Pooh! thats no difficulty, again interrupted this unconquerable man of the sea; I hate late hours myself, when Im ashore, havin more than enough of em when afloat. Ill go to bed regularly at nine oclock, an wont want a latch-key.
The idea of such a man going to bed at all was awesome enough, but the notion of his doing so in that small room, and in that delicately arranged little bed under that roof-tree, was so perplexing, that the sisters anxiously rummaged their minds for a new objection, but could find none until their visitor asked the rent of the room. Then Kate was assailed by another happy thought, and promptly named double the amount which she and Jessie had previously fixed as its valuewhich amount she felt sure would prove prohibitory.
Her dismay, then, may be imagined when the captain exclaimed with a sighperhaps it were better to say a breezeof relief:
Well, then, thats all comfortably settled. I consider the rent quite moderate. Ill send up my chest to-morrow mornin, an will turn up myself in the evenin. Ill bid ye good-day now, ladies, an beg your pardon for keepin you so long about this little matter.
He held out his hand. One after another the crushed sisters put their delicate little hands into the seamans enormous paw, and meekly bade him good-bye, after which the nautical giant strode noisily out of the house, shut the door with an inadvertent bang, stumbled heavily down the dark stair and passage, and finally vanished from the scene.
Then Jessie and Kate Seaward returned to their little parlour, sat down at opposite sides of the miniature grate, and gazed at each other for some minutes in solemn silenceboth strongly impressed with the feeling that they had passed through a tremendous storm, and got suddenly into a profoundly dead calm.
Chapter Four.
Billy Bright the Fisher-Boy visits Londonhas a Fightenlarges his Mind, and undertakes Business
We must now return to the Evening Star fishing-smack, but only for a few minutes at present. Later on we shall have occasion to visit her under stirring circumstances. We saw her last heading eastward to her fishing-ground in the North Sea. We present her now, after a two months trip, sailing to the west, homeward bound.
Eight weeks at sea; nine days on shore, is the unvarying routine of the North Sea smacksmans life, summer and winter, all the year round. Two months of toil and exposure of the severest kind, fair-weather or foul, and little more than one week of repose in the bosom of his familyvaried by visits more or less frequent to the tap-room of the public-house. It is a rugged life to body and soul. Severest toil and little rest for the one; strong temptation and little refreshment to the other.
Strong temptation! you exclaim, what! out on the heaving billows and among the howling gales of winter on the North Sea?
Ay, stronger temptation than you might suppose, as, in the sequel, you shall see.
But we are homeward bound just now. One of the gales above referred to is blowing itself out and the Evening Star is threading her way among the shoals to her brief repose in Yarmouth.
The crew are standing about the deck looking eagerly towards the land, and little Billy is steering. (See Frontispiece.)
Yes, that ridiculous atom of humanity, with a rope, or steering lanyard, round the tiller to prevent its knocking him down or sweeping him overboard, stands there guiding the plunging smack on her course through the dangerous shoals. Of course Billys father has an eye on him, but he does not require to say more than an occasional word at long intervals.
Need we observe that our little hero is no longer subject to the demon which felled him at starting, and made his rosy face so pale? One glance at the healthy brown cheeks will settle that question. Another glance at his costume will suffice to explain, without words, much of Billys life during the past eight weeks. The sou-wester is crushed and soiled, the coat is limp, rent, mended, button-bereaved more or less, and bespattered, and the boots wear the aspect of having seen service. The little hands too, which even while ashore were not particularly white, now bear traces of having had much to do with tar, and grease, and fishy substances, besides being red with cold, swelled with sundry bruises, and seamed with several scarsfor Billy is reckless by nature, and it takes time and much experience of suffering to teach a man how to take care of his hands in the fisheries of the North Sea!
An hour or two more sufficed to carry our smack into port, and then the various members of the crew hurried home.
Billy swaggered beside his father and tried to look manly until he reached his own door, where all thought of personal appearance suddenly vanished, and he leaped with an unmanly squeal of delight into his mothers arms. You may be sure that those arms did not spare him!
Youll not go down to-night, David? said Mrs Bright, when, having half choked her son, she turned to her husband.
No, lass,I wont, said the skipper in a tone of decision.
Mrs Bright was much gratified by the promise, for well did she know, from bitter experience, that if her David went down to meet his comrades at the public-house on his arrival, his brief holidays would probably be spent in a state of semi-intoxication. Indeed, even with this promise she knew that much of his time and a good deal of his hardly earned money would be devoted to the publican.
Well not have much of Billys company this week, I fear, said Mrs Bright, with a glance of pride at her son, who returned it with a look of surprise.
Why so, Nell? asked her husband.
Because he has got to go to London.
To Lunon! exclaimed the father.
Lunon! echoed the son.
Yes; it seems that Miss Ruththat dear young lady, Miss Ruth Dotropyyou remember her, Billy?
Remember her! I should think I does, said the boy, emphatically, if I was to live as long as Meethusilim Id never forget Miss Dotropy.
Well, continued Mrs Bright, she wrote and asked Joe Davidsons wife to send her a fisher-boy to London for a day or two, and shed pay his railway fare up an back, and all his expenses. What ever Miss Ruth wants to do with him I dont know, nor any one else. Mrs Davidson couldnt find a boy that was fit to send, so she said shed wait till you came back, Billy, and send you up.
Well, wonders aint a-goin to cease yet a while, exclaimed Billy, with a look of gratified pride. Howsever, Im game for anythinkfrom pitch an toss upards. When am I to start, mother?
To-morrow, by the first train.
All rightan what sort o rig? I couldnt go in them ere slops, you know. It wouldnt give em a krect idear o Yarmouth boys, would it?
Of course not sonny, an Ive got ready your old Sunday coat, it aint too small for you yetan some other things.
Accordingly, rigged out, as he expressed it, in a well-mended and brushed pilot-cloth coat; a round blue-cloth cap; a pair of trousers to match, and a pair of new shoes, Billy found himself speeding towards the great city with what he styled a stiff breakfast under hatches, four or five shillings in the locker, an a bustin heart beneath his veskit.
In a few hours he found himself in the bewildering streets, inquiring his way to the great square in the West End where Mrs Dotropy dwelt.
The first person of whom he made inquiry was a street boy, and while he was speaking the city Arab regarded the provincial boys innocent facefor it was a peculiarly innocent face when in reposewith a look of mingled curiosity and cunning.