"If Ay am cooped up here in bed," he said, "Ay'm not going to be
denied may smoke, nor yet may glass of toddy, though the doctor trayed
hard to stop it. 'Shall Ay mix it a little weaker, sir?' sez Jim
Harris. None of your tarnished nonsense, Ay sez, you mix it as usual.
Ay've stuck to my toddy (just one glass or two at naight) for the last
thirty years, and it's not going to turn round on me, and do me harm
now. Eh, Mr. Gwyn?"
Cardo lighted his cigar with an apology to Valmai.
"Oh, she's used to it," said the captain, "and if she don't like it,
she can go downstairs; you'll want to see about Mr. Gwyn's dinner, may
dear."
"No, no, sir," said Cardo, "certainly not. I dine every day with all
the other passengers on board the Burrawalla. I shall come back to
my tea, and I hope your niece will always sit down to her tea and
breakfast with me."
"Oh, well, if you laike. She's quaite fit to sit down with any
nobleman in the land."
Later on in the day, Valmai, sitting on the window-seat reading out to
her uncle from the daily paper, suddenly laid it aside.
"Rather a dull paper to-day, uncle!"
"Yes, rather, may dear; but you are not reading as well as usual;" and
she wasn't, for in truth she was casting about in her mind for a good
opening for her confession to her uncle. "Suppose you sing me a song,
may dear!"
And she tried-"By Berwen's banks my love hath strayed
For many a day in sun and shade,
And as she carolled loud and clear
The little birds flew down to hear."
"Shall I tell you a story, uncle?"
"Well, what's it about, may dear? Anything to pass the taime! Ay'm
getting very taired of lying abed."
"Well then, listen uncle; it's a true story."
"Oh, of course," said the old man. "'Is it true, mother?' Ay used to
ask when she told us a story. 'Yes, of course,' she'd say, 'if it
didn't happen in this world, it happened in some other,' so, go on, may
dear."
"Well," said Valmai, laughing rather nervously, "this happened in this
world, whatever! Once upon a time, there was a young girl who was
living on a wild sea-coast. It was very beautiful, but she was very
lonely sometimes, for she had no father nor mother, nor sister nor
brother."
"Poor thing," said the old man.
"Yes, certainly, she was very lonely," continued Valmai; "but one day
she met a young man, bright and brave and true."