ontrivances for hoisting
her dress up astarn--crinolines--bustles--you know what I mean, Mr.
Barclay?"

"I cannot tell," said I.

"I've heered speak of the master of a vessel," he went on (being a very
talkative man when he got into the "yarning" mood), "whose calculations
was always falling to pieces at sea. Two and two never seemed to make
four with him; ontil he found out that one of his lady passengers every
morning brought a stool and sat close agin the binnacle; she wore steel
hoops to swell her dress out with, and the local attraction was such,
your honour, that the compass was sometimes four or five points out."

I told him that if the compass went wrong it would not be Miss
Bellassys' fault; and having had enough of the deck, I rejoined my
sweetheart, and, in the cabin, with talking, reading, she singing--very
sweetly she sang--we killed the hours till bed-time.

This was our third night at sea, and I was now beginning to think that
instead of three or four days we should occupy a week, and perhaps
longer, in making Mount's Bay; in which conjecture I was confirmed
when, finding myself awake at three o'clock in the morning, I pulled on
my clothes and went on deck to take a look round, and found the wind a
light off-shore air, the stars shining, and the _Spitfire_, with her
canvas falling in and out with sounds like the discharge of small arms,
rolling stagnantly upon a smooth-backed run of swell lifting out of the
north-east, but with a slant in the heave of it that made one guess the
impulse which set it running was fair north.

I was up again at seven o'clock, with a resolution to let the weather
shape my decision as to sticking to the vessel or going ashore, and was
not a little pleased to find the yacht making good way with a brilliant
breeze gushing steady off her starboard bow. The heavens looked high
with fine weather clouds, prismatic mare-tails for the most part, here
and there a snow-white, swelling shoulder of vapour hovering over the
edge of the sea.

Caudel told me we were drawing well on to Portland, but that the wind
had headed him, and he was off his course, so that, unless he put the
yacht about, we should not obtain a sight of the land.

"No matter," said I, "let us make the most of this slant."

"That's what I'm for doing, sir. My principle is, always make a free
wind, no matter what be the air that's ablowing. Some men's for
ratching with the luff of their fore and aft canvas rou