"Justaminute，"saidtheyoungman。"Waitjustaminute。Atkins，supposeIaskedyouanotherquestion——wouldyoubecomeviolentatonce？ormerelybydegrees？"
Sethfrowned。Thesuspiciouslookreturnedtohisface。
"Humph！"hegrunted。"Dependedonwhatyouaskedme，maybe。"
"Yes。Well，thisoneisharmless——atleast，Ihopeitis。I
thoughttheotherwas，also，butI……There！there！becalm。
Sitdownagainandlisten。Thisquestionisnothinglikethat。
It’saboutthatassistantofyours，thechapwholeftadayortwobeforeIdriftedin。Whatwerehisduties？Whatdidhehavetodowhenhewashere？"
"Wa-al，"drawledSethwithsarcasm，resuminghisseatonthebench；
"hewasSUPPOSEDtodoconsider’blemanythings。Standwatchandwatchwithme，andscrubbrassandcleanuparound，andsweepandwashdishesand——and——well，makehimselfgen’rallyuseful。Themwasthedutieshewassupposedtohave。Whathedonewasdiff’rent。
Peskyloafer！Why？"
"That’swhatI’mgoingtotellyou。Havetheyappointedhissuccessoryet？Haveyougotanyonetotakehisplace？"
"No。Factis，I’doughttohavetelegraphedrightofftotheBoard，butIain’t。IwassogladtoseethelastofhimthatIkeptputtin’itoff。I’lldoittomorrer。"
"Perhapsyouwon’tneedto。"
"CourseI’llneedto！Whynot？Gottohavesomebodytohelp。
That’srulesandregulations；and，besides，Ican’tkeepawakedayandnight，too。WhatmakesyouthinkIwon’tneedto？"
Theyoungmanknockedtheashesfromhispipe。Rising，helaidahandonhiscompanion’sshoulder。
"Becauseyou’vegotanassistantrighthereonthepremises，"hesaid。"DeliveredbytheAtlanticexpressrightatyourdoor。Farbeitfrommetotootmyhorn，Mr。Atkins，ortoproclaimmymeritsfromthehousetops。But，speakingasonediscerningpersontoanother，whenitcomestoanA1，firstchoplightkeeper’sassistant，Iask：’What’sthematterwithyourstruly，JohnBrown？’"
Seth’sreplywasnotinwords。Thehandholdinghispipefelllimpuponhislap，andhestaredatthespeaker。Thelatter，entirelyunabashed，wavedanairygesture，andcontinued。
"Irepeat，"hesaid，"’What’sthematterwithJohnBrown？’Andechoanswers，’He’sallright！’IamacandidateforthepositionofassistantkeeperatEastboroTwin-Lights。"
"YOU？"
"Me。"
"But——but——aw，goon！You’refoolin’。"
"Notafool。Imeanit。Iamhere。I’mgreen，butinthesunshineofyourexperienceIagreetoripenrapidly。Icanwashdishes——
you’veseenme。IbelieveIcouldscrubbrassandsweep。"
"Youwantin’tobeassistantataplacelikethis！YOU！anedicated，ableyoungchap，that’sbeenusedtovaletsandservantsand——"
"Whydoyousaythat？HowdoyouknowI’vebeenusedtothosethings？"
"’Cause，asIhintedtoyouaspellago，Iain’taltogetheradumfool。Icanputtwoandtwotogetherandmakefour，withouthavingtheexampledoneformeonablackboard。You’rearichman’sson；
you’vebeenusedtosassietyandcitywaysandgoodclothes。YOU
wantin’toputinyourdaysandnightsinaforsakenholelikethis！
Nonsense！Getout！"
ButMr。Brownrefusedtogetout。
"Nononsenseaboutit，"hedeclared。"ItisthehandofFate。WiththewholebroadsideofCapeCodtolandupon，whywasIwashedashorejustatthisparticularspot？Answer：——Becauseatthisspot，atthistime，EastboroTwin-Lightsneededanassistantkeeper。I
likethespot。Itisbeautiful。’Farfromthemaddingcrowd’signoblestrife。’Withyourpermission，I’llstayhere。Theleopardmayormaynotchangehisspots，butIsha’n’t。IlikethisoneandhereIstay。Yes，Imeanit。Istay——asyourassistant。Come，whatdoyousay？Isitago？"
Thelightkeeperroseoncemore。"I’mgoin’onwatch，"hesaidwithdecision。"Youturnin。You’llfeelbetterinthemornin’。"
Hestartedtowardsthetower。ButJohnBrownsprangfromthebenchandfollowedhim。
"Notuntilyou’veansweredmyquestion，"hedeclared。"AMItobeyourassistant？"
"No，courseyouain’t。It’sdumfoolishness。Besides，Iain’tgotthesay；thegovernmenthiresitsownkeepers。"
"Butyoucansquarethegovernment。Thatwillbeeasy。Why，"withamodestgesture，"lookwhatthegovernmentisgetting。Itwilljumpatthechance。Atkins，youmustsayyes。"
"Isha’n’t，neither。Letgoofmyarm。It’sblamefoolishness，I
tellyou。Why，"impatiently，"courseit’sfoolishness！Idon’tknowthefirstthingaboutyou。"
"Whatofit？Idon’tknowanythingaboutyou，either。"
Againthelightkeeperseemedunaccountablyagitated。Hestoppedinhisstrideandwhirledtofacehiscompanion。
"Whatdoyoumeanbythat？"hedemandedfiercely。Beforetheyoungmancouldreply，heturnedagain，strodetothedoorofthelight，flungitopen，anddisappearedwithin。Thedoorclosedbehindhimwithathunderousbang。
JohnBrowngazedafterhiminbewilderment。Thenheshruggedhisshouldersandreturnedtothebench。
Thesurfatthefootofthebluffgrumbledandchuckledwickedly，asifitknewallofpoorhumanity’ssecretsandfoundacynic’senjoymentintheknowledge。
CHAPTERIV
