Black_A_Princess_of_Thule.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
most wonderful place have ever seen,'
she said. " is so beautiful and so desolate al ihe
same time. lovely colours there are everywhere.
on the sea, and on the shores there, and up the hills;
and everytbing is so bright and gleaming. no
one seems t6 live here. suppose you couldn't.
loneliness of tbe mountains and the sea would kill you."
" dear child, these are town-bred fancies," he
said, in his usual calm and carelessly sententious man-
ner; "if you there, you would have plenty to do
besides looking at the hills and the sea. would
be glad of a fine day to let you go out and gel some
fish, or go up the hills and get some blactcock fot
your dinner; and you would not get sad by looking
at fine colours, as town-folks do. you think
and spend their time in moonicg up
in tbat island of theirs) and that, can teil you, is t
trifle more remote and wild tban this is. 've got
their work to do; and when that is done they feel
comfortable and secure in a well-built house, and
fairly pleased with themselves tbat they have eanied
some rest and amusement. 1 daxesay, if you buitt
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cottage over there, and did nothing but look at the
sea and the hls, and the sky at night, you would very
soon drown yourself. suppose if a man were to give
himself up for three months to thinking of the rst
formation of the world, and the condition of afFairs
before that happened, and the puzzle about how the
materials ever came to be there, he would grow mad.
few people luckily have the chance of trying.
've got their bread to eam; if they haven't, they're
bent on killing something or other foxes, grouse,
deer, and what not and they don't bother about the
, or what lies just outside the region of the stars.
find myself getting miserable about the size
of a mountain, or the question as to how and when it
came there, know that it is time to eat something.
think breakfast is ready, . you think you
have nerve to cut this hook out of my finger) and then
we can go below."
gave a little scream, and started up.
drops of blood had fallen on 's white decks.
", see you can't," he said. " this knife,
and will dig it out myself. the girl, are you
going to faint because have scratched my finger?"
, however, had to be called in to help;
and, while the surgical was going forward,
. said
" see we have got town's-folks' hands as yet.
suppose they will get to be leather by and by. am
sure don't know how . can do those
things about a boat with the tiny little hands she has."
", has small hands, hasn'tshe)''
said, as he bound up his fiiend's finger, ^but then she
makes up for that by the bigness of heart."
was a pretty and kindly speech, and it pleased
3(6 '.
. , though did not hear it, ,
when ihe doctoring was over, they all wenl below for
breakfast, and an odoui' of fish, and ham, and eggs,
and coffee, prevailed throughout the yacht.
" have quite fallen in love with ihis manncr of
lifc," . aaid. ", teil me, is it always as
pleaaant as thisJ you always have those blue seas
around you, and green shores^ the saila always
white in the sunlightl"
was a dead silence.
", would not say," observed,
seriously, as no one eise would take up the question;
" would not say it is always ferry good weatlier off
this coast oh no, would not say that; for if tliere
wassno rain, what would the cattle do, and thestrearasi
they would not hef a pool left in them. yes,
there is rain sometimes; but you cannot always be
sailing aboul, and when there will be rain, you will
hef your things to attend to indoors. there is -
ways plenty of good weather if you wass wanting to
tek a trip round the islands, or down to oh
yes, there is no fear of that; and it will be a ferry good
coast whatever for the harbour, and there is always
some place you can put into, if it wass on
rough, only you musl know the coast, and the e of
ihe islands, and the rocks about the harbours.
you would learn it very soon. is
there is no one in the will know more of the
in than sbe does not one,
say that; and when you go further away, thcn you
must tek some one with you who wass well acquuoi
with the coast. you wass thinking of having a jraeht,
. , there is one hef heard of just now ia
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that is for sale, and she is a ferry good boat,
but not so big as this one "
** think well wait tili my wife knows more about
it, . /' said. " tili she gets
round , and has crossed the , and
hasgot the final swell as you run in toBorvabost/'
**., you frighten me," his wife said; " was
beginning to give myself courage."
^But it is mere nonsense!" cried , im-
patiently. ** pless me! is no chance of your
being iU in this fine weather; and if you had a boat
of your own, you would ferry soon get accustomed to
the weather^-oh, ferry soon indeed and you would
hef no more fear of the water than has."
