quite so
grateful to you as he ought to be I beg that you will not think badly of
him, Walter. Having been unconscious all the time that he was in the
water, I can quite understand--cannot you?--that he is unable to
appreciate very clearly the awful risk you ran in effecting his rescue,
and the magnitude of his indebtedness to you. And--yes--there is
another thing. He is an only son--and--well, I am beginning to think
that perhaps we have all united together to spoil him a bit, so that,
you see--"

The poor lady was becoming more and more embarrassed with every word she
uttered, I therefore thought it high time to come to her relief; so I
said:

"Dear madam, I beg that you will not distress yourself by attempting any
further explanation. I see exactly how the matter stands; and believe
me, I shall not be in the smallest degree disappointed if I find that
Julius's gratitude is less eloquent in its expression than your own.
After all, he is still very young; he has no knowledge of what actually
happened, except what you have told him; and I doubt very much whether
any boy of his age possesses the capacity to conjure up a very lively
feeling of gratitude for an obligation of which he knows nothing except
from hearsay. Therefore I hope that you will not allow yourself to
worry over any seeming lukewarmness on his part."

"Thank you, Walter; a thousand thanks!" she said, laying her hand upon
my arm. "It is generous of you to feel about it as you do, and it
increases the load of my obligation to you. But I see that you
perfectly understand, so I will say no more about it. As soon as Dr
Harper says you can see Julius, I will send for you."

The interview with Julius took place shortly after six bells in the
forenoon watch, the boy's mother and the doctor being present; and after
what the former had said to me by way of preparation, I was not at all
surprised to find that Master Julius's thanks were expressed in a very
perfunctory, offhand manner, with not much of the ring of sincerity
about them. But I made allowances for him, for I saw that the lad was
still only in the early stage of convalescence; also, it was perfectly
clear that he did not in the least realise the fact that he had all but
lost his life.

The cabin in which he lay was very large, light, airy, and most
beautifully furnished, with every convenience and luxury that the most
fastidious person could possibly desire; and it was quite painful to s