" in me, and was "beginning to be worth my salt."

I had told father, though, so much about Tim Rooney, recounting all his
kindness to me on board the Silver Queen from almost the first moment I
saw him--almost, but not quite, the commencement of our first interview
having been rather alarming to me--that nothing would suit him but my
friend Tim's coming down to Westham for a short visit, if only for a
day.

Of course, I wrote to him, inclosing a letter father sent inviting him,
and Tim came next day prompt as usual in his sailor fashion, winning all
the hearts at the vicarage before he had been an hour in the place.

Father naturally thanked him for all that he had done for me, which made
the bashful boatswain blush, while he deprecated all mention of his care
of me.

"Bedad, sorr," said he to father in his raciest brogue, and with that
suspicion of mirth which seemed always to hover about his left eye, "it
wor quite a plisure, sure, to sarve him; for he's the foorst lad I iver
came across as took so koindly to the thrade. 'Dade an' sure, sorr, I
belaive he don't think none the worse av it now, by the same token; an'
would give the same anser, sorr, to what I've axed him more nor once
since he foorst came aboord us. Faix, I'll ax him now, your riverince.
Ain't ye sorry, Misther Gray-ham, as how ye iver wint to say, now?"

"No, not a bit of it," replied I sturdily, in the same way as I had
always done to his stereotyped inquiry. "And I'll go again cheerfully
as soon as the Silver Queen is ready again for her next voyage."

"There ye are, sorr!" cried Tim admiringly. "He's a raal broth av a boy
entoirely. Sure, he'll be a man afore his mother yit, sorr!"

THE END.

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