m Mr. Bonnor, who was in the same ship with him on his last
commission, that the fellow had a bad name as a bully, but that, unlike
most fellows of that sort, he had pluck, and could fight, which makes
Blagrove's victory all the more surprising. However, of course we shall
take no notice of it. I have merely your official report that Mr. Condor
is on the sick-list suffering from severe contusions. I suppose it will
be some days before he can show up?"

"I should say that it will be a week before he is fit to come on deck.
As to the loss of his teeth, it will be a serious disfigurement until he
gets home again and can be fitted with some fresh ones. Well, at any
rate this will give Blagrove a good standing among the others. It is
always awkward for a lad who joins a good bit later than usual."

It was not only among the midshipmen that the defeat of Condor
established Edgar as the most popular member of the mess. During the
voyage out, Condor had already rendered himself obnoxious to the men by
the roughness of his tone when speaking to them, and by his domineering
manner whenever the officer of the watch was engaged elsewhere, and the
report of the manner in which he had been punished excited great delight
among them, and rendered Edgar a most popular personage. They had
noticed his behaviour the first time that he had gone aloft, and had
agreed that the new middy was a good sort and no greenhorn.

"He will make a first-rate officer," one old tar said. "You mark my
words if he don't. New hand as he is, you will see that he will show up
well on the first opportunity."

The fight, too, raised rather than lowered Condor in their opinion. The
men who had seen it all agreed that, although he had not a shadow of
chance from the first, he had fought with unflinching pluck, and
struggled on most gamely until knocked out of time. Consequently, when
he returned to duty he was treated with the same respect as before, and
with none of the covert grins that he had expected to notice among them.

The young fellow was not a fool, and while in the sickbay had thought
matters over a good deal. It was of course mortifying to have been
thrashed by an antagonist he despised, but he was conscious that he had
brought the punishment upon himself. Hitherto he had not, since he first
joined the service, met with his match among those of his own age and
standing, and had come to think himself an exceptional sort of fellow;
but the discovery