but I never liked the thing nor the look of it."

"Then there's one point, it seems, on which you an' your friend don't
agree, sir?"

The barber meant this facetiously, but Captain Cai considered it in all
seriousness.

"You're mistaken," he answered. "Between friends there's a
give-an'-take, and until you understand that you don't understand
friendship. 'Bias Hunken likes me to do as I choose, and I like 'Bias
to do as _he_ chooses: by consekence o' which the more we goes our own
ways the more we goes one another's. That clear, I hope."

"Moderately," the barber assented.

"I'll put it t'other way--about an' make it still clearer. Most married
folks, as I notice, start t'other way about. For argyment's sake we'll
call 'em Jack an' Joan. Jack starts by thinkin' Joan pretty near
perfection; but he wants her quite perfect and all to his mind--_his_
mind, d'ye see? Now if you follow that up, as you followed it between
'Bias and me--"

"I don't want my missus to wear a beard, if that's what you mean."

"'Twasn't a good illustration, I admit. But the p'int is, I like 'Bias
because he's 'Bias, an' 'Bias likes me because I'm Cai Hocken.
That bein' so, don't it follow we're goin' to be better friends than
ever, now we've hauled ashore to do as likes us?"