ly with Sam,
because he was an old acquaintance, and with Harry, because he was True
Blue's brother officer. And then True Blue told Harry that Mrs Ogle
could put him up, and would be right glad to do so; and then that he
could take Sam to Mrs Pringle's, so that they should have him always to
play to them; which were very pleasant arrangements, and seemed to give
infinite satisfaction to all parties concerned. It was extraordinary
how long it took to get under weigh again; but at last True Blue, with
his bags and some of his treasures, did find his way to his adopted
grandmother's, and a warm welcome did the dear old lady give him, and
did not scold him in the least for inquiring first at Mrs Ogle's where
she lived, seeing that he did not know when he went to the door that it
was Mrs Ogle's.

Sam and the monkey, and two of the parrots, with the cage birds, took up
their residence at Mrs Pringle's. True Blue, accompanied by Harry,
paid a visit to Mrs Bush and her family; and the whole party assembled,
as they had done several years before, at Mrs Ogle's, which had
certainly the handsomest room in it, and Sam Smatch brought his fiddle;
and a very merry evening they had, the only drawback being that the
three elder warrant-officers were unable to be present, as their duties
kept them on board their ships.

They had tea and cakes, and bread and butter, and preserves, and
water-cresses; and then Sam screwed up his fiddle, and to work went his
bow, his head nodding and his timber toe beating time, while he played
the merriest of all merry country-dances and the most vehement of
hornpipes.

True Blue had not danced a hornpipe for many a long year,--it would not
have been dignified while he was a boatswain,--but he had not forgotten
how to do so. That he very soon showed, to the satisfaction of all
present, especially to that of Mary, and not a little to that of Sam
Smatch, who, in defiance of all the rules of etiquette, kept shouting,
"Bravo, Billy--well done, Billy--keep at it, boy! I taught him, dat I
did--dat's it. I played de first tune to him he ever danced to. Bravo,
Billy! You do my heart good--dat you do. Hurray! hurray! Billy True
Blue for ever in dancing a hornpipe!"

As the dancing could not last all the evening, the parrots and the
monkey and a considerable portion of the contents of the bags were
brought in to be exhibited, and, as it proved, to be distributed among
the owner's old friends.

True