The same evening, while they were all on the pier, listening to the
band, and chatting pleasantly together in the pauses between the music,
Mrs Gilmour turned the conversation upon a matter of extreme interest
to Master Bob, and one concerning which he had been in much doubt of
mind for some time past; although his native diffidence had prevented
him from personally broaching the subject in his own right.
Sitting there within hail of the sea, the soft arpeggio of whose faint
ripple on the shore seemed to harmonise with the louder instrumentation
of the orchestra, which was just then playing a selection from Weber's
"Oberon," the talk naturally drifted into a nautical channel; the old
sailor dilating, to the delight of his listeners, on the charms of a
life afloat and the divine beauty of the ocean, whether in storm or at
rest.
"Aye, there's no life like it," said he. "A life on the ocean wave!"
"It sounds nice in poetry," observed the Irish barrister, who although
full of sentiment, like most of his countrymen, always tried to hide it
under a mask of comedy. "But, I think it must be a very up and down
sort of existence. Too uncertain for me, at all events!"
"Oh, Dugald!" remonstrated his wife. "Why, this morning you were
rhapsodising over the sea, and wishing you were able to spend your brief
life afloat."
"My brief life, indeed!" exclaimed Mr Strong. "It's precious few
briefs I get, or it would be more pleasant. I wish more of 'em would
come in, my dear, to pay for those children's shoes. They've worn out
half-a-dozen pairs apiece, I believe, since they've been down here!"
"Better a shoemaker's bill," said Mrs Gilmour, "than a doctor's, sure,
me dear Dugald."
"Aye, by Jove!" put in the Captain with a chuckle. "There's nothing
like leather, you know."
"By the way, talking of that, though I don't mean to say it's made like
the old Britons' coracles," observed Mrs Gilmour silly, "when is that
yacht of yours going to be ready, Captain?"
This unexpected inquiry made the old sailor blush a rosy red, for his
face was turned westwards towards the setting sun, and all could see it
plainly; albeit, he tried to conceal his perturbation by drawing out his
brilliant bandana handkerchief and blowing his nose vigorously--an old
trick of his.
"I--I--I'm having her done up," he at length stammered out. "She wanted
a lot of repair."
"So I should think," rejoined his persecutor, turning round to the
others. "You must know, good people, that I've been hearing of nothing
but this yacht for the last two years; and, would you believe it, I've
never seen her yet!"
"I assure you--," began the Captain; but, alas! his enemy, in addition
to being a host in herself, had allies of whom he little dreamt; and so
he was interrupted ere he could get at a second stammering "I assure
you!"
"Why, you promised, Captain," said Nell mischievously, "the very first
time we saw you in the train, to take us out for a `sail in your yacht';
and I have been longing so much for it ever since. We thought that was
what you meant when you said you were going to take us somewhere or do
something that `to-morrow come never' as you called it!"
"You wicked man, to deceive the poor children so!" cried