is the only trouble; I haven't told him the rest, and don't you do it,
either. Bailey's a good-hearted chap."

"Humph! his heart may be good, but his head's goin' to seed. I'll keep
quiet if 'twill please you, though."

"Yes. And, see here, Ase! I don't care to be the laughin' stock of
Bayport. If any of the folks ask you how I like my new housekeeper, you
tell 'em there's nothin' like her anywhere. That's no lie."

So Mrs. Beasley stayed on at the Whittaker place and, thanks to Mr.
Tidditt, the general opinion of inquisitive Bayport was that the new
housekeeper was a grand success. Only Captain Cy and Asaph knew the
whole truth, and Mr. Bangs a part. That part, Deborah's deafness,
troubled him not a little and he thought much concerning it. As a result
of this thinking he wrote a letter to a relative in Boston. The answer
to this letter pleased him and he wrote again.

One afternoon, during the third week of Mrs. Beasley's stay, Asaph
called and found Captain Cy in the sitting room, reading the Breeze. The
captain urged his friend to remain and have supper. "We've run out of
beans, Ase," he explained, "and are just startin' in on a course of
boiled cod. Do stay and eat a lot; then there won't be so much to warm
over."

Mr. Tidditt accepted the invitation, also a section of the Breeze. While
they were reading they heard the back door slam.

"It's the graven image," explained the captain. "She's been on a
cruise down town somewheres. Be a lot of sore throats in that direction