efore I came, you know. Ruth has
a little money of her own, enough to keep her and Barbara in the
way they live here in Orham. She couldn't support me as a loafer,
of course, and you can bet I should never let her try, but she
could get on quite well without me. . . . Besides, I am not so
sure that . . ."

"Eh? What was you goin' to say, Charlie?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. I have had a feeling, a slight suspicion,
recently, that-- But never mind that; I have no right to even hint
at such a thing. What are you trying to get at, Jed?"

"Get at?"

"Yes. Why did you ask that question about Ruth and Barbara? You
don't mean that you see a way out for me, do you?"

"W-e-e-ll, I . . . er . . . I don't cal'late I'd want to go so far
as to say that, hardly. No-o, I don't know's it's a way out--
quite. But, as I've told you I've been thinkin' about you and Maud
a pretty good deal lately and . . . er . . . hum . . ."

"For heaven's sake, hurry up! Don't go to sleep now, man, of all
times. Tell me, what do you mean? What can I do?"

Jed's foot dropped to the floor. He sat erect and regarded his
companion intently over his spectacles. His face was very grave.

"There's one thing you can do, Charlie," he said.

"What is it? Tell me, quick."

"Just a minute. Doin' it won't mean necessarily that you're out of
your worries and troubles. It won't mean that you mustn't make a
clean breast of everything to Maud and to Sam. That you must do
and I know, from what you've said to me, that you feel you must.
And it won't mean that your doin' this thing will necessarily make
either Maud or Sam say yes to the question you want to ask 'em.
That question they'll answer themselves, of course. But, as I see
it, if you do this thing you'll be free and independent, a man
doin' a man's job and ready to speak to Sam Hunniwell or anybody
else LIKE a man. And that's somethin'."

"Something! By George, it's everything! What is this man's job?
Tell me, quick."

And Jed told him.

CHAPTER XX

Mr. Gabe Bearse lost another opportunity the next morning. The
late bird misses the early worm and, as Gabriel was still slumbering
peacefully at six A. M., he missed seeing Ruth Armstrong and her
brother emerge from the door of the Winslow house at that hour
and walk to the gate together. Charles was carrying a small
traveling bag. Ruth's face was white and her eyes were suspiciously
damp, but she was evidently trying hard