his here house?"

I told him he was out walking.

"Which way, sonny? Which way is he gone?"

And when I had pointed out the rock and told him how the captain was
likely to return, and how soon, and answered a few other questions,
"Ah," said he, "this'll be as good as drink to my mate Bill."

The expression of his face as he said these words was not at all
pleasant, and I had my own reasons for thinking that the stranger was
mistaken, even supposing he meant what he said. But it was no affair of
mine, I thought; and, besides, it was difficult to know what to do.

The stranger kept hanging about just inside the inn door, peering round
the corner like a cat waiting for a mouse. Once I stepped out myself
into the road, but he immediately called me back, and, as I did not obey
quick enough for his fancy, a most horrible change came over his tallowy
face, and he ordered me in with an oath that made me jump. As soon as I
was back again he returned to his former manner, half-fawning,
half-sneering, patted me on the shoulder, told me I was a good boy, and
he had taken quite a fancy to me. "I have a son of my own," said he, "as
like you as two blocks, and he's all the pride of my 'art. But the great
thing for boys is discipline, sonny--discipline. Now, if you had sailed
along of Bill, you wouldn't have stood there to be spoke to twice--not
you. That was never Bill's way, nor the way of sich as sailed with him.
And here, sure enough, is my mate Bill, with a spy-glass under his arm,
bless his old 'art, to be sure. You and me'll just go back into the
parlor, sonny, and get behind the door, and we'll give Bill a little
surprise--bless his 'art, I say again."

So saying, the stranger backed along with me into the parlor, and put me
behind him into the corner, so that we were both hidden by the open
door. I was very uneasy and alarmed, as you may fancy, and it rather
added to my fears to observe that the stranger was certainly frightened
himself. He cleared the hilt of his cutlass and loosened the blade in
the sheath, and all the time we were waiting there he kept swallowing
as if he felt what we used to call a lump in the throat.

At last in strode the captain, slammed the door behind him, without
looking to the right or left, and marched straight across the room to
where his breakfast awaited him.

"Bill," said the stranger, in a voice that I thought he had tried to
make bold and big.

The captain spun round on his heel and