While she was speaking, her brother came quietly into the room with an
open book in his hands, and Marche, glancing at it curiously, saw that
it was a Latin grammar.
"Where do you go to school, Jim?" he asked.
"Father teaches me."
Marche, rather astonished at the calibre of his superintendent,
glanced from the boy to his sister in silence. The girl's head
remained steadily lowered over the papers on her knee, but he saw her
foot swinging in nervous rhythm, and he was conscious of her silent
impatience at something or other, perhaps at the interruption in their
business discussion.
"Well," he said pleasantly, "what comes next, Miss Herold?"
She handed him a list of the decoys. He read it gravely, nodded, and
returned it.
"You may count them for yourself to-morrow," she said.
"Not at all. I trust you entirely," he replied laughingly.
Then they went over the remaining matters, the condition of the pine
timber, the repairs to the boats and blinds and stools, items for snaps,
swivels, paint, cement, wire, none of which interested Marche as much as
the silent boy reading his Latin grammar by the smoky lamp interested
him, or the boy's sister bending over the papers on her knee, pencil
poised in her pretty, weather-roughened hand.
"I sent the shells from New York by express," he said. "Did they
arrive?"
"I left two hundred in your room," said the boy, looking up.
"Oh, thank you, Jim." And, turning to his sister, who had raised her
head, inquiringly, "I suppose somebody will call me at the screech of
dawn, won't they?"
"Do you know the new law?" she asked.
"No. I don't like laws, anyway," he said smilingly.
She smiled, too, gathering up her papers preparatory to departure.
"Nobody is allowed," she said, "to put off from shore until the sun is
above the horizon line. And the wardens are very strict." Then she rose.
"Will you excuse me? I have the dishes to do."
The boy laid aside his book and stood up, but his sister said: "Stay and study, Jim. I don't need any help."
And Jim resumed his seat with heightened color. A moment later, however,
he went out to the kitchen.
"Look here, Molly," he said, "wha'd' you want to give me away for?
He'll think I'm a sissy, helping you do dishes and things."
"My dear, my dear!" she exclaimed contritely, "I didn't think of it.
Please forgive me, Jim. Anyway, you don't really care what this man
thinks about any of us----"