n't been for
the sake of Mary I wouldn't have said anything to him, but let the coin
burn a hole in his pockets. I went to law, and the upshot was that I
lost all I had remaining. Now came the tug of war. Was I to go to sea
again and leave Mary? I couldn't bear the thought of it. Anything
would be better than that. I would enter into some business. A bright
idea struck me. Three or four hundred pounds would enable me to carry
it out. Mary and I agreed that I should have no difficulty in getting
that, I had so many friends. I would pay them a good interest. I
tried. You should have seen how they buttoned up their pockets and
pursed up their lips; how many similar applications they had, how many
decayed relations wanted their assistance! They didn't say, however,
that they had assisted them. I had no business to complain; I had made
a mistake, and I felt ashamed of myself. At first, though my heart
swelled, I was very angry; but I got over that feeling, and I resolved
to trust to myself alone. It was not till then that I recovered my
self-respect. I say, Merry; if you fancy that you have many friends,
don't you ever attempt to borrow money from them, or you'll find that
you are woefully mistaken. Mary and I talked the matter over, and she
settled to keep a school, and I to come to sea again.

"It was a sore trial, youngster, and you may fancy that a rich galleon
wouldn't be an unacceptable prize, to save the poor girl from the
drudgery she has to go through. It wasn't the way her poor father
expected me to treat her, but I have done my best; what can a man do
more?"

The old mate was going to help himself to another glass, but he put the
bottle away from him with resolution. I had observed that he often took
more than anybody else in the mess; but after that, whenever I saw him
doing so, I had only to mention his wife, and he instantly stopped.
From this account he had given of himself I liked him much better than
ever.

I one day asked Mr Bryan, who knew his wife, about her, and he told me
that she was a very superior young lady, and that he could not
overpraise her.

Of all my shipmates, Grey seemed most pleased at having me back again,
and he assured me that had he been able to swim he would have jumped
after me, and I believe that he would have done so. I promised on the
first opportunity to teach him to swim. People are surprised that so
many sailors cannot swim, but the truth is, that when