t
was that he first came to go to sea, and so he had to go back to tell
her all about himself, and the death of his mother, and how he had been
left penniless in the world.

"And now I find you a midshipman with warm friends; in a few years you
will be a lieutenant, then a commander, and next a post-captain, I hope,
and at length a British admiral, and you will have gained your promotion
without the interest of relatives or born friends, simply by your own
good conduct and bravery."

"I don't know what I may become, ma'am," said Bill, inclined to smile at
Mrs Crofton's enthusiasm. "At present I am but a midshipman, but I
will try, as I always have, to do my duty."

This conversation made Bill feel perfectly at home with Mrs Crofton.
Indeed, it seemed to him as if he had known her all his life, so that he
was willing to confide in her as if she were his mother.

He was equally willing to confide in Mary. Indeed, all the reserve he
at first felt quickly wore off, and he talked to her as if she had been
his sister. If he did not say to himself that she was a perfect angel,
he thought her what most people would consider very much better--a kind,
good, honest, open-hearted girl, with clear hazel, truthful eyes, and a
sweet smile on her mouth when she smiled, which was very frequently,
with a hearty ring in her laughter. She reminded him, as she did
Pierre, of Jeannette, and Bill felt very sure that, should she ever have
the opportunity of helping any one in distress, she would be ready to
take as much trouble and run as many risks as the French girl had in
assisting Jack and him.

"Do you know, Mr Rayner, I like midshipmen very much?" she said, in her
artless way. "My brother Oliver is a midshipman, and as I am very fond
of him, I like all midshipmen for his sake. At first I was inclined to
like you because you were a midshipman, but now I like you for
yourself."

"I am much obliged to you," said Bill; "and I like you for yourself, I
can tell you. I didn't know before that you had a brother Oliver.
Where is he serving?"

"On board the _Ariel_ corvette in the West Indies," answered Mary.

"Perhaps some day we may fall in with each other," said Bill; "and I am
very sure, from what you say about him, we shall become good friends,
for I shall be inclined to like him for your sake."

"Then I'm sure he will like you; he could not help doing so. He is only
three years older than I am; just about your age I suppos