icularly discomposing. Then
her husband followed suit, thanking me with manly earnestness and
heartiness for what I had done. This further act of homage, so publicly
performed, disconcerted me to such an extent that I hastened to dismiss
the embarrassingly grateful pair by assuring them that they were making
altogether too much of what I had done, which was no more than any other
man, confident of his swimming powers, would have unhesitatingly
undertaken, had I not happened to have seized the initiative; that I was
of course very glad it had fallen to me to be the means of saving their
lives; but that I most earnestly begged them to say no more about it.

When dinner was over, General O'Brien joined me on deck, as I was
smoking my pipe; and I seized the opportunity to thank him for the
assistance he had rendered in the operation of securing my
resuscitation. And I added:

"As I was recovering consciousness I heard the doctor make a remark to
you to the effect that someone--I gathered that a lady was being
referred to--seemed to be more than ordinarily concerned in the question
of my recovery; and I understood from your reply that you perfectly
understood to whom Scudamore alluded. Have you any objection to
favouring me with the name of the individual?"

"Oh, so you heard that, did you?" remarked the general. "Well, my dear
boy, it was not intended for you to hear, I am quite certain; Scudamore
would not have made the remark had he been aware that you were
sufficiently recovered to hear and understand it. As to my giving you
the lady's name--well, I do not think I should be justified in doing so.
The matter stands thus, you see. When Scudamore spoke, he and I were
of opinion that we had accidentally discovered the entirely unsuspected
existence of a more than ordinary interest in you on the part of a
certain lady; but since then I have come to the conclusion that we
mistook overpowering excitement for a more tender feeling; hence I do
not consider that I ought to enlighten you at all. If any tender
feeling exists, why, it is the girl's own secret, for her to retain or
not as she pleases; and if she has such a feeling, and is willing that
you should know it, depend upon it she will discover a method of
enlightening you; while if she has no such feeling it would be the
height of bad taste on my part to suggest that possibly she has. So
please ask me no more about it, there's a good fellow."

Of course I at onc