CHAPTER VI.
ALTERED PROSPECTS.
AS soon as the shipwrecked crew were on shore, Jack Robson landed andmade his way homeward. At the railway-crossing he met his motherhurrying down, for the news that the _Bessy_ had arrived with a numberof shipwrecked people had spread rapidly through the place.
"Well, Jack, so I hear the _Bessy_ has been helping a wreck. I had noidea that you would be home to-day. What in the world induced your uncleto make the run in such weather as this?"
"It was nothing like so bad when we started, mother, and as we had bothwind and tide with us there was nothing to fear for the _Bessy_. We areaccustomed to wet jackets, and should have got nothing worse if it hadnot been for our hearing guns and making for the wreck. Then wecertainly had a tremendous sea, the heaviest I have ever been out in.However, we were under storm-sails and did very well. It was nasty workwhen we anchored in broken water near the wreck, and she jumped about soI thought the mast would have gone. However, everything held, and wemanaged to save nineteen people from the wreck. That is a pleasantthought, mother, and I would go through it again twenty times to do it."By this time they had reached the door of the house.
"There, run upstairs and change, Jack. I will get you some tea ready bythe time you come down."
"I have had some hot cocoa, mother, and am as right as possible. Still,I shall not object to a cup of tea and something to eat with it. We hadbreakfast before we started at eight, and it is seven now. We thoughtwhen we hoisted sail we should be down here under the six hours, but ofcourse going off to the wreck made all the difference. And, anyhow, wecould not have driven her fast in such a sea."
By the time Jack had had his tea a comfortable glow had come over him.Now that it was all over he felt bruised and stiff from the buffeting hehad gone through, and after half an hour's chat with his mother andsister, in which he told them more fully the events of the wreck, heturned into bed and slept soundly till the morning. Captain Murchison,for that was his name, came round half an hour after Jack had gone up tobed to ask him to go round to the inn, as the ladies wished to see himand thank him for his share in rescuing them, but on hearing that he hadgone up to bed asked his mother to request him to come round in themorning at ten o'clock.
"You have reason to be proud of your son, Mrs. Robson," he said. "Hisleaping over in such a sea as that to get hold of the line from our shipwas a most gallant action."
"He told me the line was tied round him, sir, so that there was nodanger in it at all."
"There is always danger in such a business as that, Mrs. Robson. Theforce of the waves in shallow water is tremendous, and will beat a manto death if they do not drown him. Then there is the difficulty of hisgetting on board again when a vessel is rolling and pitching sotremendously, and the danger of his being struck by a piece ofdrift-wood from the wreck. I can assure you that it was a very grandaction, whatever your son may have told you about it."
The next morning the gale was still blowing fiercely, although with lessstrength than on the previous day. Jack had heard from his mother of hisappointment to go to the "Ship" with much discontent, and had at firstpositively refused to go.
"I hate going up to see strange people, mother, anyhow; and I am surethat I do not want to be thanked. I am glad enough to have had a sharein saving all their lives, but of course it was all Uncle Ben and Tom'shandling the boat that did it; I had nothing to do with it whatever,except that little swim with the rope tied safely round me. Why, it wasnothing to that affair that I had with Bill and Joe Corbett."
"But you must go, Jack; the ladies naturally wish to thank you for whatyou did for them, and whether you like it or not you must go. It wouldbe very rude and uncivil not to do so. They would be sure to send roundhere if you did not come, and what should I say except that you were sounmannerly that you would not go."
Jack twisted himself on his chair uncomfortably.
"I don't see why they shouldn't thank Uncle Ben for the lot and havedone with it," he grumbled. "It is his boat and he was the skipper, andhe did it all; besides, I expect the _Bessy_ will have to be overhauledbefore she goes out again. She came down with a tremendous crash on herforefoot, and the water was just coming up through the boards in thefo'castle when we came in. Of course it may have come in from above, butI expect she sprang a leak somewhere forward. I thought she was very lowin the water when she came in, and I expect that she must have been halffull aft, for she was very much down by the stern.
"We had the pump going all the time, and it was always clear water. Idid not think of it at the time. We had had such a lot of water over usit was likely it might have got in through the hatches; but I feel surenow that it was a leak. Well, I suppose if I must go, I must, mother;but I hate it for all that."
However, just before Jack was about to start there was a knock at thedoor, and Mrs. Robson opening it saw two ladies and a girl. Immediatelyon their arrival the evening before, Mrs. Godstone had telegraphed homefor a servant to come down in the morning by the first train, withclothes for herself and daughter, and she had arrived with them an hourbefore. Mrs. Godstone had therefore been enabled to resume her usualattire, and to lend an outfit to Mrs. Murchison. Jack did not in theleast recognize in the three ladies the soaked and draggled women, ofwhose faces he had caught but a slight glimpse on the previous day.
