“I guess likely I’d better be on hand,” the captain confided to Dr. Parker.  “Maybe I can stop Elkanah from talkin’ too much about—­well, about what we don’t want him to talk about, and besides, I’m just as anxious to give Nat a welcome home as the next feller.  He’s a brick and we’re all proud of him.  By mighty!  I’d like to have seen that craft he built out of cocoanuts and churches—­I would so.”

Kyan Pepper was there also, not yet fully recovered from the surprise which Lavinia’s gracious permission had given him.  Abishai had been leaning disconsolately over his front gate early that morning when Noah Ellis, the lightkeeper, jogged down the lane.

“‘Mornin’, ’Bish,” hailed Noah, pulling up his horse.  “What’s the matter?  You look bluer’n a spiled mack’rel.  What’s the row?  Breakfast disagree with you?”

“Naw,” replied Kyan shortly.  “Where you bound, all rigged up in your shore duds?”

“Bound to Bayport, to see Nat Hammond land,” was the cheerful answer.  “I ain’t had a day off I don’t know when, and I thought I’d take one.  Be great doin’s over there, they tell me.  Elkanah’s goin’ to make a speech and there’s eighteen teams of folks goin’.”

“I know it.  I wisht I was goin’, too, but I never have no fun.  Have to stay to home and work and slave over them consarned tax papers.  Sometimes I wish there wa’n’t no taxes.”

“Humph!  I’ve wished that, myself, more’n once.  Why don’t you go, if you want to?  Climb right aboard here with me.  Plenty of room.”

“Hey?  You mean that?  By godfreys mighty!  I’d like to.”

“Sartin, I mean it.  Come ahead.”

Mr. Pepper sadly shook his head.  “I guess likely I’d better not,” he sighed.  “Laviny might not like to have me leave her.”

“Oh, fiddlesticks! she won’t mind.  I’ll take care of you.  It’s perfectly safe.  There ain’t goin’ to be no women around.  Haw! haw! haw!”

He was still laughing at his own joke when through the slats of the closed blinds shading the Pepper house parlor a shrill voice was heard speaking.

“Go ahead, ’Bishy dear,” called Lavinia.  “Go ahead and go.  A change of air’ll do you good.”

Kyan whirled and clutched at the gate.

“Hey?” he shouted in amazement.

“Are you deef?  Or is Mr. Ellis laughin’ so hard that you can’t hear?  What is it that’s so funny, Mr. Ellis?”

The light-keeper shut off his laughter by a sudden and rather frightened gulp.

“Oh, nothin’, nothin’, Miss Pepper.  Nice day, ain’t it?”

“I guess so.  I ain’t had time to look at it yet.  I have to work.  I can’t let my wife do it for me, like some folks, and take ‘days off.’  What was it you was laughin’ at, Mr. Ellis?”

“Nothin’, nothin’ at all.”

“Hum!  They used to tell me there was only one kind of person who laughed at nothin’.  Well, ‘Bish Pepper, what are you standin’ there for?  If you’re goin’, come right into the house and change your clothes this minute.”