istaking his movement, rose also.

"No, no, sir," the Captain corrected him. "Sit down and finish your
breakfast. The fact is, when her maid, last night, handed me the letter
telling me she had gone ashore, I sat down and wrote an answer. Here it
is, and I was going to ask you to deliver it for me."

The Commandant took it, and placed it carefully in his breast pocket.
"I thank you," he answered, "but I have breakfasted. If you don't
mind--it occurs to me that, if I delay, some of your passengers will
soon be about the decks, and will see the luggage going overside, and
ask questions."

"And that's well thought of," interrupted Captain Whitaker, "though I
expect the luggage is all in your boat before this. How far lies your
house from the quay, by the way?"

The Commandant answered that his house--the Barracks--stood at the very
top of the hill.

"Why, then," said the Captain, leading the way up the companionway,
"the least I can do is to send a couple of my men along with you to
help. Your fellows--you'll excuse me--don't look equal to it.
Pensioners, eh?"

The Commandant winced. "One of them," he answered stiffly, "is on the
active list. His strength would surprise you, sir."

"H'm!" said the Captain, with a glance at Sergeant Archelaus.

"The other--but where is Tregaskis?"

"Gone off, sir, to do business with the steward," explained Archelaus,
saluting.

"The other is a Mr. Tregaskis, a respectable man, and our principal
tradesman in Garland Town. He has a design, I believe, to sell you
whatever you may want in the way of fresh provisions."

"Certainly. The steward can go ashore, too, and do business with him,
and his boat will bring the others back. Here--Hoskings! Arnott!"
Captain Whitaker called to a couple of seamen, and sent a third off to
summon the steward.

Five minutes later the Commandant found himself back in his boat,
seated besides the _Milo's_ steward, and confronting a tall pile of
luggage. The two seamen had already put off with Mr. Tregaskis in the
steward's boat.

"And you will present my duty to Madame?" said Madame's maid, looking
down from the ship's side. "And tell her that I charge myself to see
the rest of her luggage safe to the hotel, where I will report myself
and wait for Madame's orders."

Captain Whitaker waved good-bye. Archelaus pushed off and fell to the
oars. The Commandant took the tiller. As the boat pointed for shore the
garrison bell on the hill rang out nine