"We have come round, Mrs. Robson," Mrs. Godstone began, "to thank yourson for his share in saving our lives yesterday. We thought that itwould be more pleasant to him than coming round to us at the inn."
"Thank you, madam," Mrs. Robson replied. "It was kind of you to think ofit. I have had a good deal of trouble in persuading Jack to go round. Hewas just starting; but it was very much against the grain, I can assureyou. Come in, please."
Mrs. Godstone was surprised at the tone in which this fisher lad'smother spoke, for during her thirteen years of married life Bessy Robsonhad lost the Essex dialect, and acquired the manners of her husband'sfriends. She was still more surprised at the pretty furniture of theroom, which was tastefully decorated, and the walls hung with picturesof marine subjects, for Bessy had brought down bodily her belongingsfrom Dulwich. Mrs. Godstone at once walked up to Jack with outstretchedhand.
"I hope you are none the worse for your exertions of yesterday," shesaid. "My daughter and I have come round to thank you for the very greatservice you rendered us."
Mrs. Murchison and Mildred Godstone also shook hands with Jack. Theformer added her thanks to Mrs. Godstone's.
Jack coloured up hotly and said, "It is my uncle you have to thank,ma'am. It was his bawley, and he and Tom sailed it, and I had nothing todo with it one way or the other."
"Except when you swam out for the line," Mrs. Godstone said smiling.
"I had one tied round me, and was all right," Jack protested.
"My husband does not think it was nothing, as you seem to consider,"Mrs. Murchison said; "and as he has been a sailor all his life he oughtto know. He says that it was a very gallant action in such a sea asthat, and, you see, we are bound to believe him."
The ladies had now taken seats. Mrs. Godstone felt a little at a loss.Had Jack's home and Jack's mother been what they had expected to findthem the matter would have been simple enough, but she felt at once thatany talk of reward for the service Jack had rendered them would be atpresent impossible.
"What a pretty room you have got, Mrs. Robson, and what charmingpictures!"
"They are my husband's painting," Mrs. Robson said quietly. "He was anartist."
"Oh! I know the name," Mrs. Godstone said. "I have four of Mr. Robson'spictures in my drawing-room. I am very fond of marine subjects."
This served as an introduction, and for half an hour the conversationproceeded briskly. Then Mrs. Godstone rose.
"My husband's leg is very painful this morning," she said, "and I fearthat he will have to keep his bed for the next two or three days. Whenhe is well enough to lie down on the sofa I will come down and fetchyour son, for Mr. Godstone is of course anxio
us to see him, and I amafraid that if I do not come round myself we shall not get Jack to theinn."
"Well, that was not so very bad, was it, Jack?" Mrs. Robson asked afterher visitors had left.
"No, mother, it wasn't. You see, it was ever so much better their cominghere than it would have been if I had gone to the inn, because there wasyou for them to talk to, so that really there was not much said to me.If it had been at the inn there would have been nothing to talk about atall, except about the wreck. Well, now that is over I will go down andsee how the bawley is; but I had best change my things first. Uncle wasgoing to get her up as high as he could at the top of the tide, so as tobe able to look at her keel."
Jack found that his uncle and Tom had turned out at three o'clock in themorning, and had got the _Bessy_ as high up as possible on the slopingshore, just beyond the houses. They were standing beside her now, whileBenting, the local boat-builder, was examining her bottom.
"Well, Jack, you have taken it out in sleep this morning," his unclesaid.
"That I have, uncle. I never woke until eight o'clock, so I had justtwelve hours' sleep."
"Nothing like a good sleep, Jack, when you have had a hard day's work;and yesterday was enough to take it out of anyone."
"Is she damaged at all?" Jack asked.
"Yes, her forefoot is sprung just where it joins the keel; she came downjust on the joint."
"That will be a rather nasty job to get right, won't it?"
"Yes, Jack, Benting says she must have a new stem altogether. He doesnot think the keel is damaged, but the stem is cracked right through."
"That will cost a lot, won't it?" Jack said.
"Yes, it is a nasty job, Jack; because, of course, she will want a lotof fresh planks in her. In fact, she will want pretty well rebuildingforward of the mast."
"It will cost about twenty pounds to make a good job of it," Bentingsaid as he joined them. "I shouldn't like to take the job for less, noton contract. If I did day-work it might come to a little less or alittle more, I cannot say."
Jack looked anxiously up into his uncle's face, for he knew that twentypounds was a serious matter.
