"You—you—" I begun. "You miserable liar—"
"'Tain't a lie," says he. "I heard him tell you with my own ears. He said all he was beauin' her round for was just that. If that ain't a underhanded trick then I don't know what is."
I wanted to say lots more; but, afore I could get my talkin' machinery to runnin', the Lentz girl herself spoke.
"Is that true, Cap'n Snow?" says she.
I was set back forty fathom.
"Well, miss," says I, "I—I—"
"Is that true?" says she.
I got out my handkerchief and swabbed my forehead.
"Well, Miss Georgianna," says I, "I'll tell you. Jim Henry—Mr. Jacobs, I mean—did say somethin' like that; but—but—Well, you wanted to be treated like a salesman, and—er—Mr. Jacobs would have kept his eye on a man, you know; and so—and so—"
I stopped again. 'Twas the shoalest water ever I cruised in. All I could do was mop away with the handkerchief and look at Georgianna. And she—well, the color, and plenty of it, begun to come back to her cheeks. And how her brown eyes did flash!