ht.
She knew now that the captain was in earnest, for he would sooner have
cut off his own hand than trifle with her feelings.

"Go on, secretary," cried the captain, taking a considerable swig of
tea, "an' don't you interrupt, Molly, else we'll never get through."

"The next name is Martha Brand."

"What, ragged little Martha?" exclaimed Miss Millet.

"The same. A new rig-out has been ordered for Martha, and she is to be
sent to school. Joe Puncheon, better known as Vagabond Joe, has been
apprenticed to a carpenter--by his own special desire--and goes to work
on Monday next in a suit of suitable clothes."

"Come, sir, none o' that in business hours," cried the captain, "and
heave that list overboard. It would take us half the night to get
through with it. Come to the plans, sir; open the plans."

Putting aside the list, the obedient secretary took up a large document,
and, unfolding it, spread it on the table.

"This," said Jeff, with business-like gravity, "is a plan of the Cranby
Swimming Bath. The coast near the town being rocky, and in many ways
inconvenient for bathing, sea-water is to be pumped into this bath daily
by a steam-engine. A professor of swimming is appointed to give
gratuitous instruction in his art. The bath is to be in two parts--one
for ladies, one for gentlemen--and will have dressing-boxes all round,
besides diving-boards and every sort of convenience. At certain hours
of the morning and evening it will be open free of charge to all comers;
so that there will be no excuse for any man, woman, or child in Cranby
being dirty or unable to swim."

"What a blessing it would be," exclaimed the enthusiastic Miss Millet,
"if such baths existed all over the kingdom!"

"It is a disgrace to the kingdom," said Jeff, "that a bath such as this
does _not_ exist in every town of the kingdom. A mere tithe of the
money wasted on drink and tobacco," ("and tea," muttered the captain,
pushing in his cup for more), "would suffice to do it."

"Come, Jeff, clap a stopper on your long-winded lectures, and go ahead
wi' the next plan," said the captain, "and don't moralise if you can
help it."

"But, brother, can you afford all this?" asked Miss Millet.

"Afford it? Of course I can. It's wonderful, Molly, what men can
afford when they're willing to spend. Why, I've known a man myself who
was so uncommon willin' to spend that he ruined his baker an' butcher
an' greengrocer before he had done spendin