well with thee on the sea, father."

"As for that, it will be as God pleases. A man's duty is all my claim
on thee. Margaret will be glad to see thee so happy." He dropped his
eyes as he spoke of Margaret. He would not seem to watch Jan, although
he was conscious of doing so.

"A woman has many minds, father. Who knows if a thing will make her
happy or angry?"

"That is a foolish saying, Jan. A wife must find her pleasure in the
thing that pleases her husband. But now thou wilt have but little
time; the boat is to be tried, and the hooks and lines are to go
over, and the crew to hire. I have left all to thee."

This pleased Jan most of all. Only a bird building its first nest
could have been as happy as he was. When at night he opened the
door of his house, and went in with a gay smile, it was like a
resurrection. The pale rose-color on Margaret's cheek grew vivid and
deep when he took her in his arms, and kissed her in the old happy
way. She smiled involuntarily, and Jan thought, "How beautiful she
is!" He told her all Peter had said and done. He was full of gratitude
and enthusiasm. He did not notice for a few moments that Margaret was
silent, and chillingly unresponsive. He was amazed to find that
the whole affair displeased her.

"So, then, I have married a common fisherman after all," she said
bitterly; "why, Suneva Torr's husband has a bigger boat than thine."

It was an unfortunate remark, and touched Jan on a very raw place. He
could not refrain from answering, "He hath had better luck than I.
Ragon Torr gave Glumm Suneva's tocher, and he has bought his own boat
with it."

"Why not? Every one knows that Glumm is a prudent man. He never gets
on his feet for nothing."

Jan was inexpressibly pained and disappointed. For a moment a feeling
of utter despair came over him. The boat lay upon his heart like a
wreck. He drank his tea gloomily, and the delicately-browned fish, the
young mutton, and the hot wheat cakes, all tasted like ashes in his
mouth. Perhaps, then, Margaret's heart smote her, for she began to
talk, and to press upon Jan's acceptance the viands which had somehow
lost all their savor to him. Her conversation was in like case. She
would not speak of the boat, since they could not agree about it; and
no other subject interested Jan. But, like all perfectly selfish
people, she imagined, as a matter of course, that whatever interested
her was the supreme interest. In her calm, even voice, she spo