s.
He resolved to surprise his mother by pouring the money he had brought
into her lap, and for this purpose had, while in Hull, converted all his
savings into copper, silver, and gold. Those precious metals he stowed
separately into the pockets of his huge pea-jacket, and, thus heavily
laden, went ashore about dark, as soon as the skipper returned.

At this precise hour it happened that Mrs Brand, Minnie Gray, and
Captain Ogilvy were seated at their supper in the kitchen of the
cottage.

Two days previously the captain had called, and said to Mrs Brand--

"I tell 'ee what it is, sister, I'm tired of livin' a solitary bachelor
life, all by myself, so I'm goin' to make a change, lass."

Mrs Brand was for some moments speechless, and Minnie, who was sewing
near the window, dropped her hands and work on her lap, and looked up
with inexpressible amazement in her sweet blue eyes.

"Brother," said Mrs Brand earnestly, "you don't mean to tell me that
you're going to marry at _your_ time of life?"

"Eh! what? Marry?"

The captain looked, if possible, more amazed than his sister for a
second or two, then his red face relaxed into a broad grin, and he sat
down on a chair and chuckled, wiping the perspiration (he seemed always
more or less in a state of perspiration) from his bald head the while.

"Why, no, sister, I'm not going to marry; did I speak of marryin'?"

"No; but you spoke of being tired of a bachelor life, and wishing to
change."

"Ah! you women," said the captain, shaking his head--"always suspecting
that we poor men are wantin' to marry you. Well, pr'aps you ain't far
wrong neither; but I'm not goin' to be spliced yet-a-while, lass.
Marry, indeed!

"`Shall I, wastin' in despair,
Die, 'cause why? a woman's rare?'"

"Oh! Captain Ogilvy, that's not rightly quoted," cried Minnie, with a
merry laugh.

"Ain't it?" said the captain, somewhat put out; for he did not like to
have his powers of memory doubted.

"No; surely women are not _rare_," said Minnie.

"Good ones are," said the captain stoutly.

"Well; but that's not the right word."

"What _is_ the right word, then?" asked the captain with affected
sternness, for, although by nature disinclined to admit that he could be
wrong, he had no objection to be put right by Minnie.

"Die because a woman's f---," said Minnie, prompting him.

"F---, `funny?'" guessed the captain.

"No; it's not `funny,'" cried Minnie, laughing heartily.

"Of co