A Message from the Sea

his trouble, when he beheld the young fisherman advancing to meet him, accompanied by a stranger. A glance at this stranger assured the captain that he could be no other than the Seafarin

at last he broke the silence. “You two are

ain had had his fill of hand-shaking, from his birth to that hour, he had it then. And presently up and spoke the two brothers, one at a time, two at a time, two dozen at a time for the bewilderment into whic

rean, you recollect? Kitty and her father came to liv

you have me in tow. Then your brother here don’t know

er; never he

one go back together — paper, writer, and all — an

can’t help it now. We mus

tain. “Give me an arm apiece, a

oor, while the neglected breakfast cooled within, the c

ed home. That, enlightened or unenlightened, they should then return to Steepways and go straight to Mr. Tregarthen, and tell him all they knew, and see what came of it, and act accordingly. Lastly, that when they got th

if not more dangerous, as being more uncommon (and therefore less provided against) in this round world of ours. And besides, I should lik

ed by the brothers for his

m one brother to the other, with quite a new rigging of wrinkles about ea

m very slow,” sai

to the best of my belief I am ra’ather smart. Now

s clear

ng to the younger brother, “ar

tle, Capta

you’re sort preoc

ossible to

ain’t good at quick busine

lear on a

across the ocean, and I should like to carry on and go ahead with this affair of

hted to do so, and t

y morning. I’ll jot that down, and we’ll compute how many hours we’ve been out when

tling on the step of the door, waiting for the clerk to come down the street with his key and open it. But instead of

papers as were in his keeping. These were chiefly old letters and cash accounts; from which the captain, with a shrewdne

than a clerk in the house of Dringworth Brothers, America Square, London. That the money was borrowed for a stipulated period; but that, when the term was out, the aforesaid speculation failed, and Clissold was without means of repayment. That, hereupon, he had written to his creditor, in no very persuasive terms, vaguely requesting further time. That the creditor had refus

es. But when the papers had been put back in their box, and he and his two comp

don’t you see that all this agrees with that dutiful trust in

bore them off to Steepways. Although the afternoon was but just beginning to decline when they reached it, and it was broad day-light, still they had no difficulty, by dint of muffing the returned sailor up,

l, “I’m glad to see you, sir. How do you do, sir? I told you you’d th

Tom Pettifer Ho, engaged in pre

d never ought to have been in any other way of life. Stop where you are,

ain drew one close t

rothers — fact! Hugh’s come to life again, and here he stands. Now see here, my friend! You don’t want to be told that he was cast away,

hen started and changed colour. “Wh

of mine thirty — five-a

catching at the clew: “Dringworth Br

in, nodded, and said,

two men cast away there arose a mystery con

nging colour. Again the capta

e nature of Clissold’s wanderings on the barren island, as he had condensed them in his mind from t

me! I have suspected it for man

still closer to Tregarthen, and clapping his

a certain book an account of the sums received that day by the firm, and afterward paid into the bankers’. One me

it out,” said t

five hundred pounds received. I handed that sum, as I handed the other sums in the day’s entry, to Clissold. I was absolutely certain of it at the time; I have been absolutely certain of it ever since. A sum of five hundred pounds was afterward found by the house to have been that day wanting from the ba

the captain, “when y

hen con

; but the writing was wonderfully like mine, and I could impeach no one if the house could not. I was required to pay the money back. I did so; and I left the house, almost broken-hearted, rather than remain

had no experience of ill judgments on deceiving appearances, you w

d I have always had suspicions almost amounting to certainty; but they have never been confirmed until now. For my daughter’s sake and

ch I’d back ’em round the world, and right across it from north to south, and then again from east to west, and through it, from your deepest Cornish mine to China. It is, that they will never use this same so-often-mentioned sum of money, and that res

to his word, and he was glad of it, and at rest in his mind; but there was no proof, and the money must remain as it was. All were very earnest o

gery of your writing committed by the too smart rowdy that was grease and ashes when I made his acquaintance, and a substitution of a forged leaf in your book for a real and torn leaf torn out. Now was that real and true leaf then and there destroyed? No — for says he, in

en shook

lace. I have heard of it, and read of it, as removed, enlarg

paper — this paper, this desk,” said the captain, ruminating and walking about, and looking, in his uneasy abstraction, into Mr. Pettifer’s hat on

it, as if he had just come into church. After that he roamed again, and again said, “T

re moved than before, cut the captain off as he

n, but I couldn’t do it. I am unwilling to interrupt Captain

nd looked at him — with his (Mr

ward, “that I was once in the b

at you had failed in that calling, a

re, and me and my brother made what we call in the trade a Deal there, sir. And I’ll make bold to say, sir, that the only thing I ever had from my brother, or from any relation — for my relations have mostly taken

desk now?” sa

en I saw it last — which was last time we were outward bound — it was at a very nice lady’s at W

other three persons present, went to Church again, in respect of the steward’s hat. And a mo

when we first came here, respecting your consti

did,

d’s cookery? Now, Tom,” pursued the captain, when the required assistance was given, “on your oath as a steward, di

id, sir,” repli

of the Heaven that put it into this Tom Pettifer’s head to take so much care of his head against

oduced the book-leaf, very much worn, but still legible, and gave both his legs suc

pulling out his watch, “and that’s thirty-thre

e reputation of their forgotten old clerk; how Kitty came in, and was nearly torn to pieces, and the marriage was reappointed, needs not to be told. Nor how she and the young fisherman went home to the post-office to prepare the way for the captain’s

into it, he raised the latch of the post-office parlour

I com

n you have to be free of the house, though you have not been too well

the captain, “for I won’t

taken a chair on the

let himself be outdone in a bargain, said to himself, ‘Now I tell you what! I’ll never speak to you again.’ And he never did, but joined a settlement of oysters, and translated the mul

m her mother’s lap an

I am fond of small people. I have a child, a

u sing?” as

ong song

s Jo

d the

f sailors supposed to be lost, and recovered after all hope wa

s Jo

d the

he softly danced the child on his knee. For

’em to that child. Stories of shipwreck on desert islands, and long delay in g

s Jo

the

begun to peep out of the sky one by one, as the houses of the village peeped out from among the foliage when the night de

ther by the good providence of GOD — of sons brought back to mothers, husbands brou

now. Next moment her hand moved imploringly to his breast, and she was

” said the captain.

s Jo

ed t

much for him, and he could not

fortune well. Could you bear good for

fully and humbly an

“p’rhaps it has come. He’s — don’t b

li

es

were again too much for the captain, who openl

ative country. To tell you the truth, he’s no further off than Falmouth. Indeed, I doubt if he’s quite s

charged. A rush came, and t

hem, and composing their dresses, exactly as if they had been passengers crossing the Channel. The extent to which the captain slapped his legs, when Mr. Pettifer acquitted himself o

the spot where he had seen that little golden picture of love and parting, and from which he could that morning contemplate another golden picture with a vista of golden years in it, little Kitty put her arms around his neck, and kissed him on both his bronzed cheeks, and laid her pretty face upon his storm-beaten breast, in sight of all — ashamed to have called such a noble captain names. And t

nd