d, sir."

"Guilty as the man was of the crime of desertion, I must yet, perforce,
say that he behaved himself very well. He was kindly received by the
King Tepuaka (a very earnest seeker after the Light), and all went well
for the space of four years."

"Well, what happened then? Five minutes left," and the Admiral looked at
his watch.

"My story will soon be told, your Excellency. The man, who calls
himself George Barcom, gained the affections of Tuilagi,{*} the youngest
daughter of the King. She, although not a seeker after the truth, was
yet beginning to display some interest in the teachings of Christianity,
and was an exceedingly comely young woman." Here Mr. Howlman clasped
his fat hands together and cast up his eyes. "But her father, at my
suggestion, objected to their union. One night Barcom and the poor,
misguided girl were missing. They had fled in an open boat to another
island called Anuda--one of those dark places of the earth where the
good seed has not yet been sown."

* Tuilagi--"Queen of the Sky"; a name common in Polynesia.

"And what was the nature and reason of your objection to their
marriage?" said the Admiral quietly.

"I had every reason by this time to believe that the man was a deserter,
and in my capacity as a preacher of the Gospel--though not ordained as
such--I----"

"Confine yourself to the subject, if you please," interrupted the
Admiral, with a mingled look of impatience and disgust. "You are not
a missionary, you tell me, and I'm hanged if I'm going to listen to a
sermon in my own cabin just now. Yet I have already given you as much
of my time as if you were one. But don't trespass on my good nature too
much."

"I thought it my duty to interfere and prevent such a wicked and
improper marriage. And, your Excellency, this carrying away the young
woman against her father's wishes was very detrimental to the progress
of the Mission work. As I have said, she was beginning to evince a
certain concern for her soul----"

"Confound it, man! why will you so persistently harp upon irrevelant
matters that do not, as far as I can see, possibly concern what you
really want to tell me? Have you a brief to speak for the missionaries?
I am acquainted with the principal _gentlemen_ (again he emphasised the
word) who conduct mission work in the South Seas, but I'll be hanged if
I ever heard your name before--not even as a house-builder, or whatever
your vocation is." And then, with a quic