No," said she, "I will not. I know perfectly well what that glitter in
your eye means: you are angry at that sailor's impertinence, and mean to
give him a well-deserved reprimand. But I would rather that you did
nothing of the kind, please; the man knows no better; and I do not
suppose he really _meant_ to be rude at all. But I confess I do not
like the expression of his face: there is a mixture of low cunning,
obstinacy, and cruel brutality in it that renders his appearance
dreadfully repulsive; so please oblige me by taking no notice whatever
of his behaviour."

There was a certain subtle flattery in the apparent inconsequence of my
companion's last few words that made them peculiarly acceptable to me;
but discipline is discipline, and must be maintained, at all hazards,
even when a crew has been picked up in such irregular fashion as mine
had been; and I was determined to at once impress upon this Irish
ruffian the fact that I was skipper of the brig, and that I intended to
exact from him the respect and deference of manner due to the position.
So I said to my companion:

"I have no doubt you are perfectly right in your estimate of the man's
intentions; but he was altogether too insolent of manner to please me,
and he must be taught better; moreover, I wish to ascertain precisely
what he meant by the remark that my being a navigator made `a mighty
differ.' So please allow me to go forward and put these little matters
right. I shall not be gone longer than five minutes, at the utmost."

"I will not consent to your going, just now, even for five _seconds_,"
answered Miss Onslow, with quiet determination. "You are just angry
enough to use the first words that may rise to your lips, without
pausing to consider whether they happen or not to be offensive, and I am
sure that is not a safe temper in which to engage in an altercation with
that man. He is insolent, insubordinate, and altogether a most
dangerous man to deal with--one can tell that by merely glancing at his
eyes--and I have a firm conviction that if you were perchance to offend
him, he would without compunction stab you, or do you some other
dreadful injury--perhaps kill you outright. Therefore,"--with a most
ravishing smile, and a tightening of her grip upon my arm--"you will be
pleased to consider yourself as my prisoner for the present."

"And a most willing prisoner, too--at any other time," answered I, with
an attempt to fall in with the playful