CHAPTER EIGHT.
"TO-MORROW COME NEVER!"
"I really beg your pardon, Aunt Polly, for my inattention!" cried Bob,in a state of great excitement. "It's the Captain!"
"Sure, you don't mean that, my dear," said Mrs Gilmour, equallyflurried, rising at once from the seat she had just taken at the head ofthe table. "Is it him, really?"
"Oh, yes, auntie," replied Bob, returning to his post of observation inthe corner of the window. "There he is coming along the terrace, withDick at his heels."
"Indeed, now?" said Mrs Gilmour, who had come up to Bob's side. "Letme look for meself. Sure and you're right. It's him and none other,and he's coming along at a grand pace, too!"
"Hurrah!" shouted Bob. "Isn't it jolly, auntie?"
"Very jolly," agreed Mrs Gilmour, more sedately, laughing at Bob'secstasies, the boy, like most youngsters, being all extremes. "I callit very nice of him, Nell, don't you?"
"Delightful!" chimed in Nellie, catching hold of Rover's fore-paws andmaking him dance round the room with her in high glee, Rover barking toexpress his sympathy with her excitement. "How good he is--I meanCaptain Dresser; not you, Master Doggy!"
"It is well we know what you do mean," said her aunt smiling, as Nelland Bob, with Rover dashing madly after their heels rushed into the hallto open the door. "Ah, the young flibberty-gibbets!"
In company with the Captain and Dick, as it still continued fine, allpresently sallied down to the sea, where the young holiday-makers weremuch surprised at the size of the waves, which seemed much bigger onnearer view than they had appeared from the drawing-room windows in themorning.
Now they were so close to the waves that the spray splashed over thelittle party; and, it being high-water, the incoming tide, aided by thestiff south-easterly wind, which was still blowing half a gale, rolledthe billows in upon the shore, dashing them against the sea-wall andrampart at the back of the castle with a mighty din, and breaking theminto sheets of foam that flew over the moats and fortifications,reaching to the Common beyond--the spent water, driven back by the rockyembankment, sullenly retiring, a seething sea of soapsuds, as if DavyJones were having a grand "washing-day."
Much as this sight pleased them, strange and wonderful to theirunaccustomed eyes, they were not allowed long to enjoy it; for, theCaptain declaring that another squall was coming, presently made themhurry back to the house, laden, however, with sea-wrack and spindrift.
It was the same on the following day and the day after, the gale lastinguntil the close of the third; when it completed its course and died awayas suddenly as it began, winding up with a grand thunderstorm, in whichthe lightning flashed and the thunder pealed through the heavens in amanner whose like, the Captain affirmed, he had never seen on that coastbefore.
"No, never, ma'am," cried he, emphasising the assertion with a thump ofhis malacca cane that almost made a hole in Mrs Gilmour's best drawing-room carpet. "Not since I first joined the service at Portsmouth here,forty years ago, or more!"
Satisfied apparently with the `blow' it thus had, the weathersubsequently was all that could be desired; setting in bright and fine,while it was warm enough to be almost tropical.
Thenceforth, therefore, there was no more confinement to the house forthe young people.
Bob started off early every morning across the common to the beach,where, under the superintendence of the Captain, he and Dick were taughthow to swim, the boys, it may be mentioned, learning the art all themore quickly from the fact of the old sailor's telling them that "untilthey were able to keep afloat," to use his own words, "he'd think twicebefore he would take 'em afloat!"
So, as both were anxious to go out rowing and sailing, this threat actedas a spur to their efforts.
Nellie, too, had a bathe each day; and, much she liked bobbing up anddown in the usual girl-fashion from the end of the rope of the machine.By and by, also, when she had gained a little courage, she learnt toswim like Bob, whose boastings on the point had put her on her mettle;and the bathing-woman informed Mrs Gilmour one fine morning, when sheaccompanied Nellie to the beach and entered into conversation with herteacher, that she was "the smartest young leddy to learn as ever was."
This fact Miss Nell at once proved by swimming there and then some fortyyards, more than double the distance Master Bob could accomplish, inspite of all his `tall talk,' after a similar period of tuition.
