nd have only recently completed my apprenticeship--is
amalgamating with, or, rather, is being absorbed by, the firm of Hepburn
Brothers, the one-time rivals of the City line. Hepburns are, of
course, taking over many of the City officers, as well as the ships.
But Mr Clayton, Hepburns' present manager, was once master of a City
liner in which I was serving; and--well, something happened which caused
Clayton to lose his berth, and unfortunately for me it was through me
that the matter came to light. Consequently, now that Clayton has the
chance to do me a bad turn, he is doing it by refusing to take me on
with the new firm."

"Is that so? Well, I call that real mean," exclaimed my hostess, in
accents of indignation. "And is that the reason why you have not been
able to get other employment?"

"Oh, no!" I said, "excepting, of course, so far as Hepburn Brothers are
concerned. My failure to-day arises simply from the fact that none of
the skippers I have spoken to happen to have any vacancies."

"Nothing wrong with your discharge, I suppose?"

"Nothing whatever," I answered, whipping the document out of my pocket
and handing it to her.

She read it carefully and handed it back.

"Thank you!" she said. "I guess that looks all right. How old are you,
Mr Leigh?"

"I shall be eighteen on the ninth of next December," I replied,
beginning now to wonder whether this questioning was likely to lead to
anything, or whether it was merely the result of kindly curiosity on the
part of my hostess.

"Eighteen!" she exclaimed. "Well, I declare to goodness I'd have said
you were at least three years older, if I'd been asked to guess. Only
eighteen! And what kind of a berth have you been looking for, may I
ask?"

"Well," I said, "I had it in my mind to get into some big craft as third
mate, if I could find an opening. It would afford me a chance to work
up for my ticket, which I am naturally anxious to obtain as soon as
possible."

"Sure," she agreed. "And do you know anything about navigation? But I
guess you do, by the way that you looked at those charts and instruments
just now."

"Oh, yes!" I said; "I rather fancy myself as a navigator. Navigation
is quite a hobby of mine."

"Tell me how much you know," she said. "I'm something of a navigator
myself. In fact, Mr Leigh, I am one of the few women who hold a
master's certificate and are qualified to take command of a ship sailing
to any part of the world.