THECOMINGOFJOB
ThenextmorningSethwasgloomyanduncommunicative。Atthebreakfasttable，whenBrownglancedupfromhisplate，heseveraltimescaughtthelightkeeperlookingintentlyathimwiththedistrustful，half-suspiciousgazeofthenightbefore。Thoughquiteawareofthisscrutiny，hemadenocommentuponituntilthemealwasnearlyover；thenheobservedsuddenly：
"It’sallright；youneedn’t。"
"Needn’twhat？"demandedAtkins，inastonishment。
"Lookatmeasifyouexpectedmetoexplodeatanyminute。I
sha’n’t。I’mnotloaded。"
Sethcolored，underhiscoatofsunburn，andseemedembarrassed。
"Idon’tknowwhatyou’retalkin’about，"hestammered。"HavethemoskeetersaffectedYOURbrains？"
"No。Mybrains，suchastheyare，areallright，andIwanttokeepthemso。That’swhyIrequestyounottolookatmeinthatway。"
"HowwasIlookin’atyou？Idon’tknowwhatyoumean。"
"Yes，youdo。YouarewonderinghowmuchIknow。Idon’tknowanythingandI’mnotcurious。That’sthetruth。Nowwhynotletitgoatthat？"
"Seehere，youngfeller，I——"
"No；youseehere。I’mnotanOldSleuth；Ihaven’tanyambitionsthatway。Idon’tknowanythingaboutyou——whatyou’vebeen，whatyou’vedone——"
"Done！"Sethleanedacrossthetablesosuddenlythatheupsethischair。"Done？"hecried；"whatdoyoumeanbythat？WhosaidI’ddoneanything？It’salie。"
"Whatisalie？"
"Why——why——er——whatevertheysaid！"
"Whosaid？"
"Why，theonesthat——thatsaidwhatyousaidtheysaid。"
"Ididn’tsayanyonehadsaidanything。"
"Thenwhatdoyoumeanby——byhintin’？Hey？Whatdoyoumeanbyit？"
Hebrandishedaclenchedfistoverthebreakfastdishes。Brownleanedbackinhischairandclosedhiseyes。
"Callmewhenthepatientrecovershissenses，"hedrawledwearily。
"Thisdeliriumispainfultoasensitivenature。"
Atkins’sfistwaveredinmid-air，opened，andwasdrawnacrossitsowner’sforehead。
"Well，byjiminy！"exclaimedthelightkeeperwithemphasis，"thisis——is——……IguessIBEcrazy。IfIain’t，youare。Wouldyoumindtellin’mewhatintimeyoumeanbyTHAT？"
"Itisnotthemosquitoes，"continuedhiscompanion，inapparentsoliloquy；"therearenomosquitoesatpresent。Itmustbetheotherthing，ofcourse。Butsoearlyinthemorning，andsoviolent。Alcoholis——"
"SHUTUP！"Itwasnotarequest，butanorder。Brownopenedhiseyes。
"Youwereaddressingme？"heasked，blandly。"Yes？"
"Addressin’you！Forthundersakes，whoelsewouldIbead——……
There！there！NowIcal’lateyou’rehintin’thatI’mdrunk。I
ain’t。"
"Indeed？"
"Yes，indeed。AndIain’toutofmyhead——notyet；thoughkeepin’
companywithaBedlamitemayhavesomeeffect，Ishouldn’twonder。
Mr。JohnBrown——ifthat’syourname，whichIdoubt——youlistentome。"
"Verywell，Mr。SethAtkins——ifthatisyourname，whichIneitherdoubtnorbelieve，notbeingparticularlyinterested——I’mlistening。
Proceed。"
"Youtoldmelastnightthatyouwantedthejobofassistantkeeperhereattheselights。Courseyoudidn’tmeanit。"
"Idid。"
"YouDID！……Well，YOUmustbedrunkorloony。"
"I’mneither。AndImeantit。Iwantthejob。"
Sethlookedathim，andhelookedatSeth。Atlengththelightkeeperspokeagain。
"Well，"hesaid，slowly，"Idon’tunderstanditatall，butnevermind。Whateverhappens，we’vegottounderstandeachother。MindI
don’tsaythejob’syours，evenifwedo；butwecan’teventhinkofitunlessweunderstandeachotherplain。Tobeginwith，IwanttotellyouthatIain’tdonenothin’that’scrooked，norwicked，nornothin’butwhatIthinkisrightandwhatI’ddooveragain。Doyoubelievethat？"
"Certainly。AsItoldyou，I’mnotinterested，butI’llbelieveitwithpleasureifyouwishmeto。"
"Idon’twishnothin’。You’veGOTtobelieveit。Andwhetheryoustayheretenminutesortenyearsyou’vegottomindyourownbusiness。Iwon’thaveanyhintsorquestionsaboutme——fromyounornobodyelse。’Mindyourownbusiness，’that’sthemottoofEastboroTwin-Lights，whileI’mbossof’em。Ifyoudon’tlikeit——
well，thevillageisonlyfivemileoff，andI’llp’intouttheroadtoyou。"
Hedeliveredthisultimatumwithextraordinaryenergy。Thenhereachedforhisoverturnedchair，setitonitslegs，andthrewhimselfintoit。"Well，"hedemanded，afteramoment；"whatdoyousaytothat？"
"Hurrah！"repliedMr。Browncheerfully。
"Hurrah？Forthelandsakes！……Say，CAN’Tyoutalksensible，ifyoutryrealhardandsetyourmindtoit？Whatistheretohurrahabout？"
"Everything。Thewholesituation。Atkins，"Brownleanedforwardnowandspokewithearnestness，"Ilikeyourmotto。Itsuitsme。
’Mindyourownbusiness’suitsmedowntotheground。ItprovesthatyouandIweremadetoworktogetherinaplacejustlikethis。"
"Does，hey？Iwanttoknow！"
"Youdoknow。Why，justthink：eachofushaspleaded’notguilty。’
We’vedonenothing——we’reentirelyinnocent——andwewanttoforgetit。Iagreenottoaskyouhowoldyouare，norwhyyouwearyourbrandofwhiskers，norhowyoulikethem，nor——noranything。I
