Kate Bonnet | Page 3

a vessel; for vessels were always terribly tardy
when any one was waiting for their return. And, besides, it often happened that vessels
never came back at all.
"I shall take a little trip with him even if we don't go far; it would be ridiculous for my
father to own a ship, and for me never to sail in her."
"That would not be so bad," said Master Martin, feeling that a short absence might be
endured. Moreover, if a little pleasure trip were to be made, it was reasonable enough to
suppose that other people, not belonging to the Bonnet family, might be asked to sail as
guests.
"What my father expects to trade in," said she contemplatively gazing before her, "I am
sure I do not know. It cannot be horses or cattle, for he has not enough of them to make
such a venture profitable. And as to sugar-cane, or anything from his farm, I am sure he
has a good enough market here for all he has to sell. Certainly he does not produce
enough to make it necessary for him to buy a ship in order to carry them away."
"It is opined," said Martin, "by the people of the town, that Major Bonnet intends to
become a commercial man, and to carry away to the other islands, and perhaps to the old

country itself, the goods of other people."
"Now that would be fine!" said Mistress Kate, her eyes sparkling, "for I should then
surely go with him, and would see the world, and perhaps London." And her face flushed
with the prospect.
Martin's face did not flush. "But if your father's ship sailed on a long voyage," he said,
with a suspicion of apprehension, "he would not sail with her; he would send her under
the charge of others."
The girl shook her head. "When she sails," said she, "he sails in her. If you had heard him
talking as I have heard him, you would not doubt that. And if he sails, I sail."
Martin's soul grew quite sad. There were very good reasons to believe that this dear girl
might sail away from Bridgetown, and from him. She might come back to the town, but
she might not come back to him.
"Mistress Kate," said he, looking very earnestly at her, "do you know that such speech as
this makes my heart sink? You know I love you, I have told you so before. If you were to
sail away, I care not to what port, this world would be a black place for me."
"That is like a lover," she exclaimed a little pertly; "it is like them all, every man of them.
They must have what they want, and they must have it, no matter who else may suffer."
He rose and stood by her.
"But I don't want you to suffer," he said. "Do you think it would be suffering to live with
one who loved you, who would spend his whole life in making you happy, who would
look upon you as the chief thing in the world, and have no other ambition than to make
himself worthy of you?"
She looked up at him with a little smile.
"That would, doubtless, be all very pleasant for you," she said, "and in order that you
might be pleased, you would have her give up so much. That is the way with men! Now,
here am I, born in the very end of the last century, and having had, consequently, no good
out of that, and with but seventeen years in this century, and most of it passed in girlhood
and in school; and now, when the world might open before me for a little, here you come
along and tell me all that you would like to have, and that you would like me to give up."
"But you should not think," said he, and that was all he said, for at that moment Kate
Bonnet felt a little jerk at the end of her line, and then a good strong pull.
"I have a fish!" she cried, and sprang to her feet. Then, with a swoop, she threw into the
midst of the weeds and wild flowers a struggling fish which Martin hastened to take from
the hook.
"A fine fellow!" he cried, "and he has arrived just in time to make a dainty dish for your

supper."
"Ah, no!" she said, winding the line about her rod; "if I were to take that fish to the house,
it would sorely disturb Madam Bonnet. She would object to my catching it; she would
object to having it prepared for the table; she would object to having it eaten, when she
had arranged that we should eat something