"We're both interested in the Fair Harbor," he observed. "And we know how concerned the judge was with that."
She nodded. "Yes," she admitted. "Still I don't see why mother was not asked if that was it. You are going over, of course?"
"Why—yes, I shall. Bradley seemed to want me to."
That was all, at the time. The next day, however, Elizabeth again mentioned the subject. It was in the afternoon, church and dinner were over, and Sears was strolling along the path below the Fair Harbor garden plots. He could walk with less difficulty and with almost no pain now, but he could not walk far. The Eyrie was, for a wonder, unoccupied, so he limped up to it and sat down upon the bench inside to rest. This was the favorite haunt of the more romantic Fair Harbor inmates, Miss Snowden and Mrs. Chase especially, but they were not there just then, although a book, Barriers Burned Away, by E. P. Roe, lay upon the bench, a cardboard marker with the initials "E. S." in cross-stitch, between the leaves. When the captain heard a step approaching the summer-house, he judged that Elvira was returning to reclaim her "Barriers." But it was not Elvira who entered the Eyrie, it was Elizabeth Berry.
She was surprised to see him. "Why, Cap'n Sears!" she exclaimed. "I didn't expect to find you here. I was afraid—that is, I did rather think I might find Elvira, but not you. I didn't know you had the Eyrie habit."
He smiled. "I haven't," he said. "That is, it isn't chronic yet. I didn't know you had it, either."
"Oh I haven't. But I was rather tired, and I wanted to be alone, and so——"
"And so you took a chance. Well, you came at just the right time. I was just about gettin' under way."
He rose, but she detained him. "Don't go," she begged. "When I said I wanted to be alone I didn't mean it exactly. I meant I wanted to be away from—some people. You are not one of them."
He was pleased, and showed it. "You're sure of that?" he asked.