I'll do; I'll set Jack
Pringle upon him, and if he don't worry his life out it will be a
strange thing to me."

"Oh," said the lawyer, "I am glad you have mentioned him, for it gives
me an opportunity of saying that I have done all in my power to make him
comfortable."

"All in your power to make him comfortable! What do you mean?"

"I mean that I have placed such a dinner before him as will please him;
I told him to ask for just whatever he likes."

The admiral looked at the lawyer with amazement, for a few moments, in
silence, and then he said,

"D--n it! why, you don't mean to tell me, that that rascal is here."

"Oh, yes; he came about ten minutes I before you arrived, and said you
were coming, and he has been down stairs feasting all the while since."

"Stop a bit. Do you happen to have any loaded fire arms in the house?"

"We have got an old bunderbuss; but what for, admiral?"

"To shoot that scoundrel, Pringle. I'll blow his brains out, as sure as
fate. The impudence of his coming here, directly against my orders,
too."

"My dear sir, calm yourself, and think nothing of it; it's of no
consequence whatever."

"No consequence; where is that blunderbuss of yours? Do you mean to tell
me that mutiny is of no consequence? Give me the blunderbuss."

"But, my clear sir, we only keep it _in terrorem_, and have no bullets."

"Never mind that, we can cram in a handful of nails, or brass buttons,
or hammer up a few halfpence--anything of that sort will do to settle
his business with."

"How do you get on, old Tarbarrel?" said Jack, putting his head in at
the door. "Are you making yourself comfortable? I'll be hanged if I
don't think you have a drop too much already, you look so precious red
about the gills. I have been getting on famous, and I thought I'd just
hop up for a minute to make your mind easy about me, and tell you so."

It was quite evident that Jack had done justice to the good cheer of the
lawyer, for he was rather unsteady, and had to hold by the door-post to
support himself, while there was such a look of contentment upon his
countenance as contrasted with the indignation that was manifest upon
the admiral's face that, as the saying is, it would have made a cat
laugh to see them.

"Be off with ye, Jack," said the lawyer; "be off with ye. Go down stairs
again and enjoy yourself. Don't you see that the admiral is angry with
you."

"Oh, he be bothered," said Jack; "I'll soon settle him if he