Miss Sue retained her peace of mind and her sweetness of temper by always being busy. If not about her brother's house and office, then in various good works in the community. As chairman of the Christmas entertainment committee of the Mariner's Chapel she had her hands more than full these days. Doubtless, if 'Liphalet Truitt had followed her lead at this season as he had on similar occasions for the past ten years, he would not have had time to become the misanthrope he now was. With Cap'n Jonah's aid, having forced Sarah Petty to say that Pearl could help in trimming the chapel for Christmas, Miss Sue hurried away to round up other helpers. She did not see 'Liphalet stubbing up the Shell Road toward home and had no idea, of course, that he had seen her apparently making a personal call on Cap'n Jonah. But she did meet Joe Helmford coming toward the Petty place, and halted him. "You have time to help our committee, I am sure, Mr. Helmford," she said to the man from the fish hatchery. She explained what was needed and told him the day on which the decorating was to be done. "I'll be there, Miss Ambrose," the young man said heartily. "You say Pearl--Miss Holden--will help?" She smiled up at him with such a sweet, shy knowledge of his unintentional revelation, that Joe Helmford's cheeks flooded with sudden red. "You can come over with her," Miss Sue said demurely. "Then you will be sure to be on time." He murmured an assurance that he would be present, and left her in some confusion. If people were going to discover so easily what he had heretofore denied to himself, he must have a care! "Am I in love with her--with Pearly?" he asked himself forty times a day. "What is the root of the influence she has with me? Am I so strongly attracted to her just because she is beyond my reach? If she is to be Cap'n Jonah Hand's heir, according to all I hear, she will some day possess a hundred thousand dollars or more." The Helmfords were a large family, and after his education was given him there was no money in the family exchequer for Joe Helmford. He must earn all he ever expected to have; and for his work as Government expert in ichthyology he was not generously paid. Had the girl been just what she seemed to be when Helmford first obtained a better understanding of her character and its possibilities for development, he might have safely considered attempting the winning of Pearl Holden. She was a poor girl then and would not expect too much of a young man just beginning to climb the scientific ladder. But along had come Cap'n Jonah with his phenomenal fortune (phenomenal for this simple community) and if it was understood that Pearl was to benefit largely by the old sea captain's will any man who approached her in a sentimental way would be decried as a fortune hunter. The same situation that confronted 'Liphalet Truitt with Miss Sue faced Joe Helmford, as he supposed, regarding Pearl Holden.