"Captain Hunniwell!" he exclaimed. "Did Captain Hunniwell talk with you about—about Maud and—and me?"
"Yes."
"Well, by George! Then he suspected—he guessed that— That's strange."
Jed relinquished the grip of one hand upon his knee long enough to stroke his chin.
"Um . . . yes," he drawled drily. "It's worse than strange, it's— er—paralyzin'. More clairvoyants in Orham than you thought there was; eh, Charlie?"
"But why should he talk with you on that subject; about anything so—er—personal and confidential as that? With YOU, you know!"
Jed's slow smile drifted into sight and vanished again. He permitted himself the luxury of a retort.
"Well," he observed musingly, "as to that I can't say for certain. Maybe he did it for the same reason you're doin' it now, Charlie."
The young man evidently had not thought of it in just that light. He looked surprised and still more puzzled.
"Why, yes," he admitted. "So I am, of course. And I do talk to you about things I never would think of mentioning to other people. And Ruth says she does. That's queer, too. But we are—er— neighbors of yours and—and tenants, you know. We've known you ever since we came to Orham."