The Lighthouse | Page 9

for a short time.
This, however, was not all that the widow had to depend on. Minnie
Gray was expert with her needle, and for some years past had
contributed not a little to the comforts of the household into which she
had been adopted. She now set herself to work with redoubled zeal and
energy. Besides this, Mrs. Brand had a brother, a retired skipper, who
obtained the complimentary title of Captain from his friends. He was a
poor man, it is true, as regarded money, having barely sufficient for his
own subsistence, but he was rich in kindliness and sympathy, so that he
managed to make his small income perform wonders. On hearing of his
brother-in-law's death, Captain Ogilvy hastened to afford all the
consolation in his power to his sorrowing sister.
The captain was an eccentric old man, of rugged aspect. He thought
that there was not a worse comforter on the face of the earth than
himself, because, when he saw others in distress, his heart invariably
got into his throat, and absolutely prevented him from saying a single
word. He tried to speak to his sister, but all he could do was to take her
hand and weep. This did the poor widow more good than any words

could have done, no matter how eloquently or fitly spoken. It unlocked
the fountain of her own heart, and the two wept together.
When Captain Ogilvy accompanied Ruby on board the sloop to see him
off, and shook hands as he was about to return to the shore, he said--
"Cheer up, Ruby; never say die so long as there's a shot in the locker.
That's the advice of an old salt, an' you'll find it sound, the more you
ponder of it. Wen a young feller sails away on the sea of life, let him
always go by chart and compass, not forgettin' to take soundin's w'en
cruisin' off a bad coast. Keep a sharp lookout to wind'ard, an' mind yer
helm--that's my advice to you lad, as ye go
'A-sailin' down life's troubled stream, All as if it wor a dream'".
The captain had a somewhat poetic fancy (at least he was impressed
with the belief that he had), and was in the habit of enforcing his
arguments by quotations from memory. When memory failed he
supplemented with original composition.
"Goodbye, lad, an' Providence go wi' ye."
"Goodbye, uncle. I need not remind you to look after mother when I'm
away."
"No, nephy, you needn't; I'll do it whether or not."
"And Minnie, poor thing, she'll need a word of advice and comfort now
and then, uncle."
"And she shall have it, lad," replied the captain with a tremendous wink,
which was unfortunately lost on the nephew, in consequence of its
being night and unusually dark, "advice and comfort on demand, gratis;
for
'Woman, in her hours of ease, Is most uncommon hard to please';
but she must be looked arter, ye know, and made of, d'ye see? so Ruby,
boy, farewell."

Half-an-hour before midnight was the time chosen for the sailing of the
sloop Termagant, in order that she might get away quietly and escape
the press-gang. Ruby and his uncle had taken the precaution to go
down to the harbour just a few minutes before sailing, and they kept as
closely as possible to the darkest and least-frequented streets while
passing through the town.
Captain Ogilvy returned by much the same route to his sister's cottage,
but did not attempt to conceal his movements. On the contrary,
knowing that the sloop must have got clear of the harbour by that time,
he went along the streets whistling cheerfully. He had been a noted, not
to say noisy, whistler when a boy, and the habit had not forsaken him in
his old age. On turning sharp round a corner, he ran against two men,
one of whom swore at him, but the other cried--
"Hallo! messmate, yer musical the night. Hey, Captain Ogilvy, surely I
seed you an' Ruby slinkin' down the dark side o' the market-gate half an
'oor ago?"
"Mayhap ye did, an' mayhap ye didn't," retorted the captain, as he
walked on; "but as it's none o' your business to know, I'll not tell ye."
"Ay, ay? O but ye're a cross auld chap. Pleasant dreams t' ye."
This kindly remark, which was expressed by our friend Davy Spink,
was lost on the captain, in consequence of his having resumed his
musical recreation with redoubled energy, as he went rolling back to
the cottage to console Mrs. Brand, and to afford "advice and comfort
gratis" to Minnie Gray.

CHAPTER IV
THE BURGLARY
On the night in question, Big Swankie and a likeminded companion,
who went among his comrades by the name of