Page:The Land of Wonders - O Conaire.pdf/18

 12 they reached the Square, while a wisp of her sandy hair, her bonnet-ribbons and her dolman streamed in the wind.

The town-clock struck ten.

The Burla was out of breath when the three of them entered a draper's shop, and, worse again, he had lost his piece of bread after having taken only two bites out of it! The poor Burla felt there was nothing but unfairness in this goodly world when he got a box in the ear as he tried to snatch a piece from his sister.

"I wish," said the Captain's wife to the shopboy, "to have these children fitted out well, and I want clothes for myself also."

The shop-boy asked particulars.

"I want two suits for the boy and two for the girl and two for myself—one for the cold North and another for the warm countries."

She selected them and paid the bill, and left the shop without much talk or much delay. But she wheeled round and like a flash of lightning was back in the shop again.

"You are not to send the goods to the house," said she to the shop-boy, "but to the ship, my husband's ship that is in dock for the past week."

The Captain was seated when she arrived. He was having a meal alone—oat cakes, goat's milk