agreenottoaskquestionsatall。"
"Humph！butyouaskedsomelastnight。"
"Purelybyaccident。Youdidn’tanswerthem。Youaskedmesome，also，ifyouwillremember，andIdidn’tanswerthem，either。Good！
Weforgeteverythingandagreenottodoitagain。"
"Ugh！ItellyouIain’tdonenothin’。"
"Iknow。NeitherhaveI。Letthedeadpastbeitsownundertaker，sofarasweareconcerned。I’mhonest，Atkins，andtolerablystraight。Ibelieveyouare；Ireallydo。Butwedon’tcaretotalkaboutourselves，that’sall。And，fortunately，kindProvidencehasbroughtustogetherinaplacewherethere’snooneelseTO
talk。Ilikeyou，Icredityouwithgoodtaste；therefore，youmustlikeme。"
"Hey？Ho，ho！"Sethlaughed，inspiteofhimself。"Youngman，"heobserved，"youain’tcultivatedyourmodestyunderglass，haveyou？"
Brownsmiled。"Jokingaside，"hesaid，"Idon’tseewhyI
shouldn’t，intime，makeanidealassistantlightkeeper。Givemeatrial，atanyrate。Ineedanemployer；youneedahelper。Herewebothare。Come；itisabargain，isn’tit？Anybrasstobescrubbed——boss？"
Ofcourse，hadEastboroTwin-Lightsbeenanimportantstation，thepossibilityofJohnBrown’sremainingtherewouldhavebeennonexistent。Ifithadbeenwinter，orevenearlyspringorfall，aregularassistantwouldhavebeenappointedatonce，andthecastawaygivenhiswalkingpapers。IfSethAtkinshadnotbeenSethAtkins，particularfriendofthedistrictsuperintendent，mattersmighthavebeendifferent。ButtheEastborolightswereunimportant，merelyahalf-waymarkbetweenOrhamontheonehandandthepowerfulSeaboardHeightsbeaconontheother。Itwasthebeginningofsummer，whenwrecksalmostneveroccurred。AndthesuperintendentlikedSeth，andSethlikedhim。So，althoughMr。
Atkinsstillscoffedathisguest’sbecomingapermanentfixtureatthelights，andmerelyconsented，aftermoreparley，toseeifhecouldn’tarrangeforhimto"hangaroundandhelpaspelluntilsomebodyelsewassent，"theconversationwiththesuperintendentoverthelongdistance’phoneresultedmorefavorablyforBrownthanthatnonchalantyounggentlemanhadareasonablerighttoexpect。
"TheLordknowswhoIcansendyounow，Atkins！"saidthesuperintendent。"Ican’tthinkofamananywherethatcanbespared。Ifyoucangetonforadayortwolonger，I’lltrytogetahelperdown！butwherehe’scomingfromIdon’tsee。"
ThenSethsprungthenewsthathehada"sortofhelper"already。
"He’salikelyyoungchapenough，"admittedthelightkeeper，whisperingthewordsintothetransmitter，inorderthatthe"likelyyoungchap"mightnothear；"buthe’spurtygreenyet。Hewantsthereg’larjoband，givemetimeenough，Ical’lateIcanbreakhimin。
Yes，I’mprettysureIcan。Andit’stheoffseason，sotherereallyain’tnodanger。Inamonthhe’dbedoin’fust-rate。"
"Whoishe？Wheredidhecomefrom？"askedthesuperintendent。
"Name’sBrown。Hecomefrom——fromoffhereaways，"wasthestrictlytruthfulanswer。"Heusedtobeonasteamboat。"
"Allright。Ifyou’lltakeashareoftheresponsibility，I’lltaketherest。And，assoonasIcan，I’llsendyouaregularman。"
"Ican’tpayyounosteadywages，"Sethexplainedtohisnewhelper。
"Salariescomefromthegov’ment，and，untiltheysayso，Iain’tgotnorighttodoit。AndIcan’tletyoumonkeywiththelights，excepttocleanuparoundandsuch。Ifyouwanttostayaspell，untilanassistant’sapp’inted，I’llundertaketoberesponsibleforyourkeep。Andifyouneedsomenewshoesorstockin’soracap，orthelikeofthat，I’llseeyouget’em。Further’nthatIcan’tgoyet。It’saprettypoorjobforafellowlikeyou，andifIwasyouIwouldn’ttakeit。"
"Oh，yes，youwould，"repliedBrown，withconviction。"IfyouwereI，youwouldtakeitwithbellson。Othersmayyearnforthestrenuouslife，butnotyourhumbleservant。Asforme，Istayhereand’cleanuparound。’"
Andstayhedid，performingthecleaningupandotherdutieswithunexpectedsuccessandzeal。Atkins，forthefirstdayortwo，watchedhimintently，beingstillatriflesuspiciousandfearfulofhis"substituteassistant。"Butastimepassedandthelatteraskednomorequestions，seemednotintheleastcuriousconcerninghissuperior，andremainedthesamecool，easy-going，cheerfulindividualwhomSethhadfoundasleeponthebeach，thelightkeeper’ssuspicionswereended。ItwastruethatBrownwasasmysteriousandsecretiveaseverconcerninghisownpast，butthathadbeenapartoftheirbargain。Atkins，whopridedhimselfonbeingajudgeofhumannature，decidedthathishelperwasayounggentlemanintrouble，butthatthetrouble，whateveritmightbe，involvednothingcriminalordishonest。Thathewasagentleman，hewassure——hisbearingandmannerprovedthat；buthewasagentlemanwhodidnot"putonairs。"Notthattherewasanyreasonwhyheshouldputonairs，but，sofarasthatwasconcerned，therewasnoapparentreasonforthemonumentalconceitandcondescensionofsomeoftheinflatedcityboardersinthevillage。Brownwasnotlikethosepeopleatall。
