"Cardo, I promise," and Valmai looked pensively into the fire. "A year
is a long time," she said, "but it will come to an end some time."
"Don't call it a year. I don't see why I should not be back in eight
or nine months."
The kettle sang and the bright fire gleamed, the old captain snored
upstairs, and thus began for Valmai and Cardo that fortnight of
blissful happiness, which bore for both of them afterwards such bitter
fruits; for upon overhauling the Burrawalla it was discovered that
she had sustained more injury than was at first suspected, and the two
or three days' delay predicted by Captain Owen were lengthened out to a
full fortnight, much to the captain's chagrin and the unspeakable
happiness of Cardo and Valmai.
Next day at eleven A.M. Captain Powell was lying in state, not with the
trappings of mourning around him, but decked out in a brilliant scarlet
dressing-gown, a yellow silk handkerchief bound round his head for a
night-cap. Jim Harris had just shaved him, and as he left the room had
said: "There, capting, the Prince of Wales couldn't look no better."
Valmai flitted about, putting the finishing touches to her uncle's
gorgeous toilet.
"Do Ay look all raight, may dear?"
"Oh, splendid, uncle, only I would like you better in your plain white
night shirt and my little gray shawl pinned over you."
"Oh, go 'long! with your shawls and your pins! You wait another month
and Ay'll be kicking may heels about on the quay free from all these
old women's shawls and dressing-gowns and things. Now, you go and call
the young man up."
And Valmai went and soon returned, bringing Cardo with her.
"Well, Mr. Gwyn, and how are you? Very glad to see you, sir, under may
roof. Hope you slept well, and that the lil gel has given you a good
breakfast."
"Oh, first rate, sir," said Cardo, shaking hands and taking the chair
which Valmai placed for him beside the bed.
"Well, now, here's a quandary, the Burrawalla is in! but it's an ill
wind that blows nobody any good, and since you must be delayed, Ay'm
very glad it has landed you here."
"The delay is of no consequence to me; and it's a wind I shall bless
all my life."
"Well, Ay don't know what Captain Owen would say to that nor the owners
nayther. They wouldn't join in your blessings, I expect."
Cardo felt he had made a mistake, and looked at Valmai for inspiration.
"Mr. Wynne was rather hurried away, uncle, so he was not sorry to come
back."
Cardo nodded his thanks to Valmai, and the captain and he were soon
chatting unconstrainedly, and when at last Cardo accepted a cigar from
a silver case which the captain drew from under his pillow, his
conquest of the old man's heart was complete.