“Lucky I saw that,” said he. “The man’s quality is plain enough now, and I’ll know how to use him from now on.”
A little later at the sound of high voices he went to a window overlooking the inn yard. Paul Revere was there, as was also Ezra and Ben, and the former was lecturing the grooms for some shortcoming in their care of the horses. Nat looked and listened, greatly amused at the earnestness of the man from Boston, and as he did so, he indistinctly saw, out of the tail of his eye, a small figure under the brick arch that opened into the yard. Swiftly turning his head in that direction he was surprised and astonished to recognize the form of the Porcupine.
That the dwarf saw Nat at the window was at once evident; for he lifted one hand in a quick beckoning movement and gave a flirt of his hand toward the front of the inn. Nat nodded; he turned, walked to the main door and out upon the porch. Across the road was a tall elm tree; the Porcupine now stood near this, but in such a position as not to be readily seen by any one looking from the windows of the inn.
Nat crossed to the elm in a state of amazement.
“Porcupine,” began he at once, “you are the most astonishing little animal I ever saw. How did you ever get so far from home?”
The dwarf grinned.
“Oh, this isn’t so far,” replied he. “I’ve often been here with Simon Nichols, the kitchen gardener. You see, he has a sloop and takes it to the city every second day, in the season, with fresh green things. When I heard that you were going off to Boston, I knew you’d stop here overnight; so I boarded Simon’s sloop yesterday in Dock Creek and got here about noon to-day. He’s always glad to have me because I can help work ship and do lots of things when he’s short handed, as he ’most always is.”
Nat laughed heartily; and yet he was touched.
“And you put yourself to all this bother just to see me off, did you?” he asked; and the other nodded. “Well, you’re a queer little fellow, aren’t you?”
“So I’ve been told before,” grinned the Porcupine. “But,” more soberly, “there are some just as queer, and at no great distance from here, either.”