e owners of the coach, that we might apologise
to them for having inflicted so much injury on their property, which we
ought certainly to have done. We none of us thought anything more would
come of it.

"Oh!" said Dicky Sharpe, rubbing his hands, "the owners will think that
the old coach grew tired of waiting all by itself, so ran down the hill
to get warm."

We resolved therefore to say nothing about the matter. The next day,
while it was my watch on deck, we were ordered to send a boat to bring
off a party of ladies from the shore. Dicky, who belonged to the boat,
went in her. As they reached the ship, and the sides were manned to
receive them, I saw that Mr Vernon was in the boat, accompanied by
Major and Miss Norman, and several other ladies and gentlemen. The care
with which he handed her up the side, and the attention he paid her, as
he showed the party round the decks, convinced me still further that
what I had heard last night was the truth. Adam Stallman accompanied
them; he was grave, but kind and courteous as usual, and seemed to take
great pains to answer all the questions, some of them not a little
ridiculous, which were put to him. Mr Vernon invited him to join the
luncheon-party in the ward-room, so I did not see what followed.

As soon as the boat was hoisted in, Dicky came up to me.

"I say, D'Arcy," said he, "it's all blown, and we are in for it, I
guess."

"What's blown?" I asked.

"Why, the coach affair, of course," he replied. "As we were coming off
they were all talking of it, and Mr Vernon said he was very sure I was
one of the chickens, so there was no use denying it. If it gets to the
captain's ears we shall have our leave stopped, and I shan't have a
chance of seeing little Miss Smaitch again."

We consulted long what was to be done, but could come to no decision on
the subject. After the guests were gone, Adam Stallman came down into
the berth.

"Youngsters," said he, "I suspect both of you were engaged in the
destruction of the coach last night. Is it not so?"

We confessed the truth, and told him exactly how it happened.

"Did you endeavour to find out the owners, and to make them all the
amends in your power for the mischief you had committed?"

We owned that we had not.

"You neglected your bounden duty, then," he observed. "You should
recollect that every act of meanness committed by a British officer
brings discredit on the cloth. When a man is guilty of a f