On the present evening, Miss Roxy sat bolt upright, as was her wont, in one corner of the fireplace, with her spectacles on her nose, and an unwonted show of candles on the little stand beside her, having resumed the task of the silk dress which had been for a season interrupted. Mrs.
Kittridge, with her spectacles also mounted, was carefully and warily "running-up breadths," stopping every few minutes to examine her work, and to inquire submissively of Miss Roxy if "it will do?"
Captain Kittridge sat in the other corner busily whittling on a little boat which he was shaping to please Sally, who sat on a low stool by his side with her knitting, evidently more intent on what her father was producing than on the evening task of "ten bouts," which her mother exacted before she could freely give her mind to anything on her own account. As Sally was rigorously sent to bed exactly at eight o"clock, it became her to be diligent if she wished to do anything for her own amus.e.m.e.nt before that hour.
And in the next room, cold and still, was lying that faded image of youth and beauty which the sea had so strangely given up. Without a name, without a history, without a single accompaniment from which her past could even be surmised,--there she lay, sealed in eternal silence.
"It"s strange," said Captain Kittridge, as he whittled away,--"it"s very strange we don"t find anything more of that ar ship. I"ve been all up and down the beach a-lookin". There was a spar and some broken bits of boards and timbers come ash.o.r.e down on the beach, but nothin" to speak of."
"It won"t be known till the sea gives up its dead," said Miss Roxy, shaking her head solemnly, "and there"ll be a great givin" up then, I"m a-thinkin"."
"Yes, indeed," said Mrs. Kittridge, with an emphatic nod.
"Father," said Sally, "how many, many things there must be at the bottom of the sea,--so many ships are sunk with all their fine things on board.
Why don"t people contrive some way to go down and get them?"
"They do, child," said Captain Kittridge; "they have diving-bells, and men go down in "em with caps over their faces, and long tubes to get the air through, and they walk about on the bottom of the ocean."
"Did you ever go down in one, father?"
"Why, yes, child, to be sure; and strange enough it was, to be sure.
There you could see great big sea critters, with ever so many eyes and long arms, swimming right up to catch you, and all you could do would be to muddy the water on the bottom, so they couldn"t see you."
"I never heard of that, Cap"n Kittridge," said his wife, drawing herself up with a reproving coolness.
"Wal", Mis" Kittridge, you hain"t heard of everything that ever happened," said the Captain, imperturbably, "though you _do_ know a sight."
"And how does the bottom of the ocean look, father?" said Sally.
"Laws, child, why trees and bushes grow there, just as they do on land; and great plants,--blue and purple and green and yellow, and lots of great pearls lie round. I"ve seen "em big as chippin"-birds" eggs."
"Cap"n Kittridge!" said his wife.
"I have, and big as robins" eggs, too, but them was off the coast of Ceylon and Malabar, and way round the Equator," said the Captain, prudently resolved to throw his romance to a sufficient distance.
"It"s a pity you didn"t get a few of them pearls," said his wife, with an indignant appearance of scorn.
"I did get lots on "em, and traded "em off to the Nabobs in the interior for Cashmere shawls and India silks and sich," said the Captain, composedly; "and brought "em home and sold "em at a good figure, too."
"Oh, father!" said Sally, earnestly, "I wish you had saved just one or two for us."
"Laws, child, I wish now I had," said the Captain, good-naturedly. "Why, when I was in India, I went up to Lucknow, and Benares, and round, and saw all the Nabobs and Biggums,--why, they don"t make no more of gold and silver and precious stones than we do of the sh.e.l.ls we find on the beach. Why, I"ve seen one of them fellers with a diamond in his turban as big as my fist."
"Cap"n Kittridge, what are you telling?" said his wife once more.
"Fact,--as big as my fist," said the Captain, obdurately; "and all the clothes he wore was jist a stiff crust of pearls and precious stones. I tell you, he looked like something in the Revelations,--a real New Jerusalem look he had."
"I call that ar talk wicked, Cap"n Kittridge, usin" Scriptur" that ar way," said his wife.
"Why, don"t it tell about all sorts of gold and precious stones in the Revelations?" said the Captain; "that"s all I meant. Them ar countries off in Asia ain"t like our"n,--stands to reason they shouldn"t be; them"s Scripture countries, and everything is different there."
