r; and, on the other hand, I should think
you would wish she would never speak to you."

"Well," said her husband, "that feeling did grow upon me somewhat this
afternoon. Up to a certain point she is amusing."

Here he was interrupted by Mrs. Perkenpine, who planted herself before
him.

"I s'pose you think I didn't do right," she said, "'cause, when that big
bundle came it had your name on it; but I knew it was clothes, and that
they was for that man in our camp, and so I took them to him myself. I
heard Phil say that the sooner that man was up and dressed, the better it
would be for all parties; and as Martin had gone off, and there wasn't
nobody to take his clothes to him, I took them to him, and that's the long
and short of it."

"I wondered how he got them," said Mr. Archibald, "but I am glad you
carried them to him." Then, speaking to his wife, he added, "It may be a
good thing that I gave him a chance to assert his individuality."

CHAPTER XVII

MRS. PERKENPINE ASSERTS HER INDIVIDUALITY

About half an hour after the beginning of the conversation between the
bishop and Miss Corona, Mrs. Perkenpine came to the latter and informed
her that supper was ready, and three times after that first announcement
did she repeat the information. At last the bishop rose and said he would
not keep Miss Raybold from her meal.

"Will you not join us?" she asked. "I shall be glad to have you do so."

The bishop hesitated for a moment, and then he accompanied Corona.

As Mrs. Perkenpine turned from the camp cooking-stove, a long-handled pan,
well filled with slices of hot meat, in her hand, she stood for a moment
amazed. Slowly approaching the little table outside of the tent were the
bishop and Miss Raybold, and glancing beyond them towards the lake, she
saw Clyde and Raybold, to whom she had yelled that supper was ready, the
one with his arms folded, gazing out over the water, and the other
strolling backward and forward, as if he had thought of going to his
supper, but had not quite made up his mind to it.

Mrs. Perkenpine's face grew red. "They are waitin' for a chance to speak
to that Archibald gal," she thought. "Well, let them wait. And she's
bringing him! She needn't s'pose I don't know him. I've seen him splittin'
wood at Sadler's, and I don't cook for sech." So saying, she strode to
some bushes a little back of the stove, and dashed the panful of meat
behind them. Then she returned, and seizing the steami