Louise, knowing Aunt Euphemia so well, was immediately aware that the haughty lady had something more than ordinarily unpleasant to communicate. It was nothing about Uncle Amazon and the Shell Road store; some other wind of mischance had ruffled her soul. But the girl ignored Aunt Euphemia's signals for several minutes; until she made herself, indeed, more familiar with the manner and personal attributes of these new acquaintances. There was a Miss Perriton of about her own age whom she liked at first sight. Two or three men of the party were clean-cut and attractive fellows. Despite the fact that their cottage had been so recently opened for the season, the Perritons had already assembled a considerable house party. "Louise, I wish to talk to you," at last said Mrs. Conroth grimly. "True," sighed her niece. "And how extremely exact you always are in your use of the language, auntie. You never wish to talk _with_ me. _You_ will do all the talking as usual, I fear." "You are inclined to be saucy," bruskly rejoined Aunt Euphemia. "As your father is away I feel more deeply my responsibility in this matter. You are a wayward girl--you always have been." "You don't expect me to agree with you on that point, do you, auntie?" Louise asked sweetly. Mrs. Conroth ignored the retort, continuing: "I am not amazed, after seeing your surroundings at the Silt place, that you should become familiar with these common longshore characters. But this that I have just learned--only this forenoon in fact--astonishes me beyond measure; it does, indeed!" "Let me be astonished, too, auntie. I love a surprise," drawled her niece. "Where were you yesterday?" demanded Aunt Euphemia sharply. Louise at once thought she knew what was coming. She smiled as she replied: "Out fishing." "And with whom, may I ask?" "With Betty Gallup, Uncle Abram's housekeeper." "But the man?" "Oh! Mr. Tapp, you mean? A very pleasant young man, auntie." "That is what I was told, Louise," her aunt said mournfully. "With young Tapp. And you have been seen with him frequently. It is being remarked by the whole colony. Of course, you can mean nothing by this intimacy. It arises from your thoughtlessness, I presume. You must understand that he is not--er----Well, the Tapps are not of our set, Louise." "My goodness, no!" laughed the girl cheerfully. "The Tapps are real Cape Codders, I believe." Aunt Euphemia raised her eyebrows and her lorgnette together. "I do not understand you, I fear. What the Tapps are by blood, I do not know. But they are not in society at all--not at all!" "Not in society?" repeated Louise, puzzled indeed. "Scarcely. Of course, as Mrs. Perriton says, the way the cottagers are situated here at The Beaches, the Tapps _must_ be treated with a certain friendliness. That quite impossible 'I. Tapp,' as he advertises himself, owns all the Point and might easily make it very disagreeable for the rest of the colony if he so chose."