r
shall we be able to make a start."

Without further loss of time Hamilton tiptoed to the door of the
skipper's state-room, and, having very gently turned the handle and
looked in, beckoned me to enter.

"Mr Grenvile to see you, sir," said the surgeon, ushering me in.

"Ah, Mr Grenvile, come in; I am glad to see you," said the poor fellow,
extending his hand to me. "Make room for yourself on that sofa locker
there; never mind my clothes, pitch them down anywhere, I shall never
want them again."

"Oh, I don't know, sir!" said I, affecting to misunderstand him, as I
took the garments one by one and hung them upon hooks screwed to the
bulkhead. "This coat, for instance," said I, holding it up, "will clean
very well, I should think, but the waistcoat and trousers--well, I'm
afraid you will need new ones, for these seem to be past repairing."

"You misunderstand me, Grenvile," he said. "But never mind, we'll not
talk about that just now; I have other and more important matters that I
wish to speak about. And first of all, as to our losses, I fear they
have been very heavy, have they not?"

"No, sir," said I. "On the contrary, they are very light indeed,
compared with those of the enemy. We have lost only five killed and
eleven wounded, your case being the most serious of the latter, and
Hamilton tells me that he hopes to have all hands of you up and as
hearty as ever within the month."

"Does he--does he really say that? God be thanked for that good news!"
exclaimed the poor fellow with more energy than I could have expected
from a man presenting such a ghastly appearance as he did. For his
cheeks were sunken, and white as chalk, and his lips were quite blue.
"The fact is, Grenvile," he continued, "that I don't want to die yet, if
I can help it; not that I am not prepared to die, if it be God's will to
take me, for, thanks be to Him, I am ready to go at any moment, if the
call should come, as all men should be, especially soldiers and sailors,
who are peculiarly liable to receive their summons at a moment's notice.
No, it is not that, but I should like to live a little longer, if it
might be so, for--for many reasons, the chief of which is that I have a
wife at home--whose--whose heart--"

The dear fellow was getting a little excited, I saw, and that, of
course, would be bad for him, so I cut in:

"Never fear, sir," I exclaimed cheerily. "You will ride this squall out
all right, I've not a doubt of it.