“Well,” said Pete, meddling with his hair, “only middling, somehow.” He looked down at the carpet, and faltered, “You'll be wondering at me, Phil, but, you see “—he hesitated—“not to tell you a word of a lie——” then, with a rush, “I'm going foreign again; that's the fact.”
“Again?”
“Well, I am,” said Pete, looking ashamed. “Yes, truth enough, that's what I'm thinking of doing. You see,” with a persuasive air, “when a man's bitten by travel it's like the hydrophobia ezactly, he can't rest no time in one bed at all. Must be running here and running there—and running reg'lar. It's the way with me, anyway. Used to think the ould island would be big enough for the rest of my days. But, no! I'm longing shocking for the mines again, and the compound, and the niggers, and the wild life out yonder. 'The sea's calling me,' you know.” And then he laughed.
Philip understood him—Pete meant to take himself out of the way. “Shall you stay long?” he faltered.
“Well, yes, I was thinking so,” said Pete. “You see, the stuff isn't panning out now same as it used to, and fortunes aren't made as fast as they were in my time. Not that I'm wanting a fortune, neither—is it likely now? But, still and for all—well, I'll be away a good spell, anyway.”
Philip tried to ask if he intended to go soon.
“To-morrow, sir, by the packet to Liverpool, for the sailing on Wednesday. I've been going the rounds saying 'goodbye' to the ould chums—Jonaique, and John the Widow, and Niplightly, and Kelly the postman. Not much heart at some of them; just a bit of a something stowed away in their giblets; but it isn't right to be expecting too much at all. This is the only one that doesn't seem willing to part with me.”
Pete's dog had followed him into the room, and was sitting soberly by the side of his chair. “There's no shaking him off, poor ould chap.”
The dog got up and wagged his stump.
“Well, we've tramped the world together, haven't we, Dempster? He doesn't seem tired of me yet neither.” Pete's face lengthened. “But there's Grannie, now. The ould angel is going about like a bit of a thunder-cloud, and doesn't know in the world whether to burst on me or not. Thinks I've been cruel, seemingly. I can't be explaining to her neither. Maybe you'll set it right for me when I'm gone, sir. It's you for a job like that, you know. Don't want her to be thinking hard of me, poor ould thing.”