yelp. Bart, annoyed by the sound, picked up a bit
of driftwood and hurled it at him, missing him by a
few inches. The narrowness of the escape silenced
the dog and sent him to the rear with drooping tail
and ears.

Bart should have minded Meg's warning. A broad
beach in the full glare of the setting sun, even when
protected by a House of Refuge, is a poor place to
be alone in.

A woman was passing along the edge of the bluffs,
carrying a basket in one hand and a green umbrella
in the other; a tall, thin, angular woman, with the
eye of a ferret. It was Ann Gossaway's day for
visiting the sick, and she had just left Fogarty's
cabin, where little Tod, with his throat tied up in
red flannel, had tried on her mitts and played with
her spectacles. Miss Gossaway had heard Meg's bark
and had been accorded a full view of Lucy's back
covered by Jane's red cloak, with Bart sitting beside
her, their shoulders touching.

Lovers with their heads together interested the
gossip no longer, except as a topic to talk about. Such
trifles had these many years passed out of the dress-
maker's life.

So Miss Gossaway, busy with her own thoughts,
kept on her way unnoticed by either Lucy or Bart.