His name was Francis Horatio Nelson Drake, and he was full of great
accounts of the goings-on in the outer world, where his school was, and
where lived the only “men” worth talking about. Of course he spoke of
all this familiarly and with a convincing reality which wrapped Glory in
the plumage of dreams. He was a wonderful being, altogether, and in due
time (about three days) she proposed to him. True, he did not jump at
her offer with quite proper alacrity, but when she mentioned that it
didn't matter to her in the least whether he wanted her or not, and that
plenty would be glad of the chance, he saw things differently, and
they agreed to elope. There was no particular reason for this drastic
measure, but as Glory had a boat, it seemed the right thing to do.
She dressed herself in all her Confirmation finery, and stole out to
meet him under the bridge where her boat lay moored. He kept her half an
hour waiting, having sisters and other disadvantages, but “once aboard
her lugger,” he was safe. She was breathless, and he was anxious, and
neither thought it necessary to waste any time in kissing.
They slipped down the harbour and out into the bay, and then ran up the
sail and stood off for Scotland. Being more easy in mind when this
was done, they had time to talk of the future. Francis Horatio was for
work--he was going to make a name for himself. Glory did not see it
quite in that light. A name, yes, and lots of triumphal processions, but
she was for travel--there were such lots of things people could see if
they didn't waste so much time working.
“What a girl you are!” he said derisively; whereupon she bit her lip,
for she didn't quite like it. But they were nearly half an hour
out before he spoiled himself utterly. He had brought his dog, a
she-terrier, and he began to call her by her kennel name and to say what
a fine little thing she was, and what a deal of money they would make
by her pups. That was too much for Glory. She couldn't think of eloping
with a person who used such low expressions.
“What a girl you are!” he said again; but she did not mind it in the
least. With a sweep of her bare arm she had put the tiller hard aport,
intending to tack back to Peel, but the wind had freshened and the sea
was rising, and by the swift leap of the boat the boom was snapped, and
the helpless sail came napping down upon the mast. Then they tumbled
into the trough, and Glory had not strength to pull them out of it, and
the boy was of no more use than a tripper. She was in her white muslin
dress, and he was nursing his dog, and the night was closing down on
them, and they were wobbling about under a pole and a tattered rag. But
all at once a great black yacht came heaving up in the darkness, and a
grown-up voice cried, “Trust yourself to me, dear.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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