, father. You said he was a very smart
boy; and not one in a hundred young fellows takes hold of business with
so much energy and good judgment. I am sure, if you had not said so much
in his favor, I shouldn't have thought half so much of him," argued
Nellie.

"I don't blame you for thinking well of him, my child," interposed her
father. "I only hope you are not becoming too much interested in him."

"I only like him as a good-hearted, noble fellow," added Nellie, with a
deeper blush than before, for she could not help understanding just what
her father meant.

"He appears to be a very good-hearted fellow now; but he is young, and
has not yet fully developed his character. He may yet turn out to be a
worthless fellow, dissolute and dishonest," continued the captain.

"Don John!" exclaimed Nellie, utterly unwilling to accept such a
supposition.

"Even Don John. I can recall more than one young man, who promised as
well as he does, that turned out very badly; and men fully developed in
character, sustaining the highest reputations in the community, have
been detected in the grossest frauds. I trust Don John will realize the
hopes of his friends; but we must not be too positive."

"I can't believe that Don John will ever become a bad man," protested
Nellie.

"We don't know. 'Put not your trust in princes,' in our day and nation,
might read, 'Put not your trust in young men.'"

"Why do you say all this, father?" asked Nellie, anxiously. "Has Don
John done anything wrong; or is he suspected of doing anything wrong?"

"He is at least suspected," replied Captain Patterdale.

"Why, father!"

"You need not be in haste to condemn him, or even to think ill of him,
Nellie."

"I certainly shall not."

"There is the white cross of Denmark," added the captain, holding up the
bank bill which had told him such a terrible story about the
boat-builder.

"What is it, father? It looks like a bank note."

"It is; but there is the white cross of Denmark on it."

"I don't understand what you mean."

"I only mean that these white slips of paper make the bill look like the
flag of Denmark."

Nellie took the bill and examined it.

"It has been torn into four pieces and mended," said she.

"That is precisely how it happens to be the white cross of Denmark. Do
you think, if you had ever seen that bill before, you would recognize it
again, if it fell into your hands?" added the captain.

"Certainly I should."

"Well, it