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When she had done, I sat awhile staring up at the peak of the sail: "My Lady Brandon," says I at length, "Fate hath set you in scurvy coh and rude-mannered, and no fit company for any woman, as you do very well knobeit, I swear that henceforth, so long as we coether, I will trouble you no more than I may, either by act or speech, you to your place in the bows yonder in hts, I to o our several ways"
"Must we not speak?" she questioned, keeping her face turned from me
"When needful, n ? Aht but think? Must I stay in the bows until you summon me thence?" says she, and all in the same small, soft voice, so that I perceived my fine speech had been throherefore I stared up at the sail and with never a word in answer
But presently, chancing to look at her, I found her regarding hty resolute; "Because," says she,when so minded, Martin Conisby I shall not sit in the bows for 'tis wet there, and I shall not fold my hands, but you shall teach me how to steer and handle the boat and do my share of the labour For look now, here are we, by no will of our own, God knoweth, companions in misfortune, let us then aid each other that our troubles be the easier And O pray do you forget Martin Conisby his woes awhile" And away she goes, and getting to her knees before one of the lockers, begins rearranging the contents, singing away the while
As the day wore on, the skies clouded over with a wind very sudden and blusterous, wherefore,sail, but feared to leave the helm lest the boat should broach to and shile this was a-doing But the wind increasing, I was necessitated to call my companion beside ust with the hel the boat to her ot me forward and (with no little to-do) double-reefed our sail, leaving just sufficient to steer by; which done I glanced tohair strea of the boat and steering as well as I azed to here an o blackness filled me with no sear, as oars, spare sail, spars and the like Now in the boere stowed her belongings, a leathern trunk and divers bundles, the which I proceeded to secure in their turn This done, I got ain, but when I would have relieved her of the tiller, she shook her head