"Where she is now I don't know. I saw her last sailing down the
river after the John Cropper. I'm afeard she won't reach her; wind
changed, and she would be under weigh, and over the bar in no time.
She would have been back by now."
It took Job some little time to understand this, from the confused
use of the feminine pronoun. Then he inquired how he could best
find Mary.
"I'll run down again to the pier," said the boy; "I'll warrant I'll
find her."
"Thou shalt do no such a thing," said his mother, setting her back
against the door. The lad made a comical face at Job, which met
with no responsive look from the old man, whose sympathies were
naturally in favour of the parent: although he would thankfully
have availed himself of Charley's offer; for he was weary, and
anxious to return to poor Mrs. Wilson, who would be wondering what
had become of him.
"How can I best find her? Who did she go with, lad?"
But Charley was sullen at his mother's exercise of authority before
a stranger, and at that stranger's grave looks when he meant to have
made him laugh.
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