e'll be himself again, and ready to forget his trouble."

"I don't think he will, father."

"Don't you? Then I do. I have had more experience of boys than you
have, and I have learned how Nature in her kindness made them. Look
here, Poole, I believe for the time that boys feel trouble more keenly
than do men, but Nature won't let it last. The young twig will bend
nearly double, and spring up again. The old stick snaps."

The skipper walked away, leaving his son thinking.

"I don't believe father's right," he said. "Fitz doesn't seem like most
boys that I have met. Poor chap, it does seem hard! I don't think I
ever felt so bad as he must now. I wish I hadn't had to come away, for
it was only an excuse on father's part. He doesn't want me. It was
only to leave the poor chap alone."

Acting upon these thoughts, Poole tried to think out some excuse for
going down to the cabin again as soon as he could. But as no reasonable
excuse offered itself, he waited till the half-hour was expired, and
then went down without one, opened the cabin-door gently, and gravely
stepped in, to stop short, staring in astonishment at the change which
had come over his patient, for he was sitting bent down with his hands
upon his knees at the edge of his berth, swinging his legs to and fro,
with every trace of suffering gone out of the eyes which looked up
sharply.

If Poole Reed was surprised at the midshipman's appearance, he was far
more so at his tones and words.

"Hallo!" he cried. "Thought you'd gone to fetch those fishing-lines."

"I--I--Oh, yes, I'll get them directly," stammered Poole.

"Look sharp, then. The fish are playing about here like fun. I saw one
spring right out of the water just now after a shoal. The little ones
look like silver, and the big chap was all blue and gold."

"All right; I won't be long," cried Poole, and he hurried out, letting
the door bang behind him.

"Well, I was a fool to worry myself about a chap like that. Why, he
doesn't feel it a bit."

But Poole Reed was not a good judge of human nature. He could not see
the hard fight that was going on behind that eager face, nor how the
well-trained boy had called upon his pride to carry him through this
struggle with his fate.

Poole thought no more of his patient's condition, but hurried to the
boatswain, who scowled at him fiercely.

"What!" he said. "Fishing-lines? Can't you find nothing else to do,
young fellow, on board this