And they pressed round him and shook his hand,
and gave him simple yet hearty words of cheer and goodwill, together
with unaffected expressions of regret that he was leaving them,--
"though for that matter," said one of them, "we allus felt you was a
scholard-like, for all that you was so handy at the nets. For never
did a bit of shell or weed come up from the sea but ye was a lookin'
at it as if God had throwed it to yer for particular notice. And
when a man takes to obsarvin' common things as if they were special
birthday presents from the Almighty, ye may be pretty sure there's
something out of the ordinary in him!"
Aubrey smiled, and pressed the hand of this roughly eloquent
speaker,--and then they all walked with him up from the shore to the
little cottage where he had lived for so many months, and at the
gate of which he bade them farewell.
"But only for a time," he said, "I shall see you all again. And you
will hear of me!"
"Ay, ay, we'll hear of ye--for we'll take the papers in just for
news of yer!" said Ben, with a rough laugh which covered his deeper
feelings, "And mebbe ye'll come back afore we's all drownded!"
And so with a few more kindly words they left him, and he stood at
the gate watching their stalwart figures disappear down the
different windings of the crooked and picturesque little street.
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