really
is. Miss Rundle drew herself up, and looked quite pleased, and smiled
and smirked, and I saw that my joking had gained me a place in her good
graces which I never enjoyed in my boyish days. Well, I was very sorry
when the time came for me to get up and return on board the frigate. I
put my chair back against the wall, and shook hands with all the ladies
round, and they charged me to come and see them without fail when I
returned to Plymouth. Somehow or other I found myself shaking hands
twice with Miss Troall, and she again thanked me for bringing her the
message from him who was gone; and I heard Miss Rundle remark as I went
out, that I was a very well-mannered young man, though I was a common
sailor.

It was rather later than I intended. I hurried down to the harbour,
jumped into a wherry, and promised the waterman half-a-guinea if I got
on board before dark.

"Why, lad, there's no great hurry, I should think," said he; "the
frigate won't sail without you."

"No; but a shipmate pledged his word for me that I would be back, and I
must not let him break it, you know."

"Well, we wasn't so particular in my time," said the old man. "But as
your gold is as good as that of any other man, I'll do my best to put
you on board."

The wind was against us, so his mate and I took the oars while he
steered, and by dint of hard pulling we got on board just about ten
minutes before my time was up. I told Mr Merton how it was I had run
the time so short, and gave him an account of all that had happened to
me. He was very much pleased with me at finding that I had been so
anxious to come off in good time, and urged me on all occasions to make
every sacrifice, rather than break a pledge of any description. Charley
and I were in the same watch, and he was very anxious to hear how I had
fared on shore. Of course, he could not care about my grandmother's
death, but he was very much amused with my account of Miss Rundle, whom
he remembered well.

"I must go and pay her a visit the next time I can get on shore, and if
I can take her some wonderful present from the other side of the world,
I expect to cut you out in her good graces," he said, laughing. I asked
him what he proposed taking. "An alligator, or a shark, or a mermaid,
or an orang-outang, or something of that sort--stuffed, I mean," he
answered.

I remembered Charley's love of a practical joke in our younger days, and
I did not wish to interpose between