us. When we get into port, we shall tell Mr. Lowington that we wish to
present a silver pitcher to a gentleman on board, in token of our
appreciation of his kindness, &c., and ask him for half a sovereign each
from our funds."

"He will wish to know who the gentleman is."

"We can ask to be excused from telling him."

"I can manage that part of the business for you. Each of the fellows
shall give me an order on the principal for ten shillings, to be paid to
Dr. Winstock, who will buy the pitcher for you, if you like. He is
acquainted in Cork. I will give all the orders to the doctor, and he
will get the present without saying a word to Mr. Lowington until after
the presentation. Then he will have no chance to object, on the
suspicion that the gift is intended for him--don't you see?"

Paul Kendall entered into the project with a degree of enthusiasm which
was rather embarrassing to the conspirator.

"The fellows have been very secret about the thing," added Pelham.

"They must have been, or I should have heard something about it,"
replied Paul, innocently.

"No one but ourselves has known a thing about it till now. They have
formed a kind of secret society, and know each other by certain signs."

"But what was the voting for?"

"For orator of the day."

"For the fellow who is to present the pitcher and make the speech?"
added Paul.

"Yes."

"And Shuffles was chosen?"

"Yes, by a trick."

"You mean that no one but subscribers ought to have voted?"

"Precisely so."

"It was a mean trick."

"It was a sort of practical joke upon me, I suppose"

"I don't believe in practical jokes which need a lie to carry them
through."

"Well, Shuffles has the position, unless some of you fellows will help
me out. I wanted to make the speech, and without the nine votes which
you and other outsiders put in, I should have been chosen."

"What can we do?"

"I have a right to consider all the fellows that voted as members of the
society. The fact of their voting makes them members."

"I don't know anything about that."

"It's clear enough to me, and in a talk I had with Shuffles just now, he
didn't pretend to deny the correctness of my position."

"If he agrees, it must be all right," laughed Paul.

"If you had understood the matter, for whom should you have voted?"

"I don't know? but after the trick Shuffles played off upon you, I
should not vote for him."

"Very well; then you can change your vote."