“No.”
“Well, that’s all right. I buy him back, what you call trade. One do that many times, good enough. If—”
Pierre was silent for some moments, during which Adrian had steadily paddled backward to the island, keeping time with the other boat, and without thinking what he was doing. But when he did remember, he turned to Pierre and asked:
“Will you take me across the lake again?”
“What for?”
“No matter. I’ll just leave Margot’s canoe and you do it. There’s time enough.”
“What’ll you give me?”
“Pshaw! What can I give you? Nothing.”
“That’s all right. My mother, she wants the salt,” and he kicked the sack of that valuable article lying at his feet. “There, she’s on the bank now, and it’s not she will let me out of her sight again, this long time.”
“You’d go fast enough for money.”