The rest of the week was uneventful.  On Saturday, Mona woke up early.  While they were mainlanders, she could not help feeling a bit excited over Miss Cane’s visit, and Mr. Easton’s, for that matter.  To get clean, she went for a swim with Manx.  A swim was much the same to her as a bath.  When Nanny saw her dripping wet in the kitchen, she peered down her speckles at Mona. 

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“If you’d like to look nice for our guests, do let me wash your hair.” 

Mona frowned.  She had just washed her hair, in her opinion, but Mona’s hair was washed again, this time in the kitchen sink. 

“When will they be here?” asked Mona.  A towel covered her shoulders as Nanny combed her hair. 

“I told you they’re not due until three o’clock this afternoon,” said Nanny. 

“Maybe they’ll come earlier,” said Mona. 

 

Despite many hopeful glances out the window, there wasn’t a speck of a dinghy on the sea.  Finally, Mona started reading a book.  It was so exciting that she didn’t notice the time passing.  A gull fight outside reminded her to look out the window.  Through her binoculars, Mona could see a small dinghy approaching.  A fisherman rowed the small boat towards Pearly Beetle. Mona recognized the boat as one that was often used to ferry people from the mainland.  She could just make out the figures of Miss Cane and Mr. Easton.  They sat as far from the other as was possible on a small boat.

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“Manx, they’re coming!” cried Mona.  Manx stretched, yawned, and wagged his tail.  He followed Mona off the bed, into the hall, and down the stairs.  Mona climbed on the counter for a better look.  As they got closer, she jumped off the counter where she had been perched. 

“Nanny,” called Mona, “They’re nearly here.”

“Hmm…,” said Nanny, “can you gather some flowers from the Blackberry Isles for the table?  Go quickly.” 

Mona went to the Blackberry Isles and back as fast as she could.  She brought back bergamot, goldenrod, and asters.  The flowers had just been set on the table when Miss Cane and Mr. Easton knocked.  For a moment, they stood beside each other in the doorway of Pearly Beetle. 

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“I can get that for you, Jodi,” said Mr. Easton, and motioned to her bag.  Miss Cane scowled and shrank away.  Mr. Easton looked nauseous again.  Mona wondered if maybe he was always nauseous. 

At Nanny’s request, Mona brought out a helping of elderberry cobbler.  Mr. Easton and Miss Cane played with their forks, and neither took a bite.

“Is something wrong?” asked Nanny. 

“Nothing, Ma’am, but I’ve changed my mind.  I’d like to put out sooner than I thought.  I’m going to have to cancel my reservations,” said Mr. Easton.  Miss Cane dropped her fork so it fell under the table.

“Why are you leaving, Will?” said Miss Cane. 

“Because I’ve got to,” said Mr. Easton. 

 

He leaned under the table to get her fork.  Miss Cane threw up her hands.  Mona watched their exchange.  She couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Mr. Easton.  She squinted and leaned forward to see if Mr. Easton had a steel glint in his either eye like the pirate captain.  As his head ducked under the table, Mona saw his eyes were clear.  She wondered why he had broken off the engagement with Miss Cane, and why he seemed to still like her.  A loud bump came from the table and then a swear word was uttered. 

“Are you alright?” asked Nanny.  Miss Cane seemed to be indifferent as to whether Mr. Easton was alright.  She leaned against the back of her chair and twisted her napkin in smaller and smaller balls.  Mr. Easton emerged from under the table.  He dropped Miss Cane’s silverware next to her and staggered to the right.   He held one hand out to steady himself, and the other hand he held over his head. 

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“Do you need some ice?” Mona asked.

Mr. Easton didn’t answer.  He sat down and held his head in his hands.  Mona went over to the cabinets.  She clattered through a cupboard, and pulled out some rags to wrap the ice.  Clang!  The rusty old teapot she and Nanny had found on the Blackberry Isles crashed out of the cupboard.  Miss Cane, Nanny, and Will looked up at the sound.  Mr. Easton seemed to have forgotten about his head.  He stood up and ran towards the teapot. 

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“My goodness,” said Nanny, “we don’t normally keep such filthy things, particularly in our cupboards.”  Mr. Easton picked it up.

“Is…is it yours?” Mr. Easton asked as he examined it.  The rust turned his fingers orange.  A large pink bump had formed just above his eye.

“No, we found it on the Blackberry Isles.”

