ngers, which was only brought to an end by the second
lieutenant hailing:

"Mr Tomkins, you will oblige me by prolonging your stay at the mast-
head until the end of the afternoon watch, if you please."

As the answering "Ay ay, sir," came sadly down from aloft, I felt a
touch on my arm, and, turning round, found my second acquaintance, Lord
Tomnoddy, by my side. As I looked at him I felt strongly inclined to
ask him whether _he_ also had changed his name since our last meeting.

"Oh, look here, Hawksbill," he commenced, "I'm glad you've come on
board; I wanted to see you in order that I might repay you the sovereign
you lent us the other day. Here it is,"--selecting the coin from a
handful which he pulled out of his breeches pocket and thrusting it into
my hand--"and I am very much obliged to you for the loan. I _really_
hadn't a farthing in my pocket at the time, or I wouldn't have allowed
Tomkins to borrow it from you--and it was awfully stupid of me to let
you go away without saying where I could send it to you."

"Pray do not say anything further about it, Mr --, Mr --."

"I am Lord Southdown, at your service--_not_ Lord Tomnoddy, as my
whimsical friend Tomkins dubbed me the other day. It is perfectly
true," he added somewhat haughtily, and then with a smile resumed: "but
I suppose I must not take offence at your look of incredulity, seeing
that I was a consenting party to that awful piece of deception which
Tomkins played off upon you. Ha, ha, ha! excuse me, but I really wish
you could have seen yourself when that mischievous friend of mine
accused you of--of--what was it? Oh, yes, of playing fast and loose
with the affections of the fictitious Lady Sara, or whatever the fellow
called her. And then again, when he remarked upon your extraordinary
resemblance to Lord--Somebody--another fictitious friend of his, and
directed attention to your `lofty intellectual forehead, your proud
eagle-glance, your--' oh, dear! it was _too_ much."

And off went his lordship into another paroxysm of laughter, which sent
the tears coursing down his cheeks and caused me to flush most painfully
with mortification.

"Upon my word, Hawksbill--" he commenced.

"My name is Hawkesley, my lord, at your service," I interrupted,
somewhat angrily I am afraid.

"I beg your pardon, Mr Hawkesley; the mistake was a perfectly genuine
and unintentional one, I assure you. I was going to apologise--as I
_do_, most heartily, for laugh