As soon as ever she saw him she wiped her eyes, and asked him, grimly,
what he wanted there. Wylie stared at the reception; but replied stoutly,
that it was pretty well known by this time what he wanted in that
quarter.
"Well, then," said Nancy, "Want will be your master. Why did you never
tell me Miss Helen was in that ship? my sweet, dear mistress as was, that
I feel for like a mother. You left her to drown, and saved your own great
useless carcass, and drowned she is, poor dear. Get out o' my sight, do."
"It wasn't my fault, Nancy," said Wylie, earnestly. "I didn't know who
she was, and I advised her to come with us; but she would go with that
parson chap."
"What parson chap? What a liar you be! She is Wardlaw's sweetheart, and
don't care for no parsons. If you didn't know you was to blame, why
didn't you tell me a word of your own accord? You kep' dark. Do you call
yourself a man, to leave my poor young lady to shift for herself?"
"She had as good a chance to live as I had," said Wylie, sullenly.
"No, she hadn't; you took care o' yourself. Well, since you are so fond
of yourself, keep yourself _to_ yourself, and don't come here no more.
After this, I hate the sight on ye. You are like the black dog in my
eyes, and always will be. Poor, dear Miss Helen! Ah, I cried when she
left--my mind misgave me; but little I thought she would perish in the
salt seas, and all for want of a man in the ship. If you had gone out
again after in the steamboat--Mr. Penfold have told me all about it--I'd
believe you weren't so much to blame. But no; lolloping and looking about
all day for months. There's my door, Joe Wylie; I can't cry comfortable
before you as had a hand in drowning of her. You and me is parted
forever. I'll die as I am, or I'll marry a _man;_ which you ain't one,
nor nothing like one. Is he waiting for you to hold the door open, Mr.
Penfold? or don't I speak plain enough? Them as I gave the sack to afore
you didn't want so much telling."
"Well, I'm going," said Wylie, sullenly. Then, with considerable feeling,
"This is hard lines."
But Nancy was inexorable, and turned him out, with the 2,000 pounds in
his pocket.
He took the notes out of his pocket, and flung them furiously down in the
dirt.
Then he did what everybody does under similar circumstances, he picked
them up again, and pocketed them, along with the other dirt they had
gathered.
Next day he went down to the docks and looked out for a ship; he soon got
one, and signed as second mate. She was to sail in a fortnight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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