en
noticing that the lad pushed the form away, he asked: "Are you a
teetotaler?"

"By no means," answered Harry; "I sometimes take a glass of wine or
beer, and very occasionally, when I happen to get wet through or am very
cold, I take a little spirits; but plain or aerated water usually
suffices for me."

"I see," remarked Firmin. He remained silent for a few seconds, then
turning again to Harry, he said: "I wonder if you would consider me very
impertinent if, upon the strength of our extremely brief acquaintance, I
were to offer you a piece of advice?"

"Certainly not," answered Harry. "You are much older and more
experienced than I, Mr Firmin, and have seen a great deal more of the
world than I have; any advice, therefore, that you may be pleased to
give me I shall be most grateful for, and will endeavour to profit by."

"Very well, then," said Firmin, "I will risk it, for I have taken rather
a fancy to you, and would willingly do you a good turn. The advice that
I wish to give you is this. Make a point of eschewing everything in the
nature of alcohol. Have absolutely nothing to do with it. You are
young, strong, and evidently in the best of health; your system has
therefore no need of anything having the character of a stimulant. Nay,
I will go farther than that, and say that you will be very much better,
morally and physically, without it; and even upon the occasions which
you mention of getting wet or cold, a cup of scalding hot coffee,
swallowed as hot as you can take it, will do you far more good than
spirits. I am moved to say this to you, my young friend, because I have
seen so many lads like you insensibly led into the habit of taking
alcohol, and when once that habit is contracted it is more difficult
than you would believe to break it off. I have known many promising
young fellows who have made shipwreck of their lives simply because they
have not possessed the courage and strength of mind to say `no' when
they have been invited to take wine or spirits."

"By the powers, Misther Firmin, ye niver spoke a thruer word in your
life than that same," cut in the chief officer, who had been listening
to what was said. "Whin I was a youngster of about Misther Escombe's
age I nearly lost my life through the dhrink. I was an apprentice at
the time aboard a fine, full-rigged iron clipper ship called the _Joan
of Arc_. We were outward bound, from London to Sydney, full up with
general cargo, and carrie