fortune," answered she. "The horse came from the
'Royal Oak.' We desired them to send a quiet one, as it was for a
gentleman who was not in the habit of riding." "I wish they had sent me a
donkey instead of the baker's horse," said I; "he took it into his head to
stop at his master's customers' houses, nor could I make him leave them
without assistance. No more cruising on horseback for me," continued I.
"Pray do let me have plenty of oysters and bread and butter, with a
tankard of ale as smiling as yourself, as soon as the waiter can bring
them up, for I am very hungry." "We have a nice cold chicken in the house
and some ham; shall I send them up too?" "That's the stuff for trousers,"
answered I. "Let all be handed up in the turn of a handspike, and if I do
not do ample justice to the whole, you are not the prettiest girl I have
seen. I suppose it would be treason to ask you to partake of the good
things I have ordered?" "Oh, no, sir," said she; "that is not the fashion
in our house, for me to sit down with a strange gentleman." Saying this,
she left the room, and as I observed the smile which dimpled her blooming
cheeks had vanished, I began to think I had said too much. Whilst I was in
a blue study, up came chicken, ham, oysters, bread and butter, with the
ale. I drew to the table and began with a keen West-country appetite, and
for the first ten minutes forgot Lucy, baker's horse, pound notes and
gloves, and almost that it was growing dark, and that we were to sail by
the next morning's tide. Before I had finished moving my under jaw, which
had been in constant motion for the last twenty minutes, in came the
purser and one of the mids to report the boat being on shore. "You have
saved me from a surfeit," exclaimed I. "Come," said I to the youngster,
"sit down and finish the feast. As for you, Master Purser, I know you have
been faring well elsewhere, therefore I shall not ask you to take
anything."

Having paid the bill and shaken hands with Lucy, I jumped into the boat,
and was soon on board. On seating myself in the gun-room, "Now,
messmates," said I, addressing the second lieutenant and surgeon, "you
commissioned me to buy you each a pair of gloves. I fulfilled it to the
letter, but I have left them on the Canterbury road." I then related my
adventure, which elicited a hearty laugh. "Now," added I, "we will have a
glass of grog, and drink to fair Lucy at the 'Hoop and Griffin,' for she
is a very pretty girl, and I