“Sure, and you shan’t do anything of the sort,” she said smiling. “I’ll run up Nell’s tatters meesilf!” As she spoke she produced from her pocket—a handy little “housewife,” containing needles and thread, as well as a thimble, which useful articles the good lady seldom stirred out without; and, sitting down on a shawl which the Captain spread over a bit of turf that he assured her was free from nettles, and ten yards at least from the nearest rabbit-burrow, she proceeded to sew away at a brisk rate on the torn frock of Miss Nellie, who sat herself demurely beside her aunt.
“Will you be long?” inquired the old sailor, after watching her busy fingers some little time, getting slightly fidgety. “Eh, ma’am?”
“I should think it will be quite an hour before I shall be able to make the child decent,” she replied. “Why do you ask?”
“Humph!” ejaculated the Captain, as he always did when cogitating some knotty point, “I’ll tell you, ma’am. If it’s agreeable to you, ma’am, the boys and I might go on to Brading and see the remains of that Roman villa I was talking about yesterday. That is, unless you would like us to wait till you’ve done your patchwork there, and all of us go together, eh?”
“No, I wouldn’t hear of such a thing,” answered Mrs Gilmour, looking up but not pausing for an instant in her task. “I wouldn’t walk a mile to see Julius Caesar himself, instead of his old villa, or whatever you call it.”
The Captain appeared greatly amused at this.
“I’m not certain that the place ever belonged to that distinguished gentleman,” he said. “It is supposed, I believe, to have been the residence of a certain Vespasian, who was governor of the Isle of Wight some period after its conquest by the Romans; but how far this is true, ma’am, I can’t vouch for personally, never having as yet, indeed, seen the spot.”
“But, I assure you, I’ve no curiosity to go. I feel much too tired, and would rather sit comfortably here. Would you like, Nell, to go with the Captain and Bob?”
“No, auntie, I’d prefer stopping with you. I want to get some ferns and lots of things after you’ve mended my dress for me,” replied Alice. “I like flowers better than old ruins.”
She said this quite cheerfully, as if she didn’t mind a bit not going with the boys.