k, tell 'em you guess he's right around somewheres. You two git to
work ag'in. I'll let you know if I want you."

The pair took up their buckets, and the Captain walked on from group to
group, looking carefully at each person. The Reverend Perley and some
of his flock were standing by themselves on a neighboring stoop, and to
them the searcher turned eagerly.

"Why, Cap'n Eri!" exclaimed Miss Busteed, the first to identify him,
"how you've worked! You must be tired pretty nigh to death. Ain't it
awful! But it's the Lord's doin's; I'm jest as sure of that as I can be,
and I says so to Mr. Perley. Didn't I, Mr. Perley? I says--"

"Lookin' for anybody, Cap'n?" interrupted the reverend gentleman.

"No," lied the Captain calmly, "jest walkin' around to git cooled off a
little. Good-night."

There was the most likely place, and John Baxter was not there.
Certainly every citizen in Orham, who was able to crawl, would be out
this night, and if the old puritan hermit of the big house was not
present to exult over the downfall of the wicked, it would be because
he was ill or because--The Captain didn't like to think of the other
reason.

Mrs. "Web" Saunders, quietly weeping, was seated on a knoll near the
pump. Three of the Saunders' hopefuls, also weeping, but not quietly,
were seated beside her. Another, the youngest of the family, was being
rocked soothingly in the arms of a stout female, who was singing to it
as placidly as though fires were an every day, or night, occurrence. The
Captain peered down, and the stout woman looked up.

"Why, Mrs. Snow!" exclaimed Captain Eri.

The lady from Nantucket made no immediate reply. She rose, however,
shook down the black "alpaca" skirt, which had been folded up to keep
it out of the dew, and, still humming softly to the child, walked off a
little way, motioning with her head for the Captain to follow. When
she had reached a spot sufficiently remote from Mrs. Saunders, she
whispered:

"How d'ye do, Cap'n Hedge? I guess the wust is over now, isn't it? I saw
you workin' with them ropes; you must be awful tired."

"How long have you been here?" asked the Captain somewhat astonished at
her calmness.

"Oh, I come right down as soon as I heard the bell. I'm kind of used to
fires. My husband's schooner got afire twice while I was with him. He
used to run a coal vessel, you know. I got right up and packed my bag,
'cause I didn't know how the fire might spread. You never can tell in