I'll answer, 'for maybe a matter of fifty year, calm or blow,
week-days and Sabbaths alike; and that's the reason your Honour has missed
me up to church, as you may have noticed.' 'You must be middlin' tired of
it,' He'll say: and I shall answer up, 'Lord, if you say so, I don't
contradict 'ee; but 'tis no bad billet for a man given to chat with his
naybours and talk over the latest news and be sociable, and warning to
leave don't come from me.' 'You'd best give me over they oars, all the
same,' He'll say; and with that I shall hand 'em over and be rowed across
to a better world."

Rosewarne was not listening. "Surely, man, the tide's slack enough by
this time!" he interrupted, his irritation again overcoming him.
"You needn't be fetching across sideways, like a crab."

Nicky Rested on his oars, and stared at him for a moment. As if Rosewarne
or any man alive could teach _him_ how to pull the ferry! He disdained to
argue.

"Talking about news," said he, resuming his stroke, "the _Virtuous Lady_
arrived yesterday, and began to unload this morning. You can see her
top-m'sts down yonder, over the town quay."

"Has Mrs. Purchase been ashore?" Mrs. Purchase was Rosewarne's only
sister, who had married a merchant skipper and sailed with him ever since
in the _Virtuous Lady_, in which she held a preponderance of the shares.

"Came ashore this very afternoon in a bonnet as large as St. Paul's, with
two-thirds of a great hummingbird a-top. She's balancing up the freight
accounts at this moment with Peter Benny. Indeed, master, you'll find a
plenty of folk have been inquiring for 'ee. There's the parson for one.
To my knowledge he've been down three times to ask when you'd be back, and
if you'd forgotten the School Managers' meeting, that's fixed for
to-morrow." Uncle Nicky brought his boat at length to shore.
"And there's Aun' Butson in terror that you'll be bringing in some
stranger to teach the children, and at her door half the day listening for
your footstep, to petition 'ee."

Somehow Rosewarne had promised himself that the restlessness would leave
him as soon as he reached his own side of the water. He stepped ashore
and began to walk up the slipway at a brisk pace; and then on a sudden his
brain harked backward to Uncle Nicky's talk, to which a minute before he
had listened so inattentively. In his hurry he had let an opportunity
pass. The old man had talked of death; had been on the point of saying
s