two admirals exchanged glances, and the look of kindness that each
met in the eyes of his friend removed every shadow that had been cast
athwart their feelings, by the previous discourse.

"That will do, Galleygo," returned Sir Gervaise, mildly. "You're a good
fellow in the main, though a villanously rough one--"

"A little of old Boreus, Sir Jarvy," interrupted the steward, with a
grim smile: "but it blows harder at sea than it does ashore. These chaps
on land, ar'n't battened down, and caulked for such weather, as we sons
of Neptun' is obligated to face."

"Quite true, and so good-night. Admiral Bluewater and myself wish to
confer together, for half an hour; all that it is proper for you to
know, shall be communicated another time."

"Good-night, and God bless your honour. Good-night, Admiral Blue: we
three is the men as can keep any secret as ever floated, let it draw as
much water as it pleases."

Sir Gervaise Oakes stopped in his walk, and gazed at his friend with
manifest interest, as he perceived that Admiral Bluewater was running
over his letter for the third time. Being now without a witness, he did
not hesitate to express his apprehensions.

"'Tis as I feared, Dick!" he cried. "That letter is from some prominent
partisan of Edward Stuart?"

The rear-admiral turned his eyes on the face of his friend, with an
expression that was difficult to read; and then he ran over the contents
of the epistle, for the fourth time.

"A set of precious rascals they are, Gervaise!" at length the
rear-admiral exclaimed. "If the whole court was culled, I question if
enough honesty could be found to leaven one puritan scoundrel. Tell me
if you know this hand, Oakes? I question if you ever saw it before."

The superscription of the letter was held out to Sir Gervaise, who,
after a close examination, declared himself unacquainted with the
writing.

"I thought as much," resumed Bluewater, carefully tearing the signature
from the bottom of the page, and burning it in a candle; "let this
disgraceful part of the secret die, at least. The fellow who wrote this,
has put 'confidential' at the top of his miserable scrawl: and a most
confident scoundrel he is, for his pains. However, no man has a right to
thrust himself, in this rude manner, between me and my oldest friend;
and least of all will I consent to keep this piece of treachery from
your knowledge. I do more than the rascal merits in concealing his name;
nevertheless, I