tle; but when the anchor was
dropped he appeared on deck.

"I think I will go on shore now, Levi," said he, with an assumed
coolness.

"I think not," replied Levi, decidedly.

"What do you mean by that?" demanded the young villain.

"I mean that you shall not leave this vessel, unless you leave it in
irons. I shall state the case to the American consul; and I think you
will return to the United States as a prisoner."

"Why, what have I done?" asked Mat.

"What have you done!" exclaimed Levi, indignantly. "Besides being
guilty of meanness and treachery, you have committed a crime which will
send you to the state prison for the next ten years."

"Do you mean to say that I stole your uncle's money?"

"I didn't say anything of the kind. You and Dock Vincent conveyed Miss
Watson on board of the Caribbee. That's a state-prison offence, to say
nothing of stealing the money."

"Don't be hard on me, Levi."

"Hard on you! I'm not half so hard on you as you are on yourself. You
were employed as a hand on board of this vessel, and you used your
position to deceive Miss Watson, and get her on board of the Caribbee.
You then came to me, with your mouth full of lies, and told me she had
gone to Portland with her father, by railroad. I trusted you, and you
betrayed me. I can forgive you, but I can never respect you again,"
said Levi, warmly.

"Don't be too hard on me, Levi," pleaded Mat. "I got into a scrape, and
Dock helped me out; but he made me do everything he said after that."

"You needn't commit yourself to me. I don't ask you to make any
confessions. Dock Vincent is in jail now, and the whole truth will come
out in due time."

"What's the use!" exclaimed Mat, in despair. "I'm ruined now. If you'll
let me go ashore here, I'll try to be an honest man."

"It is not for me to let you go, though I have no doubt you were the
tool of Dock Vincent. I have no right to let you escape."

"I'll tell you all about it, Levi; and you will see what a bad scrape I
was in," said Mat, fixing his eyes on the planks of the deck. "Your
uncle borrowed a screw-driver in the shop----"

"Levi! Levi!" shouted Bessie Watson, who was in the standing-room,
looking at the shipping in the vicinity.

The young skipper sprang towards her, fearful that some terrible event
was about to happen; for Bessie was waving her handkerchief, and
dancing about the deck like an insane person. A boat, with two
gentlemen in the stern-sheets, was approach