He, indeed, had been too much occupied in caring for his guests to pay special attention to one of them.  His mother had looked after him again and again with eyes brimful of pride and of commendation of the way he was acquitting himself.

Even Mrs. Foster said to her husband, who had now arrived: 

“Do you see that?  Who would have expected as much from a raw, green country boy?”

“But, my dear, don’t you see?  The secret of it is that he’s not thinking of himself at all.  He’s only anxious his friends should have a good time.”

“That’s it; but then that too is a very rare thing in a boy of his age.”

“Dabney!” exclaimed the lawyer in a louder tone of voice.

“Good-evening, Mr. Foster.  I’m glad you’ve found room.  The house isn’t half large enough.”

“I understand your ponies ran away with you to-day?”

“They did come home in a hurry; but nobody was hurt.”

“I fear there would have been, but for you.  Do you start for Grantley with the other boys to-morrow?”

“Of course.  Dick Lee and I need some one to take care of us.  We never traveled so far before.”

“On land, you mean.  Is Dick here to-night?”

“Came and looked in, sir, but got scared by the crowd and went home.”

“Poor fellow!  Well, we will do all we can for him.”

Poor Dick Lee!

And yet, if Mr. Dabney Kinzer had known his whereabouts at that very moment he would half have envied him.

Dick’s mother was in the kitchen helping about the supper, but she had not left home until she had compelled Dick to dress himself in his best,—­white shirt, red neck-tie, shining shoes and all,—­and she had brought him with her almost by force.

“You’s good nuff to go to de ‘cad’my and leab yer pore mother, an’ I reckon you’s good nuff for de party.”

And Dick had actually ventured in from the kitchen through the dining-room and as far as the door of the back parlor, where few would look.

[Illustration:  “PINNED!”]

How his heart did beat as he looked on the merry gathering, a large part of whom he had known “all his born days!”

But there was a side door opening from that dining-room on the long piazza which Mrs. Kinzer had added to the old Morris mansion, and Dick’s hand was on the knob of that door almost before he knew it.

Then he was out on the road to the landing, and in five minutes more he was vigorously rowing the “Jenny” out through the inlet toward the bay.

His heart was not beating unpleasantly any longer, but as he shot out from the narrow passage through the flags and saw the little waves laughing in the cool, dim starlight, he suddenly stopped rowing, leaned on his oars, gave a sigh of relief, and exclaimed: 

“Dar!  I’s safe now.  I aint got to say a word to nobody out yer.  Wonder ’f I’ll ebber git back from de ‘cad’my an’ kitch fish in dis yer bay?  Sho!  Course I will.  But goin’ away’s awful!”