particularly like
to see?"

True Blue thought a little. "Yes, indeed there is, Sir Henry," he
answered. "There is one thing I'd rather see than anything else. It is
what I have always longed to have a sight of, and that is His Majesty
the King we fight for. Paul Pringle says he would go a hundred miles
any day to see him; and so would I--two hundred for that matter. Every
true sailor is ready enough to shed his blood for him, marm; but we
should all of us like to see him just once, at all events."

"I daresay that we shall be able to manage that without difficulty,"
said Lady Elmore. "His Majesty will probably soon come up to deliver a
speech in Parliament, and we shall then have a good opportunity of
seeing him."

This promise highly delighted True Blue; and he evidently looked forward
to seeing the King with more satisfaction than to any sight he expected
to witness during his visit to London.

True Blue was taken one evening to the play, but, unfortunately, what
was called a naval drama was acted. Here both he and the midshipman
were well qualified to criticise. He certainly was the more severe.

"Does that fellow call himself a sailor, marm?" he asked, turning to
Lady Elmore. "Don't believe it. He isn't a bit more like a sailor than
that thing they are hauling across the deck is like a ship--that is to
say, any ship I ever saw. If she came to be launched, she'd do nothing
but go round boxing the compass till she went to the bottom. Would she,
Sir Henry?"

The midshipman was highly diverted. "The manager little thought that he
had us to criticise his arrangements," he answered, laughing. "The play
is only got up for the amusement of landsmen, and to show them how we
sailors fight for them."

"But wouldn't they like us to go and do that just now ourselves, Sir
Henry?" exclaimed True Blue with eagerness. "If they'd give us a
cutlass apiece, and would get those Frenchmen we saw just now to stand
up like men, we would show them how we boarded and took the French
frigate in our first cruise."

Lady Elmore said she thought some confusion might be created if the
proposal was carried out, and persuaded True Blue to give up the idea.
When, however, one of the stage sailors came on and volunteered to dance
a hornpipe, his indignation knew no bounds. "He's not a true
bluejacket--that I'll warrant!" he exclaimed. "If he was, he wouldn't
be handling his feet in the way he is doing. I should so like to