t and return to Billy Gaff, the charming child,
_alias_ the Bu'ster.

Billy deserves to be somewhat particularly introduced, because, besides
being an actor in this tale, he was a boy of strong character. If I
were to sum him up and reduce the total to a concentrated essence, the
result would be a sentence to the following effect:--Billy Gaff had a
will of his own! Perhaps I should say a very strong will of his own.
For instance, he, on several different occasions, willed to screw off
the spout of the family tea-pot, a pewter one, and, having willed to do
it, he did it. Again he willed, more than once, to smash a pane of
glass in the solitary window of the family mansion, and he _did_ smash a
pane of glass in that window; nay, more, in consequence of being
heartily whacked for the deed, he immediately willed to smash, _and_
smashed, a second pane, and was proceeding to will and smash a third
when he was caught up by his mother, beaten almost into the condition of
a mummy, and thrust under the clothes of the family bed, which
immediately creaked as if with convulsions, and tossed its blankets
about in apparent agony.

On the present occasion the Bu'ster had awakened out of a sound sleep to
the conviction that he was hungry. Observing the loaf on the table, he
immediately willed to have a second supper, and arising, donned his
father's pea-jacket, in order to enjoy the meal more thoroughly.

It was the sudden removal of the said loaf by his mother to an
unreachable shelf that induced the youthful Billy to stand in the middle
of the room and howl, as already described.

He was still engaged in emulating the storm, and Mrs Gaff, utterly
indifferent to him, had cast another glance at the horrified clock, and
remarked to her little girl Tottie, that "Uncle John must have found
work on the shore, for he was long of coming," when a heavy tread was
heard in the little porch outside the door.

"Hold yer noise," said Mrs Gaff sternly.

Billy obeyed, not by any means in consequence of the command, but
because he was curious to know who was about to enter, and meant to
resume yelling immediately after his curiosity on this point should be
satisfied.

The door opened, and a strong-built seaman stepped into the room, and
looked at the family with a quiet smile on his sunburnt face. His hair
and garments were dripping with water, as if he had just walked out of
the sea.

On beholding him the family rose and stood for a m