Sethhadtakenafancytohimattheirfirstmeeting。Nowhislikingsteadilyincreased。CompanionshipinalonelyspotlikeEastboroTwin-Lightsisatestofaman’stemper。Brownstoodthetestwell。Ifhemademistakesinthework——andhedidmakesomeridiculousones——hecheerfullyundidthemwhentheywerepointedouttohim。Hewas，forthemostpart，good-naturedandwillingtotalk，thoughtherewereperiodswhenheseemeddepressedandwanderedoffbyhimselfalongthebeachorsatbytheedgeofthebluff，staringouttosea。Thelightkeepermadenocommentonthistraitinhischaracter。Ithelpedtoconfirmhisownjudgmentconcerningtheyoungfellow’strouble。Peopleintroubleweresubjecttofitsofthe"blues，"andduringthesefitstheylikedtobealone。Sethknewthisfromhisownexperience。Thereweretimeswhenhe，too，soughtsolitude。
Hetrustedhishelpermoreandmore。Hedidnot，ofcourse，permithimtotakethenightwatchinthelights，buthedidtrusthimtotheextentofleavinghimaloneforawholeafternoonwhilehedrovetheoldhorse，attachedtotheantique"openwagon"——bothsteedandvehicleapartofthegovernmentproperty——overtoEastborotopurchasetobaccoandnewspapersatthestore。Onhisreturnhefoundeverythingasitshouldbe，andthistestledhimtomakeothers，eachofwhichwassuccessfulinprovingJohnBrownfaithfuloverafewthingsand，therefore，intime，tobeintrustedwithmanyandmoreimportantones。
Brown，onhispart，likedSeth。Hehadprofessedtolikehimduringtheconversationatthebreakfasttablewhichresultedinhisremainingatthelights，butthenhewasnotentirelyserious。Hewas，ofcourse，gratefulforthekindnessshownhimbytheoddlongshoremanandenjoyedthelatter’ssocietyanddrollremarksashewouldhaveenjoyedanythingoutoftheordinaryandquaintlyamusing。Butnowhereallylikedtheman。SethAtkinswasacountryman，andamarkedcontrasttoanyindividualBrownhadevermet，buthewasfarfrombeingafool。Hepossessedafundofdrycommonsense，andhiscommentsonpeopleandhappeningsintheworld——aknowledgeofwhichhederivedfromthenewspapersandmagazinesobtainedonhistripstoEastboro——wereaconstantdelight。And，morethanall，herespectedhiscompanion’sdesiretoremainamystery。BrowndecidedthatAtkinswas，ashehadjokinglycalledhim，amanwithapast。Whatthatpastmightbe，hedidnotknowortrytolearn。"Mindyourownbusiness，"SethhaddeclaredtobethemottoofEastboroTwin-Lights，andthatmottosuitedbothpartiestotheagreement。
Thelightkeeperstoodwatchinthetoweratnight。Duringmostofthedayheslept；but，afterthefirstweekwasover，andhistrustinhishelperbecamemorefirm，hedevelopedthehabitofrisingattwointheafternoon，eatingabreakfast——ordinner，orwhateverthemealmightbecalled——andwanderingoffalongthecrookedroadleadingsouthandinthedirectionofPounddugSlough。Theroad，littleusedandgrassgrown，twistedandturnedamidthedunesuntilitdisappearedinadistantgroveofscruboaksandpitchpines。
Eachafternoon——exceptonSundaysandontheoccasionsofhisexcursionstothevillage——Atkinswouldrisefromthetable，sauntertothedoortolookattheweather，andthen，withoutexcuseorexplanation，startslowlydowntheroad。Forthefirsthundredyardshesauntered，thenthesaunterbecameabriskwalk，andwhenhereachedtheedgeofthegrovehewashurryingalmostatadogtrot。Sometimeshecarriedaburdenwithhim，abrownpaperparcelbroughtfromEastboro，ahammer，asaw，oracoilofrope。Oncehedescendedtotheboathouseatthefootofthebluffbytheinletandemergedbearingabigbundleofcanvas，apparentlyanoldsail；thishearranged，withsomedifficulty，onhisshoulderandstumbleduptheslope，pastthecornerofthehouseandawaytowardthegrove。
Brownwatchedhimwonderingly。Wherewashegoing，andwhy？Whatwasthemysteriousdestinationofallthesetoolsandoldjunk？
WheredidSethspendhisafternoonsandwhy，whenhereturned，didhishandsandclothessmelloftar？Thesubstituteassistantwaspuzzled，butheaskednoquestions。AndSethvolunteerednosolutionofthepuzzle。
Yetthesolutioncame，andinanunexpectedway。Sethdrovetothevillageoneafternoonandreturnedwithliterature，smokingmaterialsandanannouncement。Thelatterhemadeduringsupper。
"Itriedtobuythatflypaperwewantedtoday，"heobserved，asapreliminary。"Couldn’tgetnone。Allout。"
"Butwillhavesomeinveryshortly，Ipresume，"suggestedtheassistant，whoknewtheidiosyncrasiesofcountrystores。
"Oh，yes，sartin！Expectin’iteveryminute。Thatstore’sgotaconsider’blesightmoreexpectationsinitthanithasanythingelse。They’realwayssixmonthsaheadoftheseasonorbehinditinthatstore。Whenit’ssocoldthatthesnowbirdsgetchilblainsthey’llhavetheshelveschuckfullofflypaper。Now，whenit’shotterthanakittleofpeppertea，thebulkoftheirstockisicepicksandmittens。Bah！However，they’regoin’tosendtheflypaperoverwhenitcomes，alongwiththedog。"
