itz Barry, taking his hand, "I want very
much again to see my kind father, and my dear little sister Nora, whom I
have told you about, and my cousin Sophy; and do you know, I think I
shall see them before long. The last letter I got from home, my father
told me that he expected to obtain an appointment as governor of one of
the West India islands. It is not a thing he would have accepted under
ordinary circumstances, but the truth is, I suspect, that it has been
very expensive living in Ireland for the last few years, and he thinks
it will be wise to economise a little. I do not know much about these
things; he has supplied me liberally with money, and that is all I have
to think about. I believe Captain Falkner expects to see him out here,
for he spoke of him the other day, and you know, I do not mind telling
you, that I believe our skipper is going to marry Sophy one of these
days. I am sure you would like her and my sister if you ever were to
see them. I do not know which you would like best. Nora is a very
sweet little girl, or at least, by the bye, she must have grown since I
left home a good deal. She is older than I am rather, and so fair and
gentle, but she has not the spirit of Sophy, or her cleverness; Sophy is
a wonderfully clever girl, she draws so well. She used to make such
beautiful portraits of people. However, I must not praise her too much,
or you may possibly be disappointed."

Denham told Fitz Barry that he should very much like to be introduced to
his relations; "but you know," he observed, "I am afraid they will think
very little of me when they hear that I was a boy before the mast. I
tell you, Barry, we are messmates, and therefore it is right that we
should be equal; but from what I have learned, that will not do on
shore; people think there a good deal about the difference of rank, and
if I was to make my appearance among some of those great people, they
might treat me in a way that I should not at all like. I have become
very proud, I am afraid, since I have been placed on the quarter-deck,
not for myself, perhaps, so much, but for the honour of the rank I bear,
for the cloth, even though I am as yet but a midshipman."

Fitz Barry smiled faintly, and answered languidly, "O, no fear of that;
I am sure my father and Sophy are not a bit proud; and as to Nora, I
don't think she has a particle of that sort of thing in her; so when
they come, you must promise to let me make you known to