hird set reasoned differently from both the foregoing. The "Gar'ners"
were a better family than the Pratts, and the deacon being so "well to
do," it was believed by these persons that he was disposed to unite money
with name, and thus give to his family consideration, from a source that
was somewhat novel in its history. This class of reasoners was quite
small, however, and mainly consisted of those who had rarely been off of
Oyster Pond, and who passed their days with "Gar'ner's Island" directly
before their eyes. A few of the gossips of this class pretended to say
that their own young sailor stood next in succession after the immediate
family actually in possession should run out, of which there was then some
prospect; and that the deacon, sly fellow, knew all about it! For this
surmise, to prevent useless expectations in the reader, it may be well to
say at once, there was no foundation whatever, Roswell's connection with
the owner of the island being much too remote to give him any chance of
succeeding to that estate, or to anything else that belonged to him.

There was a fourth and last set, among those who speculated on the
deacon's favour towards "young Gar'ner," and these were they who fancied
that the old man had opened his heart towards the young couple, and was
disposed to render a deserving youth and a beloved niece happy. This was
the smallest class of all; and, what is a little remarkable, it contained
only the most reckless and least virtuous of all those who dwelt on Oyster
Pond. The parson of the parish, or the Pastor as he was usually termed,
belonged to the second category, that good man being firmly impressed that
most, if not all of Deacon Pratt's worldly effects would eventually go to
help propagate the gospel.

Such was the state of things when the deacon returned from meeting, as
related in the opening chapter. At his niece's suggestion of sending to
the Harbour for Dr. Sage, he had demurred, not only on account of the
expense, but for a still more cogent reason. To tell the truth, he was
exceedingly distrustful of any one's being admitted to a communication
with Daggett, who had revealed to him matters that he deemed to be of
great importance, but who still retained the key to his most material
mystery. Nevertheless, decency, to say nothing of the influence of what
"folks would say," the Archimedean lever of all society of puritanical
origin, exhorted him to consent to his niece's proposal.

"I