The Lighthouse
Page 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
A MEETING WITH OLD FRIENDS, AND AN EXCURSION.
Next morning the captain and his nephew "bore down", as the formerexpressed it, on the workyard, and Ruby was readily accepted, his goodqualities having already been well tested at the Bell Rock.
"Now, boy, we'll go and see about the little preventive craft," said thecaptain on quitting the office.
"But first," said Ruby, "let me go and tell my old comrade Dove that Iam to be with him again."
There was no need to enquire the way to the forge, the sound of theanvil being distinctly heard above all the other sounds of that busyspot.
The workyard at Arbroath, where the stones for the lighthouse werecollected and hewn into shape before being sent off to the rock, was anenclosed piece of ground, extending to about three-quarters of an acre,conveniently situated on the northern side of the Lady Lane, or Street,leading from the western side of the harbour.
Here were built a row of barracks for the workmen, and severalapartments connected with the engineer's office, mould-makers'department, stores, workshops for smiths and joiners, stables, etcetera,extending 150 feet along the north side of the yard. All of these werefully occupied, there being upwards of forty men employed permanently.
Sheds of timber were also constructed to protect the workmen in wetweather; and a kiln was built for burning lime. In the centre of theyard stood a circular platform of masonry on which the stones wereplaced when dressed, so that each stone was tested and marked, and each"course" or layer of the lighthouse fitted up and tried, before beingshipped to the rock.
The platform measured 44 feet in diameter. It was founded with largebroad stones at a depth of about 2 feet 6 inches, and built to within 10inches of the surface with rubble work, on which a course of neatlydressed and well-jointed masonry was laid, of the red sandstone from thequarries to the eastward of Arbroath, which brought the platform on alevel with the surface of the ground. Here the dressed part of thefirst entire course, or layer, of the lighthouse was lying, and theplatform was so substantially built as to be capable of supporting anynumber of courses which it might be found convenient to lay upon it inthe further progress of the work.
Passing this platform, the captain and Ruby threaded their way through amass of workyard _debris_ until they came to the building from which thesounds of the anvil proceeded. For a few minutes they stood looking atour old friend Jamie Dove, who, with bared arms, was causing the sparksto fly, and the glowing metal to yield, as vigorously as of old.Presently he ceased hammering, and turning to the fire thrust the metalinto it. Then he wiped his brow, and glanced towards the door.
"What! eh! Ruby Brand?" he shouted in surprise.
"Och! or his ghost!" cried Ned O'Connor, who had been appointed toRuby's vacant situation.
"A pretty solid ghost you'll find me," said Ruby with a laugh, as hestepped forward and seized the smith by the hand.
"Musha! but it's thrue," cried O'Connor, quitting the bellows, andseizing Ruby's disengaged hand, which he shook almost as vehemently asthe smith did the other.
"Now, then, don't dislocate him altogether," cried the captain, who wasmuch delighted with this warm reception; "he's goin' to jine you, boys,so have mercy on his old timbers."
"Jine us!" cried the smith.
"Ay, been appointed to the old berth," said Ruby, "so I'll have tounship _you_, Ned."
"The sooner the better; faix, I niver had much notion o' this fierystyle o' life; it's only fit for sallymanders and bottle-imps. But whend'ye begin work, lad?"
"To-morrow, I believe. At least, I was told to call at the officeto-morrow. To-day I have an engagement."
"Ay, an' it's time we was under weigh," said Captain Ogilvy, taking hisnephew by the arm. "Come along, lad, an' don't keep them waiting."
So saying they bade the smith goodbye, and, leaving the forge, walkedsmartly towards that part of the harbour where the boats lay.
"Ruby," said the captain, as they went along, "it's lucky it's such afine day, for Minnie is going with us."
Ruby said nothing, but the deep flush of pleasure that overspread hiscountenance proved that he was not indifferent to the news.
"You see she's bin out of sorts," continued the captain, "for some timeback; and no wonder, poor thing, seein' that your mother has been soanxious about you, and required more than usual care, so I've prevailedon the leftenant to let her go. She'll get good by our afternoon'ssail, and we won't be the worse of her company. What say ye to that,nephy?"
Ruby said that he was glad to hear it, but he thought a great deal morethan he said, and among other things he thought that the lieutenantmight perhaps be rather in the way; but as his presence was unavoidablehe made up his mind to try to believe that he, the lieutenant, would inall probability be an engaged man already. As to the possibility of hisseeing Minnie and being indifferent to her (in the event of his being afree man), he felt that such an idea was preposterous! Suddenly athought flashed across him and induced a question--
"Is the lieutenant married, uncle?"
"Not as I know of, lad; why d'ye ask?"
"Because--because--married men are so much pleasanter than--"
Ruby stopped short, for he just then remembered that his uncle was abachelor.
"'Pon my word, youngster! go on, why d'ye stop in your purlite remark?"
"Because," said Ruby, laughing, "I meant to say that _young_ married menwere so much more agreeable than _young_ bachelors."
