Chapter 26

"Cruel of heart, and strong of arm,
Proud in his sport, and keen for spoil,
He little reck'd of good or harm,
Fierce both in mirth and toil;
Yet like a dog could fawn, if need there were;
Speak mildly when he would, or look in fear."

Dana--_The Buccaneer._

After the visitation, the governor passed a week at the Peak, with
Bridget and his children. It was the habit of the wife to divide her
time between the two dwellings; though Mark was so necessary to her as a
companion, intellectually, and she was so necessary to Mark, for the
same reason, that they were never very long separated. Bridget was all
heart, and she had the sweetest temper imaginable; two qualities that
endeared her to her husband, far more than her beauty. Her wishes were
centred in her little family, though her kindness and benevolence could
extend themselves to all around her. Anne she loved as a sister and as a
friend; but it would not have been impossible for Bridget to be happy,
had her fortune been cast on the Reef, with no one else but Mark and
her two little ones.

The Peak, proper, had got to be a sort of public promenade for all who
dwelt near it. Here the governor, in particular, was much accustomed to
walk, early in the day, before the sun got to be too warm, and to look
out upon the ocean as he pondered on his several duties. The spot had
always been pleasant, on account of the beauty and extent of the view;
but a new interest was given to it since the commencement of the whaling
operations in the neighbourhood. Often had Bridget and Anne gone there
to see a whale taken; it being no uncommon thing for one of the boys to
come shouting down from the Peak, with the cry of "a fish--a fish!" It
was by no means a rare occurrence for the shore-boats to take whales
immediately beneath the cliffs, and the vessels could frequently be seen
to windward, working up to their game. All this movement gave life and
variety to the scene, and contributed largely to the spot's becoming a
favourite place of resort. The very morning of the day that he intended
to cross over to the Reef, on his return from the "progress," the
governor and his wife ascended to the Peak just as the sun was rising.
The morning was perfectly lovely; and never had the hearts of our
married couple expanded more in love to their fellows, or been more
profoundly filled with gratitude to God for all his goodness to them,
than at that moment. Young Mark held by his mother's hand, while the
father led his little daughter. This was the way they were accustomed to
divide themselves in their daily excursions, it probably appearing to
each parent that the child thus led was a miniature image of the other.
On that morning, the