n himself and his late skipper. He
rose and crossed to the door.

"Jem," he cried, "come downstairs and show Captain Nugent out."

There was a breathless pause. Captain Nugent ground his teeth with fury
as he saw the challenge, and realized the ridiculous position into which
his temper had led him; and the other, who was also careful of
appearances, repented the order the moment he had given it. Matters had
now, however, passed out of their hands, and both men cast appraising
glances at each other's form. The only one who kept his head was Master
Hardy, and it was a source of considerable relief to both of them when,
from the top of the stairs, the voice of that youthful Solomon was heard
declining in the most positive terms to do anything of the kind.

Captain Hardy repeated his command. The only reply was the violent
closing of a door at the top of the house, and after waiting a short time
he led the way to the front door himself.

"You will regret your insolence before I have done with you," said his
visitor, as he paused on the step. "It's the old story of a beggar on
horseback."

"It's a good story," said Captain Hardy, "but to my mind it doesn't come
up to the one about Humpty-Dumpty. Good-night."

CHAPTER III

If anything was wanted to convince Captain Nugent that his action had
been foolish and his language intemperate it was borne in upon him by the
subsequent behaviour of Master Hardy. Generosity is seldom an attribute
of youth, while egotism, on the other hand, is seldom absent. So far
from realizing that the captain would have scorned such lowly game,
Master Hardy believed that he lived for little else, and his
Jack-in-the-box ubiquity was a constant marvel and discomfort to that
irritable mariner. Did he approach a seat on the beach, it was Master
Hardy who rose (at the last moment) to make room for him. Did he stroll
down to the harbour, it was in the wake of a small boy looking coyly at
him over his shoulder. Every small alley as he passed seemed to contain
a Jem Hardy, who whizzed out like a human firework in front of him, and
then followed dancing on his toes a pace or two in his rear.

This was on week-days; on the Sabbath Master Hardy's daring ingenuity led
him to still further flights. All the seats at the parish church were
free, but Captain Nugent, whose admirable practice it was to take his
entire family to church, never thoroughly realized how free they were
until Mast