Ɖ last sǎnd Pītr hŕd bfr h wz qt alon wr ɖ mrmeidz rtîrñ wn bî wn t ɖer bedćembrz undr ɖ sī. H wz tù far awe t hír ɖer dorz śut; bt evri dor in ɖ coṛl cevz ẃr ɖe liv rñz a tîni bel ẃn it opnz or clozz (az in ol ɖ nîsist hǎzz on ɖ mênḷnd), n h hŕd ɖ belz.

Steḍli ɖ wōtrz rouz tl ɖe wr niḅlñ at hiz fīt; n t pas ɖ tîm untl ɖe md ɖer fînl gulp, h woćt ɖ onli ʈñ on ɖ l’gūn. H ʈt it wz a pìs v flotñ pepr, phps part v ɖ cît, n wundrd îdli hǎ loñ it wd tec t drift aśor.

Prezntli h notist az an od ʈñ ɖt it wz undǎtidli ǎt upn ɖ l’gūn wɖ sm defiṇt prṗs, fr it wz fîtñ ɖ tîd, n smtmz winñ; n ẃn it wún, Pītr, olwz simṗʈetic t ɖ wìcr sîd, cd nt hlp clapñ; it wz sć a gaḷnt pìs v pepr.

It wz nt riyli a pìs v pepr; it wz ɖ Nvr brd, mcñ despṛt eḟts t rīć Pītr on ɖ nst. Bî wrcñ hr wñz, in a we ś hd lrnt sins ɖ nst fél intu ɖ wōtr, ś wz ebl t sm xtnt t gîd hr strenj craft, bt bî ɖ tîm Pītr rec̣gnîzd hr ś wz vri xōstd. Ś hd cm t sev him, t gv him hr nst, ɖo ɖr wr egz in it. I rɖr wundr at ɖ brd, fr ɖo h hd bn nîs t hr, h hd olso smtmz tormntd hr. I cn s’poz onli ɖt, lîc Msz Darlñ n ɖ rest v ɖm, ś wz mltd bcz h hd ol hiz frst tīʈ.

Ś cōld ǎt t him ẃt ś hd cm fr, n h cōld ǎt t hr ẃt ś wz dwñ ɖr; bt v cors nɖr v ɖm unḍstd ɖ uɖr’z lanḡj. In fansifl storiz ppl cn tōc t ɖ brdz frīli, n I wś fr ɖ momnt I cd pritnd ɖt ɖs wr sć a stori, n se ɖt Pītr rplaid intelijntli t ɖ Nvr brd; bt truʈ z bst, n I wont t tel y onli ẃt riyli hapnd. Wel, nt onli cd ɖe nt unḍstand ć uɖr, bt ɖe fgot ɖer manrz.

“I—wont—y—t—gt—intu—ɖ—nst,” ɖ brd cōld, spīcñ az slǒli n dstñtli az poṣbl, “n—ɖen—y—cn—drift—aśor, bt—I—am—tù—tîrd—t—brñ—it—eni—nirr—so—y—mst—trî—t—swim—t—it.”

“Ẃt r y qacñ abt?” Pītr ansrd. “Ẃ d’nt y let ɖ nst drift az yźl?”

“I—wont—y—” ɖ brd sd, n rpitd it ol ovr.

Ɖen Pītr traid slo n dstñt.

“Ẃt—r—y—qacñ—abt?” n so on.

Ɖ Nvr brd bcem iṛtetd; ɖe hv vri śort tmprz.

“Y dunḍhedd litl je!” ś scrīmd, “Ẃ d’nt y d az I tel y?”

Pītr flt ɖt ś wz cōlñ him nemz, n at a vnćr h rtortd hotli:

“So r y!”

Ɖen rɖr krịsli ɖe bʈ snapt ǎt ɖ sem rmarc:

“Śut p!”

“Śut p!”

