he Captain asks disappointedly.

"No, no. I don't think she will. I have stooped as much as an Admiral
ought to, by presenting my sentiments almost--er--you might say
emotionally, but without success; and now really I----"

"Well, it must be your rank which dazzles her," the Captain suggests,
and thinks how he would like to take a cat-o'-nine-tails to her.

"She is coming on deck," Sir Joseph says, softly, "and we might watch
her unobserved a moment. Her actions while she thinks herself alone,
may reveal something to us that we should like to know"; and Sir
Joseph and the Captain step behind a convenient coil of rope while
Josephine walks about in agitation and sings to herself how reckless
she is to leave her luxurious home with her father, for an attic
that, likely as not, will not even be "finished off."

Of course Sir Joseph and her father do not understand a word of this,
but they understand that she is disturbed, and Sir Joseph steps up and
asks her outright, if his rank overwhelms her. He assures her that it
need not, because there is no difference of rank to be observed among
those of her Majesty's Navy--which he doesn't mean at all except for
one occasion only, of course. At the same time, it is an admirable
plea for his rival Ralph.

Now it is rapidly becoming time for the elopement, and Josephine
pretends to accept Sir Joseph's suit at last, in order to get rid of
him at half-past ten. He and Josephine go below while Dick Deadeye
intimates to the Captain that he wants a word with him aside.

Then Dick Deadeye gives the Captain his information, thus:

[Music:

Kind Captain, I've important information,
Sing hey, the gallant Captain that you are!
About a certain intimate relation,
Sing hey, the merry maiden and the tar!]

Kind Captain, your young lady is a-sighing,
Sing, hey, the gallant Captain that you are!
This very night with Rackstraw to be flying,
Sing, hey, the merry maiden and the tar!

This information certainly comes in the nick of time, so the Captain
hastily throws an old cloak over him and squats down behind the deck
furniture to await the coming of the elopers.

Presently they come up, Josephine, followed by Little Buttercup, and
all the crew on "tip-toe stealing." Suddenly amid the silence, the
Captain stamps.

"Goodness me!" all cry. "What was that?"

"Silent be," says Dick. "It was the cat," and thus reassured they
start for the b