The Yacht Club Part 16

"Good morning, Nellie," replied he, blus.h.i.+ng, as he felt the full force of her glance and her smile--a glance and a smile for which Laud would have sacrificed all he held dear in the world, even to his cherished mustache. "Don't you attend the race?"

"Yes, I want to attend now. Ned invited me to go on board of the judge's boat; but the sun was out then, and mother would not let me go. Father said the day would be cloudy, and I decided to go; but Ned had gone. I came down here to see if I couldn't hail him. Won't you take me off to the Pen.o.bscot in your boat?"

"Certainly I will, with the greatest pleasure," replied Donald, with enthusiasm.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Patterdale," interposed Laud. "I am going off in the Juno; allow me to tender her for your use. I can take you off, Don John, at the same time."

"It's quite rough; as you see, Nellie, and the Juno is much larger than my boat. You can go in her more comfortably than in mine," added Donald.

"Thank you; just as you please, Don John," she answered.

"Bring her up to the wharf, Mr. Cavendish," continued Donald.

Laud leaped into his skiff, and pulled off to the Juno, while Nellie and Donald walked around to the wharf. In a few moments the boat was ready, and came up to the pier, though her clumsy skipper was so excited at the prospect of having the nabob's pretty daughter in his boat, that he had nearly smashed her against the timbers. The gallant skipper bowed, and smirked, and smiled, as he a.s.sisted Miss Patterdale to a place in the standing-room. Donald shoved off the bow, and the Juno filled her mainsail, and went off flying towards the Pen.o.bscot.

"It's a smas.h.i.+ng breeze," said Donald, as the boat heeled down.

"Glorious!" exclaimed Laud. "Are you fond of sailing, Miss Patterdale?"

"I am very fond of it."

"Perhaps you would like to sail around the course in one of the yachts?"

suggested the skipper.

"I should be delighted to do so," she replied, eagerly; and she glanced at Donald, as if to ascertain if such a thing were possible.

"I should be pleased to have you sail in the Juno," added Laud, with an extra smirk.

"Thank you, Mr. Cavendish; you are very kind; but perhaps I had better not go."

"I should be delighted to have you go with me."

"I don't think you would enjoy it, Nellie," said Donald. "It blows fresh, and the Juno is rather wet in a heavy sea."

Laud looked at him with an angry expression, and when Nellie turned away from him, he made significant gestures to induce Donald to unsay what he had said, and persuade her to go with him.

"I am sure you will be delighted with the sail, Miss Patterdale. You will be perfectly dry where you are sitting; or, if not, I have a rubber coat, which will protect you."

"I think I will not go," she replied, so coldly that her tones would have frozen any one but a simpleton like Laud.

The pa.s.sage was of brief duration, and Donald a.s.sisted Nellie up the accommodation steps of the Pen.o.bscot, stepping forward in season to deprive Laud of this pleasant office.

"I am much obliged to you, Mr. Cavendish," said she, walking away from the steps.

"That was mean of you, Don John," muttered Laud, as Donald came down the steps to a.s.sist in shoving off the Juno.

"What was mean?"

"Why, to tell Nellie she would not enjoy the sail with me."

"She could do as she pleased."

"But you told her the Juno was wet," added Laud, angrily.

"She is wet when it blows."

"No matter if she is. It was mean of you to say anything about it, after all I have done for you."

"It wasn't mean to tell the truth, and save her from a ducking, and I don't know what you have done for me."

"You don't? Didn't I buy this boat of you, and pay you fifty dollars more than she is worth?"

"No, you didn't. But if you are dissatisfied with your bargain, I will take her off your hands."

"You! I want the money I paid."

"You shall have it. Come to the shop after the race, and you may throw up the trade."

"Will Captain s.h.i.+vernock pay you back the money?" sneered Laud.

"I'll take care of that, if you want to give her up," added Donald, warmly.

"Never mind that now. Can't you persuade Nellie to sail with me?"

continued Laud, more gently. "If you will, I will give you a five-dollar bill."

Donald would have given double that sum rather than have had her go with him, and she would have given ten times the amount to avoid doing so.

"I can't persuade her, for I don't think it is best for her to go,"

replied Donald.

"No matter what you think. You are a good fellow, Don John: do this for me--won't you? It would be a great favor, and I shall never forget it."

"Why do you want her to go with you?" demanded Donald, rather petulantly. "A yacht in a race is no place for ladies. I can find some fellows on board here who will be glad to go with you."

"But I want her to go with me. The fact of it is, Don John, I rather like Nellie, and I want to be better acquainted with her."

"If you do, you must paddle your own canoe," replied Donald, indignantly, as he ascended the steps, and joined the other two judges on deck.

"We are waiting for you, Don John," said Sam Rodman, who was one of them.

"It isn't ten yet, and I have the papers all ready. Who is to be time-keeper?" asked the chairman.

"I have a watch with a second hand, and I will take that office," said Frank Norwood, who was the third.

Most of the yachts were already in line, and the captain of the fleet, in the tender of his yacht, was arranging them, the largest to windward. The first gun had been fired at half past nine which was the signal to get into line, and at the next, the yachts were to get under way. All sail except the jib was set, and at the signal each craft was to slip her cable, hoist her jib, if she had one, and get under way, as quickly as possible. The "rode" was simply to be cast off, for the end of it was made fast to the tender, which was used as a buoy for the anchor.

"Are they all ready?" asked Donald, as the time drew near.