sting--all for the sea and the boats; the man of him!
Hold him, dear, but be careful! A Sunday's child, too--

'Sunday's child is full of grace . . .'

And--the awkward you are! Here, give him back to me: but feel how
far down in his clothes the feet of him reach. Extraordinar'!
Aun' Hessy mounted a chair and climbed 'pon the chest o' drawers with
him, before takin' him downstairs; so that he'll go up in the world,
an' not down."

"If he wants to try both," said I, "he'd best follow his father and
grandfathers, and live 'pon a lightship."

"So this is how you live, Tom; and you, father; and you,
father-in-law!" She moved about examining everything--the lantern,
the fog-signals and life-buoys, the cooking-stove, bunks and
store-cupboards. "To think that here you live, all the menkind
belongin' to me, and I never to have seen it! All the menkind did I
say, my rogue! And was I forgettin' you--you--you?" Kisses here, of
course: and then she held the youngster up to look at his face in the
light. "Ah, heart of me, will you grow up too to live in a lightship
and leave a poor woman at home to weary for you in her trouble?
Rogue, rogue, what poor woman have I done this to, bringing you into
the world to be her torture and her joy?"

"Dear," says I, "you're weak yet. Sit down by me and rest awhile
before the time comes to go back."

"But I'm not going back yet awhile. Your son, sir, and I are goin'
to spend the night aboard."

"Halloa!" I said, and looked towards Old John, who had made fast
astern of us and run a line out to one of the anchor-buoys.

"'Tisn't allowed, o' course," he muttered, looking in turn and rather
sheepishly towards my father. "But once in a way--'tis all
Bathsheba's notion, and you mustn' ask _me_," he wound up.

"'Once in a way'!" cried Bathsheba. "And is it twice in a way that a
woman comes to a man and lays his first child in his arms?"

My father had been studying the sunset and the sky to windward; and
now he answered Old John:

"'Tis once in a way, sure enough, that a boat can lay alongside the
Gunnel. But the wind's falling, and the night'll be warm. I reckon
if you stay in the boat, Old John, she'll ride pretty comfortable;
and I'll give the word to cast off at the leastest sign."

"Once in a way"--ah, sirs, it isn't twice in a way there comes such a
night as that was! We lit the light at sunset, and hoisted it, and
made tea, talking like children all the while;