Once it was caught in a puff of wind, and had to run for harbour; but the way Frank and Fred took in sail was a pretty sight indeed, while Toddie sat at the tiller with Tippie at her side.
Oh, I can assure you this playing pirate was fine fun! But I think, on the whole, Frank had more sense of the humorous than had Fred. He took a less serious view of life in general, and was always up to some lark or another. Once, for instance, he met Bunko in a neighbouring village with a creel of lovely lobsters, and, right or wrong, Frank must have that creel, and did have it, and, with Fred and Toddie following up in the rear, he marched boldly through the little country town, crying, "Lobsters, all alive O!" They were all dead and boiled, but that didn't matter. Frank—a laird's son—selling lobsters! Every woman and child ran out to see him, and in half an hour he had sold the lot.
How proud he was of his success! and how Bunko did laugh to be sure!
Now Frank did not wear the ordinary Highland garb such as gentlemen wear while shooting or fishing. It pleased his mother to put him into a real tartan kilt, with black jacket of velvet, skean dhu and sporran, so you may fancy what sort of a figure he cut with a creel on his back. But it wasn't all over yet; for, another day he actually bought a creel for himself, and having made some private arrangement with Bunko, the two set off together to see who would sell out the sooner.
Fred and Toddie were there as usual; but, lo and behold! just in the midst of the fun, who should drive up the street but his father and mother in the landau.
Not a bit taken aback, Frank walked right up to the carriage.
"Buy any beautiful lobsters to-day, madam?" he said, with true fisher "twang."
The lobsters were red, but Mrs. Fielding's face grew redder.
"Oh, Frank! Frank!" she cried, "how could you——"
"Quite fresh, madam, I assure you. Only boiled this morning. Feel the weight of this one, my lady."