It was inscribed
on her harmless mind in letters of adamant that the hands of a watch
must never be turned backwards; and so it behoved her to lie in wait
for the exact moment ere she started it again. When she imagined
this was about due, she sought out one of the young second-cabin
Scotsmen, who was embarked on the same experiment as herself and had
hitherto been less neglectful. She was in quest of two o'clock; and
when she learned it was already seven on the shores of Clyde, she
lifted up her voice and cried 'Gravy!' I had not heard this innocent
expletive since I was a young child; and I suppose it must have been
the same with the other Scotsmen present, for we all laughed our
fill.
Last but not least, I come to my excellent friend Mr. Jones. It
would be difficult to say whether I was his right-hand man, or he
mine, during the voyage. Thus at table I carved, while he only
scooped gravy; but at our concerts, of which more anon, he was the
president who called up performers to sing, and I but his messenger
who ran his errands and pleaded privately with the over-modest. I
knew I liked Mr. Jones from the moment I saw him.
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