d Louis Belgrave. "Mr. Scott
did not vote."

"You wish to vote in the negative, Mr. Scott?" inquired the captain.

"I do not intend to vote at all, Captain," replied the third officer. "It
would be a little cheeky for me to vote to leave the ship without the
permission of the captain or of the first officer."

"'In colleges and halls in ancient times there dwelt a sage called
Discipline;' and a very good old fellow he was to have about, and quite as
good on board ship as in institutions of learning. Do you wish to accept
the invitation, Mr. Scott?" asked the commander.

"I should be exceedingly happy to do so."

"Then ask Mr. Boulong's permission."

"Granted!" shouted the first officer, who stood within hearing.

"Mr. Bland, give my compliments to Captain Sharp, and inform him that his
invitation is unanimously accepted by both passengers and guests, and we
will be on board at five o'clock," said Captain Ringgold, addressing the
officer from the Blanche; and he went over the side into his boat.

"You don't give us much time to get ready, Mr. Commander," said Mrs.
Belgrave, as all the ladies hurried away to the cabin to prepare for the
grand occasion that had so suddenly dawned upon them.

"Elaborate toilets are hardly expected at sea, out of sight of land.
Claw-hammer coats are not imperative, gentlemen," said the captain.

Though the two steamers were not in a hurry, both of them resumed their
course as soon as the Blanche's boat was hoisted up to the davits; for it
is part of the shipmaster's gospel to "keep moving" under all possible
circumstances, and to lose no time in arriving at his destined port. All
the passengers went below to prepare for the dinner. The Blanche had come
within fifty yards of her consort, as the sea was quite smooth.

"Where is that music, Mr. Boulong?" asked the captain, opening the door
from his cabin to the pilothouse.

"From the Blanche, Captain."

"But it seems to be a band. Is it an orchestrion?"

"Not at all; there are eight pieces of music on the promenade deck. It
seems that His Highness has a small band on board, though I have not heard
it before," added the first officer.

The commander thought the music was very fine, and he concluded that
Captain Sharp was running near the Guardian-Mother for the purpose of
giving the band an introduction to the consort. Besides the ship's company,
there was no one on board of the Blanche but the general and Mrs. Sharp;
and the Pa