and he began
to feel with his absent commander some of the charm which springs from
successful wrong-doing.

CHAPTER VII.

He brought up off Greenwich in the cold grey of the breaking day. Craft
of all shapes and sizes were passing up and down, but he looked in vain
for any sign of the skipper. It was galling to him as a seaman to stay
there with the wind blowing freshly down the river; but over an hour
elapsed before a yell from Tim, who was leaning over the bows, called
his attention to a waterman's skiff, in the stern of which sat a
passenger of somewhat dejected appearance. He had the air of a man
who had been up all night, and in place of returning the hearty and
significant greeting of the mate, sat down in an exhausted fashion on
the cabin skylight, and eyed him in stony silence until they were under
way again.

"Well," he said at length, ungraciously.

Chilled by his manner, Fraser, in place of the dramatic fashion in which
he had intended to relate the events of the preceding night, told him
in a few curt sentences what had occurred. "And you can finish this
business for yourself," he concluded, warmly; "I've had enough of it."

"You've made a pretty mess of it," groaned the other; "there'll be a
fine set-out now. Why couldn't you coax 'em away? That's what I wanted
you to do. That's what I told you to do."

"Well, you'll have plenty of opportunities of coaxing yourself so far as
I can see," retorted Fraser, grimly. "Then you'll see how it works. It
was the only way of getting rid of them."

"You ought to have sent round to me and let me know what you were
doing," said Flower. "I sat in that blamed pub till they turned me out
at twelve, expecting you every minute. I'd only threepence left by then,
and I crossed the water with that, and then I had to shuffle along to
Greenwich as best I could with a bad foot. What'll be the end of it all,
I don't know."

"Well, you're all right at present," said Fraser, glancing round;
"rather different to what you'd have been if those two women had come to
Ipswich and seen Cap'n Barber."

The other sat for a long time in thought. "I'll lay up for a few weeks
with this foot," he said, slowly, "and you'll have to tell the Tipping
family that I've changed into another trade. What with the worry I've
had lately, I shall be glad of a rest."

He made his way below, and turning in slept soundly after his fatigue
until the cook aroused him a few hours later with the