ing the gentleman had a fancy for ships and flowers, and the colour
being blue, which stands for sailors, it did seem the sort o' thing you
were just a-wishing for.'

'But, Pete,' said Godfrey, as if hardly daring to believe in so grand
an idea, 'do you think that sort of gentleman would be likely to be
using wafers?'

'Bound to, sir,' said Pete promptly; 'you see, he'd be writing to the
Admiral about all the fine things him and his ship was doing, and
besides he'd be writing home to folks he was fond of, folks that
thought about him, and--and gave him presents and such like.'

'Oh no, Pete, no,' said Godfrey, almost breathless, 'he wouldn't be
writing to those sort of people. But really, Pete, I do think the box
is very, very beautiful; and do you think--do you think he would be
offended if I gave it to him?'

'I'll warrant he'd be as pleased as you like, Master Godfrey,' said
Pete heartily; 'he's not the sort to take offence, isn't the captain.
Why, bless you, Nancy brought him in a few berries out o' the hedges on
Sunday and he made such a work with them as you never saw.' Pete had
dropped the little fiction about the gentleman in his interest, and
Godfrey did not object.

'I'm very, very much obliged to you, Pete,' he said earnestly; 'I'm as
happy as ever I can be. Good-night, dear Pete, and thank you very,
very much.'

And so came Christmas, the children's festival, touching home life and
child life with its great majesty and beauty. Can any one dare to
despise simple things and simple souls when all Christendom comes
adoring to a poor cradle and angels stoop to sing carols to shepherd
folk? Some such thoughts came into Angelica Wyndham's mind when Nancy
ran over on Christmas Eve, very eager and excited, with the captain's
compliments, and would Mr. Crayshaw and the young ladies and Master
Godfrey dine with him next day; and, please, she did hope they would
come, for they were all going to have snap-dragon, and the captain had
sent her out with such a lot of money to buy the raisins. And Angel
wondered whether after all it was not surprising but right and natural
that the captain should care for such things. Wasn't it the Christmas
lesson that the great and the simple lie close together, and that the
men who are foremost in the midst of death and danger have room in
their hearts for children and flowers and home joys and Christmas games
as well? And then Cousin Crayshaw had said he would go, and had