His voice rose in an agony on the gentle twilight: it
could be heard--entreating, invoking, persuading, wrestling--far
across the harbour. The men listened quite attentively until the
time came for getting aboard. Then they stole away by twos and
threes down the quay steps. Meanwhile, and all the while,
preparations on the boats had been going forward.
He was left alone at length. Even the children had lost interest in
him, and had run off to watch the boats as they crept out on the
tide. He ceased abruptly, came across to the bench where I sat
smoking my pipe, and dropped exhausted beside me. The fire had died
out of him. He eyed me almost shamefacedly at first, by and by more
boldly.
"I would give, sir," said Pilot Matthey, "I would give half my
worldly goods to lead you to the Lord."
"I believe you," said I. "To my knowledge you have often risked more
than that--your life--to save men from drowning. But tell me--you
that for twenty minutes have been telling these fellows how Christ
feels towards them--how can you know? It is hard enough, surely, to
get inside any man's feelings. How can you pretend to know what
Christ feels, or felt--for an instance, in the Judgment Hall, when
Peter denied?"
"Once I did, sir," said Pilot Matthey, smoothing the worn knees of
his trousers.
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