" has far too little fear of the water," her
husband said.
", and that is true," said her father; "and it
is not right that a young lass should go about by her-
seif in a boat ^*
" you know very well, papa, that never do
that now."
", you do not do it now," grumbled .
", you do not do it now. some day you will
forget, when there is something to be done, and you
will run a great danger, ."
" she has promised never to go out by herseif;
haven't you, )" her husband said.
" dSd. promised that to you. have never
been out since by myself."
", don't forget, ," said her father, not
ery sure but that some sudden occasion might tempt
the girl to her old deeds of recklessness.
two ladies had little to fear.
received them with fair sunshine and smooth
^l8 ' .
seasj and al! ihe day long their occupation was bitt
to watch wild birds flying from island to istand,
mark the gliding by of thc beaiitiful coasts, and
listen to the light rushing of the waves as ihe fresh
sea-breeze flew through the rigging. was
proud to teach them somelhing of the mystery of
sailing a sma craft, and would give them the tiller
sometinies, while her eye, as clear and keen as her
father's, kept watch and ward over the shapely vessel
that was making for the northern seas. evening
she to her friends
" you see that point that runs out on this slde
of the smatl islandsl that we enter ."
last pale light of the sun was shining along
houses of as the passed.
people there had made out the yacht long eie
she came close to land; and knew that
twenty eager scouts would fly lo teil the news to
and , so that ample preparation would
be made in the newiy-finished house down by the sea.
wind, however, had altnost died away; and thty
were a long time getting into in this clear
twilight. who were making their first visii to
's island sat contentedly enougb on deck, how-
ever, amazed and bewildered by the beauly of ie
sccne around them. now the sun had long sunk,
but there was a glow all over the heavens, and only
in the far east did the yellow stars begin lo glimm
over the dark plain of the . , -
bhal, , lifted their grand and peak
into this wondrous sky, and stood dark and clear there, i
with the sence of the sea around them. the night!
came on the yellow stars grew inore intense overhed/
but the lambent glow in the north did not paie.
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entered a small bay. there on a plateau of the
stood a long, low house, with all its
gleaQijftg m tbe dusk. pinnace was put off from
the yadit; in the strnge silence of the night the ripples
plashed 2uxund her prow; her oars strack fire in the
water as the men rowed in to the land. then, as
's guests made their way up to the house, and
when they reached the verandah, and tumed to look
at the sea, and the , and ie fax mountains op-
posite, they beheld the clear and golden sickle of the
moon risipg from behind the black outline of
into the soft and violet skies. the yellow moon
rose ixk the south,, a pathway of gold began to tremble
on /ch , aiotd they could see the white curve of
sand arouod th bay. air was sweet with the
smell of the sea. was a murmur of the far
all around the silent coast
]^. w^ the old fiaimiliar picture that had charmed
the imagination of 's first and only lover, when
as yet she was to him as some fair and wonderful
, living in a lonely island, and clothed round
about with the glamour of old legends and stories of
the sea. she any longer tfais strnge -,
with dreams in her eyes, and the mystery of the night
and the stars written in her beautiful face) was
she to him now what all the world had long ago
perceived her to be a tender wife, a faithful com-
panion, and a true and loyal-hearted woman)
walked quietly into the house; there was something
for her firiends to see; and, with a great pride, and a
gentleness, and a gladness, was despatched
on a particular errand. old of was
still down at the yacht, looking after the landing of
certain small artides of luggage. had come
320 .
forward to and said, " are you ferry well,
sirl" and , come down from 's house,
had done the same. there was a wild squeal of
the pipes in the long apartment where supper was
laid the unearthly gathering-cry of a clan; until
's husband dashed into the place and threatened
to throw into the sea if he did not hold his
peace. was offended, and would probably have
gone up the hill-side, and, in revenge, played, "-
krimmon shall no more retum," only that he knew
the irate old of would, in such a case,
literally fulfil the threat that had been lightly uttered
by his son-in-law. another room, where two or
three women were together, one of them suddenly
took both 's hands in hers, and said, with a look
of kindness in her eyes " dear, can believe now
what you told me that night at ."
's heart was too fll to make answer.