nding his own ship!"

"That's a base slander," cried Mrs Gilmour, laughing. "I thought you
were paying us rather a doubtful compliment."

The old sailor chuckled.

"I had you there, ma'am, I think, eh?" said he, blinking away with much
delight. "By Jove, I had!"

"But, when are you going to take us on the water?" asked Bob at this
point, before his aunt could give the Captain `a Roland for his Oliver'
in reply to his aspersion on her sex. "You said you would, you know,
when I and Dick knew how to swim."

"And I know how to, as well," put in Nellie. "Don't I, auntie?"

"Don't bother me, children," growled the Captain, pretending to get in a
rage. "I must be off now. I have an appointment in the Dockyard this
afternoon."

"You shan't go! you shan't go!" cried the two together, hanging on to
him on either side. "You promised to take us somewhere or do something
if we were good, and that was to be to-morrow."

"To-morrow comes never!" ejaculated the old sailor, chuckling and
blinking away. "`Hodie mihi, cras tibi.' What is that, Master Bob?"

"Eh, sir?" said Bob, making a wry face. "Why, it's Latin."

"Thank you for nothing, you young shaver!" retorted the Captain drily.
"What I want to know is, what does it mean?"

Bob hesitated a bit, as if puzzled to translate the phrase; but in a
moment memory came to his aid.

"Ah yes, I recollect now," he said in an assured voice. "It means, I
think, `to-day it is my turn; to-morrow it will be yours.'"

"Very good, my boy," said the Captain with a chuckle. "That's my answer
to your question just now."

"But you promised us, Captain," cried Nellie, taking up the cudgels now
that poor Bob was routed so ignominiously. "You know you did, sir--
didn't he, auntie? And the `to-morrow' you meant was a long time back,
before the storm and everything!"

"Then I'm afraid, Miss Nellie," he replied, making for the door, so as
to secure his retreat, "it must be a very stale one; a sort of `to-
morrow' I wouldn't have, if I were you, at any price!"

Nellie was not to be beaten so easily, so she followed him out into the
hall as he was leaving the house.

"Do tell me, dear Captain," she pleaded earnestly. "Do tell me what
this wonderful something is that you have in store for us."

"I will, my dear," replied the old sailor, succeeding by a dexterous
twist in releasing the lapel of his coat from her restraining hand. "I
will, my dear. I'll whisper it to you--I wi