cle, I should say--doing? Actually dressed in
oil-clothes and cleaning fish! Think of it! P. Whittington, the one and
only! Wouldn't his friends along Fifth Avenue like to see him in that
rig! Honest, Perce, if I wanted to bury myself, I'd pick a cemetery
where the occupants didn't have to perform so much bone labor. I'd
rather face the firing-squad than do what you were doing this
afternoon."

"Guess you're telling the truth, Chauncey," retorted Percy.

"Come down below and let's have a drink all round!"

"Not unless it's Poland water," said Percy, firmly. "The one drawback
about this island is that the only spring's brackish. If you've any good
bottled water I'll be glad to drink with you, but nothing stronger."

"Just listen to that, fellows! Well, have your own way, Perce! We've a
dozen carboys of spring water aboard, and you can drink 'em all if you
want to. Try these cigarettes!"

"Swore off over a month ago."

"No! Shouldn't think you'd find life worth living. What do you have for
amusement?"

"We're too busy to need any," replied Percy, truthfully.

Pike looked serious. Removing Percy's cap, he tapped his head with the
tips of his fingers.

"There's some trouble inside," he said at last, "but I can't quite make
out what it is. I think we'll have to take him up to the city to consult
some prominent alienist, as the newspapers would say. But first he's
going east in the _Arethusa_ with Doctor Pike. Come on, Perce! Put off
the sackcloth and ashes, or rather the oilskins and fish-scales, and
travel with us for a while. We're all artists aboard, but we paint in
only one color, and that's a deep, rich red! We're going to spread it
over Castine and Bar Harbor and Campobello, and we want your esteemed
assistance. Do we have it?"

Percy shook his head.

"You do not," he declined. "I'm booked for college in the fall, and I'm
studying to make up my conditions."

Pike looked sadly round at the others.

"And so young!" he lamented. "I presume your friends ashore share your
sentiments, and we'll have to take 'em into consideration in planning
for that dinner to-night. Wouldn't have any scruples, would you, about
beginning with a clear soup, then tackling a juicy beef roast with all
the fixings, and winding up with lemon pie and ice-cream?"

"Lead me to it," grinned Percy. "Well, fellows, I'm mighty glad to see
you, even if we don't agree on all points. Now I've an engagement ashore
for a half-hour or so, and