, however, had
been thinking, and as they came together met his foe with a pleasant
smile.

"Bravo, old man," he said heartily.

"What d'yer mean?" demanded the skipper in gruff astonishment.

"I mean the way you pretended to row me," said the mate. "Splendid you
did it. I tried to back you up, but lor! I wasn't in it with you."

"What, d'yer mean to say you didn't mean what you said?" inquired the
other.

"Why, o' course," said the mate with an appearance of great surprise.
"You didn't, did you?"

"No," said the skipper, swallowing something in his throat. "No, o'
course not. But you did it well too, George. Uncommon well, you did."

"Not half so well as you did," said the mate. "Well, I s'pose we've got
to keep it up now."

"I s'pose so," said the skipper; "but we mustn't keep it up on the same
things, George. Swallerin' knives an' that sort o' thing, I mean."

"No, no," said the mate hastily.

"An' if you could get your missus to go home by train from Summercove,
George, we might have a little peace and quietness," added the other.

"She'd never forgive me if I asked her," said the mate: "you'll have to
order it, cap'n."

"I won't do that, George," said the skipper firmly. "I'd never treat a
lady like that aboard my ship. I 'ope I know 'ow to behave myself if I
do eat with my knife."

"Stow that," said the mate, reddening. "We'll wait an' see what turns
up," he added hopefully.

For the next three days nothing fresh transpired, and the bickering
between the couples, assumed on the part of the men and virulent on the
part of their wives, went from bad to worse.

It was evident that the ladies preferred it to any other amusement life
on ship-board could offer, and, after a combined burst of hysterics on
their part, in which the whole ship's company took a strong interest,
the husbands met to discuss heroic remedies.

"It's getting worse and worse," said the skipper ruefully. "We'll be
the laughing stock o' the crew even afore they're done with us. There's
another day afore we reach Summercove, there's five or six days there,
an' at least five back again."

"There'll be murder afore then," said the mate, shaking his head.

"If we could only pack 'em _both_ 'ome by train," continued the skipper.

"That's an expense," said the mate.

"It 'ud be worth it," said the other.

"An' they wouldn't do it," said the mate, "neither of 'em."

"I've seen women having rows afore," said the skipper, "but the