ishing to dispose of mine, Captain,' said Rob.

'Ay, ay?' cried the Captain, lifting up his bushy eyebrows a little.

'Yes; I'm going, Captain, if you please,' said Rob.

'Going? Where are you going?' asked the Captain, looking round at him
over the glasses.

'What? didn't you know that I was going to leave you, Captain?' asked
Rob, with a sneaking smile.

The Captain put down the paper, took off his spectacles, and brought his
eyes to bear on the deserter.

'Oh yes, Captain, I am going to give you warning. I thought you'd
have known that beforehand, perhaps,' said Rob, rubbing his hands, and
getting up. 'If you could be so good as provide yourself soon, Captain,
it would be a great convenience to me. You couldn't provide yourself by
to-morrow morning, I am afraid, Captain: could you, do you think?'

'And you're a going to desert your colours, are you, my lad?' said the
Captain, after a long examination of his face.

'Oh, it's very hard upon a cove, Captain,' cried the tender Rob, injured
and indignant in a moment, 'that he can't give lawful warning, without
being frowned at in that way, and called a deserter. You haven't any
right to call a poor cove names, Captain. It ain't because I'm a servant
and you're a master, that you're to go and libel me. What wrong have I
done? Come, Captain, let me know what my crime is, will you?'

The stricken Grinder wept, and put his coat-cuff in his eye.

'Come, Captain,' cried the injured youth, 'give my crime a name! What
have I been and done? Have I stolen any of the property? have I set the
house a-fire? If I have, why don't you give me in charge, and try it?
But to take away the character of a lad that's been a good servant to
you, because he can't afford to stand in his own light for your good,
what a injury it is, and what a bad return for faithful service! This is
the way young coves is spiled and drove wrong. I wonder at you, Captain,
I do.'

All of which the Grinder howled forth in a lachrymose whine, and backing
carefully towards the door.

'And so you've got another berth, have you, my lad?' said the Captain,
eyeing him intently.

'Yes, Captain, since you put it in that shape, I have got another
berth,' cried Rob, backing more and more; 'a better berth than I've got
here, and one where I don't so much as want your good word, Captain,
which is fort'nate for me, after all the dirt you've throw'd at me,
because I'm poor, and can't afford to stand in my own light