"there's the gentleman over at New Brighton as wants us." "But, mayhap, the young woman will pay us handsome for giving her a last look at her sweetheart," interposed the other. "Oh, how much do you want? Only make haste--I've enough to pay you, but every moment is precious," said Mary. "Aye, that it is. Less than an hour won't take us to the mouth of the river, and she'll be off by two o'clock!" Poor Mary's ideas of "plenty of money," however, were different to those entertained by the boatmen only fourteen or fifteen shillings remained out of the sovereign Margaret had lent her, and the boatmen imagining "plenty" to mean no less than several pounds, insisted upon receiving a sovereign (an exorbitant fare by-the-way, although reduced from their first demand of thirty shillings). While Charley, with a boy's impatience of delay, and disregard to money, kept urging, "Give it 'em, Mary; they'll none of them take you for less. It's your only chance. There's St Nicholas ringing one!" "I've only got fourteen and ninepence," cried she, in despair, after counting over her money; "but I'll give you my shawl, and you can sell it for four or five shillings,--oh! won't that much do?" asked she, in such a tone of voice, that they must indeed have had hard hearts who could refuse such agonized entreaty. They took her on board. And in less than five minutes she was rocking and tossing in a boat for the first time in her life, alone with two rough, hard-looking men.
