andle, the touselled hair, the disarray, the lean legs of
him! "What's all this?" he demanded. "I can't sleep. What's all this
about? Is it a burglar?"

It made me impatient--and no wonder!

"What's this, you know?" he repeated. "Eh? What's all this row?"

"Do you go t' bed!" I commanded, with a stamp, quite out of temper.
"Ye're but a child! Ye've no hand in this!"

He was dutiful....

* * * * *

By-and-by my uncle came to my room. He would not enter, but stood
at the door, in much embarrassment, all the while looking at the
flame of his candle. "Dannie, lad," he inquired, at last, "is you
comfortable?"

"Ay, sir," says I.

"An' happy?"

"Ay, sir."

"An' is you content," says he, "all alone with ol' Nick Top at Twist
Tickle?"

I was content.

"You isn't upsot, is you, by the capers o' my ol' shipmate?"

I answered as he wished. "No, sir," said I.

"Oh no," says he; "no need o' bein' upsot by _that_ ol' bully. He've
wonderful queer ways, I'll not deny, but ye're not in the way o'
knowin', Dannie, that he've not a good heart. I 'low ye'll maybe take
to un, lad--when you comes t' know un better. I hopes ye will. I hopes
ye'll find it easy t' deal with un. They's no need _now_ o' bein'
upsot; oh my, no! But, Dannie, an I was you," says he, a bit
hopelessly, "times bein' what they is, an' life uncertain--an I was
you, lad--afore I went t' sleep I--I--I 'low I'd overhaul that there
twenty-third psa'm!"

He went away then....

XII

NEED O' HASTE

When I awoke 'twas to a gray morning. The wind had fallen to half a
gale for stout craft--continuing in the east, the rain gone out of
it. Fog had come upon the islands at dawn; 'twas now everywhere
settled thick--the hills lost to sight, the harbor water black and
illimitable, the world all soggy and muffled. There was a great
noise of breakers upon the seaward rocks. A high sea running without
(they said); but yet my uncle had manned a trap-skiff at dawn (said
they) to put a stranger across to Topmast Point. A gentleman 'twas
(said they)--a gray little man with a red mole at the tip of his
nose, who had lain the night patiently enough at Skipper Eli
Flack's, but must be off at break o' day, come what might, to board
the outside boat for St. John's at Topmast Harbor. He had gone in
high good-humor; crackin' off along o' Skipper Nick (said Eli) like
he'd knowed un all his life. An' Nick? why, ecod! Nick was