“I’m not here to take no back talk from nobody,” replied Carleton in a surly tone. “Lonny,” said Sanford,—he saw that further discussion with the superintendent was useless,—“go ashore and get my transit and target rod; you’ll find them in my bedroom at the captain’s; and please put them here in the skipper’s bunk, so they won’t get broken. I’ll run a level on the concrete myself, Mr. Carleton, when we get to the Ledge.” “There ain’t no use of your transit,” retorted Carleton, with a sneer. “It’s six inches too low, I tell you. You’ll fix it as I want it, or I’ll stop the work.” Sanford looked at him, but held his peace. It had not been his first experience with men of Carleton’s class. He proposed, all the same, to know for himself who was right. He had seen Carleton use a transit, and had had a dim suspicion at the time that the superintendent was looking through the eyepiece while it was closed. “Get ready for the Ledge, Captain Brandt, as soon as Lonny returns,” said Sanford. “Where’s Caleb, Captain Joe? We may want him.” The captain touched Sanford on the shoulder and moved down the deck with him, where he stood behind one of the big stones, out of hearing of the other men. “He’s all broke up, sir. He ain’t been to work since the little gal left. I want to thank ye, Mr. Sanford, for what ye did for ’er; and that friend o’ yourn couldn’t ’a’ been no better to her if she’d been her sister.” “Oh, that’s all right, captain,” said Sanford, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Betty is at your house, I hear. How does she bear it?” “Gritty as she kin be, but she ain’t braced up much; Aunty Bell’s got ’er arms round ’er most of the time. I wish you’d send for Caleb; nothin’ else’ll bring him out. He won’t come for me. I’ll go for him myself, if ye say so.” “Go get him. I may want him to hold a rod in four or five feet of water. He won’t need his helmet, but he’ll need his dress. Do you hear anything about Lacey?” “He ain’t been round where any of us could see him—and git hold of him,” answered Captain Joe, knitting his brows. “I jes’ wish he’d come once. I heared he was over to Stonin’ton, workin’ on the railroad.” The captain jumped into the yawl and sculled away toward the diver’s cabin. He had not felt satisfied with himself since the night when Caleb had refused to take Betty back. He had said then, in the heat of the moment, some things which had hurt him as much as they had hurt Caleb. He would have told him so before, but he had been constantly at the Ledge receiving the big cut stones for the masonry, nine of which were then piled up on the Screamer’s deck. After that there had arisen the difficulty with Carleton. This now was his opportunity. The men on the sloop, somehow, knew Caleb was coming, and there was more or less curiosity to see him. Nickles, standing inside the galley and within earshot, had probably overheard Sanford’s request.