"Thedog？"repeatedBrowninamazement。
"Yup。That’swhatIwasgoin’totellyou——aboutthedog。I
orderedadogtoday。Didn’tpaynothin’forhim，youunderstand。
HenryG。，thestorekeeper，gavehimtome。Theboy’llfetchhimdownwhenhefetchestheflypaper。"
"Adog？We’re——you’regoingtokeepadog——here？"
"Surething。Whynot？Gotroomenoughtokeepawholezoologicalmenagerieifwewantedto，ain’twe？Besides，adog’llbehandytohavearound。BillFoster，thelifesaver，toldmethatsomebodybustedintothestationhenhouseonenightaweekagoandgotawaywithfouroftheirlikeliestpullets。Hecal’lates’twastrampsorboys。Wedon’tkeephens，butthere’ssomestuffinthatboathouseIwouldn’twantstole，and，bein’asthere’snolockonthedoor，adogwouldbeasortofprotection，asyoumightsay。"
"Butthieveswouldnevercomewaydownhere。"
"Whynot？’Tain’tanyfurtherawayfromtherestofcreationthanthelifesavin’station，isit？Anyhow，HenryG。givethedogtomefreefornothin’，andthat’samiracleofitself。You’dsayso，too，ifyouknewHenry。IwassosurprisedthatIsaidI’dtakeitrightoff；felt’twouldbeflyin’inthefaceofProvidencenotto。
Amiracle——jumpin’Judas！IneverknewHenrytogiveanybodyanythingafore——unless’twasthesmallpox，andthen’twan’tagenuinecase，nothin’butvarioloid。"
"Butwhatkindofadogisit？"
"Idon’tknow。Henryusedtoownthemotherofit，andshewasonequartermastiffandtherestassortedvarieties。Thisonehe’sgivin’meain’tawholedog，yousee；justahalf-grownpup。Thevarioloidalloveragain——hey？Ho，ho！Ididn’treallytakehimforsartin，youunderstand；justontrial。Ifwelikehim，we’llkeephim，that’sall。"
Thethirdafternoonfollowingthisannouncement，Brownwasaloneinthekitchen，andbusy。Sethhaddepartedononeofhismysteriousexcursions，carryingacoilofrope，apulleyandagalloncanofpaint。Beforeleavingthehousehehadgivenhishelpersomeinstructionsconcerningsupper。
"Might’swellhavealobstertonight，"hesaid。"Evercookalobster，didyou？"
No，Mr。Brownhadnevercookedalobster。
"Well，it’ssimpleenough。Allyou’vegottodoisbilehim。Bilehiminhotwatertillhe’sdone。"
"Isee。"Thesubstituteassistantwasnotenthusiastic。Cookinghedidnotlove。
"Humph！"hegrunted。"Iimaginedifhewasboiledatall，itwasbeinhotwater，notcold。"
Atkinschuckled。"Imeanyouwanttohavethewaterbilin’hotwhenyouputhimin，"heexplained。"Waittillshebilesupgoodandthensousehim；see？"
"Iguessso。Howdoyouknowwhenhe’sdone？"
"Oh——er——Ican’ttellyou。You’llhavetotrusttoyourinstinct，I
cal’late。Whenhelooksdone，heISdone，mostgen’rallyspeakin’。"
"Dearme！howclearyoumakeit。Wouldyoumindhintin’astohowhelookswhenhe’sdone？"
"Why——why，DONE，ofcourse。"
"Yes，ofcourse。Howstupidofme！Heisdonewhenhelooksdone，andwhenhelooksdoneheisdone。Anychildcouldfollowthosedirections。HOWishedone——brown？"
"No。Brown！theidea！Red，ofcourse。He’sgreenwhenyouputhiminthekittle，andwhenyoutakehimout，he’sred。That’sonewayyoucantell。"
"Yes，thatwillhelpsome。Allright，I’llboilhimtillhe’sred，youneedn’tworryaboutthat。"
"Oh，Isha’n’tworry。Solong。I’llbebackaboutsixorso。Puthiminwhenthewater’sgoodandhot，andyou’llcomeoutallright。"
"Thankyou。IhopeHEwill，butIhavemydoubts。Whereishe？"
"Who？thelobster？There’sdozensdowninthecarbythewharf。
Liftthecoverandfishoneoutwiththedipnet。Pickoutthebiggestoneyoucanfind，’causeI’mlikelytobehungrywhenIgetback，andyourappetiteain’tahummin’bird’s。There！I’vegottogoifIwanttogetanythingdoneafore——……Humph！nevermind。
Solong。"
Hehurriedaway，asifconsciousthathehadsaidmorethanheintended。Atthecornerofthehouseheturnedtocall：
"Isay！Brown！bekindofcarefulwhenyoudiphimout。Noneof’emareplugged。"
"What？"
"Isaynoneofthemlobsters’clawsareplugged。Ididn’thavetimetoplugthelastlotIgotfrommypots，soyouwanttohandle’emcarefullike，elsethey’llnipyou。Totetheoneyoupickoutuptothehouseinthedip-net；thenyou’llbeallright。"
Evidentlyconsideringthiswarningsufficienttopreventanypossibletrouble，hedeparted。JohnBrownseatedhimselfinthearmchairbythedoorandgazedatthesea。Hegazedandthoughtuntilhecouldbeartothinknolonger；thenheroseandenteredthekitchen，wherehekindledafireintherangeandfilledakettlewithwater。Havingthusmadereadythesacrificialaltar，hetookthelong-handleddip-netfromitsnailanddescendedtheblufftothewharf。
