time
before, but was expected back again shortly, when Mrs Murray hoped that
the ship would be paid off.

Some time passed away; though Desmond frequently spoke of trying to get
a ship, the admiral always replied that there would be time enough by
and by, and that a spell on shore would do him no harm. They were one
day walking across Southsea Common, intending to go to some shops in the
High Street, when Desmond caught sight of three officers, whom he saw by
their uniforms were commanders, walking along at a rapid rate towards
them. A fourth, in a midshipman's uniform, at that moment came up from
behind them. The admiral had just before stopped to take a breath,
while he leant upon Desmond's arm. The astonishment Gerald felt made
him gasp almost as much as the admiral, when he recognised Commanders
Murray and Rogers and his Uncle Terence, with Tom Rogers, both of them
as alive and hearty as they had ever been. He could not restrain a
shout of joy as the fact burst on his mind, though the admiral's arm
prevented him from rushing forward as he was inclined to do.

"I knew it, I was sure of it," cried the admiral, as he shook the hands
of the whole party. "Now let me hear all about it. We'll not go into
Portsmouth to-day, Desmond; come back with me; come back with me.
You'll make the ladies as happy as crickets, and restore my little
friend Lucy to life; by the last account she was in a sad way. Sir John
and Lady Rogers are very little better; grieving over you, you rascal,
Tom; poor Mary had enough to do in looking after them. Now I think of
it, Lucy was to be with us this very day; so you are in luck, Adair;
though we must break the news to her gently, or we shall be sending her
into hysterics, and doing all sorts of mischief. As you, Murray, I am
pretty sure, are eager to see your wife, we'll let you go on first, for,
as she expects you, it won't have the same effect on her."

Murray gladly followed the admiral's advice, and hurried on to his
house, leaving the rest of the party to stroll slowly along. Adair then
narrated the wonderful way in which he and Tom had been preserved. Tom,
though a good swimmer, was almost exhausted when Adair made his way up
to him and assisted him to reach the lifebuoy, over which they both
managed to get their arms. To their dismay they saw the ship running
away from them till she disappeared in the darkness. At length,
however, they again caught sight of her as she rounde