He was a perfect master of the business in hand, and so was the new boat a perfect mistress of _her_ business, but this did not prevent us from getting thoroughly ducked.

My attention was sufficiently occupied in obeying my orders, and keeping my eye on him in expectation of fresh ones.

The wind meanwhile increased from minute to minute, and I could not help perceiving that Hamilton, despite his cheery laughter, was becoming a little anxious.

We got back, however, to the shore we had left after a good buffeting, and in the condition of drowned rats.

My mother was helped out of the boat, and while she was making her way up the bank, and I was helping him to make the boat secure, I said, "Well! the new boat has done bravely!" "Between you and me, my dear fellow," said he, as he laid his hand on my shoulder with a grip, that I think must have left his thumb-mark on the skin, "if the boat had not behaved better than any boat of her class that I ever saw, there would have been a considerable probability of our being dined on by the fishes, instead of dining together, as I hope we are going to do! I have been blaming myself for taking your mother out; but the truth is that on these lakes it is really impossible to tell for half an hour what the next half hour may bring forth." The one other incident of our visit to lake-land which I will record, was our visit to Wordsworth.
For my part I managed to incur his displeasure while yet on the threshold of his house.