"You ladies can always beat us if you only try," said the Captaingallantly, when he heard this. "I believe a woman can do anything shelikes."
"You're too complimentary, I'm afraid," remarked Mrs Gilmour. "Youdon't mean all you say."
"Don't I, by Jove!" replied he. "Lucky for us men you do not set yourmind to it; for, if you did, no poor fellow would ever have a chance ofcommanding his own ship!"
"That's a base slander," cried Mrs Gilmour, laughing. "I thought youwere paying us rather a doubtful compliment."
The old sailor chuckled.
"I had you there, ma'am, I think, eh?" said he, blinking away with muchdelight. "By Jove, I had!"
"But, when are you going to take us on the water?" asked Bob at thispoint, before his aunt could give the Captain `a Roland for his Oliver'in reply to his aspersion on her sex. "You said you would, you know,when I and Dick knew how to swim."
"And I know how to, as well," put in Nellie. "Don't I, auntie?"
"Don't bother me, children," growled the Captain, pretending to get in arage. "I must be off now. I have an appointment in the Dockyard thisafternoon."
"You shan't go! you shan't go!" cried the two together, hanging on tohim on either side. "You promised to take us somewhere or do somethingif we were good, and that was to be to-morrow."
"To-morrow comes never!" ejaculated the old sailor, chuckling andblinking away. "`Hodie mihi, cras tibi.' What is that, Master Bob?"
"Eh, sir?" said Bob, making a wry face. "Why, it's Latin."
"Thank you for nothing, you young shaver!" retorted the Captain drily."What I want to know is, what does it mean?"
Bob hesitated a bit, as if puzzled to translate the phrase; but in amoment memory came to his aid.
"Ah yes, I recollect now," he said in an assured voice. "It means, Ithink, `to-day it is my turn; to-morrow it will be yours.'"
"Very good, my boy," said the Captain with a chuckle. "That's my answerto your question just now."
"But you promised us, Captain," cried Nellie, taking up the cudgels nowthat poor Bob was routed so ignominiously. "You know you did, sir--didn't he, auntie? And the `to-morrow' you meant was a long time back,before the storm and everything!"
"Then I'm afraid, Miss Nellie," he replied, making for the door, so asto secure his retreat, "it must be a very stale one; a sort of `to-morrow' I wouldn't have, if I were you, at any price!"
Nellie was not to be beaten so easily, so she followed him out into thehall as he was leaving the house.
"Do tell me, dear Captain," she pleaded earnestly. "Do tell me whatthis wonderful something is that you have in store for us."
"I will, my dear," replied the old sailor, succeeding by a dexteroustwist in releasing the lapel of his coat from her restraining hand. "Iwill, my dear. I'll whisper it to you--I will tell you to-morrow!"
With this he skipped down the steps as nimbly as a two-year-old,slamming the gate behind him to secure his retreat; and Nellie couldhear his hearty "Ho-ho!" as he went along the parade towards Portsmouth.
"What a tiresome man the Captain is!" she exclaimed petulantly, onreturning to the drawing-room, where Mrs Gilmour had remained with Bob."It is always `to-morrow,' and `to-morrow,' and `to-morrow'; and whenthe `to-morrow' comes, he never tells us anything!"
"Fie, Nellie, you must not be impatient, my dear," said her aunt, onhearing this outburst. "Recollect how kind and good-natured CaptainDresser has always shown himself, who ever since you two came down herefor your holiday, putting himself out in every way to suit yourconvenience, and never regarding anything as a trouble which could
conduce to your pleasure. I confess I am surprised at my little nieceNell speaking in such a way of so good a man. If the Captain keeps youin suspense, depend upon it his purpose is to make you enjoy the treathe has in his mind ten times more than if you knew all about itbeforehand."
"But I hate being kept in suspense, auntie!" cried Miss Nellie rathernaughtily, tossing her head indignantly, and throwing back her goldencurls as if she were metaphorically pitching them at the offending oldsailor. "I like to know the best or worst at once. I say, Dick, hasthe Captain told you anything about the treat he has for us?"
Poor Dick, who had been thoughtfully left behind by the old sailor, onaccount of Mrs Gilmour having expressed her intention of going down tothe beach with the young people in the afternoon, hardly knew how toanswer the question.
