It was only when the whistle of the returning boat sounded close by that he realized he had been sitting there for nearly an hour.

He roused himself, sealed and addressed his letter to the senator, and hurried down to the dock.

Patty was alone, mending some tackle.
"It must be a long letter," she remarked, standing up and shaking her skirts.
"Why, this is only the beginning of it," he replied ambiguously.

"It is never going to end." "Mercy! It must be a postscript." He had no retort handy, so he contented himself with watching the approach of the boat.
"Some men are never satisfied," she said owlishly.

"If I were a successful dramatist, such as you are, a public office would look rather tawdry." "But it's real, Patty; it's life and not mummery." "I don't know," doubtfully; "from what I have read, there are more puppets in and about a City Hall than ever dangled in the puppet booth.