ore than daylight clearness, and Mabel's
mouth fairly watered for these translucent grapes.

"That bunch? Of course you shall have it!" cried Monty, springing up
and standing on tiptoe to reach what either Jim or Herbert could have
plucked with ease.

Alas! His efforts but hindered himself. The vine was only loosely
twined around the upright and, as he grasped it, swung lightly about
and the cluster he sought was forced to the inner side of the post,
even higher than it had hung before.

"Huh! That's what my father would call 'the aggravation of inanimate
things'! Those grapes knew that you wanted them, that I wanted to get
them for you, and see how they act? But I'll have them yet. Don't
fear. That old fellow I camped-out with this last summer told me it
was a coward who ever gave up 'discouraged.' I'll have that bunch of
grapes--or I'll know the reason why! I almost reached them that time!"
cried the struggler, proudly, and leaped again.

By this time all the company was watching his efforts, the lads
offering jeering suggestions about "sheets of paper to stand on," and
Danny Smith even inquiring if the other was "practising for a climb on
a greased pole, come next Fourth."

Even the girls laughed over Monty's ludicrous attempts, though Mabel
entreated him to give up and let somebody else try.

"I--I rather guess not! When I set out to serve a lady I do it or die
in the attempt!" returned the perspiring lad, vigorously waving aside
the proffered help of his taller mates. "I--I--My heart! Oh! Jiminy!
I--I'm stuck!"

He was. One of the newly set uprights had slipped a little and again
wedged itself fast; and between this and its neighbor, unfortunate
Montmorency hung suspended, the upper half of his body forced inward
over the empty "bay" and his fat legs left to wave wildly about in
their effort to find a resting place. To add to his predicament, a
scream of uncontrollable laughter rose from all the observers, even
Mabel, in whose sake he so gallantly suffered, adding her shrill
cackle to the others.

All but the Master. Only the fleetest smile crossed his face, then it
grew instantly grave as he said:

"We've tried our hand at riddles but here's another, harder than any
of the others. Monty is in a fix--how shall we get him out?"

CHAPTER VI

A MORNING CALL

So ended the first "Day" of Dorothy's famous "Week."

At sight of the gravity that had fallen upon Seth Winter's face her
own sobered, t