"It won't be at my expense, Jack," Ben replied to his look. "CaptainMurchison came down at seven o'clock this morning and had a look at herwith me. I told him yesterday that I was afraid she had damaged herselfon the sand, as she had made a lot of water on her way up. He said thatI was to have her examined at once and get an estimate for repairing herthoroughly, and that he would undertake it should be paid. He asked whather age was. Of course I told him she was only four years old, and thatI had only finished paying off the money I borrowed when I had herbuilt, last year. He said that as she was only four years old she wasworth spending the money on; but if she had been an old boat, it wouldnot have been worth while throwing money away on her. But Benting sayshe can make her as good as new again."
"Every bit," the carpenter said. "She will be just as strong as she wason the day she was turned out."
"How long will you be about it?"
"I would get her done in three weeks. I will go over to Southend by thetwelve o'clock train and order the timber, and you can arrange thisevening whether you will have her done by contract or day-work."
Captain Murchison that evening when he returned from town, where he hadgone up to report to Lloyd's the loss of the ship, had a talk withBenting, and being assured by him that the _Bessy_ would after theexecution of the repairs be in all respects as stout a craft as before,arranged with him to do it for the sum he named, and to set to workimmediately.
Three days later Mr. Godstone was able to be brought out on to the sofain the sitting-room. Captain and Mrs. Murchison had gone home two daysbefore, but the former came down again to Leigh on the morning Mr.Godstone got up. After a talk together Captain Murchison went out andfetched Ben Tripper in, and Mr. Godstone presented him with a cheque fora hundred pounds for himself and fifty for Tom Hoskins.
"We owe you our lives," he said, "and we shall never forget the serviceyou have rendered us. Captain Murchison tells me that your boat will beas good as before after she is repaired; but if she should not be so,sell her at once for what you can get for her and order a new one, Iwill pay the difference. In any case I consider I owe you a boat.Whether it is five years hence or ten or fifteen, if I am alive and youwant another boat I give you authority to order one of the best that canbe built, and to tell them to send the bill in to me. I have not givenyou anything for your nephew, for I have been talking to my wife, andmaybe we can serve him better in some other way."
Mrs. Godstone had indeed been in for a chat each day with Jack's mother,and had told her husband that she felt sure neither Mrs. Robson nor Jackwould like an offer of money.
"The lad is very intelligent," she said, "and he and his mother are ofquite a different class to the fisher people here. His father was agentleman, and she has the manners of a lady. I should like for us to dothe boy some permanent good, William."
"Well, we will see about it, my dear," her husband had said. "As soon asI am well enough to talk to him I will find out what his own wishes inthe matter are."
Jack was therefore sent for after his uncle had left the inn.
"Well, my lad," Mr. Godstone said as he entered, "I am glad to see youat last and to thank you for what you did for us the other day. My wifetells me that you do not like being thanked, and as deeds are betterthan words we won't say much more about it. So I hear you have only beenliving here about two years?"
"That is all, sir; we lived at Dulwich before."
"So I hear. And your father was an artist? Have you any taste that way?"
Jack shook his head. "No, sir; I never thought of being an artist. Ialways wanted to go to sea."
"To go to sea--eh?" Mr. Godstone repeated, "Well, then, you have gotyour wish."
"Oh, I do not call this going to sea," Jack said contemptuously. "Imean, I wanted to be a sailor--not a fisherman."
"And why didn't you go then, lad?"
"Well, sir, in the first place mother did not know anyone who had to dowith ships; and then her friends were all here, and she knew the placeand its ways, and she thought that by buying a bawley, as she has done,in time I should come to sail her and earn my living as my uncle does.And then I don't think she would ever have agreed to my going to searight away from her; but I do not know about that."
"Well, lad, you see the case is changed now. I have to do with ships,and Captain Murchison here commands one. At least he doesn't at thepresent moment, but he will do so as soon as I can buy another tosupply the place of the _Petrel_. And as he saw one yesterday that hethinks highly of, I shall probably buy her as soon as she has beensurveyed. So you see that difficulty is at an end. As to your mother, nodoubt she would have objected to your going as a ship's-boy, but perhapsshe wouldn't if you were going as an apprentice. We call them midshipmenon board our ships; I like the name better than apprentice, though thething is about the same. Captain Murchison will, I am sure, be glad tohave you with him, and will do his best to make a good sailor of you.And you may be sure that I shall push you on if you deserve it as fastas possible; and it may be that in another ten years you will be incommand of one of my ships. Well, what do you say to that?"
"Oh! thank you, sir," Jack exclaimed. "I should like that better thananything in the world, if mother will let me."
"I don't think that your mother will stand in the way of your good," Mr.Godstone said. "And she must see that the prospect is a far better onethan any you can have here; for after all, the profits of a bawley arenot large, and the life is an infinitely harder one than that of asailor. You had better not say anything to your mother about it until mywife has had a chat with her."