My spouse Nancy?’
“It’s man, always man,” she tittered. “When I was married I didn’t say, love, honour, and obey. I said love, honour, and sway—and, ’Steban, you must be swayed. Stay where you are,” and she tossed off a white kid slipper that, to her delight, struck him on the shoulder before it went leaping down to the grass.
“Nina,” he said, commandingly, “did you mean all that just now; or is it only your condemned nonsense?”
She ran her arm around a branch, and waggishly put her two hands up to her mouth after the manner of a speaking-trumpet. “Officer of the watch,—go ask that damsel if she loves me. If so, well, always well. If not, cast her in the hold and let her in irons repent her folly.”
“You do love me,” he muttered. “You shall go home with me to-night. You have come to your senses at last.”
“The man I love has golden hair,” she chanted from the tree-top; “if you meet him anywhere, tell him I send a loving kiss, a hearty, hearty prayer that he will come and see me soon, and with me tread the heavenly mead of love’s sweet visions fair. A sailor dark, with purpose fell, does strive to tear me from my love, my buxom love with golden hair.”
Captain Fordyce cautiously took a step up, uttering an expletive under his breath, as he heard a warning rip in the region of his knee.
“‘You’ll rend your attire
If you come higher!’”