sked him a question
he could have answered himself, from familiarity with his father's and
uncle's garb.

"I say, Barney, what's a captain's uniform like?"

"Uniform, my lad?" said the old boatswain, seizing the opportunity to
rest his foot on his spade, and began rubbing the small of his back, or
rather what is so called, for Barney had no small to his back, being
square-shaped like a short log. "Well, it's bloo coat, and white
weskutt and breeches, and gold lace and cocked hat, and two gold swabs
on the shoulders."

"And what's a lieutenant's like?"

"Oh, pooty much the same, lad, only he's on'y got one swab on 'stead o'
two. But what's the good o' your asking?--you've seen 'em often enough
in Southbayton."

"Oh, but I never took any notice. What's a midshipman's like?"

"Bloo, my lad, and a bit o' white on the collar."

"And a cocked hat?"

"Oh yes, a cocked hat--a small one, you know."

"And a sword, Barney?"

"Well, as to a sword, lad," said the old sailor, wiping a brown corner
of his mouth; "it arn't right to call such a tooth-pick of a thing a
sword. Sort of a young sword as you may say, on'y it never grows no
bigger, and him as wears it does. Dirks, they calls 'em, middies'
dirks."

"A uniform and a sword," said Sydney to himself. "A blue uniform with
white on the collar, and a cocked hat and a sword!"

It was very tempting, and the boy went on down by the side of the lake,
beyond which were the great trees, with the ragged nests of the tall
birds which gave the name to the captain's residence, where he had
settled to end his days well in view of the sea.

Here where the water was smooth as glass Sydney stood leaning over,
holding on by a bough, and gazing at his foreshortened image, as in
imagination he dressed himself in the blue uniform, buckled on his dirk,
and put on his cocked hat.

It was very tempting, but disinclination mastered vanity, and he turned
away to go back toward the house.

"I wonder whether Pan means it," he said to himself. "Suppose we went
together to seek our fortunes; he could be my servant, and father and
Uncle Tom would forgive me if I came back rich."

But somehow in a misty way as he walked up to the back of the house,
half thinking that he would sound the boy, it hardly seemed to be the
way to seek a fortune to start off with a servant.

He had nearly reached the yard when a door was thrown open, and the
object of his search rushed out, followed by a s