food and the singing of the tea-kettle.

"I can offer you brandy, brother," said the little hostess, "_as a
medicine_!"

"Thankee, Molly--not even as a medicine," said the captain, with a
benignant look; "tea is better in the circumstances. I can speak from a
vast amount of experience. But of course I speak only for myself. I
don't know what Jeff's principles--"

"My principles," interrupted the coastguardsman, "are to leave every man
to judge for himself. My judgment for myself is, that, as I don't
require strong drink, I'm much better without it."

"My principles go much further than that," said Miss Millet who was an
enthusiastic total abstainer. "The Bible justifies me in denying myself
the use of wine and all spirituous liquors _for my brother's sake_, so
that I may set him an example, and also have more weight when I reason
with him, and try to get him to adopt my views."

"Why, Molly, to hear you talk like that about giving up drink for your
brother's sake, one would think that I had bin a tippler all my life!"

"You know that I refer to my brother--man, brother."

"Ah, of course--of course; and also your sister-woman, I suppose," cried
the captain, seizing the loaf and beginning to cut it into
inch-and-a-half slices. "What's _your_ opinion, Rosebud, on the drink
question?"

Rose, whose cheeks emulated her namesake flower, replied that, never
having tasted wine or spirits in her life, or thought upon the drink
question at all, she had no opinion to express.

"Long may you continue in that innocent and humble state of mind, my
Rosebud," cried the captain, with a laugh which caused him to choke on
his first mouthful of tea. After recovering himself and wiping his
eyes, he said--

"Now, Moll, I must tell you all about the wreck;" on which he launched
out into a graphic description of what the reader already knows.

You may be sure that he did not underrate the services and heroism of
Jeff, who sat wonderfully silent during the recital, and only
acknowledged references to himself with a faint smile.

"But, brother," exclaimed Miss Millet, with sudden energy when he had
finished, "what will the consequences of this wreck be?"

"The consequences, my dear, will be that the owners will lose a good
many thousand pounds, for neither ship nor cargo were insured. An' it
sarves 'em right for the vessel was not fit to go to sea; an' they knew
it, but were too graspin' to go to the expense o' refittin'.