He 's been actin ' quar right along , and now to start off , Lord knows whar , at this hour o ' night ! I really do n't believe it 's safe to stay here alone with him . '' Snuffy shook his unkempt head dubiously . Young Si rowed steadily out over the dark waves . An eastern breeze was bringing in a damp sea fog that blurred darkly over the outlines of horizon and shore . The young fisherman found himself alone in a world of water and grey mist . He stopped rowing and leaned forward on his oars . `` To see her here , of all places ! '' he muttered . `` Not a word , scarcely a look , after all this long heartbreak ! Well , perhaps it is better so . And yet to know she is so near ! How beautiful she is ! And I love her more than ever . That is where the sting lies . I thought that in this rough life , amid all these rude associations , where nothing could remind me of her , I might forget . And now -- '' He clenched his hands . The mist was all around and about him , creeping , impalpable , phantom-like . The dory rocked gently on the swell . From afar came the low persistent murmur of the ocean .
* * * * * The next day Ethel Lennox declined XXXXX visit Si 's shore .
after along around at in of on over to with