He helped the captain from the buggy and, at Sears" request, led the Foam Flake around the corner to the hitching rail. When he returned Miss Berry had gone upstairs to the dressing-room to leave her packages.
Asaph was still surprised.
"Mighty glad to see you out again, Cap"n," he declared. "I heard you was better, but I didn"t hardly cal"late to see you takin" your girl to ride so soon. Hey? He, he, he!"
Sears-laughed long enough to seem polite. Asaph laughed longer.
"And "tain"t _your_ girl you"re takin" nuther, is it?" he said. "When I looked in that buggy just now I don"t know when I"ve been more sot back.
"Evenin", George," says I. And "twan"t George Kent at all, "twas you.
Ain"t been to work and cut George out, have you, Cap"n Sears? He, he, he! That"s another good one, ain"t it!"
The captain smiled--more politeness--and inquired if he and Miss Berry were the first ones at the hall.
"Is any one else here?" he asked.
"Yus," said Mr. Tidditt.
"Who?"
"Me. He, he, he! Kind of caught you that time, didn"t I, Cap"n? Wasn"t expectin" that, was you? Except me, you and "Liz"beth"s the fust ones.
Be plenty more in half an hour, though. "Bout all hands in Bayport"s comin" to this time, everybody but the Orthodox and the Methodists and the Come-Outers. They cal"late goin" to a play-actin" time is same as goin" to Tophet. I tell "em I"d ruther go to the show, "cause I"d have a little fun out of it, and from what I hear there ain"t much fun in t"other place. He, he, he! But say, how"d it happen George Kent ever let "Liz"beth Berry go anywheres without him? Where _is_ George?"
Sears was rather glad when the arrival of Sam Ryder and Carleton, two other members of the cast of "Down by the Sea" attracted the attention of the garrulous Asaph and led the latter, in their company, upstairs. A moment or so later another figure approached from the blackness to the circle of light cast by the big ship"s lantern over the hall door.
"Why, h.e.l.lo, George!" hailed Sears.
Young Kent looked up, recognized the speaker and said "Good evening." He did not seem surprised as Mr. Tidditt had been to find the captain there. The latter remarked upon it.
"Why, George," he observed, "I must say you take my bein" here all alone pretty calmly. Ase Tidditt all but capsized when he saw me bring the Foam Flake into dock."
Kent nodded. "I knew you were here," he said. "Elizabeth came down with you, I suppose."
"Why, yes. Did she tell you she was goin" to risk life and limb aboard my vessel?"
"No," briefly.
"Oh. Then how did you know?"
"I stopped at the Harbor. Her mother said she had gone with you....
Where is she; upstairs?"
"Up in the dressin" room, I guess. She had to come so early because there were things to bring and some work for her to do before you and the others got here, she said."
"What? Did she say before _I_ got here?"
"Eh? Why, no, didn"t mention you in particular. She just said----"
Kent interrupted. "I see," he said, shortly. "All right, never mind."
He was walking toward the other end of the platform. His manner was so very peculiar that Sears could not help noticing it. He looked after him in perplexity.
"Here ... George!" he called.
Kent turned and came back, rather reluctantly it seemed. The older man looked at him keenly.
"George," he asked, "what"s the matter with you?"
"Matter? With me?"
"Yes, with you. You"re short as Aunt Nabby"s pie crust. Have I done anything you don"t like? If I have I"ll apologize before I know what it is. It wasn"t done on purpose, you can be sure of that."
Kent started, colored, and was much perturbed. "I didn"t realize I was short, Cap"n Kendrick," he declared. "I beg your pardon. I am mighty sorry. No--no, of course you haven"t done anything I don"t like. I don"t believe you could."
"You never can tell. But so far I haven"t tried. Not sick, are you?"
"No ... I"m just--oh, nothing. I"m in a little trouble, that"s all. My own fault, maybe, I don"t know."
"Probably it is. Most of our troubles are our own fault, in one way or another. Well, if there"s anything I can do to help out, just give me a hail."
"Thanks. But I"m afraid there isn"t."
He turned and walked down the platform once more. Mrs. Captain Orrin Eldridge, who was to sell tickets, came, and, after greeting the captain cordially, went in to open and light the ticket-office at the foot of the stairs. Two more members of the cast, Erastus Snow and Mrs. Ba.s.sett, arrived and went up to prepare. Suddenly Kent, who had been standing at the farther end of the platform, came back.
"Captain Kendrick," he said, "would you mind answering a question?"
"Eh? Why, not a bit, George. But perhaps yours may be one of those questions I can"t answer."
"I think you can. Say--er--Cap"n Kendrick----"
"Yes, George."
"You see, I.... This sounds awfully foolish, but--but I don"t know what I ought to do."
"Um-hm. Well, a good many of us get that way every once in a while."
"Do you?"
"You bet!"
"Humph! Somehow you seem to me like a man who would know exactly what to do at any time."
"Yes? Well, my looks must belie me. Heave ahead, George. The folks are beginning to come."
"Well, I---- Oh, hang it, Cap"n, when you"ve made a mistake--done something that you didn"t think was wrong--that wasn"t wrong, really--and--and.... Say, I"m making an awful mess of this. And it"s such a fool thing, anyhow."
"Um-hm. So many things are. Chuck it overboard, George; that is, if you really want to ask me about it."
"I do. That is, I want to ask you this: Suppose you had done something that you thought was all right and--and somebody else had thought was wrong--would you--would you go and tell that other person that you _were_ wrong? Even if you weren"t, you know."