tail,
gloomily.

"You said you were going, but I don't ask you to go."

"Two gentlemen here want the boat. They said they wished for a sail, and
didn't care about fishing. If they had just as lief go to Belfast as
anywhere else, I'll run up there. It's a tip-top breeze to go and come."

"Do as you think best, but don't tell him I sent you," added Mrs.
Taylor, as she walked towards home.

Bobtail thought she was over sensitive about calling upon her old
employer, but was willing to humor her, and promised to tell Colonel
Montague, if he saw him, that his mother had not sent him.

"Now, where's Captain Bobtail?" shouted a gentleman, coming out of the
hotel.

"Here I am, sir."

"You were to take us out to sail if you got out of that scrape, my boy."

"I'm not out of it, sir; but I can take you out to sail," replied the
skipper of the Skylark.

"We are all ready, and Mr. Philbrook has put up a basket of stores for
us; for we were going to take another boat if you couldn't go."

"The boat is all ready, sir. Where do you wish to go?"

"Don't care a fig where we go. All we want is a good sail."

"How long do you want to be out, sir?"

"O, till night."

"What do you say to a run up to Belfast?"

"Capital! But can you go as far as that in one day, or what is left of
the day?"

"I can run up there with this wind, and the tide in our favor, in about
three hours. It is blowing pretty fresh."

"I see it is."

"And the wind is west. The tide will turn about the time we get there,
and the wind is fair both ways, or nearly all the way. If the wind
holds, I can get you back before nine o'clock, and give you an hour or
two in Belfast."

"All right, my lad. We don't care whether we get back by nine o'clock or
not,--just as lief make a night of it as not," added the gentleman, who
spoke for both.

"You can sleep tip-top in the cabin; but I will get you back by nine, if
the wind don't die out. I can't warrant you against that."

"Belfast it is, my lad. Now, how much do you ask a day for your boat?"

"Seven dollars, sir, for the boat and crew; eight if we cook for you,"
replied Bobtail, who had decided to advance the price, as he stated, in
order to pay for the few groceries and other stores.

"Cook?" queried the gentleman.

"If you take a fish dinner and supper on board, I charge a dollar more.
I can give you tea and coffee, fried fish, and fried potatoes. If you
want meats, I must charge for them, too."

"