"Father, didn"t you ever get any of those splendid things?" said Sally.
"Laws, yes, child. Why, I had a great green ring, an emerald, that one of the princes giv" me, and ever so many pearls and diamonds. I used to go with "em rattlin" loose in my vest pocket. I was young and gay in them days, and thought of bringin" of "em home for the gals, but somehow I always got opportunities for swappin" of "em off for goods and sich.
That ar shawl your mother keeps in her camfire chist was what I got for one on "em."
"Well, well," said Mrs. Kittridge, "there"s never any catchin" you, "cause you"ve been where we haven"t."
"You"ve caught me once, and that ought"r do," said the Captain, with unruffled good-nature. "I tell you, Sally, your mother was the handsomest gal in Harpswell in them days."
"I should think you was too old for such nonsense, Cap"n," said Mrs.
Kittridge, with a toss of her head, and a voice that sounded far less inexorable than her former admonition. In fact, though the old Captain was as unmanageable under his wife"s fireside _regime_ as any brisk old cricket that skipped and sang around the hearth, and though he hopped over all moral boundaries with a cheerful alertness of conscience that was quite discouraging, still there was no resisting the spell of his inexhaustible good-nature.
By this time he had finished the little boat, and to Sally"s great delight, began sailing it for her in a pail of water.
"I wonder," said Mrs. Kittridge, "what"s to be done with that ar child.
I suppose the selectmen will take care on"t; it"ll be brought up by the town."
"I shouldn"t wonder," said Miss Roxy, "if Cap"n Pennel should adopt it."
"You don"t think so," said Mrs. Kittridge. ""Twould be taking a great care and expense on their hands at their time of life."
"I wouldn"t want no better fun than to bring up that little shaver,"
said Captain Kittridge; "he"s a bright un, I promise you."
"You, Cap"n Kittridge! I wonder you can talk so," said his wife. "It"s an awful responsibility, and I wonder you don"t think whether or no you"re fit for it."
"Why, down here on the sh.o.r.e, I"d as lives undertake a boy as a Newfoundland pup," said the Captain. "Plenty in the sea to eat, drink, and wear. That ar young un may be the staff of their old age yet."
"You see," said Miss Roxy, "I think they"ll adopt it to be company for little Mara; they"re bound up in her, and the little thing pines bein"
alone."
"Well, they make a real graven image of that ar child," said Mrs.
Kittridge, "and fairly bow down to her and worship her."
"Well, it"s natural," said Miss Roxy. "Besides, the little thing is cunnin"; she"s about the cunnin"est little crittur that I ever saw, and has such enticin" ways."
The fact was, as the reader may perceive, that Miss Roxy had been thawed into an unusual attachment for the little Mara, and this affection was beginning to spread a warming element though her whole being. It was as if a rough granite rock had suddenly awakened to a pa.s.sionate consciousness of the beauty of some fluttering white anemone that nestled in its cleft, and felt warm thrills running through all its veins at every tender motion and shadow. A word spoken against the little one seemed to rouse her combativeness. Nor did Dame Kittridge bear the child the slightest ill-will, but she was one of those naturally care-taking people whom Providence seems to design to perform the picket duties for the rest of society, and who, therefore, challenge everybody and everything to stand and give an account of themselves.
Miss Roxy herself belonged to this cla.s.s, but sometimes found herself so stoutly overhauled by the guns of Mrs. Kittridge"s battery, that she could only stand modestly on the defensive.
One of Mrs. Kittridge"s favorite hobbies was education, or, as she phrased it, the "fetchin" up" of children, which she held should be performed to the letter of the old stiff rule. In this manner she had already trained up six sons, who were all following their fortunes upon the seas, and, on this account, she had no small conceit of her abilities; and when she thought she discerned a lamb being left to frisk heedlessly out of bounds, her zeal was stirred to bring it under proper sheepfold regulations.
"Come, Sally, it"s eight o"clock," said the good woman.
Sally"s dark brows lowered over her large, black eyes, and she gave an appealing look to her father.
"Law, mother, let the child sit up a quarter of an hour later, jist for once."
"Cap"n Kittridge, if I was to hear to you, there"d never be no rule in this house. Sally, you go "long this minute, and be sure you put your knittin" away in its place."