anxiously.

"I shall be picked up by a Norwegian barque, bound for China," continued
the skipper, ignoring the interruption; "I shall be away at least six
months, perhaps more, according as things turn out."

The mate pushed his scarcely tasted dinner from him, and got up from the
table. It was quite evident to him that the skipper's love affairs had
turned his brain.

"By the time I get back, Matilda'll have ceased from troubling, anyway,"
said the skipper, "and I have strong hopes that Elizabeth'll take
Gibson. I shall stay away long enough to give her a fair chance,
anyway."

"But s'pose you get drowned before anything can pick you up!" suggested
the mate, feebly.

"_Drowned?_" repeated the skipper. "Why, you didn't think I was really
going overboard, did you? I shall be locked up in my state-room."

The mate's brow cleared and then darkened again, suddenly. "I see, some
more lies for me to tell, I suppose," he said, angrily.

"After you've raised the alarm and failed to recover the body," said
the skipper, with relish, "you'll lock my door and put the key in
your pocket. That would be the proper thing to do if I really did go
overboard, you know, and when we get to London I'll just slip quietly
ashore."

The mate came back to his dinner and finished it in silence, while the
skipper kept up a rambling fire of instructions for his future guidance.

"And what about Miss Tyrell?" said the mate, at length. "Is she to
know?"

"Certainly not," said Flower, sharply. "I wouldn't have her know for
anything. You're the only person to know, Jack. You'll have to break
the news to 'em all, and mind you do it gently, so as not to cause more
grief than you can help."

"I won't do it at all," said the mate.

"Yes, you will," said Flower, "and if Matilda or her mother come down
again, show it to 'em in the paper. Then they'll know it'll be no good
worrying Cap'n Flower again. If they see it in the paper they'll know
it's true; it's sure to be in the local papers, and in the London ones,
too, very likely. I should think it would; the master of a vessel!"

Fraser being in no mood to regard this vanity complacently, went up on
deck and declined to have anything to do with the matter. He maintained
this attitude of immovable virtue until tea-time, by which time Flower's
entreaties had so won upon him that he was reluctantly compelled to
admit that it seemed to be the only thing possible in the circumstances,
and more re