"Humph!" ejaculated the captain, who did not see much force in theobservation, "and how d'ye know the leftenant's a _young_ man? I didn'tsay he was young; mayhap he's old. But here he is, so you'll judge foryourself."
At the moment a tall, deeply-bronzed man of about thirty years of agewalked up and greeted Captain Ogilvy familiarly as his "buck",enquiring, at the same time, how his "old timbers" were, and where the"bit of baggage" was.
"She's to be at the end o' the pier in five minutes," said the captain,drawing out and consulting a watch that was large enough to have beenmistaken for a small eight-day clock. "This is my nephy, Ruby. RubyBrand--Leftenant Lindsay. True blues, both of ye--
"`When shall we three meet again? Where the stormy winds do blow, do blow, do blow, And the thunder, lightenin', and the rain, Riots up above, and also down below, below, below.'
"Ah! here comes the pretty little craft."
Minnie appeared as he spoke, and walked towards them with a modest, yetdecided air that was positively bewitching.
She was dressed in homely garments, but that served to enhance thebeauty of her figure, and she had on the plainest of little bonnets, butthat only tended to make her face more lovely. Ruby thought it wasperfection. He glanced at Lieutenant Lindsay, and perceiving that hethought so too (as how could he think otherwise?) a pang of jealousyshot into his breast. But it passed away when the lieutenant, afterpolitely assisting Minnie into the boat, sat down beside the captain andbegan to talk earnestly to him, leaving Minnie entirely to her lover.We may remark here, that the title of "leftenant", bestowed on Lindsayby the captain was entirely complimentary.
The crew of the boat rowed out of the harbour, and the lieutenantsteered eastward, towards the cliffs that have been mentioned in anearlier part of our tale.
The day turned out to be one of those magnificent and exceptional dayswhich appear to have been cut out of summer and interpolated intoautumn. It was bright, warm, and calm, so calm that the boat's sail wasuseless, and the crew had to row; but this was, in Minnie's estimation,no disadvantage, for it gave her time to see the caves and picturesqueinlets which abound all along that rocky coast. It also gave her timeto--but no matter.
"O how very much I should like to have a little boat," said Minnie, withenthusiasm, "and spend a long day rowing in and out among these wildrocks, and exploring the caves! Wouldn't it be delightful, Ruby?"
Ruby admitted that it would, and added, "You shall have such a day,Minnie, if we live long."
&
nbsp; "Have you ever been in the _Forbidden Cave_?" enquired Minnie.
"I'll warrant you he has," cried the captain, who overheard thequestion; "you may be sure that wherever Ruby is forbidden to go, therehe'll be sure to go!"
"Ay, is he so self-willed?" asked the lieutenant, with a smile, and aglance at Minnie.
"A mule; a positive mule," said the captain.
"Come, uncle, you know that I don't deserve such a character, and it'stoo bad to give it to me to-day. Did I not agree to come on thisexcursion at once, when you asked me?"
"Ay, but you wouldn't if I had _ordered_ you," returned the captain.
"I rather think he would," observed the lieutenant, with another smile,and another glance at Minnie.
Both smiles and glances were observed and noticed by Ruby, whose heartfelt another pang shoot through it; but this, like the former, subsidedwhen the lieutenant again addressed the captain, and devoted himself tohim so exclusively, that Ruby began to feel a touch of indignation athis want of appreciation of _such_ a girl as Minnie.
"He's a stupid ass," thought Ruby to himself, and then, turning toMinnie, directed her attention to a curious natural arch on the cliffs,and sought to forget all the rest of the world.
In this effort he was successful, and had gradually worked himself intothe firm belief that the world was paradise, and that he and Minnie wereits sole occupants--a second edition, as it were, of Adam and Eve--whenthe lieutenant rudely dispelled the sweet dream by saying sharply to theman at the bow-oar--
"Is that the boat, Baker? You ought to know it pretty well."
"I think it is, sir," answered the man, resting on his oar a moment, andglancing over his shoulder; "but I can't be sure at this distance."
"Well, pull easy," said the lieutenant; "you see, it won't do to scarethem, Captain Ogilvy, and they'll think we're a pleasure party when theysee a woman in the boat."
Ruby thought they would not be far wrong in supposing them a pleasureparty. He objected, mentally, however, to Minnie being styled a"woman"--not that he would have had her called a man, but he thoughtthat _girl_ would have been more suitable--angel, perhaps, the mostappropriate term of all.
"Come, captain, I think I will join you in a pipe," said the lieutenant,pulling out a tin case, in which he kept the blackest of little cuttypipes. "In days of old our ancestors loved to fight--now we degeneratesouls love to smoke the pipe of peace."
"I did not know that your ancestors were enemies," said Minnie to thecaptain.
"Enemies, lass! ay, that they were. What! have ye never heard tell o'the great fight between the Ogilvys and Lindsays?"
"Never," said Minnie.
"Then, my girl, your education has been neglected, but I'll do what Ican to remedy that defect."
Here the captain rekindled his pipe (which was in the habit of goingout, and requiring to be relighted), and, clearing his throat with theemphasis of one who is about to communicate something of importance,held forth as follows.