Not that I am afraid; but my wife is nervous, and the Rectory faces

the sea so much. If you have ordered away the Leda, which seems to have

conquered both of them, the least you can do is to keep Captain Stubbard

under arms all night in his battery."

"I have a great mind to do so; it would be a good idea, for he was very

much inclined to cut up rough to-day. But he never would forgive me, he

is such a hog at hammock--as we used to say, until we grew too elegant.

And he knows that the Blonde has hauled down her colours, and Scudamore

is now prize-captain. I have sent away most of her crew in the Leda, and

I am not at all sure that we ought not to blow her up. In the end, we

shall have to do so, no doubt; for nothing larger than a smack has ever

got off that sand, and floated. But let our young friend try; let him

have a fair trial. He has the stuff of a very fine seaman in him. And if

he should succeed, it would be scored with a long leg for him. Halloa!

Why, I thought the girls were fast asleep long ago!"

"As if we could sleep, papa, with this upon our minds!" Dolly waved an

open letter in the air, and then presented it. "Perhaps Faith might, but

I am sure I never could. You defied us to make out this, which is on the

other leaf; and then, without giving us fair play, you took it to the

desk in your Oak-room, and there you left it. Well, I took the liberty

of going there for it, for there can't be any secret about a thing that

will be printed; and how are they to print it, if they can't contrive to

read it? How much will you pay me for interpreting, papa? Mr. Twemlow,

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