much relieved at his safearrival.
"Sakes alive!" she exclaimed, as she met him at the back door. "Where inthe world have you been, Mr. Ellery? Soakin' wet again, too!"
Ellery replied that he had been for a walk out to the bar. He sat downon the step to remove the borrowed boots. A small rivulet of salt waterpoured from each as he pulled them off.
"For a walk! A swim, you mean. How could you get in up to your waist ifyou just walked? Did you fall down?"
"No, not exactly. But I waited too long and the tide headed me off."
"Mercy on us! you mustn't take chances on that tide. If you'd told meyou was goin', I'd have warned you to hurry back."
"Oh, I've been warned often enough. It was my own fault, as usual. I'mnot sure that I don't need a guardian."
"Humph! well, I ain't sure either. Was the channels very deep?"
"Deep enough. The fact is, that I might have got into serious trouble ifI hadn't been picked up."
He told briefly the story of his morning's adventure. The housekeeperlistened with growing excitement.
"Heavens to Betsy!" she interrupted. "Was the channel you planned toswim the one at the end of the flat by the longest weir leader?"
"Yes."
"My soul! there's been two men drowned in that very place at half tide.And they were good swimmers. After this I shan't dare let you out of mysight."
"So? Was it as risky as that? Why, Captain Hammond didn't tell me so. Imust owe him more even than I thought."
"Yes, I guess you do. He wouldn't tell you, though; that ain't his way.Deary me! for what we've received let us be thankful. And that remindsme that biscuits ought to be et when they're first made, not afterthey've been dried up on the back of the stove forever and ever amen.Go on and change those wet things of yours and then we'll eat. Tryin' toswim the main channel on the flood! My soul and body!"
"Captain Nat sent his regards to you, Mrs. Coffin," said the minister,moving toward the stairs.
"Did, hey?" was the housekeeper's reply. "Want to know!"
CHAPTER VIII
IN WHICH THE PARSON AND MR. PEPPER DECLARE THEIR INDEPENDENCE
That afternoon, when dinner was over, the Reverend John decided to makea few duty calls. The first of these he determined should be on thePeppers. Lavinia and her brother had called at the Parsonage severaltimes, but as yet he had not paid them a visit. It was not a ceremonyto which he looked forward with delight, but it must be performed.Miss Pepper had hinted several times, at sewing circle and after prayermeeting, of "partiality" and "only stoppin' in where they had fancycurtains up to the windows." So, as it could not be put off longer,without causing trouble, he determined to go through with it.
The Pepper house was situated just off the main road on the lane leadingover the dunes to the ocean and the light. It was a small building, itswhite paint dingy and storm beaten, and its little fenced-in frontyard dotted thickly with clumps of silver-leaf saplings. A sign, nailedcrookedly on a post, informed those seeking such information that withinwas to be found "Abishai G. W. Pepper, Tax Collector, Assessor, Bootsand Shoes Repaired." And beneath this was fastened a shingle with thechalked notice, "Salt Hay for sale."
The boot and shoe portion of the first sign was a relic of other days.Kyan had been a cobbler once, but it is discouraging to wait threeor four weeks while the pair of boots one has left to be resoled areforgotten in a corner. Captain Zeb Mayo's pointed comment, "I want myshoe leather to wear while I'm alive, not to be laid out in after I dieof old age," expressed the general feeling of the village and explainedwhy custom had left Mr. Pepper and flown to the more enterprisingshoemaker at "The Corners." The tax collectorship might have followedit, but here Lavinia kept her brother up to the mark. She went withhim on his rounds and it gave her opportunity to visit, and afterwardscomment upon, every family in town.
The minister walked up the dusty lane, lifted the Pepper gate and swungit back on its one hinge, shooed away the three or four languid anddiscouraged-looking fowls that were taking a sun bath on the clam-shellwalk, and knocked at the front door. No one coming in answer to theknock, he tried again. Then he discovered a rusty bell pull and gave ita sharp tug. The knob came off in his hand and he hurriedly thrust itback again into its place. Evidently, that bell was solely for ornament.
