worse than wot Harris's ways are," commented
Captain Barber.

"I can understand you being careful," said Captain Nibletts; "she's the
prettiest little craft that ever sailed out of Seabridge. You can't be
too careful.".

"If things 'ad been different," said the gratified owner, rolling his
whisky round his mouth and swallowing it gently, "I'd have liked you to
have 'ad her."

"Thankee," said Nibletts, quietly.

There was a pause, during which both men eyed the noble specimens
of fish which are preserved for tavern parlours. Captain Barber took
another sip of whisky.

"I'm going to use my own judgment, Nibletts," he said slowly. "I've
always rose superior to the opinions of other people. There's nobody you
know would give you a ship. _I'm_ going to give you the _Foam!_"

Captain Nibletts, rising from his seat, crossed over, and taking his
hand, thanked him in broken accents for this overpowering expression of
confidence in him. Then he walked back, and taking his whisky from the
table, threw it on the floor.

"I've had enough of that," he said briefly. "When am I to take her over,
Cap'n Barber?"

"So soon as ever you please," said his benefactor. "Old Ben'll stay on
as mate; Fraser's gone."

Captain Nibletts thanked him again, and, clapping on his hard hat,
passed hastily into the bar, his small visage twisted into a smile,
to which it had long been a stranger. With the customers in the bar he
exchanged remarks of so frivolous a nature in passing that the landlady
nearly dropped the glass she was wiping, and then, crimson with
indignation, as the door swung behind him, realised that the melancholy
and usually respectful Nibletts had thought fit to publicly address her
as "Gertie."

In the same high spirits the new master swung hastily down the road
to his new command. Work had already commenced, and the energetic Ben,
having been pushed over once by a set of goods in the slings owing to
the frantic attempts of the men at the hand-crane to keep pace with his
demands, was shouting instructions from a safe distance. He looked round
as Nibletts stepped aboard, and, with a wary eye on the crane, bustled
towards him.

"Wot can we do for you, Cap'n Nibletts?" he enquired, with a patronising
air.

"I'm to be master," replied the other, quietly.

"_You?_" said Ben, with offensive astonishment, as he saw the death of
his own ambitious hopes in that quarter. "You to be master?"

Nibletts nodded and coloured. "Ca