“A sturgeon?”

“Just that, sir; as sound a fellow as ever you saw in your life —­ just the length of one of my little oars —­ longer than I be —­ eight feet wanting one inch, he measured, for the blade of that oar has been broken off a bit —­ several inches, —­ and what do you think he weighed? —­ Two hundred and forty pound.”

“So it seems you got him safe to land, where you could weigh him.”

“And measure him.  I forgot I was talkin’ to a lawyer,” said the old man laughing.  “Yes, I didn’t think much how long he was at the time, I guess!  He came in as handsome as ever you saw anything done —­ just slipped himself over the gunwale so —­ and duv under one of the th’arts, and druv his nose through the bottom of the boat.”

“Kept it there, I hope?”

“Ha, ha!  Not so fast but there came in a’most water enough to float him again by the time we got to land.  He was a power of a fellow!”

“And the ‘Bessie’ don’t float?”

“No; she’s laid up with three broken ribs.”

“No other boat on hand?”

“There’s a little punt out there, that Hild’ goes a fishin’ in —­ that’d carry two or three people.  But it wouldn’t take the hull on ye.”

“There’s the sloop’s boat.”

“She leaks,” said the miller.  “She wants to be laid up as bad as the ‘Bessie.’”

“Have you any sort of a team, Mr. Cowslip?”

“Yes! —­ there’s my little wagon —­ it’ll hold two.  But you ain’t wanting it yet, be you?”

“As soon as it can go —­ if it can go.  Is there a horse to the wagon?”

“Sartain!  But won’t you stop and take a bit?”

“No sir.  If you will let some of the boys take up the punt with her load, I’ll drive the wagon myself, and as soon as you can let me have it.”

“Jock! —­ tackle up the wagon! —­that ’ere little red one in the barn,” shouted the miller.  “Hild’ ’ll see to the boat-load —­ or I will, —­ and send it right along.  I’m sorry you won’t stop.”

Winthrop turned back to the sloop.  Elizabeth met him there with the question, “if she might not go now?”

“As soon as you please.  I am going to drive you up to Shahweetah.  The boat will carry the rest, but it is too small to take all of us.”

“I’m very glad!” —­ Elizabeth could not help saying.

She granted half a word of explanation to Mrs. Nettley, her bonnet was hastily thrown on, and she stood with Winthrop on the wharf before the little wagon was fairly ready.  But Jock was not tardy neither; and a very few minutes saw them seated and the horse’s head turned from the Mill.