“An’ thot was the end o’ ut.  But ut wull show ye what a puir fellow thot mate was.  I call ut a blessun’ for all masters thot he was sliced un two on thot steam-pipe cover.  He had a pull un the office an’ thot was the why he was kept on.”

“The Wekley farm wull soon be for sale, so the agents be tellun’ me,” his wife remarked, slyly watching what effect her announcement would have upon him.

His eyes flashed eagerly on the instant, and he straightened up as might a man about to engage in some agreeable task.  It was the farm of his vision, adjoining his father’s, and her own people farmed not a mile away.

“We wull be buyun’ ut,” he said, “though we wull be no tellun’ a soul of ut ontul ut’s bought an’ the money paid down.  I’ve savun’ consuderable these days, though pickun’s uz no what they used to be, an’ we hov a tidy nest-egg laid by.  I wull see the father an’ hove the money ready tull hus hond, so uf I’m ot sea he can buy whenever the land offers.”

He rubbed the frosted moisture from the inside of the window and peered out at the pouring rain, through which he could discern nothing.

“When I was a young men I used tull be afeard thot the owners would guv me the sack.  Stull afeard I am of the sack.  But once thot farm is mine I wull no be afeard ony longer.  Ut’s a puir job thus sea-farmun’.  Me managin’ un all seas an’ weather an’ perils o’ the deep a shup worth fufty thousand pounds, wuth cargoes ot times worth fufty thousand more—­a hundred thousand pounds, half a million dollars uz the Yankees say, an’ me wuth all the responsubility gettun’ a screw o’ twenty pounds a month.  What mon ashore, managin’ a buz’ness worth a hundred thousand pounds wull be gettun’ uz small a screw uz twenty pounds?  An’ wuth such masters uz a captun serves—­the owners, the underwriters, an’ the Board o’ Trade, all pullun’ an wantun’ dufferent thungs—­the owners wantun’ quick passages an’ domn the rusk, the underwriters wantun’ safe passages an’ domn the delay, an’ the Board o’ Trade wantun’ cautious passages an’ caution always meanun’ delay.  Three dufferent masters, an’ all three able an’ wullun’ to break ye uf ye don’t serve their dufferent wushes.”

He felt the train slackening speed, and peered again through the misty window.  He stood up, buttoned his overcoat, turned up the collar, and awkwardly gathered the child, still asleep, in his arms.

“I wull see the father,” he said, “an’ hov the money ready tull hus hond so uf I’m ot sea when the land offers he wull no muss the chance tull buy.  An’ then the owners can guv me the sack uz soon uz they like.  Ut will be all night un, an’ I wull be wuth you, Annie, an’ the sea can go tull hell.”

Happiness was in both their faces at the prospect, and for a moment both saw the same vision of peace.  Annie leaned toward him, and as the train stopped they kissed each other across the sleeping child.