The View from Castle Rock

serpent, the dragon that is in the sea.
”
    But he will not stir himself to go and have a look.
    Mary remains unconvinced by the surgeon’s story. Of course he would have to say to Agnes that he was taking the child to look at the whale. But that does not make it the truth. Whenever the picture of that devilish man carrying Young James flashes through her mind, and she feels in her chest the power of her own cry, she is astonished and happy. It is still her own belief that she has saved him.

    Nettie’s father’s name is Mr. Carbert. Sometimes he sits and listens to Nettie read or talks to Walter. The day after all the celebration and the dancing, when many people are in a bad humor from exhaustion and some from drinking whisky, and hardly anybody looks at the shore, he seeks Walter out to talk to him.
    “Nettie is so taken with you,” he says, “that she has got the idea that you must come along with us to Montreal.”
    He gives an apologetic laugh, and Walter laughs too.
    “Then she must think that Montreal is in Canada West,” says Walter.
    “No, no. I am not making a joke. I looked out for you to talk to you on purpose when she was not with us. You are a fine companion for her and it makes her happy to be with you. And I can see you are an intelligent lad and a prudent one and one who would do well in my business.”
    “I am with my father and my brother,” says Walter, so star-tied that his voice has a youthful yelp in it. “We are going to get land.”
    “Well then. You are not the only son your father has. There may not be enough good land for all of you. And you may not always want to be a farmer.”
    Walter says to himself, that is true.
    “My daughter now, how old do you think she is?”
    Walter cannot think. He shakes his head.
    “She is fourteen, nearly fifteen,” Nettie’s father says. “You would not think so, would you? But it does not matter, that is not what I am talking about. Not about you and Nettie, anything in years to come. You understand that? There is no question of years to come. But I would like for you to come with us and let her be the child that she is and make her happy now with your company. Then I would naturally want to repay you, and there would also be work for you and if all went well you could count on advancement.”
    Both of them at this point notice that Nettie is coming towards them. She sticks out her tongue at Walter, so quickly that her father apparently does not notice.
    “No more now. Think about it and pick your time to tell me,” says her father. “But sooner rather than later would be best.”

    We were becalmed the 21st and 22nd but we had rather more wind the 23rd but in the afternoon were all alarmed by a squall of wind accompanied by thunder and lightening which was very terrible and we had one of our mainsails that had just been mended torn to rags again with the wind. The squall lasted about 8 or 10 minutes and the 24th we had a fair wind which set us a good way up the River, where it became more strait so that we saw land on both sides of the River. But we becalmed again till the 31st when we had a breeze only two hours…

    Walter has not taken long to make up his mind. He knows enough to thank Mr. Carbert, but says that he has not thought of working in a city, or any indoor job. He means to work with his family until they are set up with some sort of house and land to farm and then when they do not need his help so much he thinks of being a trader to the Indians, a sort of explorer. Or a miner for gold.
    “As you will,” says Mr. Carbert. They walk several steps together, side by side. “I must say I had thought you were rather more serious than that. Fortunately I said nothing to Nettie.”
    But Nettie has not been fooled as to the subject of their talks together. She pesters her father until he has to let her know how things have gone and then she seeks out Walter.
    “I will not talk to you anymore from now on,” she says, in a more grown-up voice than he has ever heard from her. “It is not because I am angry but just because if I go on talking to you I will have to think all the time about how soon I’ll be saying good-bye to you. But if I stop now I will have already said good-bye so it will all be over sooner.”
    She spends the time that is left walking sedately with her father in her finest clothes.
    Walter feels sorry to see her-in these lady’s cloaks and bonnets she seems lost, she looks more of a child than ever, and