Elgin's theater is a standard echo-wall structure, with a soaring dome framed by rows of rib-like curved arch beams that support a flat-bottomed, egg-shaped space inside.
At the front of the theater is the circular stage, near the door are two or three hundred seats around the stage, slanting arches upward, six small terrace-style rooms on each side, although stopping four or five square feet, but richly decorated.
Lorraine nodded goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Piddick on the arm of Haina and stepped onto the thick Scottish woolen carpet into the private room.
Inside, there were just three flannel-covered, purple, wide-backed recliners that totaled a small round pedestal table.
On the countertop table were three small looking glasses with handles, black tea with refreshments, and a sign decorated in red and green Scottish plaid with the large [VII] written on both sides.
Lorraine moved her seat for Hina first, turning to the seat adjacent to Mr. Piddick and lifting the bone china teacup in front of her.
"Tea?"
Hina lifted her veil, "The kind with sugar and milk?"
"Or you can add nothing."
Hina thought for a moment, "Yes."
Lorraine smiled bitterly and poured tea for Hina, amber-colored, seven points full, with a bitter aroma floating and refreshing.
Haina cupped the cup in both hands, took a small sip, frowned, and began to add milk and sugar, lots of milk, lots of sugar.
She tinkled until she had stirred a whole cup of amber jade into a creamy white color, then she felt satisfied with her mouth, licked her lips, and chimed, "It tastes good."
"Sweet milk sure tastes good ..."
The theater was brightly lit, with intricate glass chandeliers reflecting a misty, garish light on the dome, illuminating a podium in the middle of the stage.
At the podium stood a young gentleman, of fine stature, who bore a fivefold resemblance to Mr. Piddick.
Mr. Piddick poked his head around the bulkhead, "That's my nephew Ramos, served in the Royal Navy, then hurt his back and retired to come back and run Black Harbor, a capable lad."
"Mr. Piddick Jr. ... looks like a piece of work." Lorraine complimented.
"After the meeting is adjourned you will be introduced to each other, you are both young men and should be closer."
Lorraine smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Mr. Piddick."
Ramos stood on the stage and waited a moment to see that the participating merchants were almost all together.
A hundred and fifty to sixty people were seated sporadically on the stage, and six of the twelve private rooms were full.
His uncle, Mr. Piddick, alluded to Lorraine with a sign, indicating to him that this was the Drake family outcast who had been specifically mentioned to him two days before.
Ramos cleared his throat and hit the clapper hammer with a thud.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Port Elgon Auction, I'm your Master of Ceremonies, Ramos. I am your Master of Ceremonies, Ramos Piddick. There are a number of exotic treasures and curiosities in attendance, and I sincerely hope that you will, in fact, be able to return with a full house."
"First up is today's first lot, an exquisite canvas from Lossiemouth ..."
Lorraine sipped her black tea absentmindedly in the booth.
The tea was average, a native Scottish tea, nowhere near as flavorful as Ceylon or Indian teas, but the milk was good and the refreshments were excellent.
Lorraine has seen many auctions on TV, art auctions, charity auctions, and land auctions ... Of course it's a TV show.
According to the general auction house process, the first three lots are used to warm up the room and are usually not anything of value.
As is the canvas in Lossiemouth.
The mainsail of a windjammer is often bigger than the ship, and even if it breaks and rots during the voyage, it is usually repaired, so who would take up valuable cargo space to stock a large piece of spare sail?
The ship will come into the harbor when it is beyond repair. Sails are naturally available in the dockyards, and they rarely change hands and are cheap.
What's the point of bothering to prepare your own sails?
The auction smoothed all the way to the third item.
Ramos had the workers push up a large cart and remove the tarpaulin to reveal an elaborate ... crossbow built from teak trimmings.
Crossbows were the main naval weapon of war before artillery became popular, and consisted of a base, a turntable, a crossbow, a yoke, a long rope attached to the yoke, and a winch to reel in the long rope.
After artillery became popular, this outdated weapon that aided in picking up fenders and could barely blast small fishing boats was out of fashion for a while until the whaling industry took off and turned it into a sharp claw on fishing boats.
That's why it has a more familiar name, the Fishing Fork Cannon.
This is Lorraine's first target for this auction, and it is ranked third in priority.
Ramos describes, "The Bell Dockyard is well known in the north of Scotland and this harpoon gun is a test piece designed and built by the dockyard's apprentice, Clarence Scott, and comes with three spare harpoons and five hundred meters of standard fork ropes. Scott's hand-designed and hand-built water-testing piece, made of the finest materials and hand-crafted, comes with three spare fishing forks and five hundred meters of standard fork ropes, and Mr. Scott promises to install it himself. Starting price five pounds, ten shillings per increase."
Lorraine signaled Hina to raise her card.
Ramos' eyes lit up and he instantly shouted, "Room seven, five pounds!"
No sooner had he spoken than four or five cards in quick succession scrambled high above the stage, and the price of the Fishing Fork Cannon climbed all the way up to eight pounds in no time at all.
Lorraine couldn't help but wonder if Elgin's auction venue was particularly pleasing to whaling merchants.
Why else would a fishing spear gun that should be in a museum still be making waves?
He came over the fender and locked eyes with Mr. Piddick, "Would you care to relieve me, sir?"
Piddick had been waiting for Lorraine to ask.
With a loud laugh, he explained, "This bid is not a shot for a gun, it's an opportunity to reach Mr. Scott."
"Contact? An apprentice laborer?"
"He's no ordinary apprentice." Piddick sold, "Riley. Bell was the best shipwright in Maryland County in recent decades, and was a first-class master at Devonport Dockyard ten years ago before he got old and bleary-eyed and retired back to Lossiemouth, which is how he opened Bell's Dockyard."
"Clun. Scott is a disciple of Mr. Bell, and a most excellent one. He has taken the mantle of his master in all his skill, and has long been out of his apprenticeship, and it is only because of Mr. Bell's failing health that this has stayed in the care of his teacher under the name of an apprentice."
Lorraine came down interested, "Are you saying that ... apprentices are not apprentices?"
"He's basically run the Bell Dockyard for the last six years, and not only has the dockyard's reputation not fallen, but it's even better than it was when Bell was self-employed. You say, is he an apprentice?"
Hearing Piddick say that, Lorraine was confused instead.
"Sir, according to you, he is loyal and well employed, why ..."
"Bell died a year ago."
"Dead?"
"Yes, Bell died, and within a month of his son inheriting the dockyard, he hired a new master craftsman and manager. Mr. Scott, who was the signature of the Dockyard, remains an apprentice to this day. Why do you suppose that is?"
Lorraine's eyes lit up.
In a short time, the bidding on the crossbow had risen to a whopping eleven pounds, and Lorraine laughed softly as she took the bid from Haina.
"Fifteen pounds."
There was a sudden silence in the meeting room.
The nobleman on the booth called for a second time, bringing the bidding up eight beats in one breath, clearly determined to win Scott.
Most began to hesitate, and it was only when Ramos began counting down that someone tried to raise a row, "Fifteen pounds ten first ..."
"Thirty pounds." Lorraine stood up and bowed in a circle to each of the boxes as he said, "The ship is short of men, so I'm sorry for your amusement."