Australian Tales - Setis

to the prejudice of his sobriety, or his sanity, his embarrassment would
doubtless have been overwhelming, and instead of appearing at the tea
table, he would probably have run away home as fast as he could, and
hidden his diminished head in his nightcap. Fortunately, however, he was
spared that poignant addition to the self-reproach and confusion, which
his late love-making had caused him; still he felt as ill at ease as a dandy
who had just slipped down in the mud.
An incident, somewhat analogous, in the experience of an old friend of
mine, just occurs to my mind. In his youthful days he had, one summer
afternoon, engaged to take a young lady and her mamma for a sail in his
smart little yacht; and being very anxious to make an impression on the
tender heart of Miss Clara, a fascinating girl of seventeen, he dressed
himself with extra taste in a blue blouse and white trowsers — the tout
ensemble of a yachtsman of those times. His boat was dancing at her
moorings, with sails hoisted and flags gaily flying from both masts, and
his crew of merry-faced black-fellows, in blue shirts and red caps, were
singing “Cree-an-dobbria.” The ladies were waiting on the jetty close
by, when my friend — who by the way was rather a retiring youth
— walked up in happy consciousness that he was looking rather striking,
and that he was exacting the admiration of the groups of spectators
— young and old — who were waiting to see him get underway, with the
fresh breeze which was then blowing. While gracefully lifting his straw
hat with one hand, and extending the other to grasp the pretty little
gloved fingers which were held out to greet him, he put his foot into an
unlucky hole in the jetty, and down he fell flat at the feet of his charmer;
when almost simultaneously, his ears were assailed with the giggles of
the grinning crowd, and the loud guffaws of his black crew. Of course he
did not lie very long in that undignified position, but when he got up he
discovered, to his inexpressible confusion, that he had damaged his
apparel to such an extent, that common propriety at once prompted him
to run away to the nearest cover, without stopping to look after his straw
hat, which had rolled into the river, or to pick up the stray shillings which
had rolled out of his waistcoat pocket.
Although twenty-four years have elapsed, my friend still has a vivid
recollection of his miserable feelings on that occasion, and of his
blushing trepidation, when he re-appeared shortly after he had changed
his dress, and limped on his scraped leg towards the ladies to receive
their sympathy, while their lips were visibly twitching with suppressed
laughter. He never enjoyed a cruise in his boat less than he did that
afternoon, although the weather was most favourable, and his fair
passengers professed to enjoy themselves very much; for he fancied that
everything they said or did to provoke a smile, was but an excuse for
venting their pent-up mirth at his luckless downfall; and every outburst
of merriment amongst his black crew, he regarded with a scowling