“No, I don’t forget, nuther.  Mr. Ellery, you don’t know it all.  When Laviny come to me and told me what she was goin’ to do, was I obstinate?  Did I stand on my rights as head of the family and tell her she couldn’t do it?  No, sir-ee, I didn’t!  I was resigned.  I says to her, ‘Laviny,’ I says, ’I won’t say that I shan’t be turrible lonesome without you.  I won’t say that I ain’t sort of shocked and grieved at our partin’ after all these years.  But what’s my personal feelin’s when I compare ’em with your happiness?  Nothin’, nothin’ at all!’ I says.  ‘Bless you, Laviny,’ says I.  ‘When you goin’ to go away?’ And what do you s’pose she says to me?  Why, that she wa’n’t goin’ away at all.  That—­that Pratt thing has sold out his shoe store up to Sandwich and is comin’ here to live.  Comin’ to live at our house, mind you, with her and with me! ’’Twill be so nice for you, ‘Bishy dear,’ she says, ’to have a man in the house to keep you comp’ny and look out for you when I ain’t round.’  Godfreys mighty!”

This portion of Kyan’s disclosure was surprising, if the announcement of his sister’s engagement was not.

“Mr. Pratt is coming to Trumet?” the minister repeated.  “What for?  What is he going to do here?”

“Keep shoe store, I s’pose likely.  Laviny says there’s a good openin’ for one in this town.  I told her the best openin’ I could think of for him was the well and I hoped to the nation he’d fall into it.  Then she went for me like a dogfish after a herrin’ and I never had a taste of vittles till I’d took it all back and said I was glad he was goin’ to live with us.  Free!  Don’t talk to me about freedom!  Godfreys mighty!”

Ellery smothered his desire to laugh and expressed sympathy.  Abishai listened in sullen silence.

“Well,” he said, turning to go, “I ain’t goin’ to stand it, if I can help it.  I’ve been doin’ some thinkin’ on my own account and there’s two ways of gettin’ even.  That Caleb critter is marryin’ into our family ’cause he knows I’m well off.  I’ll cheat him, by godfreys!  I’ll will every cent of my fifteen hundred dollars to the poor or the heathen or somethin’.  I will, sure’s taxes.”

The minister was obliged to laugh, then.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he said.  “From what I hear, Mr. Pratt is worth several times fifteen hundred.”

“I know it; but he’s so dum mean that ’twould break his heart to see even ten cents gettin’ away from him.  However, that ain’t my only plan.  He and Laviny ain’t got any mortgage on the marryin’ business.  Other folks can do it as well as them.  What do you think of Hannah Poundberry?”

“What do I think of her?  What do you mean?”

“Never mind what I mean.  Just you keep that in your head, Mr. Ellery.  You remember that I asked you, as man to man, ’What do you think of Hannah Poundberry?’—­Yes, yes, Laviny, I’m a-comin’.  They want me to ask you to marry ’em,” he added.  “I s’pose you’ll have to.  But say, Mr. Ellery, when you do, just tell Pratt that your usual price for the job is ten dollars.  That’ll spile his honeymoon for him, or I miss my guess.”