"If he is, he has said nothing to me about the matter."

"Do you think he could go out into the cabin, doctor?" asked the
captain. "I wish to see him on a matter of the utmost importance.
Is he dressed?"

"He is; he dressed himself this morning, and sits up part of the time."

"Then you will oblige me by getting him into the cabin; I mean my cabin.
I will be there in ten minutes."

The surgeon went below, leaving the commander and Christy together.

"Can you make anything of this affair yet, Mr. Passford?" asked Captain
Battleton.

"I can come to no conclusion in regard to it, though I may be able to
do so when I have seen my double," replied Christy, whose curiosity
in regard to the sick officer was strongly excited. "It looks like a
conspiracy of some kind, but I can go no farther in the direction of a
solution."

The commander looked at his watch after they had conversed a little
while longer, and then invited Christy to visit his cabin with him.
The other Lieutenant Passford was seated in an arm-chair at the table.
Christy looked at him with the deepest interest, but the back of the
other was turned to him, and he did not get a full view of his face. The
sick man was dressed in the naval uniform with the shoulder straps of a
lieutenant.

"I wish to introduce a gentleman to you; Lieutenant Passford, let me
make you acquainted with Lieutenant Passford," said the commander as he
led the way into the captain's cabin.

"Thank you, Captain Battleton; I shall be very happy to make the
acquaintance of Lieutenant Passford," said the occupant of the cabin,
rising as he spoke, and approaching Christy. "Corny Passford!" exclaimed
the sick officer. "I did not expect to see you here. This gentleman is
my own cousin, Captain Battleton, though I am sorry to say that he is
a rebel; but for all that he is one of the finest fellows in the known
world, and you will appreciate everything about him except his politics,
which I do not admire myself."

Christy was not stunned or overwhelmed by this impudent speech. He
looked at the speaker, and promptly recognized his cousin Corny. He was
astonished at the brazen assurance of the other, for he had always
seemed to him to be a fairly modest young man. Corny extended his hand
to Christy, and it was accepted.

"I am very glad to see you, Corny," said he of the South, "and not the
less glad because the meeting is so unexpected."

"It is certainly very unexpected on my part, Cor