nearly the whole of the bay in front, and a large portion of the village
at the side.

He waved his hand toward the cluster of houses.

"There are eighteen hundred people in this town, they tell me," he said.
"Permanent residents, I mean. What do they all do?"

"Do?"

"Yes. How do they get a living? They must get it somehow. In the regular
summer resorts they squeeze it out of the city people, I know that. But
there aren't so many cottagers and boarders here. What do you all do for
a living?"

I told him that most of masculine Denboro fished or farmed or kept
store.

"Which do you do?" he asked. "You said you weren't a boat-builder."

"I'm not doing anything at present," I replied, shortly.

"Out of a job?"

"You might call it that. Is this a part of the business you wished to
see me about, Mr. Colton?"

I was boiling inwardly and a little of the heat was expressed in my
tone. I don't know whether he took the hint or merely lost interest in
the subject. At any rate his reply was a brief "No," and we continued