They did not have much sport after luncheon, the next cast of the net bringing up nothing but boulders and mud, besides an old bottle that must have been dropped into the sea years before and, mayhap, went down with Kempenfeldt in the Royal George; for it was encrusted with seaweed and barnacles of almost a century’s growth.
After a bit, seeing that nothing further was to be gained by stopping out at sea, drifting with the tide alternately between the Nab and Warner light-ships, like Mahomet’s coffin between heaven and earth, the Captain hauled up the trawl and bore away back homeward as well as he could with a foul wind, having to make several tacks before fetching the cutter’s moorings off the coastguard-station.
In spite of this, however, they reached “the Moorings” in time for dinner; when, notwithstanding their hearty luncheon, no deficiency of appetite could be observed in any of the party.
Bob and Nellie were, of course, delighted with their experiences of the day; for, in addition to the joys of trawling and festive picnic on the water, which they thought even better than their previous one on land, they brought home a splendid “soldier crab,” who caused much subsequent amusement when admitted to the aquarium, two new specimens of sea-anemones, and the “dead man’s fingers,” whose name made their aunt Polly shiver, the good lady declaring it “quite uncanny, sure.”
Their mother, however, was not quite so well-pleased with the result of the expedition.
“There, I told you so!” she exclaimed, on catching sight of them, with the stains of the cuttle-fish plainly visible on their clothes. “You will never wish to wear this suit again, Bob; and, dear, dear, look at your dress, Nellie!”
“It’s not so bad, mamma,” pleaded she. “I only got a little of it.”
“A little of what?”
“The Tyrian dye, Captain Dresser called it, from the cuttle-fish,” explained Bob, who seemed to treat the matter more lightly than the spoiling of his shirt-front and jacket deserved in Mrs Strong’s opinion. “It’s quite classical, mother—so the Captain said when I got squelched with it.”
“Really, I wish Captain Dresser would not make experiments with his dyes when you two are near him,” said she, very plaintively. “He hasn’t to look after your clothes, as I have.”