id his
friend.

"Neglect?" said the captain, bitterly. "I wish he would neglect me. He's
turning out a perfect busybody, and he's getting as artful as they make
'em. I never would have believed it of Peter. Never."

Hartley waited.

"I met Cap'n Walsh the other night," said Trimblett; "we hadn't seen
each other for years, and we went into the Golden Fleece to have a
drink. You know what Walsh is when he's ashore. And he's a man that
won't be beaten. He had had four tries to get a 'cocktail' right that
he had tasted in New York, and while he was superintending the mixing
of the fifth I slipped out. The others were all right as far as I could
judge; but that's Walsh all over."

"Well?" said Hartley.

"I came home and found Peter sitting all alone in the dumps," continued
the captain. "He has been very down of late, and, what was worse, he had
got a bottle of whiskey on the table. That's a fatal thing to begin; and
partly to keep him company, but mainly to prevent him drinking more than
was good for him, I helped him finish the bottle--there wasn't much in
it."

"Well?" said Hartley again, as the captain paused.

"He got talking about his troubles," said the captain, slowly. "You know
how things are, and, like a fool, I tried to cheer him up by agreeing
with him that Mrs. Chinnery would very likely make things easy for him
by marrying again. In fact, so far as I remember, I even helped him to
think of the names of one or two likely men. He said she'd make anybody
as good a wife as a man could wish."

"So she would," said Hartley, looking at him with sudden interest. "In
fact, I have often wondered--"

"He went on talking like that," continued the captain, hastily, "and out
of politeness and good feeling I agreed with him. What else could I
do? Then--I didn't take much notice of it because, as I said, he was
drinking whiskey--he--he sort of wondered why--why--"

"Why you didn't offer to marry her?" interrupted Hartley.

The captain nodded. "It took my breath away," he said, impressively,
"and I lost my presence of mind. Instead of speaking out plain I tried
to laugh it off--just to spare his feelings--and said I wasn't worthy of
her."

"What did he say?" inquired Hartley, curiously, after another long
pause.

"Nothing," replied the captain. "Not a single word. He just gave me a
strange look, shook my hand hard, and went off to bed. I've been uneasy
in my mind ever since. I hardly slept a wink last night; a