"A man gave it to me; and I promised to give it to you myself," answered Dory. "That is the whole of it, and nothing more need be said about the matter." "You said you were buying this boat for another man," continued Pearl. "I didn't say so. I have not said any thing about who I was buying her for," replied Dory, moving towards the side of the wharf where the Goldwing lay. "Yes, you did! Don't lie about it," said Pearl in a very offensive way. "I said nothing of the kind," added Dory. "Didn't he say he was buying the Goldwing for another man, Mr. Green?" continued Pearl, appealing to the auctioneer. "No, he did not, Hawlinshed," answered the auctioneer. "I asked him if he was buying the boat for himself, and he said I might make out the receipt to him. That was all that was said about it." "Well, it is all the same thing: he gave the inference that he was acting for somebody else. I should like to know who you bought her for," persisted Pearl. "I have bought the boat, and paid for her; and I have nothing more to say about the matter," replied Dory sharply, as he walked towards the boat. "This is a matter that concerns me, and I want to know about it," added Pearl, following the new owner of the Goldwing to the boat. "You brought me a letter this morning; and now you have bought this boat, when I was the only man in this vicinity that thought of such a thing as buying the Goldwing." "What has the boat to do with the letter?" asked Dory, who thought it was a little strange that he had come in contact with the son of his new friend in connection with the Goldwing. "That is what I want to know," answered Pearl gruffly. "You see, I don't believe that a boy like you--for you don't look like the son of a gentleman--came over here from Burlington to buy that boat. If anybody over there had wanted her, he wouldn't have sent a boy over here to buy her for him." "You can believe any thing you like about it," added Dory, as he stepped into the standing-room of the Goldwing. "I want to know who gave you that letter," said Pearl, pushing the matter. "I suppose the man that wrote it gave it to me. You got the letter, and you ought to know more about it than I do." "I know all about him." "Then I can't tell you any thing." "But I want to connect that man with this boat." "You can connect them if you like. Was there any thing about the Goldwing in the letter?" asked Dory, who was quite as much puzzled as Pearl appeared to be. "None of your business whether there was or not?" exclaimed Pearl savagely; and the letter was evidently not a pleasant topic to him. "I am not here to answer questions." "Nor I either; and here we are equal," replied Dory, as he took the tiller of the sailboat from the forward cuddy, and inserted it in the rudder-head. "The man that gave you that letter got you to buy this boat for him," said Pearl. "He knew I wanted her, if you did not."