The box of books was duly delivered by the carrier, but remained unopened, for the very good reason that the young Professor wished to see something of Pebblesdale, which was also Miss Drummond's desire, and he made himself useful by carrying easel and camp-stool.
When the reply came from London to Stover's "without prejudice" letter, Tom Pitts was out at sea, and his boat would not return until high tide early in the morning. There is no eight-hour day in the fishing business. The letter from the lawyers was also captioned "without prejudice," so, as the innkeeper remarked, Stover and his opponents were in for an unprejudiced discussion. To such a section of Pebblesdale's inhabitants as were at home, the legal gentlemen, without entering into the complex intricacies of the case, offered Mr. Stover twenty-five pounds cash down to settle the matter. And here arose an example of the inconsistency of woman. Mrs. Stover demanded that her husband should accept the offer by telegraph, whereas the consensus of opinion among the rest was that as Tom Pitts was conducting the correspondence, no reply should be sent until he returned. She, however, emphatically asserted that she had not the doddering admiration for Tom Pitts that blinded the rest of the population.
Who was he? she'd like to know; and, indeed, a correct answer to that question would have
