y, do you want to take a hand?"

"Bet your life I do!" exclaimed the boy. "That's what I've come up to
talk about. Momma says that you won't let me help because I'm not
amenable to discipline, and you're afraid that I won't do as I'm told.
If I promise you, on my word of honour as a gentleman, that I'll do
exactly as you tell me, will you let me come in?"

"Certainly I will, and be delighted to have your help," I replied.

"Then it's a deal," repeated the lad, again offering his hand.

I must confess that I was both puzzled and astounded at the sudden and
amazing change that had come over the boy; but the secret soon came out.
It appeared that both his mother and his sister had been talking to him
as it seemed he had never before been talked to in his life. They had
told him a number of home truths in language that it seemed there was no
possibility of misunderstanding; and they had done all this so
convincingly that the dormant spirit of good that was in him had been
effectually awakened. The withering scorn with which his sister had
commented upon his behaviour in general and the offensive and
contemptible traits of character that he had flaunted so flagrantly in
all our faces had scorched and shrivelled his boyish soul; the picture
of himself as others saw him was so repulsive that he had been
overwhelmed with shame and--better still--repentance, and, if he was to
be believed, had caused him to determine upon an altogether new line of
action for the future.

Scorn, contempt, contumely, dislike, are disagreeable things to swallow,
and now that his mother and sister had drawn aside the veil and allowed
him to get a glimpse of their real opinion of him, it was rather more
than he could bear. His pride and self-respect had been grievously
hurt; he did not like to be despised and detested, so he was going now
to make everybody respect and admire him. I had no very great faith in
this conversion, I must confess--it seemed altogether too sudden to be
genuine; but I was not going to say or do anything that might neutralise
any good that might have been done. I listened with interest to all
that the boy had to say, and replied encouragingly and sympathetically;
and so the time passed until Lizette appeared to summon us to luncheon,
when the junk was still some two miles in the offing, and working in
very slowly. There was no sign of any intention to hoist out boats, or
attempt to communicate with us in any way, so