Thelobstercar，agood-sizedaffairoflathswithahingedcoverclosingtheopeninginitsuppersurface，wasfloatingunderthewharf，towhichitwasattachedbyarope。Brownkneltonthestring-pieceandpeereddownatit。Itfloateddeepinthewater，thetideripplingstronglythroughit，betweenthelaths。Thecoverwasfastenedwithawoodenbutton。
Thesubstituteassistant，afteradealoffutileandexasperatingpokingwiththehandleofthenet，managedtoturnthebuttonandthrowbacktheleather-hingedcover。Throughthesquareopeningthewaterbeneathlookeddarklygreen。Therewasmuchseaweedinthecar，andoccasionallythisweedwasstirredbylivingthingswhichmovedsluggishly。
JohnBrownreversedthenet，and，lyingflatonthewharf，gingerlythrustthebusinessendofthecontrivancethroughtheopeningandintothedark，weed-streakedwater。Thenhebeganfeelingforhisprey。
Hecouldfeelit。Apparentlythecarwasalivewithlobsters。Ashemovedthenetthroughthewatertherewasalwaysonejustbeforeitorbehindit；butatleasttenminuteselapsedbeforehemanagedtogetoneinit。Atlength，whenhisarmswerewearyandhispatiencealmostexhausted，thesubmergednetbecameheavy，andthehandleshookinhisgrasp。Heshortenedhisholdandbegantopullinhandoverhand。Hehadalobster，abiglobster。
Hecouldseeapairofclawsopeningandshuttingwickedly。Heraisedthecreaturethroughtheopening，balancedthenetonitsedge，roseononeknee，triedtostanderect，stumbled，losthisholdonthehandleandshotthelobsterneatlyoutofthemeshes，overtheedgeofthecar，andintothefreewatersofthechannel。
Thenheexpressedhisfeelingsaloudandwithemphasis。
Fiveminuteslaterhegotanother，butitwastoosmalltobeofuse。Intwentyminuteshenettedthreemore，twoofwhichgotaway。
Thethird，however，hedraggedpantinglytothewharfandsatbesideit，gloating。Itwashisforkeeps，anditwasabigone，thegreat-grandaddyoflobsters。Itsclawsclashedandsnappedatthetwineofthenetlikeapairofgiantnutcrackers。
Carryingitasfarfromhisbodyasitsweightattheendofthehandlewouldpermit，heboreitintriumphtothekitchen。Toboilalobsteralivehadseemedameantrick，andcruel，whenSethAtkinsfirstorderedhimtodoit。Nowhedidn’tmind；itwouldservethethingrightforbeingsohardtocatch。Enteringthekitchen，hebalancedthenetacrossachairandsteppedtotherangetoseeifthewaterwasboiling。Itwasnot，andforaverygoodreason——thefirehadgoneout。AgainMr。Brownexpressedhisfeelings。
Thefire，newlykindled，hadburnedtothelastash。Ifhehadbeentheretoaddmorecoalinseason，itwouldhavesurvived；buthehadbeenotherwiseengaged。Therewasnothingtobedoneexceptrakeouttheashesandbeginanew。Thishedid。Whenheremovedthekettlehedecidedatoncethatitwasmuchtoosmallforthepurposerequiredofit。Toboilalobsterofthatsizeinakettleofthatsizewouldnecessitateboilingoneendatatime，andthat，bothforthevictimandhimself，wouldbetroublesomeandagonizing。Hehuntedaboutforalargerkettleand，findingnone，seizedindesperationuponthewashboiler，filledit，andliftedittothetopofthestoveabovetheflickeringnewfire。
Thefireburnedslowly，andhesatdowntorestandwait。Ashesankintothechair——notthatacrosswhichthenettedlobsterwasbalanced，butanother——hebecameawareofcurioussoundsfromwithout。Distantsoundstheywere，faroffandfaint，butgrowingsteadilylouder；wailsandlong-drawnhowls，mournfulanddespairing。
"A-a-oo-ow！Aa-ow-ooo！"
"Whatintheworld？"mutteredBrown，andranoutofthekitchenandaroundthecornerofthehouse。
Therewasnothinginsight，nothingstrangeorunusual，thatis。
Joshua，Seth’soldhorse，pickettedtoapostinthebackyardandgrazing，ortryingtograze，onthestubbybeachgrass，wastheonlylivingexhibit。Butthesoundscontinuedandgrewlouder。
"Aa-ow-ooo！Ow-oo-ow-ooo！"
Overtheriseofadune，ahundredyardsoff，wheretheroadtoEastborovillagedippedtowardsaswampyhollow，appearedahorse’sheadandthetopofacoveredwagon。Amomentlaterthedriverbecamevisible，afreckledfacedboygrinninglikeapumpkinlantern。Thehorsetrottedthroughthesanduptothelights。
Joshuawhinniedasifheenjoyedtheprospectofcompany。Fromthebackofthewagon，somewherebeneaththeshadeofthecover，aroseaheartrendingwail，reekingofsorrowandagony。
"Aa-ow-OOO！Ooo-aa-OW！"
"Forheaven’ssake，"exclaimedthelightkeeper’shelper，runningtomeetthevehicle，"whatisthematter？"
Theboygrinnedmoreexpansivelythanever。"Whoa！"heshouted，tothehorsehewasdriving。Theanimalstoppedinhistracks，evidentlygladoftheopportunity。Anotherhowlburstfromthecovereddepthsofthewagon。
"I’vegothim，"saidtheboy，withatriumphantnodandajerkofhisthumboverhisshoulder。"He’sinthere。"
"He？Who？What？"
"Job。He’sinthere。Hearhim？He’sbeengoin’onlikethateversincehefinishedhisbone，andthatwasovertwomileback。Say，"
admiringly，"he’ssomesinger，ain’the！Hearthat，willye？"
