e a-coming home, Sir.'

The Captain seemed quite ready to go, but faintly suggested something to
the effect of 'not making so much noise about it.'

'Ay, ay, ay,' said Bunsby, in a soothing tone. 'Awast, my lass, awast!'

'And who may you be, if you please!' retorted Mrs MacStinger, with
chaste loftiness. 'Did you ever lodge at Number Nine, Brig Place, Sir?
My memory may be bad, but not with me, I think. There was a Mrs Jollson
lived at Number Nine before me, and perhaps you're mistaking me for her.
That is my only ways of accounting for your familiarity, Sir.'

'Come, come, my lass, awast, awast!' said Bunsby.

Captain Cuttle could hardly believe it, even of this great man, though
he saw it done with his waking eyes; but Bunsby, advancing boldly, put
his shaggy blue arm round Mrs MacStinger, and so softened her by his
magic way of doing it, and by these few words--he said no more--that
she melted into tears, after looking upon him for a few moments, and
observed that a child might conquer her now, she was so low in her
courage.

Speechless and utterly amazed, the Captain saw him gradually persuade
this inexorable woman into the shop, return for rum and water and a
candle, take them to her, and pacify her without appearing to utter one
word. Presently he looked in with his pilot-coat on, and said, 'Cuttle,
I'm a-going to act as convoy home;' and Captain Cuttle, more to his
confusion than if he had been put in irons himself, for safe transport
to Brig Place, saw the family pacifically filing off, with Mrs
MacStinger at their head. He had scarcely time to take down his
canister, and stealthily convey some money into the hands of Juliana
MacStinger, his former favourite, and Chowley, who had the claim upon
him that he was naturally of a maritime build, before the Midshipman was
abandoned by them all; and Bunsby whispering that he'd carry on smart,
and hail Ned Cuttle again before he went aboard, shut the door upon
himself, as the last member of the party.

Some uneasy ideas that he must be walking in his sleep, or that he had
been troubled with phantoms, and not a family of flesh and blood, beset
the Captain at first, when he went back to the little parlour, and found
himself alone. Illimitable faith in, and immeasurable admiration of, the
Commander of the Cautious Clara, succeeded, and threw the Captain into a
wondering trance.

Still, as time wore on, and Bunsby failed to reappear, the Captain began
to entertain