By the way, speakin' of hypocrites, I suppose there's just
as much 'Dunnin'' as ever goin' on up there?"
"Yes. A little more, if anything, I'm afraid. Your niece and Mrs. Dunn
and her precious son are together now so constantly that people are
expecting--well, you know what they expect."
"I can guess. I hope they'll be disapp'inted."
"So do I, but I must confess I'm fearful. Malcolm himself isn't so wise,
but his mother is--"
"A whole Book of Proverbs, hey? I know. She's an able old frigate. I
did think I had her guns spiked, but she turned 'em on me unexpected. I
thought I had her and her boy in a clove hitch. I knew somethin' that I
was sartin sure they wouldn't want Caroline to know, and she and Malcolm
knew I knew it. Her tellin' Caroline of it, HER story of it, when I
wasn't there to contradict, was as smart a piece of maneuverin' as ever
was. It took the wind out of my sails, because, though I'm just as right
as I ever was, Caroline wouldn't listen to me, nor believe me, now."
"She'll learn by experience."
"Yup. But learnin' by experience is a good deal like shippin' green
afore the mast; it'll make an able seaman of you, if it don't kill you
fust. When I was a boy there was a man in our town name of Nickerson
Cummin's.
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