But black eyes and swollen noses are impertinently obtrusive and
disdainful of disguise, and the captain's battle-flags provoked no
little jocosity among his men that morning.
"Run up against su'then, cap'n?" asked John Hamon the engineer, who was
one of the few who sided with him.
"Yes, against a drunken fist in the dark. When it's sober I'm going to
give it a lesson in manners."
"Drunken fisses is hard to teach. You'll have your hands full, cap'n."
It seemed an unusually long morning, but dinner-time came at last and he
hastened across to the farm, eager for the first sight of the sweet shy
face hiding in the big sun-bonnet.
Quite contrary to his expectations Nance came hurrying to meet him. She
had evidently been on the watch for him. Still more to his surprise, her
face, instead of that look of shy reserve which he had been prepared
for, was full of anxious questioning. The large dark eyes were full of
something he had never seen in them before.
"Why--Nance--dear! What is the matter?" he asked quickly.
"Did you meet Tom again last night? Oh," at nearer sight of his bruised
face, "you did, you did!"
"Yes, dear, I did.
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