l clear," replied Bill; "and it was no ghost, after all?
But still the cat did do mischief, for if the mate had not been
frightened by it, he wouldn't have let go the wheel, and the masts would
not have gone by the lee."

"That's true enough, and he might have done more mischief still if the
captain had not shot him, for the men would never have gone to the pumps
again; but when they found out that it was nothing but the cat himself,
then they set to, and before the next evening the vessel was clear, and
only required pumping out every two hours, for the leak wasn't great,
after all. So there's a ghost story for you, and I believe that all
others will be found, like mine, to end in moonshine. Now, suppose we
turn in, for we shall weigh at three o'clock in the morning."

We all tumbled into the standing berths in the fore-peak; I dreamt of
black tom cats all night. The next morning we weighed with a fair wind;
as before, I stood beside Bramble, who pointed out to me everything
worth notice or memory as we passed, but at last the motion affected me
so much that I could pay little attention, and I remained by his side as
pale as a sheet. We rounded the North Foreland, and long before dark
anchored in the Downs. Bramble went no farther with the vessel, the
captain himself being a good pilot for the Channel. A Deal boat came
alongside, we got into it, they landed us on the shingle beach, and I
followed Bramble up to his abode.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

BRAMBLE'S METHOD OF EDUCATION PROVES VERY EFFECTIVE--HE ALSO POINTS OUT
A POSITION IN WHICH YOU MAY PREFER YOUR ENEMIES TO YOUR FRIENDS.

The house of Philip Bramble was situated on the farther side of a road
which ran along the shore, just above the shingle beach. It was a large
cottage on one floor, the street door entering at once into its only
sitting-room. It was furnished as such tenements usually are, with a
small dresser and shelves for crockery, and a table and chairs of cherry
wood; on the broad mantelpiece, for the fireplace was large, were
several brass candlesticks, very bright, ranged with foreign
curiosities, and a few shells; half a dozen prints in frames ornamented
the walls; and on large nails drove into the panels, wherever a space
could be found, were hung coats, P-jackets, and other articles of dress,
all ready for the pilot to change whenever he came on shore wet to the
skin. Everything was neat and clean; the planks of the floor were white