“You shameless brutes to behave like this. Lucky for you that the English gentleman you’ve attacked is as good a Christian as you are bad citizens, or some of you would have been broken all up. You Americans! I know ye by the back, and you’re a lot of dirt that brings shame upon the name of American. Take ’em away,” he said to the waiters, “and put ’em on the pavement. It isn’t worth having them arrested, for better folks than them would be hurt. Now, sir,” turning to the proprietor who stood looking anxious, “what do you think of this?”
“Well, sir,” replied the proprietor, “I think you and your son-in-law and his wife had better go as soon as ever you can. You see I’ve got my living to get and I can’t run counter to public opinion. I’ve no doubt that Mr. Adams is a perfect gentleman, but he is a bit dark, and, well, I needn’t explain to you, you know all about it. I shall be glad if you’ll go to-night, for I don’t think you’d like to hurt a man that hasn’t harmed you.”
Stewart gave him a look of withering contempt, and then bidding C. B. and his daughter see to their packing went out, returning in half an hour with the news that he had secured rooms in a good family hotel, and concealing the fact that he had arranged for them to have their meals in private during their stay. An hour later saw them transferred, Mr. Stewart saying to the proprietor as he took his leave: “I bear you no ill will, my friend, but if you knew the kind of man you’ve turned out of your house to-night you’d be sorry for having done so. He’s worth a whole city full of such empty-headed dregs as those who insulted him.”
“I fully believe it, Mr. Stewart,” answered the man, “but there’s no sentiment in business, and I can’t afford to shut my hotel up because the presence of a good man in it is objected to. In fact we hotel proprietors make our living mostly out of the bad men, and we must look after their interest or go out of the business.”
Stewart was so angry that he could not answer, and as soon as possible they left those inhospitable walls and took up their quarters in their new abode, feeling, if the truth be told, almost like fugitives from justice. Then when they had settled down they began to think about getting away, and for the first time since they had known him C. B. began to show signs of enthusiasm. It was no easy matter to find any vessel that was going near their destination, but at last they heard of a large Boston barque that was bound to Sydney, New South Wales, with kerosene oil in cases, and they went down to see her. She was a fine powerful vessel of about 1,300 tons, but by no means intended to carry passengers. But like most ships of her type she had been built with due regard to the comfort of her officers as far as accommodation went, and in her roomy saloon there were two cabins vacant which Mr. Stewart and C. B. pronounced to be just the thing for them.
So they arranged a passage to Sydney for the three of them for four hundred dollars, the captain, a shrewd down-easter by the name of Eldridge, agreeing to lay in extra stores so that they should fare well on the long passage. Also Mr. Stewart decided to have the cabins comfortably fitted up, for they looked very bare, and having made his arrangements and learned that the Julia D. South was to sail in ten days’ time they returned to their temporary home well pleased with their day’s work.
To Mr. Stewart’s earnest inquiries C. B. replied that he could give a list of everything that was most needed by his friends on the island, for as Mr. Stewart said, it would look mean to go there, intending to stay for life, empty handed, especially when coming from a land where all the necessaries as well as the luxuries of life could be so readily procured. So for the next few days C. B. and his wife were very busily engaged collecting goods to take with them and having them carefully packed for sending to the ship. And when at last the sailing day came they went on board with the full assurance that nothing had been forgotten, and that they were besides as well equipped for the long passage before them as it was possible for them to be.
C. B. as the time drew near for leaving America grew steadily more lively and happy looking, indeed, as his wife said affectionately, he seemed quite transformed. Her spirits rose with his, for she had been somewhat depressed at the near prospect of leaving the land of her birth as she felt for ever. In spite of her deep and true love for her husband and the certainty she felt that she could know no happiness apart from him, such feelings were perfectly natural and to be expected. But when she saw how sedately happy her father seemed to be, and how bright her husband was, she resolutely put aside all regrets and determined henceforth to look forward only.
Punctually to the day the Julia D. South cast off her moorings and in tow of a small tug went swiftly seaward, her three passengers standing on the monkey poop and watching the fast receding shores with keen interest. C. B., however, was not long before all his attention was claimed by the working of the ship. It seemed to him so very long since he had taken his part in what had become his profession that he watched with keenest appreciation every bit of work done, his fingers itching to have a share in it. At last, at the hoisting of the topsails, he could restrain himself no longer, seeing how great a task it was for her numerically weak crew, and rushing along to the halyards he caught hold high above the hands of the two men who were pulling before the block, and in an instant they felt the benefit of his vigorous assistance.
Then he forgot all about his being a passenger and to his wife and Mr. Stewart’s unfeigned amusement joined in heart and soul with the crew at their work, making his presence most helpfully felt in everything he touched. As he was doing so the skipper drew near Mr. Stewart and his daughter, saying—