himself or me would be along with her."

Frank was painfully aware that he was not used to the _Tortoise_ or to
any boat the least like her. He had never in his life been to sea in a
sailing boat for the management of which he was in any way responsible.
He was, in fact, entirely ignorant of the art of boat sailing. But the
men who sat on the window sills of Brannigan's shop, battered sea dogs
every one of them, had their eyes fixed on him. It would be deeply
humiliating to have to own up before them that he knew nothing about
boats. Sir Lucius's order applied, very properly, to Priscilla who was
a child. Peter Walsh looked as if he thought that Frank also ought to be
treated as a child. This was intolerable. The day seemed very calm. It
was difficult to think that there could be any real risk in going out
in the __Tortoise__. Priscilla nudged him sharply with her elbow. Frank
yielded to temptation.

"Miss Lentaigne," he said, "will be quite safe with me."

He spoke with lordly self-confidence, calculated, he thought, to impress
the impudent loafers on the window sills and to reduce Peter Walsh
to prompt submission. Having spoken he felt unreasonably angry with
Priscilla who was grinning.

Peter Walsh ambled down to the quay. He climbed over the dredger, which
was lying alongside, and dropped from her into a small water-logged
punt. In this he ferried himself out to the _Tortoise_. Priscilla
bounded into Brannigan's shop. The sea dogs on the window sills
eyed Frank and shook their heads. It was painfully evident that his
self-confident tone had not imposed on them.

"There's not much wind any way," said one of them, "and what there is
will be dropping with the ebb."

"It'll work round to the west with the flood," said another. "With the
weather we're having now it'll follow the sun."

Priscilla came out of the shop laden with parcels which she placed one
by one on Frank's lap.

"Beer and lemonade," she said. "The beast was out of lemon flavoured
soda, so I had to get lemonade instead, but your lager's all right. You
don't mind drinking out of the bottle, do you, Cousin Frank? You can
have the bailing tin of course, if you like, but it's rather salty.
Macaroons and cocoanut creams. They turned out to be the same price,
so I thought I might as well get a mixture. The cocoanut creams are
lighter, so one gets more of them for the money. Tongue. I told him
not to put paper on the tongue. I always think brown paper i