, didn't I?"

"Indeed! I fancied you jumped out," rejoined Julia, stiffly.

"What! do you suppose I would jump, and leave you and your mother to your
fate?" demanded the young aristocrat, in well-assumed surprise. "Oh, no,
Julia! You ought to know me better than that."

"I know you well enough, Mr. Paget," returned the girl. "Good-morning," and
she touched her companion on the arm to go.

"Hold on, please!" urged Percy. "It's a splendid morning on the lake. Won't
you go out for a row?"

"Thank you, I don't care to."

"Oh, yes, both of you come," urged the young bully.

"No rowing for me," put in Carrie Baker. "You might get a fright and tumble
overboard, and leave us to our fate," she added, mischievously. Her friend
had told her all the particulars of the incident on the road.

Percy could not help but feel the cut, thick-headed as he was. He tried to
frame some fitting reply, but could not, and so rowed away, feeling in a
worse humor than ever.

"It's all the fault of that Ralph Nelson," he said to himself. "He has set
Julia against me. I'll fix him, see if I don't!"

In the meantime Ralph had resumed his search for employment throughout
Eastport. He could not help thinking of the ludicrous picture Percy had
presented while floundering in the water, and he laughed several times
over the recollection.

Ralph visited three stores and two factories without the first signs of a
situation. Then he came to a place where all sorts of novelties relating to
the stationery trade were turned out.

"I can't give you a job in the factory," said the superintendent, "but I
might start you on the road."

"On the road?"

"Yes, to sell to small dealers. You could take several satchels and a
trunk, and go from village to village. There is a good bit of money to be
made in that way. But you would have to leave a deposit on the goods you
took out."

"And supposing I did not sell them?"

"You can return what remains unsold at the end of each trip."

"How much of a deposit would you require?"

"The wholesale price of the goods taken out--say about fifty dollars up."

"And how about the cost of getting a