n Reach to Mount
Desert, where he staid several days, living upon "the fat of the land"
and the fish of the sea, which go well together. When he was confident
that Captain Shivernock had returned, he sailed for Belfast, and arrived
after a two days' voyage. The strange man had not come back, and Laud
thought it very singular that he had not. Then he began to wonder why
the captain had laughed so unreasonably long and loud when he told him
to say that he had given him the mended bill. Laud could not see the
joke at the time; but now he concluded that the laugh came in because
he was going away on a long journey, and would not be in town to answer
any questions which Captain Patterdale might propose.

Mr. Cavendish was disturbed, and felt that he was a victim of a
practical joke, and he determined to get out of the way again.
Unfortunately for him, he had shown himself in the city, and before he
could leave he was interviewed by Captain Patterdale and Mr. Beardsley.
The white cross of Denmark was pleasantly alluded to again by the
former, and exhibited to Laud. Did he know that bill? Had he ever seen
it before?

He did not know it; had never seen it.

It was no use to say, in the absence of that gentleman, that Captain
Shivernock had given him the bill. It would be equally foolish to tell
the Haddock Ledge story in the absence of the generous stranger, who had
declined to give his name, though he was kind enough to say that he had
spent a few days in Belfast. Since neither of these fictions was
available in the present emergency, Laud "went back" on Donald Ramsay.
He did not love the boat-builder, and so it was not a sacrifice of
personal feeling for him to do it. On the contrary, he would rather
like to get his "rival," as he chose to regard him, out of the way.

"But you paid him a considerable sum of money some two months ago,"
suggested Captain Patterdale.

"Not a red!" protested Laud. "I never paid him any money in my life."

"You bought the Juno of him."

"No, sir; nor of any one else. She don't belong to me."

"But you are using her all the time."

"Captain Shivernock got tired of her, and lets me have the use of her
for taking care of her."

"Didn't you say you owned her, and that you were going to change her
name from Juno to Nellie?" demanded the captain, sternly.

"I did; but that was all gas," replied Laud, with a sickly grin.

"If you would lie about one thing, perhaps you would about another,"