-" faltered Judith.

"Well, you needn't, till you get plenty o' time. Understandin' don't
dress no fish." Jemmy Three, like Jem One, had missed his rightful
share of schooling. "What we got to do now is dress fish."

Judith went to work obediently, but the wonder went on in her mind.
What did it all mean? How had Jemmy Three found out about the
mackerel? Why was he down here in the dead of night dressing and
packing them?

By and by the boy saw fit to explain in little jerks over his
shoulder. Judith pieced them together into a strange, beautiful story
that made her throat throb.

"Saw you had a load here--saw 'twas mackerel--knew they'd got to be
'tended to--'tended to 'em," Jemmy Three slung over his shoulder, as
he worked.

"Suspicioned you'd struck a school, and gone home clean tuckered. Oh,
but you're a smart one, Jude! Couldn't no other girl 'a' done it,
sir, this side o' the Atlantic!"

He caught up the dressed fish and bent over a fresh barrel; his voice
sounded muffled and hollow to Judith.

"Knew there weren't no time to spare--nobody hereabouts to help
out--went at it myself all flyin',--been down here since seven
o'clock."

"Oh, Jemmy!" Judith trembled. The throb in her throat hurt her. "What
time is it now?" she asked.

A grunt issued from the barrel depths. "Time! Ain't any time now! I
told you we'd got to fly!"

It was almost twelve. They worked on, for the most part silently,
until daylight began to redden the east. One barrel after another was
headed up by Jemmy Three's tireless hands. Judith counted barrels
mechanically as she toiled.

"Four!" she cried. Then, "Five!" "Six!"

"There'll be a good eight--you see," Jem Three said, rolling a new one
into position. "You'll get a good fifty dollars, Jude; see if you
don't! How's that for one haul? Ain't any other girl could 'a' done
it!"

"Oh, don't!" sobbed Judith suddenly. She let a little silver fellow
slip to the ground, half-dressed, and went over to Jemmy Three.

"Don't say another word--don't dress another fish--don't move till I
tell you!" she cried. "I cant't stand it another minute! I--I thought
you helped yourself to my lobsters--I _thought_ I thought it. And
you've been here all night working for me--"

"Oh!" cried Jemmy Three softly. But he did not stop working.

"I thought that was why there were only three yesterday--I thought
there'd have been fifty to-day," ran on Judith. The new daylight
lighted her ashamed face redly