Anotherwailarosefromthewagon。Brownhastenedtotherearofthevehicle，onthecanvassideofwhichwerepaintedthewords"HenryG。Goodspeed，Groceries，DryandFancyGoodsandNotions，Eastboro，"andpeeredinoverthetailboard。Theinteriorofthewagonwaswellnighfilledbyabigboxwithstripsofboardnailedacrossitstop。Frombetweenthesestripsatawnynosewasuplifted。Asthehelperstaredwonderinglyattheboxandthenose，theboysprangfromhisseatandjoinedhim。
"That’shim，"declaredtheboy。"Hi，there，Job，tuneupnow！
What’sthematterwithye？"
Hisanswerwasanunearthlyhowlfromthebox，accompaniedbyamightyscratching。Theboylaugheddelightedly。
"Ain’theawonder？"hedemanded。"Oughttobeinchurchchoir，hadn’the。"
Brownsteppedonthehubofarearwheel，and，clingingtothepostofthewagoncover，lookeddownintothebox。Thecreatureinsidewasaboutthesizeofamontholdcalf。
"It’sa——it’sadog，"heexclaimed。"Adog，isn’tit？"
"Sure，it’sadog。Orhe’llbeadogwhenhegrowsup。Nothin’butapupnow，heain’t。where’sSeth？"
"Seth？Oh，Mr。Atkins；he’snothere。"
"Ain’the？Where’shegone？"
"Idon’tknow。"
"Don’tye？When’shecomin’back？HUSHUP！"Thislastwasacommandtotheprisonerinthebox，whopaidabsolutelynoattentiontoit。
"Idon’tknowwhenhe’llbeback。Doyouwanttoseehimpersonally？Won’tIdo？I’minchargeheretillhereturns。"
"Beye？Oh，you’rethenewassistantfromBoston。You’lldo。AllIwanttodoisunloadhim——Job，Imean——andleaveacouplebundlesofflypaperSethordered。Here！"loweringthetailboardandclimbingintothewagon，youcatchaholtoft’otherendofthebox，andI’llshoveonthisone。Hushup，Job！Nobody’sgoin’toeatye——’lessit’sthemoskeeters。Now，then，mister，herehecomes。"
Hebeganpushingtheboxtowardtheopenendofthewagon。Thedog’swhinesandscreamsandscratchingsfurnishedanaccompanimentalmostdeafening。
"Wait！Stop！Forheaven’ssake，wait！"shoutedBrown。"Whatareyouputtingthatbruteoffherefor？Idon’twanthim。"
"Yes，youdo。Sethdoes，anyhow。HenryG。madehimapresentofJoblasttimeSethwasovertothestore。Didn’thetellye？"
Thenthesubstituteassistantremembered。Thiswasthe"half-grownpup"Atkinshadsaidwastobebroughtoverbythegroceryboy。
Thiswasthecreaturetheyweretoaccept"ontrial。"
"Well，byGeorge！"heexclaimedindisgust。
"Didn’tSethtellye？"askedtheboyagain。
"Yes……Yes，Ibelievehedid。But——"
"ThenstandbywhileIunloadhim。Herehecomesnow。H’isthimdowneasyasyoucan。"
Thatwasnottooeasy，fortheendoftheboxslidfromthetail-
boardtothegroundwithathumpthatshookthebreathfromtheprisonerwithin。Butthebreathcamebackagainandfurnishedmotivepowerformoreandworsehowlsandwhines。Joshuaprickeduphisearsandtrottedtothefurtherendofhishalter。
"There！"saidHenryG。’sboy，jumpingtothegroundbesidethebox，"that’soffmyhands，thankthemercy！Here’syourflypaper。Fivedozensheets。Youmusthaveprettynighasmanyfliesdownhereasyouhavemoskeeters。Well，solong。Igottobegoin’。"
"Waitaminute，"pleadedBrown。"WhatshallIdowiththis——er——
blesseddog？Ishesavage？Whydidyoubringhiminacrate——likeapiano？"
"’Cause’twastheeasiestway。Youcouldn’ttiehimup，notinacartnobigger’nthis。Might’swelltieupanelephant。Besides，hewon’tstaytiedupnowheres。BustedmoreclotheslinesthanI’vegotfingersandtoes，thatpuphas。Heneedsachaincabletokeephimtohismoorin’s。Don’tye，Job，youoldearthquake？Hey？"
Hepoundedonthebox，andtheearthquakeobligedwitharenewedseriesofshocksandshakings。
Thelightkeeper’sassistantsmiledinspiteofhimself。
"WhonamedhimJob？"heasked。
"HenryG。’scousinfromBoston。Hesaidheseemedtobealwayssufferin’andfillin’thelandwithroarin’s，likeJobintheBible。
So，bein’ashehadn’tnonameexceptcusswords，thatonestuck。I
cal’lateHenryG。’sgladenoughtogetridofhim。Ho！ho！"
"DidMr。Atkinsseehis——this——didheseehispresentbeforeheacceptedit？"
"No。That’sthebestpartofthejoke。Well，"clamberingtohisseatandpickingupthereins，"I’vegotfivemileofsandandmoskeeterstonavigate，soI’vegottobejoggin’。Oh，say！goin’
toleavehimintheboxthere，beye？"
"Iguessso，forthepresent。"
"Well，Iwouldn’tleavehimtoolong。He’sstronger’nSamsonandthePhilippinesrolledtogether，andhe’shumpeduphisbacksomuchonthewayacrostthathe’sstartedmostofthenailsinthemslatsovertopofhim。Itellyewhatyoudo：Givehimaboneorachunkoftoughmeattochawon。Thenhe’llresteasyforaspell。
Goodbye。IwishIcouldstayandseeSethwhenhelooksathispresent，butIcan’t。Gid-dap，January。"
Thegrocerywagonrolledoutoftheyard。TheforsakenJobsentaroarofregretafterhim。Also，he"humpedushisback，"andthenailsholdingtheslatsinplacestartedandgavealarmingly。JohnBrownhastenedtothehouseinquestofabone。
