from every part of the theatre.

Never was there anything so ludicrous; the manager sent officers up to
discover the offenders but no one could tell who had played the trick;
he then came before the curtain to make a speech upon the occasion, but,
having sneezed seven or eight times, he was obliged to retire with his
handkerchief to his nose; and the audience, finding it impossible to
check the titillation of the olfactory nerves, abandoned the theatre as
fast as they could, leaving the farce of _Raising the Wind_ to be
performed to empty beaches.

I hardly need say, that as soon as we had thrown the snuff, Mr Dott and
I had gone down and taken our places very demurely in the box by the
side of my mother, and appeared just as astonished, and indeed added as
much as possible to the company of sneezers.

Captain Delmar was very furious at this want of respect of certain
parties unknown, and had we been discovered, whatever might have been my
fate, it would have gone hard with Tommy Dott; but we kept our own
counsel, and escaped.

That I was suspected by Aunt Milly and Captain Bridgeman is certain, and
my aunt taxed me with it, but I would not confess; my mother also had
her suspicions, but as Captain Delmar had none, that was of no
consequence.

The success of this trick was a great temptation to try another or two
upon the noble captain. He was, however saved by the simple fact of
H.M. ship Calliope being reported manned and ready for sea; orders were
sent down for his going round to Portsmouth to await the commands of the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and Captain Delmar came to pay his
farewell visit.

The report from the schoolmaster had been very favourable and Captain
Delmar then asked me, for the first time, if I would like to be a
sailor. As Captain Bridgeman had advised me not to reject any good
offer on the part of the honourable captain, I answered in the
affirmative; whereupon the captain replied, that if I paid attention to
my learning, in a year's time he would take me with him on board of his
frigate.

He then patted my head, forgot to give me half a crown, and, shaking
hands with my mother and aunt, quitted the house, followed by Tommy
Dott, who, as he went away, turned and laughed his adieu.

I have not mentioned my grandmother lately. The fact is, that when
Captain Delmar made his appearance, for some cause or another, which I
could not comprehend, she declared her intention of going