The Argosy — page 145: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

128 On and Off. want to have a look at her. I fancy I know her cut. I’m just going out to the Ncrth Arm to see her come in. You come along, too, uncle, and I'll hold your white umbrella over you. She’s worth looking at.” Mr. Plympton would have been wheeled into a furnace to please Freddy ; and after all, the North Arm was not a furnace, though the sun was very powerful; for a fresh breeze was blowing from the sea, and bringing in the yacht in question. Accordingly, they left their retirement, and passed again the party of labourers who had already excited his compassion. One of them was mopping his head. ‘‘ Poor man,” said Mr. Plympton; ‘‘how hot he does look! Oh, stop, please, Smith. Freddy, do go down and give those poor men half-a-crown from me to get a drink at the coffee-house—at the coffee-house, mind. No, perhaps you’d better tell them that they can get the worth of it there, and I'll pay as we pass it.” “Uncle,” remonstrated Freddy, gravely, ‘‘ where are your prin- ciples? Isn’t it my duty to do as I would be done by?” ‘‘Why, yes, of course ; but ——’” ‘* And do you think that 7 would have any fellow come and mock me with offers to treat me to lemonade and cold tea? I couldn’t do it, uncle; I shouldn’t have the face. If it were champagne, now, with a lump of ice in it,—or brandy-and-seltzer, or even shandy-gaff, my conscience might sanction the act.” “To be sure, shandy-gaff could not do them much harm,” said Mr. Plympton irresolutely. ‘‘They could not get it without going to a public-house,” said Ada. ‘‘Your plan is much the best, Mr. Plympton; and as my conscience is not on the side of brandy-and-seltzer, I’ll carry it out, if you'll just give me your card and the half-crown.” Freddy perceived that he was to consider himself snubbed, and when Ada returned from transacting the affair, he wore an air of the deepest dejection. In ostentatious silence, he walked beside his uncle to the end of the pier, and there they stopped, and looked out to sea. In front of them stretched the blue waters of the roadstead, sparkling here and there with little points of light, as wavelet after wavelet danced and dipped in the sunshine. On the other side lay two green islands, side by side, Herm and Jethou ; a stretch of yellow beach gleamed there, little white houses sunned themselves, and sharp brown rocks ran out into the sea at the ends. Between the two appeared the sea again, ‘‘ wine-dark ” there, and bordered by a misty vision of the coast of France. Further back, to the right, rose the long range of cliffs which builds up the island of Sark,—brown and green, softened into a shade of lilac by the distance, and the summer haze, and the blue and purple reflections of the water; and on the horizon lay a narrow gray band of cloud, which was Jersey. It was a lovely scene—it would be hard to find a lovelier ; Ada leant on the wall, and gazed at it in silence. She was not wont to be wrought Gomicbooks (e(o)