CHAPTERV
THEGOINGOFJOSHUA
Hefoundone，afteratime，therelicofaham，withagooddealofmeatonit。Atkins，economicalsoul，wouldhaveprotestedinhorroragainstthesinfulwaste，buthishelperwouldcheerfullyhavesacrificedawholehogtoquietthewailsfromtheboxintheyard。
Hepushedthehambonebetweentheslats，andJobreceiveditgreedily。Thehowlsandwhinesceasedandweresucceededbygnawingsandcrunchings。Brownreturnedtothekitchentoinspecthisneglectedfire。
Thistimethefirewasnotout，butitburnedslowly。Thewaterinthewashboilerwasonlylukewarm。Thebiglobsterinthenetbalancedonthechairclashedhisclawswickedlyasthesubstituteassistantapproached。Thedoorhadbeenleftopen，andtheroomhummedwithflies。Brownshutthedoorand，whilewaitingforthewatertoheat，separatedadozensheetsofthestickyflypaperandplacedtheminconspicuousplaces。Hewonderedashedidsowhatsomeofhisformeracquaintanceswouldsayiftheycouldseehim。
He——HE——acook，andaroustabout，adishwasherandascrubberofbrassatEastboroTwin-Lights！Howlongmusthestaythere？Formonthsatleast。Heshouldbethankfulthathewasthere；thankfulthattherewassuchaplace，wherenoonecameandwherehecouldremainuntilhewasforgotten。Hewasthankful，ofcoursehewas。
Butwhatalifetolive！
HewonderedwhatAtkinsthoughtofhim；howmuchthelightkeeperguessedconcerninghisidentityandhisstory。Hecouldnotguesswithinmilesofthetruth，buthemustindulgeinsomecuriousspeculations。ThenhefelltowonderingaboutSethhimself。Whatwasitthatthelight-keeperwashidingfromtheworld？Oddthattwopeople，eachpossessingasecret，shouldcometogetheratthatlonelyspot。WherewasitthatSethwentalmosteveryafternoon？
Hadthesedailyabsencesanyconnectionwiththegreatmystery？
Hedistributedthesheetsofflypaperabouttheroom，inplaceswherehejudgedthemlikelytodothemostgood，andhadthesatisfactionofseeinganumberofthetormentinginsectscaughtimmediately。Thenhetestedthewaterintheboiler。Itwaswarmer，evenhot，butnotboiling。
Hehadalmostforgottenthedog，butnowwasremindedbytheanimalitself，who，havingapparentlyswallowedthebonewhole，beganoncemoretohowllugubriously。Browndecidedtolethimhowlforthepresent，and，goingintotheliving-room，pickedupanoldmagazineandbeganlistlesslytoread。
Thehowlsfromtheyardcontinued，swelledtoacrescendoofshrieksandthensuddenlyceased。Amomentlatertherewasathumpandamightyscratchingatthekitchendoor。Thesubstituteassistantdroppedthemagazineandsprangfromhischair。
"GoodLord！"heexclaimed；"Ibelieve——"
Hedidnotfinishthesentence。Therewasnoneed。Ifhehadanydoubtsastothecauseoftheracketatthedoortheyweredispelledbyahowllikeafogwhistle。"Job"hadescapedfromdurancevileandwasseekingcompanionship。
Brownmutteredanexclamationofimpatienceand，openingthedooraverylittleway，peepedthroughthecrack。Thepup——helookedlikeascrawnyyounglion——hailedhisappearancewithaseriesofwildyelps。HismouthopenedlikeaMammothCaveinminiature，andafootofredtongueflappedlikeadangersignal。
"Getout，youbrute！"orderedBrown。
Jobdidnotgetout。Insteadheyelpedagainandcaperedwiththegraceofacow。Hisfeetandlegsseemedtohavegrownoutofproportiontotherestofhim；theywereenormous。Downthelengthofhisyellowbackwerethreerawfurrowswhichthenailsoftheboxcoverhadscrapedasheclimbedfromunderthem。
"Nicedog！"coaxedthelightkeeper’shelper。"Nicedoggie！Goodoldboy！"
Thegoodoldboyprancedjoyfullyandmadeachargeatthedoor。
Brownslammeditshutjustintime。
"Clearout！"heyelled，frombehindit。"Goaway！Goandliedown！"
Theanswerwasamightyhowlofdisappointmentandanassaultonthedoorwhichthreatenedtoshatterthepanels。Job’spawswerearmedwithclawsproportionatetotheirsize。
Thiswouldneverdo。Thepaintonthatdoorhadbeenfurnishedbythegovernment，andAtkinswasverycarefulofit。Brown，within，poundedaprotestandagaincommandedthedogtogoandliedown。
Job，without，thumpedandscratchedandhowledlouderthanever。Hehaddecidedlythebestoftheduet，andthedoorwassufferingeverysecond。Brownpickedupthefireshovelandthrewthedoorwideopen。
"Getout！"heroared。"GetoutorI’llkillyou！"
Hebrandishedtheshovel，expectinganassault。Butnonecame。ItwasevidentthatJobknewashovelwhenhesawit，hadencounteredothershovelsinthecourseofhisbriefyounglife。Hisearsandtaildrooped，andhebackedaway。
"Clearout！"repeatedBrown，advancingthreateningly。Witheachstepoftheadvance，Jobretreatedacorrespondingdistance。Whentheassistantstopped，hestopped。Brownloweredtheshovelandlookedathim。Thedoggrovelledinthesandandwhineddolefully。
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