Varunas nodded. “Oh, well,” he observed philosophically, “probably ’tain’t nothin’ much. They’ll get over it. Young fellows and girls are always squabblin’ when they’re keepin’ company. Huh,” with a chuckle, “I remember one time when I was sparkin’ around with--” He paused and changed the subject. “There’s Cornelius Gott, struttin’ in,” he said. “Goin’ to lead the music, they tell me. Got his funeral clothes on, of course. He gives me the creeps, that feller does. When I think of all the folks he’s helped lay out--Godfreys!” Mrs. Gifford ignored the talented Cornelius. “Why didn’t you finish what you was sayin’ first along?” she demanded, tartly. “Who was this one you used to spark around with? I don’t recollect ever hearin’ about her afore.” Her husband shifted on the settee. “Oh, nobody, I guess,” he muttered. “I was just talkin’.” “Humph! _I_ guess ’twas a nobody, too. Nobody that was anybody would have done much sparkin’ with you.” “Is that so? Well, I never noticed you lockin’ the door when I used to trot around three times a week.... Oh, well, there, there! let’s don’t fight about what can’t be helped--I mean what’s past and gone. If Seymour and Esther have had a rumpus probably ’twon’t last long.... I don’t know, though; she’s pretty fussy. All the Townsends are hard to please. You’ve got to step just so or they’ll light on you. Look how that Griffin boy was hangin’ around; and now where is he? Don’t come nigh the place.” Nabby sniffed. “_He_ never amounted to anything,” she declared. “I knew perfectly well Esther’d hand him his walkin’ ticket when she got ready. Mercy on us, Varunas Gifford, you ain’t puttin’ old Lisha Cook’s grandson in the same barrel with Mr. Covell, are you?” The overture began just then and the curtain rose soon afterward. The group of tars adjacent to the rickety canvas bulwarks of the good ship “Pinafore” announced that they sailed the ocean blue, taking care to obey orders and not lean against those bulwarks. They welcomed their gallant captain, who in turn informed them that he never swore a big, big D. Abbie Makepeace glanced anxiously at the Rev. Mr. Colton when she heard this; but, as he was smiling, she decided it might be proper to smile a little, too. _Rackstraw_ and _Josephine_ and _Dick Deadeye_ and _Sir Joseph_ and all the rest made their entrances and were greeted with applause. The performance swung on, gaining momentum and spirit as the performers recovered from stage fright. The voice of the prompter was heard not too frequently and none of the scenery fell down, although it suffered from acute attacks of the shivers. A great success, from beginning to end.