He did not like to tell an untruth by saying that he had no knowledge ofthe Captain's plans, nor did he wish to disoblige Miss Nell, so hisanswer was of the non-committal order--a sort of `I don't recollect' inits way.
"I can't tell, miss," was all he said, but, fortunately enough for him,it sufficed to throw Nellie off the scent and prevent her trying anyfurther to worm the secret out of him; although, there is no doubt, shewould have succeeded had she persevered, and Dick was on thorns untilshe went upstairs to get ready for going out, the little lady having aninsinuating manner of her own that was well-nigh irresistible.
By the time she came below again, equipped for walking, Nellie's passingfit of ill-temper had disappeared, and she was not only her brightcheerful little self once more, but full of a project for adding to hercollection a specimen of the `sea cucumber,' which the Captain had toldher she might find if she only hunted diligently enough.
These strange marine animals belong to a species of `Triple Alliance' oftheir own, being connected in a greater or less degree with theanemones, the ringworms, and the `sea urchins'; albeit, the seacucumbers possess one very great advantage over these cousins of theirs,in being able, when they so please, to turn themselves inside out anddispense with their stomachs, as well as what would be considered otherequally necessary portions of their corporate frames.
When in this transformed, or `turn-coat' stage of his existence, theanimal consists only of an empty bag, or pocket, that has at thebroadest end an apparently useless mouth, but which he still continuesto make use of for feeding purposes; and, by and by, when my gentlemanfeels disposed to return to his original state, seemingly by the mereeffort of will, his tentacles sprout out one by one, the mouth-end ofhis bag becomes surmounted by a sort of mushroom head, his interiorperson gets filled up, and the sea cucumber is himself again, "all a-taunto!"
The Captain had advised Nellie to search amongst the old wooden piles ofthe pier, as a likely situation to find these animals, and others henamed quite as curious, such as the `beroe' and the `balanus,' whichwhile looking as if inanimate yet are `all alive,' and, if not`kicking,' certainly may be seen fishing, either with natural lines oftheir own or with a sort of trawl-net, very similar to which we humanbipeds use.
But, although Miss Nellie, with Dick acting under her directions andBob, too, assisting in a desultory way when the superior attractions ofcrab-hunting on his own account did not beguile him from the pursuit,all hunted everywhere, finding every variety of young whelks, cockles,and other shell-fish ova on the pier-piles, which they were able toexamine at their pleasure, it being low tide, no sea cucumbers to beseen anywhere.
Nellie was in despair at her failure and felt almost inclined to cry;but, Dick at the last moment, when the search was just about to be givenup, raked out a perfect specimen from a hole in the rock-work beneathone of the buttresses that was nearly awash with the water--a darksomedungeon, isolated from the vulgar herd of barnacles, and common butkindred anemones with which the stuck-up sea cucumber was too proud toassociate.
Naturally enough, Miss Nellie was delighted with her capture, and, shetenderly bore him home in triumph to be added to her extensive marinecollection, which had now increased so considerably, that her auntdeclared laughingly that she would have to build a room especially tocontain it presently, her house not being big enough for the purpose.
"Rubbish!" the Captain had called her first attempt at collecting, but,since then, she had learnt something under the instruction of the oldsailor and displayed greater discrimination in the objects of her zeal;although still, perhaps, inclined to err in the matter of quantity overquality, leaning fondly, as most enthusiasts do, to common things.
Not only was the album which her aunt had given her pasted as full as itcould hold of different sorts of seaweed, known and unknown alike to Boband herself; but she had a pile of shells big enough to build a rockery.
In addition to these, her accumulation of pet specialities included aseven-fingered starfish, which is supposed by the ignorant to bepeculiarly inimical to the adventurous cat that swalloweth it; and aring-horned pandalus or `Aesop prawn,' which queer creature Master Bobappropriately christened `The Prawnee Chief,' much to the annoyance ofMiss Nell, who had become quite grand now in her language, becoming`puffed up,' as Bob said, with her newly-acquired `knowledge'--a`little' of which, as the proverb tells us, is "a dangerous thing."
