y, and I shall have to take an observation; let's see,
where was I?"

"Delia allowed she 'd take her chances," said Uncle Silas.

"Oh, yes," said Captain Bennett. "Well, you know how it was when they
got married: David fixed the old house up a little, and mother put in
some furniture and things for her, and all went on first-rate awhile;
and then you know how David begun to settle, settle, just the old way;
could n't seem to keep up to the wind; appeared to carry a lee helm,
somehow; and Delia begun to take in work and go out to work, and quit
singing. She never said a word, even to my wife; but I could see 't it
cut her a good deal--"

"But all this time," said Uncle Silas, "she 's kep' up smart,--allers
hed a high crower's-feather 'n her bunnet, and kep' her little boys
a-lookin' like nine-shillin' dolls."

"I should n't have ever called David lazy," said Captain Philo. "He
could n't seem to make up his mind what to do next, that 's all; but get
him going--you remember how he worked at Jason's fire; and I know of my
own knowledge he was in the surf for sixteen hours, when that Norwegian
bark was on the Bar."

"I think there's some folks," said Uncle Silas, "that their mind works
all the time--runs a day gang and runs a night gang. You know how a hard
sum 'll shake itself out in your head overnight; and I think it's the
most natural thing that a man with a A No. I active mind always should
feel sort of tired and not know what ails him. George, won't you jes'
git up and hand me that pipe--you ain't doin' nothin'."

"However it was," said Captain Bennett, "Delia saw that he was drifting
to leeward, and she was worried. Well, you know when the reformation set
in, that winter, and run crowded houses,--one night in the West Church
and the next in the other. One night David surprised his wife by going;
and he set in a back seat, and come away and said nothing; and the same
the next night; and the same for seven or eight nights right along.
Finally, one night, they had a pretty searching sermon,--'_Choose ye
this day_,' et cetera,--and I suppose the Deacon, here, was rather
expecting David to rise for prayers; but, instead of that, as soon
as Amen was said, he gets right up, and off he goes, and leaves Delia
there, without saying a word to her or to anybody, and goes right up to
Captain Westcott's house and agrees to ship. And glad enough Captain
W. was to have him, and next day off he went. Now here he is, gone two
ye