y disengaged his daughter's arms and held out his hand
to the seaman.

"God bless you, my boy; why didn't you tell me before? Surely her
happiness is my first care. And I've guessed it all along."

CHAPTER III.

THE BRIG _MAHINA_.

Ten o'clock had just struck when Barry returned to the hotel, with a
heart as light as that of a boy, and walking into the parlour found it
occupied by his friend Watson and the three others.

"Here I am, you see, Mr. Watson, just in time for a yarn and smoke
before I leave. Will you give me your key, please?"

"Aye, aye, sonny," said the rumbling-voiced mate, taking it from his
pocket. "Hurry up. Welsh rarebit in five minutes."

Hastily changing his borrowed clothes Barry then went into his own room
and packed his one bag, which he at once carried downstairs.
Fortunately he owed the landlord nothing, and though he had but three
shillings in the world, his face indicated nothing but a supreme
content when he rejoined the old mate and his companions.

The Welsh rarebit and its liquid concomitants having been duly disposed
of, Barry rose and told his friends that as he must be on board his new
ship by midnight, and then had to write a letter, he must leave them.
Then he shook hands all round, each man wishing him luck.

Watson came to the door with him. "Got all you want, sonny? Anything
I can do for you?"

"Yes, come into the side parlour here, and I'll tell you my yarn before
I write that letter. I've a full hour, and I can do both in that time."

"Aye, aye," said Watson in his deep voice, as he seated himself.

"Well, here it is--the yarn I mean. I came out here to Sydney two
years ago, chief officer on the _Maid of Judah_. There were a lot of
passengers. One family--an old gentleman, his wife and daughter and
myself got pretty thick."

"'Count of the daughter?"

Barry nodded. "Yes. The skipper was a lardy-da sort of a beast, and
fell foul of me on account of talking to her too much--so he told the
girl's mother--who was a silly, brainless sort of a woman, and thought
him a perfect gentleman--I knew him to be a beast. Between the two of
them they made trouble enough for me, though the old gentleman stuck to
me, and didn't believe in the skipper. And anyway the girl liked me
best, you see."

The old mate nodded. "I've seen a lot of skippers like that. The way
women--married women travellin' alone especially--takes to such swabs
is agin Natur'. _I_ do