"No, no! The captain doesn't like 'Hoppergrass' and he said he had thought of changing the name. Come on,—let's go to the Eagle House."
We made them understand at last, and then we started up the street in the direction that the crier had pointed. On the way, Jimmy Toppan was struck by doubts.
"I don't see how the Captain COULD change the name like this. You have to register a new name for a boat, I think."
"You said that he was thinking of calling her the Hannah J. what —is—it? Didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Well, then, it must be the same boat. There wouldn't be two knocking about, with a name like that."
We found the hotel presently. There were two elderly men sitting on the little piazza, and they hitched their chairs around and watched us through the window as soon as we entered the office. This room was empty, but after we had stamped and coughed a good deal, a small man in shirt-sleeves came from some room in the back.
"Is Captain Bannister here?"
"Bannister? Oh, no, Bannister aint here!"
This in a tone which was as much as to say: "I wouldn't have a man like that on the premises."