My Danish Sweetheart: A Novel. Volume 2 of 3
indeed, as I was by the disappointment, it was as much as I could do to hold my countenance. The absurdity lay in this raving at a vessel that had passed swiftly out of hearing, and upon whose deck not a living soul was visible. 

Having exhausted all that he was able to think of in the way of abuse, Abraham dismounted, flung his cap into the bottom of the boat, and, drying his brow by passing the whole length of his arm along it, he exclaimed:"'There!--_now_ I've given 'em something to think of!' 'Why, there was ne'er a soul to hear a word ye said,' exclaimed Thomas, who was still busy at the stove, without looking up. 'See here!' shouted Abraham, rounding upon him with the heat of a man glad of another excuse to quarrel. 'Dorn't _you_ have nothen to say. No sarce from _you_, and so I tells ye! I know all about ye. When did ye pay your rent last, eh? Answer me that!' he sneered. 'Oh, that's it, is it? that's the time o' day, eh?' growled Thomas, looking slowly but fiercely round upon Abraham, and stolidly rising into a menacing posture, that was made wholly ridiculous by the clergyman's coat he wore. 'And what's my rent got to do with you? 'T all events, if I _am_ a bit behoind hand in my rent, moy farder was never locked up for six months.' 'Say for smuggling, Tommy, say for smuggling, or them parties as is a-listening 'll think the ould man did something wrong,' said Jacob. Helga took me by the arm. 'Hugh, silence them!--they will come to blows.' 'No, no,' said I quickly, in a low voice. 'I know this type of men. There must be much more shouting than this before they double up their fists.' Still, it was a stupid passage of temper, fit only to be quickly ended. 'Come, Abraham,' I cried, waiting till he had finished roaring out some further offensive question to Thomas, 'let us get sail on the boat and make an end of this. The trial of temper should be mine, not yours. Luck seems against the lady and me; and let me beg of you, as a good fellow and an English seaman, not to frighten Miss Nielsen.' 'What does Tommy want to sarce me for?' said he, still breathing defiance at his mate, out of his large nostrils and blood-red visage. 'What's my rent got to do with you?' shouted the other. 'And what's moy father got to do with you?' bawled Abraham. 'I say, Jacob!' I cried, 'for God's sake let's tail on to the halliards and start afresh. There's no good in all this!' 'Come along, Abey! come along, Tommy!' bawled Jacob. 'Droy up, mates.' More'n enough's been said;' and with that he laid hold of the halliards, and, without another word, Abraham and Thomas seized the rope, and the sail was mastheaded. Abraham went to the tiller, the other two went to work to get breakfast, and now, in a silence that was 
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