Nvɖles ɖ brd wz dtrmind t sev him f ś cd, n bî wn last mîti eḟt ś pṛpeld ɖ nst agnst ɖ roc. Ɖen p ś flù; dzrtñ hr egz, so az t mc hr mīnñ clir.

Ɖen at last h unḍstd, n clućt ɖ nst n wevd hiz ʈancs t ɖ brd az ś flutrd oṿhed. It wz nt t rsiv hiz ʈancs, hvr, ɖt ś huñ ɖr in ɖ scî; it wz nt īvn t woć him gt intu ɖ nst; it wz t si ẃt h dd wɖ hr egz.

Ɖr wr tū larj ẃît egz, n Pītr liftd ɖm p n rflectd. Ɖ brd cuvrd hr fes wɖ hr wñz, so az nt t si ɖ last v ɖm; bt ś cd nt hlp pīpñ btwn ɖ feɖrz.

I fget ẃɖr I hv tld y ɖt ɖr wz a stev on ɖ roc, drivn intu it bî sm buc̣nirz v loñ ago t marc ɖ sait v berid treźr. Ɖ ćildṛn hd dscuvrd ɖ gliṭrñ hōrd, n ẃn in a misćiṿs mūd yst t flñ śǎrz v môdorz, dîmndz, prlz n pìsz v et t ɖ gulz, hu pǎnst upn ɖm fr fūd, n ɖen flù awe, rejñ at ɖ scrvi tric ɖt hd bn pleid upn ɖm. Ɖ stev wz stl ɖr, n on it Starci hd huñ hiz hat, a dīp tarpōlin, wōtrtît, wɖ a brōd brim. Pītr pt ɖ egz intu ɖs hat n set it on ɖ l’gūn. It flotd bytifli.

Ɖ Nvr brd sw at wns ẃt h wz p t, n scrīmd hr adṃreśn v him; n, alas, Pītr croud hiz agrīmnt wɖ hr. Ɖen h got intu ɖ nst, rird ɖ stev in it az a māst, n huñ p hiz śrt fr a sêl. At ɖ sem momnt ɖ brd flutrd dǎn upn ɖ hat n wns mor sat snugli on hr egz. Ś driftd in wn d’rex́n, n h wz bòrn of in anɖr, bʈ ćirñ.

V cors ẃn Pītr landd h bīćt hiz bàrc in a ples ẃr ɖ brd wd īẓli fînd it; bt ɖ hat wz sć a gret s’xes ɖt ś abandnd ɖ nst. It driftd abt tl it wnt t pìsz, n ofn Starci cem t ɖ śor v ɖ l’gūn, n wɖ mni bitr fīlñz woćt ɖ brd sitñ on hiz hat. Az w śl nt si hr agn, it me b wrʈ mnṣ́nñ hir ɖt ol Nvr brdz nǎ bild in ɖt śep v nst, wɖ a brōd brim on ẃć ɖ yuñstrz tec an e’rñ.

Gret wr ɖ rjôsñz ẃn Pītr rīćt ɖ hom undr ɖ grǎnd olmst az sn az Wndi, hu hd bn carid hiɖr n ɖiɖr bî ɖ cît. Evri bô hd advnćrz t tel; bt phps ɖ bigist advnćr v ol wz ɖt ɖe wr sevṛl aurz lêt fr bed. Ɖs so infletd ɖm ɖt ɖe dd verịs doji ʈñz t gt steyñ p stl longr, sć az dmandñ banḍjz; bt Wndi, ɖo gloriyñ in hvñ ɖm ol hom agn sef n sǎnd, wz scanḍlîzd bî ɖ lêtnis v ɖ aur, n craid, “T bed, t bed,” in a vôs ɖt hd t b obeid. Nxt de, hvr, ś wz ōḟli tndr, n gev ǎt banḍjz t evrwn, n ɖe pleid tl bedtîm at limpñ abt n cariyñ ɖer armz in slñz.