er you did, but her mother stopped
on. She went very suddenly when she did go, and was very mysterious
about it. Not that I want to know her business."

"Mysterious?" faltered the captain.

"Some young man came to the door," continued the innocent woman, "and
they were talking in a low voice. I don't know who it was, because Mrs.
Banks let me see quite plainly that she didn't want me to know. Then she
just called out 'Goodnight,' and went off as fast as you please."

Captain Barber supported himself for a moment by the handle of his door,
and then in a dazed way blundered into his room. He was a good-hearted
man in a way, and pushing open the little casement he thrust out his
head and sighed with genuine feeling as he thought of his poor old
friend plodding slowly to Mapleden. Incidentally he felt a little bit
sorry for Mr. William Green.

He was awaked next morning after a somewhat restless night by the sounds
of an unwonted noise downstairs, and lay in amazement listening to a hum
of excited voices below. Knuckles rapped on his door and the voice of
Mrs. Church, much agitated, requested him to rise and attire himself.

He was out of bed at that and looking from the window. A small group
of children stood in the road outside the house, while Joe and the cook
with their arms on the fence were staring hard at his parlour window,
occasionally varying the proceedings by a little conversation with the
people next door, who were standing in their front garden. In a state of
considerable agitation he hurriedly dressed himself and went downstairs.

His sitting-room was full. Mrs. Banks, looking very tired, was sitting
in the arm-chair taking smelling-salts at intervals, and staring
fiercely at Mr. William Green, who was huddled in a corner smiling
sheepishly behind Captain Nibletts and Ben.

"What's all this?" demanded Captain Barber, in a trembling voice, as his
eye met Mr. Green's.

Several of Mrs. Banks's relatives began speaking at once, assisted by
some of the neighbours. The substance of their remarks was that a man.
whose polite tongue hid the falseness of his heart, had lured Mrs. Banks
for a four-mile walk to Mapleden late the preceding night under the
pretence that Captain Barber, who was evidently hale and hearty, was
lying ill at the Cauliflower. They demanded his immediate dismissal from
the ship and his exemplary punishment by the law.

"What 'ave you got to say to this?" demanded Captain Barber of the