s he spoke, and held out his
hands.

"Let me have one oar, Lenny," he said. "I want to try and learn to
row."

"Rather too hot for you, won't it be, sir?" said the man, smiling.

"It is hot; but I can leave off if I'm tired," replied Jack.

"Here you are then, sir," said the man; "I'm stroke, and you bow, so you
take your time from me, and hittings in the back don't count fair."

The next minute they were rowing slowly back toward the yacht, with the
doctor looking on very silent and thoughtful, as he furtively watched
the young oarsman.

"Boat ahoy!" came at last from the yacht's deck. "What sport? Caught
anything?"

Jack answered in the familiar old way in which fishermen do reply to
that question.

"_No_!"

"Tired, Jack?" said his father, as the boat grazed the yacht's side.

"A little--not much," replied the lad; and he sprang on deck actively
enough, and ready for the dinner which was to follow in due course.

"Brayvo! Mr Jack, sir!" said Edward, who had followed him to his
cabin. "I never see anything like the way you're going on now. It's
grand, that it is."

"Look here, Ned," cried the boy, flushing; "do you want to offend me?"

"Offend you, sir? Why, of course not. I said it to please you."

"Well, it doesn't please me a bit," cried Jack. "I don't like flattery,
so don't do it again."

"Why, that ain't flattery, sir," cried the man indignantly; "that's
plain honest truth, sir, and it was because I felt so proud of you."

"Why?" said Jack sharply.

"Because of what you used to be a bit ago, sir. Why, a couple of months
back I wouldn't have believed it, for you were just like a great--"

The man's tongue had run away with him, and he now pulled up short.

"Well, like a great what?" said Jack.

The man set his teeth hard and compressed his lips now it was too late.

"Why don't you speak, sir?"

"Beg pardon, Mr Jack, sir," stammered the man.

"I know what you were going to say," cried Jack angrily. "You were
going to say that I was like a great girl. Now then--the truth. You
were going to say that, were you not?"

"Well, sir?"

"Speak out, or I'll never believe in you again, Ned."

"Don't say that, Mr Jack, sir. I didn't mean to make you cross. I
only spoke because I was so proud to see you picking up so, and getting
to be such a man."

"A man now!" cried Jack sharply. "You were going to say a great girl a
little while ago."

Edward was silent.

"Once more, wil