Springhaven | Page 6

type deserved to be met with his own nobility.
But the English government, according to its lights-- which appear to
be everlasting--regarded him as the right man, when wanted, but at
other times the wrong one. They liked him to do them a very good turn,
but would not let him do himself one; and whenever he looked for
some fair chance of a little snug prize- money, they took him away
from the likely places, and set him to hard work and hard knocks. But
his sense of duty and love of country enabled him to bear it, with
grumbling.
"I don't care a rope's end," he was saying, with a truthfulness simple
and solid as beefsteak is, "whether we have peace or war; but let us
have one or the other of them. I love peace--it is a very fine thing--and I
hate to see poor fellows killed. All I want is to spend the rest of my life
ashore, and lay out the garden. You must come and see what a bridge I
have made to throw across the fish-pond. I can do well enough with
what I have got, as soon as my farm begins to pay, and I hope I may
never hear another shotted cannon; but, my dear Lingo, you know as
well as I do how much chance there is of that."
"Laudo manentem. Let us praise her while we have got her. Parson
Twemlow keeps up my Latin, but you have forgotten all yours, my
friend. I brought you down here to see the fish come in, and to choose
what you like best for dinner. In the days when you were my smallest
youngster, and as proud as Punch to dine with me, your taste was the
finest in the ship, because your stomach was the weakest. How often I
thought that the fish would eat you! and but for your wonderful spirit,
my friend, that must have happened long ago. But your nature was to
fight, and you fought through, as you always do. A drumstick for your
praise of peace!"
Admiral Darling, a tall, stout man in the sixty-fifth year of his age,
looked down at his welcome and famous guest as if he knew a great
deal more of his nature than the owner did. And this made that owner,
who thought very highly of his own perception, look up and laugh.

"Here comes the fish!" he cried. "Come along, Darling. Never lose a
moment--that's my rule. You can't get along as fast as I can. I'll go and
settle all the business for you."
"Why should you be in such a hurry always? You will never come to
my age if you carry on so. You ought to tow a spar astern. Thank God,
they don't know who he is, and I'll take good care not to let them know.
If this is what comes of quick promotion, I am glad that I got on slowly.
Well, he may do as he likes for me. He always does--that's one thing."
Stoutly grumbling thus, the elder and far heavier Admiral descended
the hill to the white gate slowly, as behooved the owner. And, by the
time he halted there, the other had been upon the beach five minutes,
and taken command of the fishing fleet.
"Starboard there! Brail up your gaff! Is that the way to take the ground?
Ease helm, Rosalie. Smartly, smartly. Have a care, you lubber there.
Fenders out! So, so. Now stand by, all! There are two smart lads among
you, and no more. All the rest are no better than a pack of Crappos.
You want six months in a man-of-war's launch. This is what comes of
peace already!"
The fishermen stared at this extraordinary man, who had taken all the
business out of Master Tugwell's hands; but without thinking twice
about it, all obeyed him with a speed that must have robbed them of a
quantity of rust. For although he was not in uniform, and bore no sword,
his dress was conspicuous, as he liked to have it, and his looks and
deeds kept suit with it. For he wore a blue coat (very badly made, with
gilt buttons and lappets too big for him), a waistcoat of dove-colored
silk, very long, coming over the place where his stomach should have
been, and white plush breeches, made while he was blockading
Boulogne in 1801, and therefore had scarcely any flesh upon his bones.
Peace having fattened him a little, these breeches had tightened upon
him (as their way is with a boy having six weeks' holiday); but still they
could not make his legs look big, though they showed them sharp and
muscular. Below them were brisk little sinewy calves in white