“I declare you are downright intolerable, Grenfell, and if the world were only half as bad as you’d make it, I’d say Luttrell was the wisest fellow going to have taken his leave of it.” “I’d rather sit the comedy out than go home and fret over its vapidness.” “Well, Mr. Crab,” said Vyner, turning suddenly to where his captain was waiting to speak with him, “what news of our spar?” “Nothing very good, Sir. There’s not a bit of timber on the island would serve our purpose.” “I suppose we must shift as well as we can till we make the mainland!” “This fellow here in the boat, Sir,” said a sailor, touching his cap as he came aft, “says that his master has three or four larch-trees about the length we want.” “No, no, Crab,” whispered Vyner; “I don’t think we can do anything in that quarter.” “Would he sell us one of them, my man?” cried Grab to the peasant. “He’d give it to you,” said the man, half doggedly. “Yes, but we’d rather make a deal for it. Look here, my good fellow; do you go back and fetch us the longest and stoutest of those poles, and here’s a guinea for your own trouble. Do you understand me?” The man eyed the coin curiously, but made no motion to touch it. It was a metal he had never seen before, nor had he the faintest clue to its value. “Would you rather have these, then?” said Crab, taking a handful of silver from his pocket and offering it to him. The man drew the back of his hand across his eyes, as if the sight had dazzled him, and muttered something in Irish. “Come, say you’ll do it,” said Crab, encouragingly. “Is there any answer for my master, to his letter, I mean?” said the man, looking at Vyner. “No, I think not; wait a moment. No, none,” said Vyner, after a moment of straggle; and the words were not well uttered, when the fellow pushed off his boat, and struck out with all his vigour for the shore. “What a suspicious creature your savage is; that man evidently believed you meant to bribe him to some deep treachery against his master,” said Grenfell. “Do let the poor peasant escape,” cried Vyner, laughingly, while he hastened below to avoid any further display of the other’s malevolence, calling out to Mr. Crab to follow him. “Let us get under weigh with the land breeze this evening,” said he. “There’s a strong current sets in here, Sir. I’d as soon have daylight for it, if it’s the same to you.” “Be it so. To-morrow morning, then, Crab;” and, so saying, he took up a book, and tried to interest himself with it. The peasant meanwhile gained the land, and made the best of his way homeward. “Tell the master there’s no answer, Molly,” said he, as she stood wiping the perspiration from her face with her apron at the door of a long, low-roofed building, into which all the assembled guests were congregated.