"Dreams are cheap things," rambled on the little inventor. "Sometimes I figger the Lord gave 'em to those who didn't have much else, so'st to make 'em think they are kings. If you can dream there ain't a thing in all the world ain't yours." The conversation had furnished Snelling with the opportunity to study more minutely the object on the table, and he now said with a motion of his hand toward it: "Wouldn't it be rather nice if you had some netting of coarser mesh and which wouldn't corrode?" "Oh, this screenin' ain't what I'd choose," returned Willie, "but 'twas all I had. I ripped it off the front door. Tiny didn't fancy my doin' it very well. 'Tain't often she's ruffled, an' even this time she didn't say much; still, I could see it didn't altogether please her." "Tiny?" interpolated Mr. Snelling. "My aunt, Miss Morton, who keeps house for Mr. Spence," explained Bob with proud directness. "I wasn't aware you had relatives down here," the boat-builder observed, turning toward Robert Morton with interest. "I imagined you came to the Cape because of the Galbraiths." "Oh, no. I didn't know the Galbraith's were here until the other day." "Really!" The single word was weighted with incredulousness. "'Twas the funniest thing you ever knew how it happened," put in Willie. Robert Morton tried to cut him short. "A package for the Galbraiths was sent to me by mistake; that was how I secured their address," he said. Snelling looked puzzled. "That warn't it at all, Bob," persisted Willie. "You ain't tellin' it half as queer as 'twas." It was useless to attempt to check the little old man now. Artlessly he babbled the story, and Howard Snelling, listening, constructed a good part of the romance interwoven with it from the young man's color and irritation. "So there were two beauties in the case!" commented he, when the tale was finished. "There were two silver buckles," came sharply from Bob. "Which amounts to the same thing," smiled the New Yorker. Robert Morton vouchsafed no reply. "Have your friends the Galbraiths met this--other lady?" asked Snelling insinuatingly. "No, not yet." "I see." There was something offensive in the observation; something, too, that compelled Robert Morton even against his will to add with dignity: "I am expecting to take Miss Hathaway over to see them some day soon." He told himself, as he uttered the words, that he owed Howard Snelling no explanation and that it was ridiculous of him to make one; nevertheless he felt impelled to do so. Mr. Snelling smiled superciliously. "That will be very pleasant, won't it?" he remarked. One could not have quarreled with the sentiment, but its blandness conveyed an exasperating disbelief. The young man bit his lip angrily. At the same instant there was a sound at the door. "Aunt Tiny wants to know--" The three men glanced up simultaneously, and Mr. Snelling's jaw dropped with amazement.