don't care if
he did hear me. If he don't know you're nice and smart and good-lookin',
it's high time he did."

Helen, a trifle embarrassed but laughing, emerged a moment later, and
when she had put on her hat she and Albert left the Howes cottage and
began their walk home. It was one of those nights such as Cape Codders,
year-rounders or visitors, experience three or four times during a
summer and boast of the remainder of the year. A sky clear, deep,
stretched cloudless from horizon to horizon. Every light at sea or on
shore, in cottage window or at masthead or in lighthouse or on lightship
a twinkling diamond point. A moon, apparently as big as a barrel-head,
hung up in the east and below it a carpet of cold fire, of dancing,
spangled silver spread upon the ocean. The sound of the surf, distant,
soothing; and for the rest quiet and the fragrance of the summer woods
and fields.

They walked rather fast at first and the conversation was brisk, but as
the night began to work its spell upon them their progress was slower
and there were intervals of silence of which neither was aware. They
came to the little hill where the narrow road from West Harniss comes to
join the broader highway leading to the Center. There were trees here,
a pine grove, on the landward side, and toward the sea nothing to break
the glorious view.

Helen caught her breath. "Oh, it is beautiful, beautiful!" she said.

Albert did not answer. "Why don't you talk?" she asked. "What are you
thinking about?"

He did not tell her what he was thinking about. Instead, having caught
himself just in time, he began telling her of what he had been thinking
when his grandfather called him to the telephone.

"Helen," he said, "I want to ask your advice. I had an astonishing
proposal made to me this afternoon. I must make a decision, I must say
yes or no, and I'm not sure which to say."

She looked up at him inquiringly.

"This afternoon," he went on, "Doctor Parker called me into his office.
There was a group of men there, prominent men in politics from about the
country; Judge Baxter from Ostable was there, and Captain Warren from
South Denboro, and others like them. What do you suppose they want me to
do?"

"I can't imagine."

"They offer me the party nomination for Congress from this section. That
is, of course, they want me to permit my name to stand and they seem
sure my nomination will be confirmed by the voters. The nomination, they
say, is e