At this moment Uncas, the chipmunk, rushed screaming into the room and flung himself into Arthur's lap. Arthur comforted the little beast, and noticed that his nose and face bore fresh evidences of a fight. Uncas complained very bitterly; he was evidently trying to talk. "Is Stripes hurt?" asked Mary. "It's his feelings," said Arthur. "He's been made a victim of misplaced confidence. Some young woman has been encouraging him." "Poor little man!" said Gay with sudden emotion. "Did ums want some nice vasy on ums poor sick nose?" "He would only lick it off," regretted Arthur. Mr. Langham's jolly face appeared in the open door. "I've seen two depart," he said, "and thought maybe the meeting was over." "It is," said Mary, and, after a moment's hesitation, she boldly joined Mr. Langham and walked off by his side. Even Arthur chuckled. "And what was the meeting about?" asked Mr. Langham. "Oh," said Mary, "they won't be serious--not any of them--not even Arthur. So we forgot what the meeting was for, and got into violent discussion about--about natural history." "And what side did you take?" "Oh," said Mary, "we were all on the same side--_really_, and that was what made the discussion so violent." "The day," said Langham, "is young. I feel ripe for an adventure. And you?" "What sort of an adventure?" "I thought that if one--or rather if _two_ climbed to the top of a very little hill and sat down in the sunshine and admired the view----" * * * * * Far out on the lake they could see Lee, lolling in the stern of a guide boat. Young Renier was at the oars. But the boat was not being propelled. It was merely drifting. "I wonder," said Langham, and he watched her face stealthily, "if by any chance those two are really engaged?" Was there the least hardening of that lovely, gentle face, the least fleeting expression of that sort of panic which one experiences when arriving at the station in time to see the train pull out but not too late to get aboard by the exercise of swift and energetic manoeuvres? "Don't say such things!" she said presently. "It's like jumping out from behind a tree and shouting, 'Boo!'" Mr. Langham smiled complacently and changed the subject. But he said to himself: "That Maud is a clever girl!" "I suppose," said Mary after a while, "that this is the last really peaceful day we'll have for a long time. To-morrow the place will be full of strange, critical faces. And it will be one long wrestle to make everything go smoothly all the time." She sighed. "There are only two ways to success," said Langham. "One is across the wrestling-mat, and one is through the pasture of old Bull Luck. But I'm convinced that The Inn is going to pay very handsomely. There is a fortune in it." "There mightn't be," said Mary, "if--" and she broke into a peal of embarrassed laughter. "If what?" "I was thinking of that _dreadful_ picture."