'ee here, sir; it has bin putt into my heart
to feel charitable leanings, and a good bit o' cash has bin putt into my
pocket, so that, bein' a lone sort o' man, I don't have much use for it.
That's on the one hand. On the other hand, here are you, sir, the son
of a friend o' my chum Willum Stout, with great need of aid from
charitable people, an' here we two are met together--both ready for
action. Now, I call that a Providential arrangement, so please putt me
down as one of your charitable friends. It's little I can boast of in
that way as yet but it's not too late to begin. I've long arrears to
pull up, so I'll give you that to begin with. It'll help to relieve
Mrs Leven in the meantime."

As he spoke, the Captain drew a black pocketbook from his breast pocket
and, taking a piece of paper therefrom, placed it in the doctor's hands.

"This is a fifty-pound note!" said Lawrence, in surprise.

"Well, what then?" returned the Captain. "You didn't expect a
thousand-pound note, did you?"

"Not quite that," replied Lawrence, laughing, "but I thought that
perhaps you had made a mistake."

"Ah! you judged from appearances, young man. Don't you git into the way
of doin' that, else you'll be for ever sailin' on the wrong tack. Take
my advice, an' never look as if you thought a man gave you more than he
could afford. Nobody never does that."

"Far be it from me," returned Lawrence, "to throw cold water on generous
impulses. I accept your gift with thanks, and will gladly put you on my
list. If you should find hereafter that I pump you rather hard, please
to remember that you gave me encouragement to do so."

"Pump away, sir. When you've pumped dry, I'll tell you!"

"Well," said Lawrence, rising, "I'll go at once and bring your
liberality into play; and, since you have done me so good a turn,
remember that you may command my services, if they can ever be of any
use to you."

The Captain cast a glance at the trap-door and the chest.

"Well," said he, "I can scarcely ask you to do it professionally, but if
you'd lend a hand to get this Noah's ark o' mine on to the upper deck,
I'd--"

"Come along," cried Lawrence, jumping up with a laugh, and seizing one
end of the "ark."

Captain Wopper grasped the other end, and, between them, with much
puffing, pushing, and squeezing, they thrust the box through the trap to
the upper regions, whither the Captain followed it by means of the same
gymnastic feat that he per