“Then, I’m almost sure of it.  That’s my old teapot!  Did you…did you find anything with it?”

“We have the deed too, somewhere around here,” said Nanny. “Just wait a minute now.”  She hurried into the other room and emerged with the deed to the house Mona had found at the beginning of the summer.

Mr. Easton laughed out loud.

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“That’s wonderful!” he cried, and he hugged the dirty old teapot to his chest, leaving a brown imprint on his shirt.

“Will, what’s going on?” said Miss Cane. 

“I’ll explain.  Let me get my thoughts together.”  He closed his eyes and rubbed the sore spot on his head again.

“After we were engaged, I bought a house.  My brother, you know, Joe, … anyway, he helped me with the paperwork-he’s a banker. We don’t get along.  He thinks I’m irresponsible.  He has a high opinion of Jodi, however.  He never thought that I deserved her.” Will laughed, a sad laugh like the waves on a rainy day, and continued.

 “He, the bank, and I were the only ones with an official record of the house purchase. The old owner died a few days after I bought the place.  Jodi and I were supposed to have a picnic on the ocean.  I had our dinner ready in the boat.  I was going to tell you about the house then.  As I waited, it began to rain.  Do you remember, Jodi?”  Mr. Easton turned to Miss Cane.  She nodded.

​

“I never came out that night,” cried Miss Cane. “The weather was so bad.  I didn’t think you’d be there.”

“Yes, I planned to pack everything and have dinner with you at home instead, but just then I noticed a man and a dog on the rocks just off shore.  Poor dog!  The man, he tried to hit him with a wine bottle he was carrying.  The dog whimpered and moved away from him, but he stumbled after the dog, swinging the bottle.  Every time he tried to hit the dog, wine poured out of the top of the bottle.  I’m not sure, but the dog looked an awful lot like him.”  Mr. Easton pointed to Manx.  Manx wagged his tail.

​

“I stuffed the deed to the house in a teapot I’d bought on the way to the beach.  Jodi likes stuff like that and anyway-I made my way over to the rocks and yelled at the man for him to stop.  He turned to me and was surprisingly fast.  He hit me on the shoulder and broke the bottle so wine spilled down my front.  He grabbed me, but I threw him against the rocks.  He got up, wiped blood from his mouth, spat towards me, and left.  When I turned back towards shore, I lost my footing and slipped on the rocks.  I must have hit my head because I woke up later on the rocks.  It was dark and rainy and I was very wet and cold.  I didn’t see the dog anywhere. Not that I could see much of anything.  And the dingy, I searched the whole beach, but it was gone.  I rushed home to get the other deed.  I thought you were probably waiting for me.” 

Miss Cane nodded.

​

“When my brother saw me, wet, cut, and bruised from the fight and with wine stains down my sleeve he came to the wrong conclusion about me--as usual.”

“He talked me out of marrying you, for your own good, and destroyed the other deed.  I went to bed with a fever.  I couldn’t sleep.  I tossed and turned.  How could I marry you with no money and no place to live?  The next morning, I broke it off with you, Jodi. Afterwards, I was too embarrassed to explain what had happened.  But now, oh Jodi, the house is ours!  I’ve passed it every day with regret.  And I’ve changed too since you knew me...I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders more.  If you’ll still have me….Will you still have me?” 

Miss Cane threw her arms around Mr. Easton and kissed him.

​

 “This is odd,” said Mona.

“Let’s go for a swim,” said Nanny.  They walked out of the kitchen and through the front door, leaving the happy couple behind.

“I told you that we shouldn’t throw out that deed.  And did you see those two, in each other’s arms?” said Nanny.  “Don’t you think it’s wonderful the way things turned out?”

“Mainlanders,” said Mona.  She wrinkled her nose.  Nanny looked up and frowned, but Mona had already jumped in the water.  There was such carefree joy in Mona’s casual strokes that Nanny sighed and looked instead at the newspaper she had grabbed. 

​

“Nanny, come in!” yelled Mona. 

Nanny looked around.  When no other Nanny responded, she nodded. “Alright, alright.”  Nanny jumped in the water clothes and all.  They splashed each other and raced twice around Pearly Beetle. 

Despite the inconveniences of romance, Mona did like the couple.  When the weekend ended, Mona promised to come for the wedding.  To her delight, the event was to be on a ship. 

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