anxieties.

And so it came about that I was compelled to spend the night in the hulk;
but, as I followed Mistress Madison into the big saloon, I felt no
regret, and had near forgotten already my anxiety regarding the rope.

And out on deck there sounded most cheerily the clack of the capstan.

XVI

Freed

Now, when Mistress Madison had seated herself, she invited me to do
likewise, after which we fell into talk, first touching upon the matter
of the stranding of the rope, about which I hastened to assure her, and
later to other things, and so, as is natural enough with a man and maid,
to ourselves, and here we were very content to let it remain.

Presently, the second mate came in with a note from the bo'sun, which he
laid upon the table for the girl to read, the which she beckoned me to do
also, and so I discovered that it was a suggestion, written very rudely
and ill-spelt, that they should send us a quantity of reeds from the
island, with which we might be able to ease the weed somewhat from around
the stern of the hulk, thus aiding her progress. And to this the second
mate desired the girl to write a reply, saying that we should be very
happy for the reeds, and would endeavor to act upon his hint, and this
Mistress Madison did, after which she passed the letter to me, perchance
I desired to send any message. Yet I had naught that I wished to say, and
so handed it back, with a word of thanks, and, at once, she gave it to
the second mate, who went, forthwith, and dispatched it.

Later, the stout woman from the galley came aft to set out the table,
which occupied the center of the saloon, and whilst she was at this, she
asked for information on many things, being very free and unaffected in
her speech, and seeming with less of deference to my companion, than a
certain motherliness; for it was very plain that she loved Mistress
Madison, and in this my heart did not blame her. Further, it was plain to
me that the girl had a very warm affection for her old nurse, which was
but natural, seeing that the old woman had cared for her through all the
past years, besides being companion to her, and a good and cheerful one,
as I could guess.

Now awhile I passed in answering the buxom woman's questions, and odd
times such occasional ones as were slipped in by Mistress Madison; and
then, suddenly there came the clatter of men's feet overhead, and, later,
the thud of something being cast down upon the deck, and so