egged on to a debate
by the younger men on a question that was creating a vast amount of
interest at that time. The heir to the Tichborne estates had left home
to travel abroad, and as nothing was heard of him for several years,
his mother became anxious and began advertising very widely in the
Colonial, English, and Continental press. The result of this was that a
person calling himself Sir Roger Tichborne turned up. He paid a visit
to Wapping, and then presented himself to Lady Tichborne, who was in
bed. She flung her arms around his neck in an ecstasy of joy and
claimed him as her long-lost son. The real Roger Tichborne was supposed
to have been lost in a vessel called the _Bella_, which had sailed from
Rio in South America for Australia. A claim was made on the Tichborne
baronetcy. The claimant's counsel, Dr Keneally, who did not get on very
well with the judges, commenced a paper called the _Englishman_,
which gave full accounts of the trial. It was widely read by
enthusiasts who believed that Dr Keneally's client was the real Sir
Roger. It was this trial that the coterie of commanders had gathered
together to discuss. One of them, Captain Rush, was a staunch believer
in the claimant. He had just received the paper, and was brim-full of
the convincing proofs that it contained. Another fine old salt, who had
neither education nor manners, endeavoured to take an intelligent
interest in the discussion. His name was Mark Grips. Both he and
Captain Rush belonged to the old school, and both were Northumbrians
who spoke the dialect without any attempt at moderation.

"Ah," grunted Captain Rush, almost jumping off his seat with delight;
"Keneally has Hawkins there!"

"Where?" said Mark.

"Why, here," replied Rush.

"Nothing but damned nonsense," said Mark.

"Nothing but nonsense? What? What? What d'ye say?" screamed Rush. "D'ye
mean to tell me that Keneally doesn't know what he's talkin' about?"

"No; you divent knaw what yo're talkin' about."

"What? I divent knaw what I'm talkin' about? I tell ye' what it is,
sor, Roger's the man!"

"Beggared a one," said Mark. (It wasn't exactly "beggared" a one that
he said, but that is near enough.)

"D'ye mean to tell me," said Captain Rush (as he frothed with wrath),
"that a man doesn't know the Ass's Bridge when he's asked about it?"

"Beggared a one," said Mark.

"Then you're a leir."

"A leir, d'ye say? Then I say beggared a one!"

"Another thing: d'ye mean to te