at the new craft and get back home again in time for
dinner.

A smart drive of an hour and a half landed us at the "George" in
Portsmouth, and we forthwith proceeded to the dockyard and on board.
The craft was still alongside the sheers, but her lower-masts were in
and rigged, the tops over the mast-heads, and the three topmasts all
ready for going aloft. She proved to be an 18-pounder 38-gun frigate,
with a flush upper-deck fore and aft, which presented a beautifully
spacious appearance to us who had been accustomed to the cramped look of
the "Juno's" upper-deck, cut into by the poop and topgallant-forecastle.
Her hull was very long, and rather lower in proportion than that of the
"Juno;" and her lines were as fine as it had been possible to make them.
The joiners were still busily at work upon the captain's cabin and the
gun-room, and everything was in a state of indescribable litter and
confusion, but I saw enough to satisfy me that my new ship was as fine a
craft of her class as ever slid off the stocks, and I looked forward to
a happy and stirring life on board her. Having taken a good look round
her in every part, shaken hands with little Smellie, and made the
acquaintance of the new mid, a little shrimp of a fellow named Fisher,
my uncle and I started for home again.

On the day but one following, Sir Peregrine and I trundled up to town to
see about my outfit, as there were several things I should require on
the West India station that had not been necessary in the Mediterranean.
On our return we found the skipper comfortably domiciled in his former
quarters. Things, he said, were going on so satisfactorily at
Portsmouth that he had felt no hesitation about leaving everything to
Mr Flinn and accepting an invitation--which my father had pressed upon
him on the occasion of his first visit--to spend Christmas at the
rectory, and to indulge in the unwonted luxury of a thorough rest.

My father was always busy with his parish-work, and Sir Peregrine's gout
precluded the possibility of his taking much outdoor exercise, so the
duty of entertaining our guest devolved almost wholly upon the girls and
myself. And I must say that our efforts in that direction appeared to
be crowned with signal success. We had a spin after the hounds once or
twice, and did a little shooting, but my superior officer appeared to
enjoy the skating-parties most, when the frost would allow us to indulge
in this pastime, and I could not hel