He came to the conclusion that no one was at home and felt a guiltysense of relief in consequence. But his conscience would not let himdepart without another try, so he clenched his fist and gave the crackeddoor panel a series of tremendous thumps. A thin black cat, which hadevidently been asleep beneath the step, burst from its concealment andfled in frantic terror. Then from somewhere in the rear of the housecame the sound of a human voice.
"Hi!" it called faintly. "Whoever you be, don't bust that door down.Come round here."
Ellery walked around the corner of the building. The voice came again.
"Say!" it wailed, "why don't you answer? Be you comin'? If you're apeddler, you needn't."
"I'm not a peddler," was the minister's amused reply.
"Oh, ain't ye? All right. Come along, then."
Ellery "came along" as far as the angle where the ell joined the mainbody of the house. So far as he could see every door and window wasclosed and there were no signs of life. However, he stepped to the door,a green-painted affair of boards, and ventured another knock.
"Don't start that poundin' again!" protested the voice. "Come round tot'other side where I be."
So around went the Reverend John, smiling broadly. But even on "t'otherside" there was no one to be seen. And no door, for that matter.
"Why!" exclaimed the voice, "if 'tain't Mr. Ellery! How d'ye do? Glad tosee you, Mr. Ellery. Fine day, ain't it? Here I be at this window."
Sure enough; one of the windows on this side of the house was raisedabout six inches at the bottom, the shade was up, and peering beneaththe sash the minister discerned the expressive features of AbishaiPepper--or as much of those features as the size of the openingpermitted to be seen.
"Oh!" exclaimed the visitor, "is that you, Mr. Pepper? Well, I'm glad tosee you, at last. You are rather hard to see, even now."
Kyan was plainly embarrassed. He stammered as he answered.
"Yes," he agreed, "I--I shouldn't wonder if I be. How be you? Prettysmart?"
"Yes, thank you. I'm well."
"Er--er--come to call, did you?"
"Why, yes, that was my intention."
"Hum! Er--er--Laviny, she's gone over to Thankful Payne's. She heardthat Thankful's cousin up to Middleboro had died--passed away, Imean--and she thought she'd run over and find out if Thankful was willedanything. She said she'd be back pretty soon."
"Very well. Then, as she won't be gone long, perhaps I'll come in andwait."
He was moving away toward the corner when a shout from beneath thewindow sash brought him to a halt.
"Hi!" called Abishai. "Hi, Mr. Ellery! don't go to that door. 'Tain't nouse; it's locked."
"Locked? Well, you can unlock it, can't you?"
"No, not very well. That is, I--Mr. Ellery, come back here, won't ye? Idon't want anybody to hear."
The house of the nearest neighbor being several hundred yards away,the likelihood of being overheard was improbable; but the minister cameback, nevertheless.
"You see, Mr. Ellery," stammered Kyan, "I--I'd like to have you come infust rate, but--er--Laviny she's got the key."
Ellery was surprised.
"She has!" he exclaimed.
"Um--hm, she's got it. She took it with her."
"But there are other doors. She didn't take them all, did she?"
"No--o, but--Well, the fact is, Mr. Ellery, I--I--I'm locked in."
"Locked in?"
"Yes, locked in this room. She--she--Oh, consarn it all, Mr. Ellery,she's locked me in this room a-purpose, so's I won't get out and gosomewheres without her knowin' it."
"What?"
"Um--h'm; that's what she's done. Did you ever hear of anything likethat in your born days?"
This surprising disclosure was funny enough, but the tone of grievedindignation in which Mr. Pepper told of his imprisonment was funnierstill. The minister coughed violently and looked the other way.
"She done it a-purpose," continued Kyan, in a burst of confidence. "Shehad me put one of them new-fangled spring locks on the door of this roomt'other day,
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