sir," said Mrs Bland to her master after Charlie was gone,
"Cap'en Stride is awaitin' in the library."

"Send him here," said Crossley, once more consulting his watch.

"Well, Captain Stride, I've had a talk with him," he said, as an
exceedingly broad, heavy, short-legged man entered, with a bald head and
a general air of salt water, tar, and whiskers about him. "Sit down.
Have you made up your mind to take command of the _Walrus_?"

"Well, Mr Crossley, since you're so _very_ good," said the sea-captain
with a modest look, "I had feared that the loss o'--"

"Never mind the loss of the brig, Captain. It was no fault of yours
that she came to grief. Other ship-owners may do as they please. I
shall take the liberty of doing as _I_ please. So, if you are ready,
the ship is ready. I have seen Captain Stuart, and I find that he is
down with typhoid fever, poor fellow, and won't be fit for duty again
for many weeks. The _Walrus_ must sail not later than a week or ten
days hence. She can't sail without a captain, and I know of no better
man than yourself; so, if you agree to take command, there she is, if
not I'll find another man."

"I'm agreeable, sir," said Captain Stride, with a gratified, meek look
on his large bronzed face--a look so very different from the leonine
glare with which he was wont to regard tempestuous weather or turbulent
men. "Of course it'll come rather sudden on the missus, but w'en it
blows hard what's a man got to do but make all snug and stand by?"

"Quite true, Stride, I have no doubt that you are nautically as well as
morally correct, so I leave it to you to bring round the mistress, and
consider that matter as settled. By the way, I hope that she and your
little girl have not suffered from the wetting and rough handling
experienced when being rescued."

"Not in the least, sir, thankee. In fact I incline to the belief that
they are rather more frisky than usual in consekince. Leastwise
_little_ Maggie is."

"Glad to hear it. Now, about that young fellow."

"By which I s'pose you mean Mr Brooke, sir?"

"The same. He has just left me, and upon my word, he's about the
coolest young fellow I ever met with."

"That's just what I said to the missus, sir, the very night arter we was
rescued. `The way that young feller come off, Maggie,' says I, `is most
extraor'nar'. No fish that--'"

"Yes, yes, Stride, I know, but that's not exactly what I mean: it's his
being so amazingly ind