Faith jumped at her father's shout, clutching her skirt prettily. "Clarissa! My kerchief--quickly!" Her hand behind her snapped a finger impatiently before the Negro girl gave her a white kerchief; then Faith was running, waving the cloth, expertly careless of ropes and tackle and the roustabouts who lurched out of her path. She knew her way; she was not impeding them, and stepped back properly when it was time for that rope in the bow to leap ashore. Another snaked from the pier to be caught amidships. The lady _Artemis_ needed no restraining thrust of the fenders. She nudged wet timbers as one arranging a pillow for her head, and fell asleep. * * * * * "I would not," said Reuben, "utter any gratuitous multiloquence which could be construed as a detraction, libel or impudicitous derogation of another man's periwig." "I yield. You know bigger and sillier words than I do." "Then will you tell me, sir, what on earth you were looking for over there by the pond?" "Mm-yas," said Mr. Welland, "the pond. Why, I've been longing for years to learn how peeper frogs peep. Don't have much time to ramble--difficult for a doctor to break away, but now and then I do, with the excuse of hunting for herbs. I heard 'em peeping hereabouts, thought at last I might catch 'em at it. No such thing. They hide when I peep at 'em, and devil a peep will they peep. Why's that?" "Too near them, sir, and not still enough. You should have sat well away from the water, with no motion for at least a quarter-hour." Deliberately Mr. Welland took snuff from an enameled box, and sneezed, a light explosion with a double after-echo. "Fi-_choo_-shoo!... Mr. Cory, I take it they have peeped in your presence?" "Oh yes. The little throats swell up enormous and they shake all over." To soften the blow Reuben added: "I'm sure they would for you, Mr. Welland. Merely a matter of making yourself look like a rock." "At my age I'm to imitate a boulder--boulder and yet more bold." "Paronomasia," said Reuben. "The ultimate in wit." "Boo! You imitated a rock rather well yourself. I never heard a sound. When I first saw you I thought I had to do with one of the Little People." "Ah! The invisible world!" Daringly Reuben made horns of his fingers and waggled them. He was very happy, no longer much concerned to wonder why. "Might I ask further, why you don't find it strange that I should spend my declining years endeavoring to watch frogs peep?" Reuben considered. "I think everything is interesting." "Oh!" That was a startled sound, without laughter. Mr. Welland looked away from him so long that Reuben's pleasure clouded over. He could have gone too far; said something wrong; happiness and friendship could tumble, an air-castle in ruins. Mr. Welland was holding out the snuffbox, closed. "Try if you can discover the catch. If you can I'll tell you who gave it me."