at is all this reverie about,
Jack?"

Tom laid his hand gently, half timidly on his arm as he spoke. Half
timidly, I say, because it would not do for even the men to note a
shadow of familiarity on poop or quarter-deck betwixt a commander and
his captain.

Jack smiled somewhat sadly.

"I daresay, Tom," he replied, "it was very wrong, but I was just
breathing one last sigh for lost love and home. Oh, I don't care for
Grantley Hall so much; but then there is sister, and poor father, and it
seems rather hard he should take service again. There is just enough
saved out of the wreck for them to live on."

"Yes; and you'll win a fortune yet, mayhap an earldom, Jack--"

"Stay, Tom, stay. I care nothing for earldoms, and if I win enough to
live on I'll be content. One thing I do mean to win for Flora's
sake--honour and glory."

"Keep your mind easy about Flora," laughed Tom. "I'm going to win all
the honour and glory she is likely to want."

"I'd quite forgotten, Tom--brother."

"That's better. And, Jack, I know you'll get more ambitious as we go on.
Now mind you, you're not so badly off. That wound was a lucky hit. Just
look around and beneath you. Ever see a finer frigate? Look at her
build, her spars, her rigging, everything taut and trim and
ship-shape--the very ship seems proud of herself, considering the
independent way she goes swinging over the waves on the wings of this
delightful breeze; swinging over the waves, bobbing and bowing to them
as if they were mere passing acquaintances, and she proud mistress of
the seas. Then, Jack, let me recall your attention to the fact that we
have five-and-forty bonnie black guns and three hundred and twenty bold
blue-jackets to man and to fight them; and that _you_--you lucky
dog--are monarch of all you survey. Ah, brother mine, there is many a
sailor mo'sieur afloat on the seas at this moment 'twixt here and
America who well might tremble did he but know the fate that is in store
for him when the _Tonneraire_ crosses his hawse."

"You bloodthirsty man!"

"No, no, no. I've got one of the softest hearts ever turned out of dock,
but it is all for king and country, you know. Behold how our good ship
goes sweeping through the deep! Look, my captain bold, we are coming up
to the convoy hand-over-hand. It was a good idea giving them half a
day's start, for some of them, I daresay, we'll find are lazy lubbers."

"Well," said Jack, as we shall still call him, "we must do our b