he question of locality, he could place
the church, the schoolhouse and the hotel; and he seemed to have no
further knowledge of the town. When asked where his father lived, he
described a white house next to the church; but Flint knew that this had
been owned and occupied by the minister for many years.

"This man is a humbug," was the next sentence the first lieutenant
wrote, but he passed it to the captain. Christy wrote under it: "Tell
him that we are perfectly satisfied with his replies, and thank him for
his attendance;" which was done at once, and the captain smiled upon him
as though he had conducted himself with distinguished ability.

"Mulgrum has been in Cherryfield; but he could not have remained there
more than a day or two," said Flint, when the door had closed behind the
deaf mute.

The captain made a gesture to impose silence upon his companion.

"Mulgrum is all right in every respect," said he in a loud tone, so
that if the subject of the examination had stopped at the keyhole of the
door, he would not be made any the wiser for what he heard there.

"He knows Cherryfield as well as he knows the deck of the Bronx, and as
you say, Captain Passford, he is all right in every respect," added the
first lieutenant in the same loud tone. "Mulgrum is a well educated man,
captain, and you will have a great deal of writing to do: I suggest that
you bring him into your cabin, and make him your clerk."

"That is a capital idea, Mr. Flint, and I shall consider it," returned
the commander, making sure that the man at the door should hear him,
if Mulgrum lingered there. "I have a number of letters sent over from
England relating to blockade runners that I wish to have copied for the
use of any naval officers with whom I may fall in; and I have not the
time to do it myself."

"Mulgrum writes a very handsome hand, and no one could do the work any
better than he."

Christy thought enough had been said to satisfy the curiosity of Mulgrum
if he was still active in seeking information, and both of the officers
were silent. The captain had enough to think of to last him a long
while. The result of the inquiry into the auditory and vocal powers of
the scullion, as Flint called him, had convinced him that the deaf mute
was a fraud. He had no doubt that he could both speak and hear as well
as the rest of the ship's company. But the puzzling question was in
relation to the reason why he pretended to be deaf and dumb. If h