"Oh, that is true," agreed Lorna, displaying much disturbance of mind. "Ralph is the proudest fellow! It’s in the Endicott blood. I suppose they would starve before they would tell their dearest friends of the straits they are in." "I cal’late," agreed the quite unruffled lightkeeper. "Perhaps that is what has made Ralph so grouchy." "I shouldn’t wonder a mite." "I—I really can’t think what to do," murmured Lorna. "Oh, sugar! you can’t do anything, child. Ralph wouldn’t let you help him. He wouldn’t borrow money of a girl. Why, he wouldn’t let me lend him any," and the lightkeeper nodded his head ponderously. It was plain that what he had said had made its impression on Lorna Nicholet’s mind. She wandered away, deep in thought and forgetting all about Conny Degger. "I cal’late," muttered Tobias, "I have started something at last. Now, let ’er simmer!" CHAPTER XI THE BLACK SQUALL Lorna Nicholet was of a joyous heart—a joy-bringer and a joy-giver. She had spent a happy childhood. Miss Ida’s firm government had been the very best bringing up the girl could have had, for not only was she of a lightsome disposition, but she was inclined to carry that chief trait of her character to recklessness. Left to herself, impulse would more often have guided her decisions—both momentous and unimportant—than the really good sense with which she was endowed. She was a charming mixture of infantile trustfulness and downright practicality. She was wont to trust in the good intentions of everybody, yet she often shrewdly evaded pitfalls that girls of her cheerfully optimistic type sometimes get into. Her happy association with Ralph Endicott caused Lorna to look upon all young men as being like her chum. Because Ralph was chivalrous and a "good fellow," Lorna believed such was the character of all young men. She treated Conway Degger as she always had Ralph. Degger was shrewd enough (or was it because of the warning word Ralph had once given him?) in most instances to pattern his attitude after the example set by the frank and clean-minded Endicott. Occasionally there were crudities shown in Degger’s nature that rather shocked the gently bred Lorna. But she overlooked these lapses on his part, and their companionship was in the main that of two healthy-minded boys, rather than that of a young man and a young woman.