steners unfavourably. The impression was deepened when,
after a short, dry laugh _a propos_ of nothing, she sniffed again--three
times.

"Well, you turned out to be right," said Mr. Boxer, shortly.

"I gin'rally am," was the reply; "there's very few people can take me
in."

She sniffed again.

"Were the natives kind to you?" inquired Mrs. Boxer, hastily, as she
turned to her husband.

"Very kind," said the latter. "Ah! you ought to have seen that island.
Beautiful yellow sands and palm-trees; cocoa-nuts to be 'ad for the
picking, and nothing to do all day but lay about in the sun and swim in
the sea."

"Any public-'ouses there?" inquired Mrs. Gimpson.

"Cert'nly not," said her son-in-law. "This was an island--one o' the
little islands in the South Pacific Ocean."

"What did you say the name o' the schooner was?" inquired Mrs. Gimpson.

"_Pearl,_" replied Mr. Boxer, with the air of a resentful witness under
cross-examination.

"And what was the name o' the captin?" said Mrs. Gimpson.

"Thomas--Henery--Walter--Smith," said Mr. Boxer, with somewhat unpleasant
emphasis.

"An' the mate's name?"

"John Brown," was the reply.

"Common names," commented Mrs. Gimpson, "very common. But I knew you'd
come back all right--I never 'ad no alarm. 'He's safe and happy, my
dear,' I says. 'He'll come back all in his own good time.'"

"What d'you mean by that?" demanded the sensitive Mr. Boxer. "I come
back as soon as I could."

"You know you were anxious, mother," interposed her daughter. "Why, you
insisted upon our going to see old Mr. Silver about it."

"Ah! but I wasn't uneasy or anxious afterwards," said Mrs. Gimpson,
compressing her lips.

"Who's old Mr. Silver, and what should he know about it?" inquired Mr.
Boxer.

"He's a fortune-teller," replied his wife. "Reads the stars," said his
mother-in-law.

Mr. Boxer laughed--a good ringing laugh. "What did he tell you?" he
inquired. "Nothing," said his wife, hastily. "Ah!" said Mr. Boxer,
waggishly, "that was wise of 'im. Most of us could tell fortunes that
way."

"That's wrong," said Mrs. Gimpson to her daughter, sharply. "Right's
right any day, and truth's truth. He said that he knew all about John
and what he'd been doing, but he wouldn't tell us for fear of 'urting our
feelings and making mischief."

"Here, look 'ere," said Mr. Boxer, starting up; "I've 'ad about enough o'
this. Why don't you speak out what you mean? I'll mischief '