The stranger pulled in to the landing, noiselessly shipped his oars, jumped out and made fast.  Lucy came cautiously down to the wharf, and against the radiance of the moonlight on the river the two behind the trees could see the greeting.

The slight, boyish figure which met Lucy had a familiar look to Jeff, but he could not tell with any certainty whose it might be.  That it was youthful there could be no question.  Even in the dim light the diffidence of both boy and girl could be plainly observed.

“Young idiots!” exploded Jeff, between his teeth, as the two they were watching sat down side by side on the steps of the boat-landing, where only their heads were visible to the watchers—­heads decidedly close together.  Then he bent close to Evelyn’s ear and whispered, “Come farther back with me, and we’ll decide what to do.”

With the utmost caution the two made their retreat.  At a safe distance Jeff halted, and said rapidly, “I think the best thing will be for you to go back to bed and to sleep—­if you can.  At any rate, don’t let her know that you hear her come in.  I’ll come back here and mount guard.  I won’t let them see me.  I’ll take care that Lucy gets safely back to the house, and I won’t interfere unless she attempts to go off in the boat with him or do some fool thing like that.  You needn’t worry.  They aren’t going to run away and get married.  She’s just full of sentimental nonsense, and thinks it romantic and grown-up to steal out in the night to meet some idiot of a boy—­you can see that’s all he is by his build.  Probably somebody we know, don’t you think that’s the best plan?”

“Yes, for to-night,” agreed Evelyn, in a troubled whisper.  “I feel as if I ought to talk to her when she comes in, though.”

“If you do you’ll just make her angry.  The thing is to let her go uncaught until we can think what to do.  Little simpleton!”

“I’ll do as you say, but—­don’t be hard on her, Jeff.  She’s just silly; she hasn’t been brought up like your sisters.”

“Or like you,” thought Jeff, as he watched the figure before him flit away toward the house.  He followed at a distance, till he saw the door close on Evelyn; then he went back to his post.

The next morning, as he and Evelyn walked down the road through the apple-orchard toward the gateway, to open the rural-delivery mail-box, which stood just outside the gate, Jeff told Evelyn what he had found out.

“Nothing more serious than a simple case of spoon,” he said, with an expression at which Evelyn might have laughed if she had not felt so disturbed.  “The boy turned out to be our next neighbour here.  They’ve made another appointment for to-night.  He thinks it a great lark—­probably will brag about it to all the boys.  He’s got to eat his little dish of humble pie, too.  Evelyn, I’ve a plan.  Will you trust me to carry it out to-night?”

She looked at him.  In her face was written a concern for Lucy so tender that Jeff adored her for it.  At the same time he hastened to assure her that it was needless.