"But you can make
your mind quite easy: you're as safe aboard my ship as what you would be
alone on a raft in the middle of the Atlantic; and as for the mate, he
was only chaffing you. Wasn't you, Harry?"
The mate made some reply, but neither Mrs. Jansell, the skipper, nor the
men, who were all listening eagerly, caught it, and his unfortunate
victim, accepting the inevitable, walked to the side of the ship and
gazed disconsolately astern.
It was not until the following morning that the mate, who had received
orders to mess for'ard, saw her, and ignoring the fact that everybody
suspended work to listen, walked up and bade her good morning.
"Harry," said the skipper warningly.
"All right," said the mate shortly. "I want to speak to you very
particularly," he said nervously, and led his listener aft, followed by
three of the crew who came to clean the brasswork, and who listened
mutinously when they were ordered to defer unwonted industry to a more
fitting time. The deck clear, the mate began, and in a long rambling
statement, which Mrs. Jansell at first thought the ravings of lunacy,
acquainted her with the real state of his feelings.
"I never did!" said she, when he had finished. "Never! Why, you hadn't
seen her before yesterday."
"Of course I shall take you back by train," said the mate, "and tell
your husband how sorry I am.
Pages:
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186