head again a door!'

'Let us take this gentleman to see him, and let us hear what he says,'
cried Florence. 'Will you go with us now? We have a coach here.'

Again the Captain clapped his hand to his head, on which the hard
glazed hat was not, and looked discomfited. But at this instant a most
remarkable phenomenon occurred. The door opening, without any note of
preparation, and apparently of itself, the hard glazed hat in question
skimmed into the room like a bird, and alighted heavily at the Captain's
feet. The door then shut as violently as it had opened, and nothing
ensued in explanation of the prodigy.

Captain Cuttle picked up his hat, and having turned it over with a look
of interest and welcome, began to polish it on his sleeve' While doing
so, the Captain eyed his visitors intently, and said in a low voice,

'You see I should have bore down on Sol Gills yesterday, and this
morning, but she--she took it away and kep it. That's the long and short
ofthe subject.'

'Who did, for goodness sake?' asked Susan Nipper.

'The lady of the house, my dear,'returned the Captain, in a gruff
whisper, and making signals of secrecy.'We had some words about the
swabbing of these here planks, and she--In short,' said the Captain,
eyeing the door, and relieving himself with a long breath, 'she stopped
my liberty.'

'Oh! I wish she had me to deal with!' said Susan, reddening with the
energy of the wish. 'I'd stop her!'

'Would you, do you, my dear?' rejoined the Captain, shaking his head
doubtfully, but regarding the desperate courage of the fair aspirant
with obvious admiration. 'I don't know. It's difficult navigation. She's
very hard to carry on with, my dear. You never can tell how she'll head,
you see. She's full one minute, and round upon you next. And when she in
a tartar,' said the Captain, with the perspiration breaking out upon
his forehead. There was nothing but a whistle emphatic enough for the
conclusion of the sentence, so the Captain whistled tremulously. After
which he again shook his head, and recurring to his admiration of Miss
Nipper's devoted bravery, timidly repeated, 'Would you, do you think, my
dear?'

Susan only replied with a bridling smile, but that was so very full of
defiance, that there is no knowing how long Captain Cuttle might have
stood entranced in its contemplation, if Florence in her anxiety had not
again proposed their immediately resorting to the oracular Bunsby. Thus
reminded of his