he drawing-room, while the Skipper saw his mother slip
something, that looked like a yellow sixpence, into the man's big hand.

"Good-bye, and thank you, Jeffs," she said hurriedly, and her voice
sounded broken. "I pray that you may have a good voyage."

"Then we shall, ma'am, and bless and thank you, but there ain't no need
for this."

"For all you have done for my children," said Bob's mother.

"For that, ma'am! Why, it's been holidays and holidays to come up here,
and bless 'em too.--May I, ma'am?"

"Yes, please do," cried Mrs. Trevor, in a choking voice, and the man
caught up Dot.

"Good-bye, my little dymond," he cried huskily.

"Good-bye, 'Jack.' Come and see us again soon," cried Dot, responding
to his kiss, and tickling her little pinky nose with "Jack's" whiskers,
for it was like kissing some loose cocoa-nut fibre.

"Good-bye, Master Robert," the man continued; and the Skipper shook
hands with him, like a man.

"Good-bye, 'Jack': when are you coming again?"

The sailor looked at him with a peculiar expression of countenance, and
was silent for a few moments.

"Next time," he said huskily, and, making a rough bow, he caught up a
small portmanteau standing ready, and hurried out of the house, while
the Skipper's mother bit her lower lip, hard, as she turned away, to
hide her swimming eyes.

"What's Mamma crying for?" asked Dot.

"She wasn't crying," said the Skipper gloomily, but, he felt she was
ready to do so, and he turned to go into the drawing-room, after
opening the door a little way, feeling all the while that his mother's
looks were all on account of his behaviour.

Just then the boy stood perfectly still, for there was a burst of
pitiable sobs, and he heard his mother say, in answer to some whispered
words of the Captain's--"I do try, dear, but it seems so hard, so very
hard."

CHAPTER IV.

The next morning at breakfast the Skipper noticed that his mother
looked as if she had been crying again, and the sight came like a chill
over the boy.

"But she isn't very angry with me," he thought the next moment, for she
kissed him eagerly. "It's only because she's sorry. I'm never going to
make her unhappy again, though," he thought, as he went on to shake
hands with his father.

"Morning, Bob," said the Captain, pressing his boy's hand hard, and
then turning to Dot, whom he jumped up so as to kiss her lovingly.

That was a very dull breakfast, for the sad looks of Captain and Mrs