“The master was saying today,” said Peter Walsh, “that he’d take the Tortoise out tomorrow, and the gentleman that’s up at the house along with him. I’d be glad now, Miss, if you’d tell him it’ll be no use him wasting his time coming down to the quay on account of the weather being broke and the wind going round to the southeast.”
“And the glass going down,” said Sweeny.
“It’ll be better for him to amuse himself some other way tomorrow,” said Patsy the smith.
“I’ll tell him,” said Priscilla.
“And if the young gentleman that’s with you,” said Peter Walsh, “would say the same I’d be glad. We wouldn’t like anything would happen to the master, for he’s well liked.”
“It would be a disgrace to the whole of us,” said Patsy the smith, “if the strange gentleman was to be drownded.”
“They’d have it on the papers if anything happened him,” said Sweeny, “and the place would be getting a bad name, which is what I wouldn’t like on account of being a magistrate.”
Priscilla began to wheel the bath-chair away from the quay. Having gone a few steps she turned and winked impressively at Peter Walsh. Then she went on. The party on the quay watched her out of sight.
“Now what,” said Sweeny, “might she mean by that kind of behaviour?”
“It’s as much as to say,” said Peter Walsh, “that she knows damn well where it is the master and the other gentleman will be wanting to go.”