rate act; and we made every effort,
immediately after breakfast, to discover the place of his retreat.
Being St Michael's day, it was a whole holiday, and we were thus enabled
to devote the entire day to the quest. It has been extremely rainy
throughout; but when we returned, two hours ago, exhausted and wet to
the skin, after a fruitless search, we found him, dry and warm, awaiting
us in the hall. This was some relief; but judge of our feelings when we
discovered that the shameless boy had put on my camlet-cloak and
overalls--they had been missing, and I had been obliged to go without
them! he had taken Mrs Staines's large umbrella, and had waited for us,
from breakfast time, round the corner, under the confident assurance
that we should go to look for him. Sir, it has been his amusement to
follow us about all day, gratifying his malevolent feelings with the
spectacle of our exposure to the elements, our weariness, our
ever-increasing anxiety! You will not wonder after this, sir--'"

"There, that will do," once more exclaimed the skipper, throwing aside
the letter with a chuckle of amusement. "I must say I don't wonder at
the doctor's refusing to keep him any more after that! Well, his father
wanted him to be a sailor, and maybe he won't make a bad one. Only we
must have none of his tricks on board ship. I'll have a talk with him,
when I can spare the time. That's settled. And now I can see Dr Lavie
about this other lad, young Warley. Hallo there, Matthews, tell the
doctor I am at liberty now."

In a few minutes the person named was ushered into Captain Wilmore's
presence. The new comer was a gentlemanly and well-looking young man,
and bore a good character, so far as he was known, in the ship. The
captain was pleased with his appearance, and felt at the moment more
than usually gracious--possibly in consequence of his recent mirth over
George Gilbert's exploits. He spoke with unusual kindness.

"Well, doctor, what can I do for you? You have come to speak to me
about young Ernest Warley, I think?"

"Yes, Captain Wilmore, I want to ask your advice. His father was the
best friend I ever had. He took me by the hand when I was left an
orphan without a sixpence, and put me to school, and took care of me.
When he was dying, he made me promise to do my best for his boy, as he
had for me. But I'm afraid I can't do that, glad as I should be to do
it, if I could--"

"But I don't understand, doctor. Old Wa