sed in the hall while Tim was relieving me
of my cloak and hat. He now preceded me to the library, at the door of
which he knocked, and then, flinging open the portal, he announced me.

"Master Ralph, Sir Peregrine."

I passed into the lofty apartment, its walls lined from floor to ceiling
with well-stocked book-shelves, and found the worthy knight seated in
his own particular old easy-chair, with one foot--ominously swathed in
flannel--reposing upon another; his specs on his nose, and the gazette
in his hand.

He looked round with a start as my name was mentioned, shaded his eyes
with his hand for an instant, as his eyes fell upon my advancing figure,
and then--forgetting all about his gout--started to his feet with both
hands outstretched.

"Why, Ralph! My dear boy, where--_con_found this gout! It _always_
attacks me at exactly the wrong moment--but never mind; what cloud have
you dropped from?"

"From no cloud at all, my dear sir, but just from an ordinary post-
chaise, in which I have come up from Portsmouth. How are you, sir? I
hope you have nothing worse than the gout to complain of. Wish you were
free of _that_, for it must be very troublesome."

"Troublesome enough, my boy, you may take my word for that; but the
present attack is luckily very trifling--a mere fleabite, in fact. And
how are you? You don't look particularly bright, rather the reverse,
indeed; and what is the matter with your arm?"

Thereupon I gave him a hasty outline of my story, so far at least as the
cruise in the "Vigilant" was concerned; and then old Richards, the
butler, brought in the supper; serving it, by Sir Peregrine's orders, in
the library, so that we might not be disturbed or my yarn interrupted by
passing from one room to another.

We sat until close upon three o'clock a.m., my uncle forgetting all
about bed in his anxiety to hear full particulars of my doings since I
had last parted from him. At length, however, he glanced at the clock
upon the mantelpiece, and at once pulled me up short.

"There, there! that will do for to-night, my dear boy. I've forgotten
everything in listening to you, and have allowed you to talk all this
time instead of sending you straight off to your bunk, as I ought to
have done, and you with a broken arm, too. But I am delighted to have
heard all that you have told me--the gazette tells one nothing--and I
can afford you the satisfaction of knowing that your name has attracted
attenti