r. Toby, the Churchwarden,
and the two old Codgers. Freddie hailed them with a shout.

"All right, young feller," cried Mr. Toby, as Freddie came up, "here we
are! How is this for a corking spree? Beats all the Tolchester
excursions you ever see, that's what I say! Blamed if it don't. I ain't
been out of bed for two days."

"No more has any of us," said Aunt Amanda. "Do you feel well, Freddie?
I declare I'm quite excited. Isn't the air invigorating?"

"Yes'm," said Freddie. "What did you say in your note, Mr. Toby?"

"What note?" said Toby.

"Why, your note to my mother, explaining about me and----"

"By crackey!" cried Toby. "Blamed if I didn't clean forget all about it!
Now ain't that too bad! What on earth are we going to do about it?"

"Well!" said Aunt Amanda. "Now ain't that just like you, Toby
Littleback? I declare if your head wasn't fastened on you'd----"

"Wery reprehensible," said Mr. Punch. "Wery."

"My dear friends," said the Sly Old Codger, "let us not be disquieted on
such a morning as this. Everything is so beautiful. _So_ beautiful! And
without any expense whatever. It is a precious thought. How pleasant it
is to hear the breeze blowing so gently among all the little capstans up
there!"

He took off his high silk hat and looked up among the sails with a rapt
expression on his face, and all the others looked up too, trying to see
the capstans fluttering in the breeze.

"Look!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Why, there's Mr. Hanlon!"

Far, far up, near the top of the second mast, was a white figure,
standing on a rope under the topmost sail, and holding on with one hand
and waving the other down at the passengers. Mr. Toby waved his white
derby, and Mr. Hanlon began to come down. Freddie trembled with alarm,
but Mr. Hanlon was obviously having the time of his life. He skipped
swiftly along his dangerous perch, and sliding down and along the spars
of wood that held the sails, and actually leaping from one to another,
and tripping lightly down ladders of rope, while the whole top swayed
dizzily from side to side, he at length came down on the deck with a
bounce, and bowing to everybody shook Freddie by the hand.

"Here comes the Able Seaman!" cried Toby. "And see what he's got on his
wrist!"

Mr. Lemuel Mizzen came rolling down the deck, and as he approached he
took off his cap with his left hand and made a bow. On his right wrist
was a blue and red parrot, who cocked his head sideways at the
stranger