ng.

Syd stared. He had been accustomed to look upon his father and uncle,
and the friends who came to see them, as types of naval officers--big,
loud-spoken, grey-haired, bluff men, well tanned by long exposure to the
weather; and he wondered who this individual could be who walked with
one hand upon the hilt of his sword, pressing it down so that the sheath
projected nearly at right angles between the tails of his coat, and as
he walked it seemed to wag about like a monkeyish part of his person.
The other hand held a delicate white handkerchief, which he waved about,
and at each movement it scented the air.

"Ah, my dear Captain Belton, so glad to see you. Lucky your call was
now. So much occupied, you see. Sit down, my dear sir. And this is
your son? Ah," he continued, inspecting Syd through a gold-rimmed
eyeglass, "nice little lad. Looks healthy and well. Seems only the
other day I joined the service in his uncle's ship. I have your
brother's letter in my secretary's hands. So glad to oblige him if I
can. How is the dear old fellow?"

"Hearty, Captain Dashleigh," said Syd's father. "Desired to be kindly
remembered to you."

"Ah, very good of him. Splendid officer! The service has lost a great
deal through his growing too old."

"We don't consider ourselves too old for service. Timbers are sound.
We only want the Admiralty to give us commands."

"Ah, yes, to be sure," said the dandy captain, who seemed to be about
eight-and-thirty; and he continued his walk up and down the room as his
visitors sat.

"You have succeeded well, Dashleigh," said Captain Belton.

"Well, yes--pretty well--pretty well. Very arduous life though."

"Oh, hang the arduous life, sir," said Captain Belton. "It's a grand
thing to be in command of a two-decker."

"Yes," said the little man, who in physique was rather less than Sydney;
"the Government trust me, and his Majesty seems to have confidence in my
powers. But you will, I know, excuse me, my dear old friend, if I
venture to hint that my time is not my own. Sir Thomas said you would
call and explain how I could serve him. What can I do? One moment--I
need not say that I look upon him as my father in the profession, and
that I shall be delighted to serve him. You will take a pinch?"

He handed a magnificent gold snuff-box set with diamonds, and a portrait
on china in the lid indicated that it came from one of the ministers.

"Thanks, yes. But, my dear Dash