The Aesop prawn, by the way, gained the prefix to his name from having ahump on his back like the Phrygian slave, the fabulist. He is, also,distinguished by the most exquisite little rings or bands of scarlet,which seem to encircle his body; but the picturesque effect is reallyproduced by his antennae, which the pandalus has the happy knack ofarranging round his little person in the most graceful fashion.
Beyond these rarities, precious above price, Nellie had gathered aquantity of cuttle-fish `bone,' as it is erroneously called, sufficientto have supplied Bob and herself for a lifetime with ink-erasers--apurpose for which it is generally employed.
The substance, however, is not really `bone,' but is composed of thinlayers of the purest white chalk, which, when the cuttle-fish is living,is embedded in the body of the animal, running through its entirelength.
The cuttle-fish in which this so-called bone is generally met with, isthe same species from whence the well-known colour sepia used inpainting is usually obtained.
To make a long story short, the rest of Miss Nellie's collectionconsisted of most of the various members of the crustacean family foundalong the south coast, which she, with the help of Bob and Dick, hadpicked up promiscuously.
"A good deal of rubbish still, my dear," was the Captain's comment whenhe came round in the evening and Nellie showed him the latest additionsto her store; "but, you've got one or two good things. I'll tell youwhat you want, though."
"What?" she asked excitedly. "What do we want, Captain? Hush, Bob!"
"An aquarium," said he. "You see, my dear--"
"Why, we've got one. We've got one already, Captain!" she cried outtriumphantly, clapping her hands as she interrupted him. "Aunt Pollybought one this very morning for us."
"That was very good of her, more than you young torments deserve," saidthe Captain, with his customary chuckle. "However, now you've got anaquarium, you must have something to put in it. Something living, Imean. These dead and gone dried-up old chaps here are of no use;although I wouldn't be surprised if that starfish there could still tellthe number of his mess if placed in water. I'm sure he's yet alive, mydear."
"Why!" exclaimed Nellie, astonished at this, "we've had him hanging uplike that for a week!"
"Never mind that," replied the Captain. "Those funny, fat, seven-fingered gentlemen have a nasty habit of `shamming Abraham,' orpretending to have `kicked the bucket' when they are all alive andhearty!"
"How funny!" said Nellie, laughing. "But, what shall we get to put intothe aquarium besides, Captain dear, crabs and little fish, like those wesee swimming about in the sea below the castle?"
"Crabs and little grandmothers!" ejaculated the Captain in greatdisgust. "A nice aquarium you would make of it, missy, if you hadn'tsome one to look after you! Why, the crabs would eat your lit
tle fishbefore a week was out and then turn round and eat you!"
"Dear me, that would be dreadful!" cried Nellie laughing still more, theCaptain did look so comical. "But, what may we have for our aquarium,if we must not have these?"
"Get? Well, let me see," said he, blinking away furiously and movinghis bushy eyebrows up and down for a moment, as if deliberating. "We'llhave some sea-anemones, to commence with. No proper aquarium iscomplete without them; and, when you once see them expand, showing theirred and purple hues, and watch their wonderful way of moving about, youwill soon be convinced that they are really animals and not vegetables,which, as I believe I told you before, many wise people for a long timesupposed them to be! You just wait, missy, and you will find this outfor yourself and learn more about them, too, than I can tell you."
"Oh, yes," interposed Bob. "I saw one this morning when I was swimming,and it looked just like a big dahlia."
"Lucky for you it wasn't a jelly-fish, or you'd have felt it as well asseen it!" rejoined the Captain grimly--"Avast there, though, we weretalking about sea-anemones and other similar fry; and I was thinkingthat the best place for us to go to get them would be--why, by Jove,it's the very thing!"
"What's the matter now?" said Mrs Gilmour, who had been reading aletter she had just received by the post, looking up at his suddenexclamation. "Dear me, Captain, is anything wrong?"
"Nothing, ma'am, nothing," he replied, turning round to her--"only I'vethis moment thought of a way of `killing two birds with one stone.' Ipromised these youngsters, you know, if they were good--"
"I know, I know what's coming now," cried Miss Nell, again interruptinghim. Really she was a very rude little lady sometimes. "You're goingto tell us at last!"
