you are," cried my flyman--"right you are, Master Banks. Them
lubbers will sing another song to-morrow. Gee up, old hoss, then!"

All this, and the ominous scowl of the sky and menacing roar of the sea
(already crowding with black rollers), disturbed me so that I could
say nothing, until, at the corner of the grand new hotel, we met Major
Hockin himself, attired in a workman's loose jacket, and carrying a
shovel. He was covered with mud and dried flakes of froth, and even his
short white whiskers were incrusted with sparkles of brine; but his face
was ruddy and smiling, and his manner as hearty as ever.

"You here, Erema! Oh, I beg pardon--Baroness Castlewood, if you please.
My dear, again I congratulate you."

"You have as little cause to do that as I fear I can find in your case.
You have no news for me from America? How sad! But what a poor plight
you yourself are in!"

"Not a bit of it. At first sight you might think so; and we certainly
have had a very busy time. Send back the fly. Leave your bag at our
hotel. Porter, be quick with Lady Castlewood's luggage. One piece of
luck befalls me--to receive so often this beautiful hand. What a lot of
young fellows now would die of envy--"

"I am glad that you still can talk nonsense," I said; "for I truly was
frightened at this great lake, and so many of your houses even standing
in the water."

"It will do them good. It will settle the foundations and crystallize
the mortar. They will look twice as well when they come out again,
and never have rats or black beetles. We were foolish enough to be
frightened at first; and there may have been danger a fortnight ago. But
since that tide we have worked day and night, and every thing is now so
stable that fear is simply ridiculous. On the whole, it has been a most
excellent thing--quite the making, in fact, of Bruntsea."

"Then Bruntsea must be made of water," I replied, gazing sadly at the
gulf which parted us from the Sea Parade, the Lyceum, and Baths, the
Bastion Promenade, and so on; beyond all which the streaky turmoil and
misty scud of the waves were seen.

"Made of beer, more likely," he retorted, with a laugh. "If my fellows
worked like horses--which they did--they also drank like fishes. Their
mouths were so dry with the pickle, they said. But the total abstainers
were the worst, being out of practice with the can. However, let us
make no complaints. We ought to be truly thankful; and I shall miss
the exercise.