tiff steel skirt of the east wind, exactly as wise
Captain Zeb predicted.

"My dear," said Mrs. Twemlow to the solid Mrs. Stubbard, for a very
sweet friendship had sprung up between these ladies, and would last
until their interests should happen to diverge, "this will be a great
day for my dear husband's parish. Perhaps there is no other parish
in the kingdom capable of acting as Springhaven has, so obedient, so
disciplined, so faithful to their contract! I am told that they even
pulled the vessel more aground, in preference to setting up their own
opinions. I am told that as soon as the Admiral was gone--for between
you and me he is a little overbearing, with the very best intentions in
the world, but too confident in his own sagacity--then that clever but
exceedingly modest young man, Lieutenant Scudamore, was allowed at last
to listen to our great man Tugwell, who has long been the oracle of the
neighbourhood about the sea, and the weather, and all questions of that
kind. And between you and me, my dear, the poor old Admiral seems a
little bit jealous of his reputation. And what do you think he said
before he went, which shows his high opinion of his own abilities?
Tugwell said something in his rough and ready way, which, I suppose, put
his mightiness upon the high ropes, for he shouted out in everybody's
hearing, 'I'll tell you what it is, my man, if you can get her off, by
any of your'--something I must not repeat--'devices, I'll give you fifty
guineas, five-and-twenty for yourself, and the rest to be divided among
these other fellows.' Then Zebedee pulled out a Testament from his
pocket, for he is a man of deep religious convictions, and can read
almost all the easy places, though he thinks most of the hard ones, and
he made his son Dan (who is a great scholar, as they say, and a very
fine-looking youth as well) put down at the end what the Admiral had
said. Now, what do you think of that, dear Mrs. Stubbard?"

"I think," replied that strong-minded lady, "that Tugwell is an arrant
old fox; and if he gets the fifty guineas, he will put every farthing
into his own pocket."

"Oh, no! He is honest as the day itself. He will take his own
twenty-five, and then leave the rest to settle whether he should share
in their twenty-five. But we must be quick, or we shall lose the sight.
Quite a number of people are come from inland. How wonderfully quickly
these things spread! They came the first day, and then made up their