Nell broke right in as usual with what was uppermost in her mind. “I don’t suppose you saw me and Alice, but we were in Mr. Duncan’s office when you and Mr. Clancy and Captain Blake were coming up the dock to-day after the trial trip. Mr. Duncan told us what Captain Blake said of the Johnnie Duncan, but now tell me, what did the rest of you think of her? What does your friend Clancy say? He knows a vessel.”
“Clancy,” I answered, “thought what we all thought, I guess––that she’s a fast vessel any way you take her, but he won’t say she’s the fastest vessel out of Gloucester, even after she’s put in trim 53 and loosened up. But in a sea-going way and with wind enough––with wind enough, mind––he thinks she’ll do pretty well.”
“With wind enough and in a sea-way?” repeated Nell. “Then I hope that when the fishermen’s race is sailed next fall it’s a howling gale and seas clear to your mast-head. Yes, and you needn’t laugh––don’t you know what it means to Will?”
And I did realize. Somers, a fine fellow, was just then beginning to get a chance at designing fishermen. So far he had done pretty well, but it was on the Johnnie Duncan, I knew, he had pinned his faith. For his own sake, I hoped that the Johnnie would do great things, but for Nell’s sake I prayed she would. Nell thought a lot of Will and wasn’t ashamed to show her liking, and thinking of that set me to thinking of other things.
“Was Miss Foster to the ball?” I asked her.
“She was,” said Nell.
“And with whom?”
“Mr. Withrow.”
“Oh-h, Lord!”
“Oh-h!––and why Oh-h-h?”