"What a big dunce I was, and what a bigger dunce you are, for telling me of it," said the man, looking at Bob with an expression he could not understand. "Come on, captain, we've wasted time enough."
To the fisher-boy's astonishment, the man turned on his heel and walked off without saying a word more about the money. He shook hands with Mr. Henry, who was still standing on the wharf, and Bob heard him inquire, "Who is that boy?" He did not hear the reply, for the grocer turned his back to him. Bob thought if he had lost forty dollars, and some one should offer to return it, he would pay more attention to the matter; but perhaps the gentleman had so many twenty-dollar gold pieces that the loss of two of them did not trouble him. He talked with Mr. Henry until a yawl, which he had hailed, came up, and then he climbed down into it, saying to the grocer: "I will call at your store this afternoon." Upon hearing this the fisher-boy started for home again, intending to take the money to Mr. Henry, with a request that he would give it to the owner.
Mrs. Jennings was not at all surprised when Bob told her that Mr. Graves had taken his boat away from him. She only said it was "just what she had been expecting," and then listened patiently as the fisher-boy unfolded his plans for the future. They were not very numerous or complicated, for now that his skiff was gone, there was but one way in which he could earn a livelihood, and that was by doing odd jobs about the village. "As for going to sea," said Bob, "I have almost given it up. I never can save thirty dollars, and I'll have to be a fisherman as long as I live."
As he said this, he felt the tears coming to his eyes, and, to hide his emotion, he went out of the house, sat down upon the ground, and looked up at his mottoes, under the eaves. "I don't believe Mr. Newcombe told the truth," said he, unconsciously giving utterance to the thoughts that were passing through his mind.
"About what?" inquired a voice behind him. Bob looked up, and there was his liberal passenger again. Without stopping to reply to his question, the fisher-boy sprang to his feet and ran into the cabin. In a few moments he returned with the gold pieces, and found the gentleman trying to read the mottoes. He took the money when Bob offered it to him, without even thanking him, and, placing his finger upon one of the boards, inquired: "What's all this written here?".
"It's my motto," replied Bob, with some hesitation.
"It is written in Greek, isn't it? Read it. I would like to know what it is?"
The fisher-boy hesitated again. He was afraid the gentleman might laugh at him. When he first cut that motto there, he thought it was something worth remembering; but now he had almost lost faith in it. The man repeated his request, and looked at Bob so kindly that he complied and read:
"Be sure you are right, and then go ahead!"