THINKING BETTER OF IT.
Don stood looking at Jem Wimble for some few minutes in silence, as if the sight of some one else in trouble did him good. Then he sat down on the stock of an old anchor, to begin picking at the red rust scales as he too stared at the ships moored here and there.
The tall masts and rigging had a certain fascination for Don, and each vessel seemed to offer a way out of his difficulties. For once on board a ship with the sails spread, and the open sea before him, he might cross right away to one of those beautiful lands of which Mike had spoken, and then--
The thought of Mike altered the case directly, and he sat staring straight before him at the ships.
Jem was the next to break the silence.
"Thinking you"d like to go right away, Master Don?"
"Yes, Jem."
"So was I, sir. Only think how nice it would be somewhere abroad, where there was no Sally."
"And no Uncle Josiah, Jem."
"Ay, and no Mike to get you into trouble. Be fine, wouldn"t it?"
"Glorious, Jem."
"Mean to go, Master Don?"
"What, and be a miserable coward? No."
"But you was a-thinking something of the kind, sir."
"Yes, I was, Jem. Everybody is stupid sometimes, and I was stupid then.
No. I"ve thought better of it."
"And you won"t go, sir?"
"Go? No. Why, it would be like saying what Mike accused me of was true."
"So it would, sir. Now that"s just how I felt. I says to myself, "Jem," I says, "don"t you stand it. What you"ve got to do is to go right away and let Sally shift for herself; then she"d find out your vally," I says, "and be sorry for what she"s said and done," but I knew if I did she"d begin to crow and think she"d beat me, and besides, it would be such a miserable cowardly trick. No, Mas" Don, I"m going to grin and bear it, and some day she"ll come round and be as nice as she"s nasty now."
"Yes, that"s the way to look at it, Jem; but it"s a miserable world, isn"t it?"
"Well, I arn"t seen much on it, Mas" Don. I once went for a holiday as far as Bath, and that part on it was miserable enough. My word, how it did rain! In half an hour I hadn"t got a dry thread on me. Deal worse than Bristol, which isn"t the most cheersome o" places when you"re dull."
"No, Jem, it isn"t. Of course you"ll be at the court to-morrow?"
"I suppose so, Mas" Don. And I say they"d better ask me if I think you took that money. My! But I would give it to some on "em straight. Can you fight, Mas" Don?"
"I don"t know, Jem. I never tried."
"I can. You don"t know what a crack I could give a man. It"s my arms is so strong with moving sugar-hogsheads, I suppose. I shouldn"t wish to be the man I hit if I did my best."
"You mean your worst, Jem."
"Course I do, Mas" Don. Well, as I was going to say, I should just like to settle that there matter with Mr Mike without the magistrates. You give him to me on a clear field for about ten minutes, and I"d make Master Mike down hisself on his knees, and say just whatever I pleased."
"And what good would that do, Jem?"
"Not much to him, Mas" Don, because he"d be so precious sore afterwards, but it would do me good, and I would feel afterwards what I don"t feel now, and that"s cheerful. Never mind, sir, it"ll all come right in the end. Nothing like coming out and sitting all alone when you"re crabby.
Wind seems to blow it away. When you"ve been sitting here a bit you"ll feel like a new man. Mind me smoking a pipe?"
"No, Jem; smoke away."
"Won"t have one too, Mas" Don?"
"No, Jem; you know I can"t smoke."
"Then here goes for mine," said Jem, taking a little dumpy clay pipe from one pocket and a canvas bag from another, in which were some rough pieces of tobacco leaf. These he crumbled up and thrust into the bowl, after which he took advantage of the shelter afforded by an empty cask to get in, strike a light, and start a pipe.
Once lit up, Jem returned to his old seat, and the pair remained in the same place till it was getting dusk, and lights were twinkling among the shipping, when Jem rose and stretched himself.
"That"s your sort, Mas" Don," he said. "Now I feels better, and I can smile at my little woman when I get home. You aren"t no worse?"
"No, Jem, I am no worse."
"Nothing like coming out when you"re red hot, and cooling down. I"m cooled down, and so are you. Come along."
Don felt a sensation of reluctance to return home, but it was getting late, and telling himself that he had nothing to do now but act a straightforward manly part, and glad that he had cast aside his foolish notions about going away, he trudged slowly back with his companion, till turning into one of the dark and narrow lanes leading from the water side, they suddenly became aware that they were not alone, for a stoutly-built sailor stepped in front of them.
"Got a light, mate?" he said.
"Light? Yes," said Jem readily; and he prepared to get out his flint and steel, when Don whispered something in his ear.
"Ay, to be sure," he said; "why don"t you take a light from him?"
"Eh? Ah, to be sure," said the sailor. "I forgot. Here, Joe, mate, open the lanthorn and give us a light."
Another sailor, a couple of yards away, opened a horn lanthorn, and the first man bent down to light his pipe, the dull rays of the coa.r.s.e candle showing something which startled Don.
"Come on, Jem," he whispered; "make haste."
"Ay? To be sure, my lad. There"s nothing to mind though. Only sailors."
As he spoke there were other steps behind, and more from the front, and Don realised that they were hemmed in that narrow lane between two little parties of armed men.
Just then the door of the lanthorn was closed, and the man who bore it held it close to Jem"s face.
"Well?" said that worthy, good-temperedly, "what d"yer think of me, eh?
Lost some one? "Cause I arn"t him."
"I don"t know so much about that," said a voice; and a young-looking man in a heavy pea jacket whispered a few words to one of the sailors.