Part 53 (1/2)

”I will do her work for her.”

”What! can you sew?”

”Where is the sailor that can't sew?”

”Delightful! Then please to sew these two thick ends together. Here is a large needle.”

David whipped out of his pocket a round piece of leather with strings attached, and fastened it to the hollow of his hand.

”What is that?”

”It is a sailor's thimble.” He took the work, held it neatly, and shoved the needle from behind through the thick material. He worked slowly and uncouthly, but with the precision that was a part of his character, and made exact and strong st.i.tches. His task-mistress looked on, and, under the pretense of minute inspection, brought a face that was still arch and pretty unnecessarily close to the marine milliner, in which att.i.tude they were surprised by Mr. Bazalgette, who, having come in through the open folding-doors, stood looking mighty sardonic at them both before they were even aware he was in the room.

Omphale colored faintly, but Hercules gave a cool nod to the newcomer, and st.i.tched on with characteristic zeal and strict attention to the matter in hand.

At this Bazalgette uttered a sort of chuckle, at which Mrs. Bazalgette turned red. David st.i.tched on for the bare life.

”I came to offer to invite you to my study, but--”

”I can't come just now,” said David, bluntly; ”I am doing a lady's work for her.”

”So I see,” retorted Bazalgette, dryly.

”We all dine with the Hunts but you and Mr. Dodd,” said Mrs.

Bazalgette, ”so you will be _en tete-a-tete_ all the evening.”

”All the better for us both.” And with this ingratiating remark Mr.

Bazalgette retired whistling.

Mrs. Bazalgette heaved a gentle sigh: ”Pity me, my friend,” said she, softly.

”What is the matter?” inquired David, rather bluntly.

”Mr. Bazalgette is so harsh to me--ah!--to me, who longs so for kindness and gentleness that I feel I could give my very soul in exchange for them.”

The bait did not take.

”It is only his manner,” said David, good-naturedly. ”His heart is all right; I never met a better. What sort of a knot is that you are tying? Why, that is a granny's knot;” and he looked morose, at which she looked amazed; so he softened, and explained to her with benevolence the rationale of a knot. ”A knot is a fastening intended to be undone again by fingers, and not to come undone without them.

Accordingly, a knot is no knot at all if it jams or if it slips. A granny's knot does both; when you want to untie it you must pick at it like taking a nail out of a board, and, for all that, sooner or later it always comes undone of itself; now you look here;” and he took a piece of string out of his pocket, and tied her a sailor's knot, bidding her observe that she could untie it at once, but it could never come untied of itself. He showed her with this piece of string half a dozen such knots, none of which could either jam or slip.

”Tie me a lover's knot,” suggested the lady, in a whisper.

”Ay! ay!” and he tied her a lover's knot as imperturbably as he had the reef knot, bowling-knot, fisherman's bend, etc.

”This is very interesting,” said Mrs. Bazalgette, ironically. She thought David might employ a tete-a-tete with a flirt better than this. ”What a time Lucy is gone!”

”All the better.”

”Why?” and she looked down in mock confusion.