You promise, dearest ?" "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.