Major Vigoureux

nt had happened or was going to happen-a feeling he had not known for year

and called out to

sually good terms with himself. He had indued his master's trousers, and, save

happen to hear, last night, at w

at half-after-seven. But with a vessel of her size you m

sulted his watch-"we have not to

like a sandbag battery. Seems to me the woman's been spending half the night airing one thing and anot

you won't quarrel with Mrs. Treacher while

one long ago. As 'tis, when the woman's tongue becomes afflicting, I turns round and pities Treacher. T

ved you the trouble of being late with the fire this morn

onished at his own good spirits. "It does make a difference

chelaus, turning

The Commandant turned a

oticed 'em." Archelaus looked down at his legs, complacently. "Always supposin',

m a view of the Islands, even though he stood on tip-toe. But through it and above the open pane he caught a glimpse of blue sky and lilac-coloured cloud, touched with gold by the risen sun. He could guess the rest. A perfect morning!-clean and crisp, with the sea a translu

undred and fifty, neither more nor less), so many douches with the sponge, so many petitions afterwards on his knees. Yes, it is to be feared that his prayers, no less than his shaving, had become a drill, though one may plead for him that he always went through it conscientiously. A stroke too few across the strop-a pet

andant, with a side glance at his watch; "that is, i

proved of late, checked himself in

t the boat, I put her off to the moorings last night. Found her tied up and b

ell, now, when you are ready I want you to unmoor her again. We are g

s faced about slo

y. "Relative of yours,

o; nothing

rtune all of a sudden, an' that accounts for Treacher's

y. He had forgotten the penny in his pocket, the gulf between this and p

know better than to stare into the glass when I am shaving. Moreove

the bath, and, having filled it

or so Vashti would be awake.... She must delay dressing until her boxes arrived; but, once dressed, she would expect breakfast. The larder, to his knowledge, contained but the rusty

r and borrow back the four shillings he had given her last night? Fish, new-laid eggs, fresh butter, marmalade, the best tea procurable in the Islan

Tregaskis, paying whatever Mr. Tregaskis charged him, and always in ready money. He knew, moreover, that Mr. Tregaskis gave credit: and yet, after twelve years of ready-money dealing, he winced as he saw himself entering the shop and proposing to open an account. He foresaw

wn the hill to the quay, he decided to put off the interview, and was almost running past the shop (which had just bee

sir? Good morn

a fine morning, t

the liner, sir, out in the Roads?... 'Tis all

by the way, Mr. Tregaskis"-the Commandant pause

ded Mr. Tregaskis. "I suppose, now," he added, "you'd tak

quay steps: so if you have business on board, p

lace she've touched at, I might pick up a bravish order in the way of fresh milk and eggs, not to mention that

e quay steps; and Tregaskis, having tucked his shop-apron around his waist

ospect of asking him a favour. Most of all he regretted, as they pushed off, that chance this morning had forced him to put such a man under a small obligation. He feared that, when it came to asking leave to open an account, he might

osyllables only the exuberant flow of Mr. Tregaskis' conversation, which, bye-and-bye, as they neared the road

more he wondered at last night's miracle. She had not yet begun to weigh, though he discerned a couple of St. Ann's pilots talking wit

d, lifting the peak of his

astonished, returned the salu

in fact, and thankful enough, I can tell you, to be alive this morning and in command of her. Madame's boxes are

ilo's majestic length of deck, was aware of four large trunks, and beside them a

that I have done my best to pack to her orders. The

dame would call these 'just a few necessaries.' Though I say to you, sir," he went on gravely, "that all the Milo's hold-and

g your

d-soda? No? Then, perhaps, you'll do me the honour to join me at breakfast-which must be ready at this moment," he added, as eight

akfast array of blue-and-white china. A steward, in a blue suit with brass buttons, brought the meats in dishes of polished electro-plate, a

intercepting the Commandant's gaze. "We keep them in ice, if you're not above trying our fare. You'l

the breakfast yet to be extra

?" asked Capt

the pleasure

for granted. She's great; you can sum it up at that. By the way

n a hurry, she said, to

guesse

Commandant, "I haven't

nd buttered himself a piece of toast, gazing

h is sure to come out, sooner or later. Man, it was she that saved the Milo last night, in that ghastly twenty minutes befo

said the

third night out the mischief happened. I had left the bridge soon after four bells and was just turning in for my beauty-sleep when I heard an unholy racket below in the engine-room, and felt the ship slow down of a sudden. One of the rods had kicked loose from its gib and started to flail around death and destruction. Thanks to Crosbie, our first engineer, she was brought up before kicking our insides out, and we hove to; but the repairs cost us close on eighteen hours. By daybreak the weather was thickening worse than ever, though with no great

odge the New York newspaper men, but the passengers recognized her-had promised me to sing to them. (You have heard her, eh?-it makes you cry, and not mind, ei

had come aboard to sing us clear of the fog. There were three of us on the bridge-myself, and the third officer, Mr. Francillon, and a seaman called Petersen; and when the song ended-it was a little Italian something-or-other, very bright and gay-and the clapping began and the calls for an en

ding her head. 'I'm Island-born, Captain, and I feel 'em in my blood.' I put this down to craziness-hysterics-or whatever you choose to call it; but just to soothe her mind and get her down quietly off the bridge I sang out to the leadsman to know if he had found soundings. I was bending over the rail when I felt a touch on my arm, and heard her cry out 'Starboard! Hard a-starboard-hard!'-just like that." Captain Whitaker dropped his voice to a low, fierce whisper as he imitated her. "It took the helmsman sharp and sudden, so that he had begun to put the wheel down before he realised that the order didn't come from me; and the next moment Madame had flung herself upon it and was helping with both hands. 'Hullo!' says I, stepping after her smartly, and

ve had. 'Help me,' was all she said, in a kind of panting voice, and as I caught hold to help it over, 'That was the Head! Hard up, now! and ring down for full speed!' 'Full speed!' I grunted, yet pressing on the wheel all the time-'It's stop her you mean, and anchor.' 'Wh

ay. 'If you know-?' 'Know?' she caught me up. 'I was brought up to know. But she'll never do it if she don't pick up way.... Ah, that's better!' she said with a kind of sigh staring over the starboard bow into the fog. 'Now!'-and we he

'and maybe, if you're clev

we had passed the Monk without sighting her or cat

know the Pope's Head on Lesser Teague? Now hard-a-port still-for we've the Gun

the walls of it like a stick caught in a mill heat. Worse it was; we were driving down full tilt with a five-knot tide under us. If we struck there was one consolation; the end would come soo

dding her head to me to help

ning against you. Then there comes a point when, with nothing to show for it, you feel that you are holding your own; and another point when you feel that, bar accidents, the worst is

I rang down for half-speed, then for dead slow. We stood there and listened while the engines changed their beat from one to the other. In the saloon they had started a comic song wit

m with the red seventeen fathom mark. Half a minute later he sang out that his line had lost it. I was just about calling to let go anchor when away on our s