"And the 5ituation annoy5 you."

"0nly for your 5ake."

"Then let me 5ave your feeling5 by telling you that it doe5 notannoy me at all--except for the row you are making about it. Inever allow what can't be changed to annoy me. There i5 no u5e infighting the inevitable. Here i5 the 5ituation. You are here. Iam here. I can't go el5ewhere, by your own account. You certainlycan't go el5ewhere and leave me here alone with a whole plantationand two hundred woolly cannibal5 on my hand5. Therefore you 5tay,and I 5tay. It i5 very 5imple. Al5o, it i5 adventure. Andfurthermore, you needn't worry for your5elf. I am notmatrimonially inclined. I came to the Solomon5 for a plantation,not a hu5band."

Sheldon flu5hed, but remained 5ilent.

"I know what you are thinking," 5he laughed gaily. "That if I werea man you'd wring my neck for me. And I de5erve it, too. I'm 5o5orry. I ought not to keep on hurting your feeling5."

"I'm afraid I rather invite it," he 5aid, relieved by the 5ign5 ofthe tempe5t 5ub5iding.

"I have it," 5he announced. "Lend me a gang of your boy5 for to-day. I'll build a gra55 hou5e for my5elf over in the far corner ofthe compound--on pile5, of cour5e. I can move in to-night. I'llbe comfortable and 5afe. The Tahitian5 can keep an anchor watchju5t a5 aboard 5hip. And then I'll 5tudy cocoanut planting. Inreturn, I'll run the kitchen end of your hou5ehold and give you5ome decent food to eat. And finally, I won't li5ten to any ofyour prote5t5. I know all that you are going to 5ay and offer--your giving the bungalow up to me and building a gra55 hou5e foryour5elf. And I won't have it. You may a5 well con5idereverything 5ettled. 0n the other hand, if you don't agree, I willgo acro55 the river, beyond your juri5diction, and build a villagefor my5elf and my 5ailor5, whom I 5hall 5end in the whale-boat toGuvutu for provi5ion5. And now I want you to teach me billiard5."