certainly did not," added Mr. Waterford. "I know no language but
English, and only a little of that."

"I think I can make a _fricandeau_," I continued, "if I have the
material."

"We have beef, ham, mutton, pork, potatoes, bread, cake, and crackers
on board."

"Let us have a plain beefsteak, then," said the lady.

"_Avec pommes de terre, frits?_" I asked.

"_Oui, Monsieur Cuisinier_. What a prodigy you must be, Mr. Phil! You
can keep books, cook, and talk French."

"And sail a boat as well as the best of them," added Mr. Waterford. "By
the way, Phil, have you any of those things on board that you
mentioned?"

"What things?"

"I don't know."

"_Pommes de terre_," suggested Miss Collingsby.

"You said we had. I haven't looked over the stores."

"I said so? Not if I was awake."

"You stupid!" laughed the lady. "They are potatoes."

"O, are they? Then we have plenty of them. They say that a rose by any
other name smells as sweet; and I suppose a potato in any other
language tastes the same. Very well. Get up a good dinner, Phil; one
fit for a queen--for a queen is to eat it."

"How silly!" said Miss Collingsby, as I went below.

"Better and fairer than any queen."

"I declare, Mr. Waterford, you are becoming insufferable. I shall have
to go down there and help Phil get dinner. Besides, I want to talk
French with him. And I want to see the kitchen."

I passed through the cabin into the little cook-room, in the
forecastle, where I lighted the fire.

CHAPTER XVI.

IN WHICH PHIL PROMISES NOT TO DESERT MISS COLLINGSBY.

If I had not been so anxious to overtake Mr. Whippleton, I should have
enjoyed my occupation in the cook-room of the Marian much better. Being
in a boat at all was a very pleasant thing to me; a place in the
cook-room was still better; while a seat in the standing-room, with one
hand on the tiller, in charge of the craft, was the most delightful
recreation which the earth had yet presented me. The kitchen of the
Marian was substantially the same as that of the Florina, where I had
cooked a great many suppers. I knew where to find everything without
being told, and I was at home at once.

In looking over the stores, I found what seemed to me to be a month's
supply. I knew that Mr. Waterford had expected a party of half a dozen;
but the provision lockers contained enough to dine a hundred. There was
a great quantity of substantials, such as pork, ham, potatoes, and
beef. I tho