"What, missy?" said the Captain chuckling, as she and Bob executed atriumphal dance round him, while Dick stood grinning in the background,his face, which had filled out considerably in the last week or two,making him look very different to the lantern-jawed lad they hadencountered in the train, all one smile. "What, missy?"
"You're going to take us out somewhere," Bob and Nellie cried inconcert. "You promised, you know you did!"
"But, that was if you were good," he answered, enjoying their antics."That was the proviso, young people."
"We _are_ good," they shouted together. "Auntie says so."
The Captain put his hands to his ears to shut out their voices.
"Are they good?" he asked Mrs Gilmour. "Eh, ma'am?"
"Well, yes, I think so," said she, smiling. "Good enough as far as suchchildren can be, I suppose! I suppose I must not tell tales out ofschool, sure, about what a little girl said the other day when somebody,whom I won't name, went away?"
"What, what?" inquired the old sailor, looking from one to the other."Tell me what she said!"
Nellie put her hand over Mrs Gilmour's mouth.
"Hush auntie," she cried appealingly. "You mustn't say anything; Ididn't mean it!"
"I dare say you called me a sour old curmudgeon?" hinted the Captain,pretending to be very much grieved. "Didn't you?"
"No, I didn't," said Nellie, jumping up and throwing her arms round hisneck to kiss him. "I think you are the dearest and kindest old Captainthat ever was!"
"Humph!" he ejaculated in a smothered voice, addressing her aunt."There's no doubt, ma'am, where she gets the `blarney' from. It runs inthe family!"
"Sure an' small blame to her either," retorted the other defiantly."It's fortunate for us women that we have something wherewith to get thebetter of you hard men sometimes."
"Sometimes, eh? always, I think," growled the Captain, looking veryknowing and laughing the while. "But, I won't argue the point with you,ma'am--sure to get the worst of it if I do. Tell you what I'll do, thatis if it is agreeable to you. What say you to all of us crossing overto-morrow to the Island, eh?"
"Oh, auntie, how nice!" cried Nellie, hugging her and the Captainalternately.
Bob contented himself with uttering only the single word "jolly!"
But, the ejaculation spoke volumes, Bob's highest appreciation beingever expressed by that expressive but slangy term "jolly!"
"Will it do, d'ye think?" said the Captain to Mrs Gilmour; there was noneed of his asking either of the children, their faces giving anunhesitating assent at once, as did Dick's. "Eh, ma'am?"
"Certainly," she replied, "if it suits you."
"Then, that's settled," he decided. "There's a new steamer, called the_Bembridge Belle_, I've seen advertised to run on an excursion toSeaview pier; and I think she will do very well for us; especially asshe will go partly round the Island afterwards."
"I can't say I like excursion steamers," observed Mrs Gilmourhesitatingly; "but if you think, as an experienced sailor, that she willbe safe, of course I can have no objection. You know--I'm speaking morefor the children's sake than my own, being responsible to their parentsfor them."
"Safe, ma'am, eh? Safe as houses!" replied the Captain, with muchenergy, stamping his foot on the floor as he spoke to give point to hisassertion, his malacca cane not being within reach at the moment."Otherwise, ma'am, I wouldn't let you or the chickabiddies go in her forworlds!"
"You're quite sure, Captain?"
"Faith, I'll take my `davy,' ma'am, she's as staunch and sound as theold _Bucephalus_."
"Say no more, Captain," said Mrs Gilmour. "If she's as safe as my poorTed's ship, she must be safe indeed, I know."
"She is that, I believe, ma'am, on my honour."
"All right then, Captain," replied Mrs Gilmour to this. "We'llconsider the trip arranged, then, for to-morrow, eh?"
"Very good, ma'am, there's my hand on it," cried the Captain, rising totake his leave. "I must say `good-night' now; for, it's getting late,and I ought to turn in early if you expect me to turn out to-morrow.Good-night, Miss Nell; good-night, Bob; come along, Dick!"
With which parting words, away he sailed homeward, not thinking that hehad forgotten his game of cribbage with his fair hostess.
Strange to say, the old sailor never once recollected his customarydiversion throughout the evening!
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