took."

"I should think it would be very nice," I said, "to have somebody
wanting your picture.--I am not pressed with entreaties for mine."

Captain Pharo sighed kindly; his pipe was going.

"Poo! poo! hohum! Never mind; never mind.

[Illustration: Music fragment: "'My days are as the grass. Or as--']

I s'pose ye hain't never worked yerself up to the p'int o' propoundin'
nothin' yit to Miss Pray, have ye?"

"No."

[Illustration: Music fragment: "'Or as the morning flow'r,--]

"Why don't ye, major?"

"When I think of how much better off she is with seven dollars a week
for my board than she would be taking me as a husband, for nothing----"

"Oh, pshaw! major, pshaw!" said Captain Pharo, with deep returning
gloom; "seven dollars a week ain't nothin' to the pleasure she'd take,
arfter she'd once got spliced onto ye, in houndin' on ye, an' pesterin'
ye, an' swipin' the 'arth with ye."

Conscious that he had rather over-reached himself in presenting this
picture of marital joys to my horizon, Captain Pharo resumed the
subject with sprightliness.

"In course the first preliminary essence o' all these 'ere ructions
'ith female grass is, 't ye've got to go a-co'tin'."

"Yes."

"And in goin' a-co'tin', ye've got to ile yer ha'r out some, an' put
essence on yer han'kercher, an' w'ar a smile continnooal, an' keep
a-arskin' 'em ef tobakker smoke sickens on 'em, an' all sech o' these
ere s'ciety flourishes an' gew-gaws 's that."

"Yes," said I, attentively.

"I'd ort ter know," said Captain Pharo, alone with me in the lane,
assuming a gay and confident air, "f'r I've been engaged in co'tin'
three times, an' ain't had nary false nibble, but landed my fish every
time."

"I know you have."

"Now ef you don't feel rickless enough, major, and kind o' wanter see
how it 's done, you ask Miss Pray t' sail along with us up to Millport,
whar I've got to go to have my condum' pictur' took."

The recollection of personal grievances again beclouded Captain Pharo;
he was silent.

"And what?" I said.

"Wal," said my soul's companion, with the fire all gone from his
manner, "I'll kinder han' 'er into the boat, an' shake my han'kercher
at 'er an' smile, when Mis' Kobbe ain't lookin', an' the rest o' these
ere s'ciety ructions, jest t' show ye how."

I appreciated the motives, the sacrifice even, of this conduct as
anticipated toward Miss Pray, whose society, as far as his own peculiar
taste went, Captain Pharo al