awyers! d'ye think they will shut their eyes to _the truth_?"

"Perhaps they may, in which case they will hang _me_, and so prevent my
taking your advice to hang _them_," said Ruby.

"Well, well, but you agree to my plan?" asked the captain.

"Shall I agree, Minnie? it will separate me from you again for some
time."

"Yet it is necessary," answered Minnie, sadly; "yes, I think you should
agree to go."

"Very well, then, that's settled," said Ruby, "and now let us drop the
subject, because I have other things to speak of; and if I must start
before daylight my time with you will be short--"

"Come here a bit, nephy, I want to have a private word with 'ee in my
cabin," said the captain, interrupting him, and going into his own room.
Ruby rose and followed.

"You haven't any--"

The captain stopped, stroked his bald head, and looked perplexed.

"Well, uncle?"

"Well, nephy, you haven't--in short, have ye got any money about you,
lad?"

"Money? yes, a _little_; but why do you ask?"

"Well, the fact is, that your poor mother is hard up just now," said the
captain earnestly, "an' I've given her the last penny I have o' my own;
but she's quite--"

Ruby interrupted his uncle at this point with a boisterous laugh. At
the same time he flung open the door and dragged the old man with gentle
violence back to the kitchen.

"Come here, uncle."

"But, avast! nephy, I haven't told ye all yet."

"Oh! don't bother me with such trifles just now," cried Ruby, thrusting
his uncle into a chair and resuming his own seat at his mother's side;
"we'll speak of that at some other time; meanwhile let me talk to
mother."

"Minnie, dear," he continued, "who keeps the cash here; you or mother?"

"Well, we keep it between us," said Minnie, smiling; "your mother keeps
it in her drawer and gives me the key when I want any, and I keep an
account of it."

"Ah! well, mother, I have a favour to ask of you before I go."

"Well, _Ruby_?"

"It is that you will take care of my cash for me. I have got a goodish
lot of it, and find it rather heavy to carry in my pockets--so, hold
your apron steady and I'll give it to you."

Saying this he began to empty handful after handful of coppers into the
old woman's apron; then, remarking that "that was all the browns", he
began to place handful after handful of shillings and sixpences on the
top of the pile until the copper was hid by silver.

The old lady, as usual when surprised, became