Think of me and little John, Duncan.'
'Ay, my lass,' he said; 'ay, Polly, I do think of thee and little John;
but the worst of it is there's bread must be earnt for thee and little
John. I can't let thee starve, wife.'
'What about the bank-book, Duncan?' I said.
He went to the old oak-chest, and brought it out. I was much touched by
his handing it to me, and bidding me see how it stood. He was perfectly
open with me, and spoke to me as freely as if I had been an old and
tried friend. I added up the amount and read it out to him.
'Well, sir,'he said, 'it's getting on; but it's a good ten pound short
yet. We shall have to hire Brown's boat a bit and do as well as we can,
though it isn't a very paying business when one takes to hiring: it will
be hard enough to make two ends meet, you see, sir, let alone saving up
for the new boat. But I can't see nothing else for it, sir; that is, if
Polly won't let me risk it in the Mary Ann.'
'Duncan,' she said solemnly, 'if thee went to sea in the Mary Ann, and
she went to the bottom, I could _never_ say, "The will of the Lord
be done," for I don't believe it _would_ be God's will for thee to
go in that rotten old thing.
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