"So she begged me to come over alone," continued the minister, "to--to
prepare your mind, and give you time to think the matter well over.
And she and Mr. Morton were to follow in the course of an hour, in
Robert Peet's boat. He is a very singular fellow, that Peet!" added
the good man, shaking his head. "Do you think he is quite in his right
mind? He has taken the most inveterate dislike to Mr. and Mrs. Morton,
and positively refuses to speak to either of them. I could hardly
prevail upon him to bring them over here, and yet he fell into a
strange fury when I spoke of getting some one else to bring them.
He--he is quite safe, I suppose?"

"Wal, yes!" replied Captain January, with a half smile. "Bob's safe,
if anyone is. Old Bob! so he doosn't like them, eh?"

At that moment his eye caught something, and he said, in an altered
voice, "Here's Bob's boat coming now, Minister, and the lady and
gentleman in her."

"They must have come much more rapidly than I did," said the minister,
"and yet my boy rows well enough. Compose yourself, January! this
is a heavy blow for you, my good friend. Compose yourself! Things
are strangely ordered in this world. 'We see through a glass darkly'!"

"Not meanin' to set my betters right, Minister," said Captain January,
"I never seed as it made any difference whether a man seed or not,
darkly or howsumdever, so long as the Lord made _His_ views clear.
And He's makin' 'em!" he added. "He's makin' 'em, Minister! Amen!
so be it!" And quietly and courteously, ten minutes later, he was
bidding his visitors welcome to Light Island, as if it were a kingdom,
and he the crownless monarch of it. "It's a poor place, Lady!" he