She made no reply. Overhead the turbulent updrafts fiercely united the
drops of rain, disrupted them, reunited them and again disrupted them,
and let them fall with heavy positive charges. The little storm was at
its height.
Marvin felt dimly that something was wrong. The swift sweet interchange
of thought had ceased.
“You don’t seem to be interested in nickel.”
“No.”
“But isn’t it rather interesting that eighty percent of the world’s
supply should come from your very door? All the armor plate, the
ordnance, the gun barrels, the bullet casings owe a debt to this region,
though now of course the demand for nickel has dropped.”
“The demand for copper hasn’t.”
“I’m afraid it has. Most of the mines near you are losing money.”
She did not contradict him, and he went on.
“Your cobalt and nickel and copper are so matted together that it’s
pretty expensive to separate them.”
“I guess the expense doesn’t prevent.”
He turned and looked up at her. There was suspicion in the lids that
almost veiled the blue, and disappointment in the curving lips, and
pugnacity in the smooth brown jaw.
“What’s the matter?”
“You are a business man.”
“Do you suspect me of prospecting for copper?”
“Yes, I do.”
“But suppose that I am looking for a metal, or possibly a non-metal.
Don’t you suppose I’d pay what the land was worth?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry you should think so badly of me. It looks as we were going to
differ.”
“I’m afraid we are, and I’m rather glad of it.”
The rain began to slacken, many a charge changing to negative, while
through the showery strands the island down the river began to show
green as malachite.
“Glad?”
“Yes. In a few minutes it will be good-by, and I’d rather quarrel till
then.”
He rose to his feet and stood looking down at her.
“Why must it be good-by? I never met anybody I liked so much. I don’t
know what’s happening to me—something wonderful and strange. What shall
we quarrel about?”
“’Most anything. I don’t begrudge the rich anything they have, only I
wish they’d let me alone.”
“But I’m not rich.”
“Of course you are. You look just like a prince.”
“Miss Moccasins, all I own is four thousand two hundred and eighty-nine
dollars. My father is worth a million, but I won’t take a cent from him
if you say so.”
“You’re almost making love to me, aren’t you?”
“Why, yes, almost.”
“You mustn’t. You are as impulsive as a perch. Were you fishing?”
“I was, but I didn’t find them very impulsive.”
“Didn’t you catch a single one?”
“No. Did you?”
“Yes, I have a dozen perch tied to my boat, and one of them is fourteen
inches long.”
“Fourteen? I’m afraid you haven’t much sense of distance.”
She picked up a shingle nail and gravely marked off a space on the green
wall. He as gravely drew a little centimeter stick from his pocket,
measured, and reckoned into inches. She had marked off fourteen less an
eighth.
“You leave me no choice. I fear you told me a whopper.”
She stamped her foot. “In two minutes I could take that fish off the
string and hold him up here against the wall. But I wouldn’t. I’d be
ashamed to inconvenience him just to please a man who questioned my
word.”
“I don’t really question it, darlin’.”
“What was it you called me?”
“I called you darlin’. I used to call them all that, but the war rather
knocked it out of me. With your permission I’d like to begin again.”
“You’ll never get my permission if you live a million years. Good-by!”
“Please wait a minute. I wish to ask you an important question, but I
have to lead up to it. I told you how much my father is worth, and now
I’d like to know how much yours is worth.”
She flushed, but instantly told the truth.
“He isn’t worth anything. This year we have about four hundred dollars
and a garden.”
“Well, I’m hungry, and I have two hundred and eighty-nine dollars in my
pocket.”
The forgetmenot eyes opened wide with astonishment.
“Very well. I hate business, but I guess I can rob you just as you rob
the poor. If you come to my shop, I’ll sell you all the perch you want
at eighty cents a pound.”
“It isn’t safe to start a monopoly till you’ve bought in your
competitors.”
“Mr. Millionaire, if you think you can find any of my competitors, just
go and hunt for them. I buy in the cheapest market and I sell in the
dearest. That’s business.”
“Won’t you shade your price?”
“No, sir. I never, never cut prices on perch.” She brushed past him and
stepped into her dory. Then she paused and glanced at the spot where he
first appeared to her in a vision. She stepped out again, gathered an
armful of fireweed, and was back in her boat. She pushed out and began
to row.
He watched her, fascinated. She would pull very evenly and strongly, and
then pause to look at something, oars in air. All her movements were
like that. She would be still for minutes, and then move like a flash.
Presently she reached the southernmost tip of Old Duck. Here she shipped
her oars while she did a most surprising thing. She pulled off her green
sweater and tossed it overboard, and away it floated down the river. If
he needed any proof of her scorn for money, he had it now. He watched
the thing a while and did not know that he was seeing Gratia off.