me, and most likely
shooting down wasn't permanently injurious to the system any more than
being a gambler and a roue; so I thanked him very much.

"But how can I help you in return?" I asked.

"Well, it's to that chance I spoke of," he said, confidentially. "Look
here--I've an engagement for a tour down to the Midland counties. The
pay isn't very wonderful, to start with; but I'm to have more if we do
good business, you know; and I've stipulated that we do a nautical
drama, and I play _Jack Brine_--that's the sailor hero, you know--
myself."

"What makes you want to play a sailor? I suppose you've done it before,
and made a hit?"

"Well--no; I can't say I've ever tried it. But nautical pieces used to
be a tremendous go once, and are so still down in some parts of the
country, and--There! _I've got it in me_, I'm certain--I feel it here!"

And he tapped the breast of a dilapidated sham sealskin waistcoat as he
spoke, and knit his brows with determination.

"But you haven't told me yet how I can be of service to you," said I.

"Well," he said, "look here! This is one of the acts of the piece I'm
going to do. I've done it myself--faked it up, you know, pulling in the
best bits from one or two others; but that's nothing--and it'll go
immense! It's cram-full of business, and the situations are
tremendous!"

"It ought to go, if that's the case."

"It's a certainty, dear boy! It can't help it! But there's just one
thing about it, do you know, that makes me uncomfortable, and that's
where you can help me."

"And that is--"

"You see, I'm not a nautical man myself. It was very odd of you to take
me for one right off! Of course, I can put it on pretty well when I
like; but if you want the real honest truth, I never even saw the sea in
all my life--never been nearer to it than Rosherville; and as I don't
happen to be personally acquainted with any nautical men, the fact is
I'm not quite certain there is not a screw loose up and down in the
words. Of course I'm all right in the shiver my timbers and douse my
pig-tails parts; but it's when you get reefing your jib-boom and hugging
the shore with your lee-scupper that you don't feel altogether as if
you'd got your sea-legs on. Look here, I'd like to go through the thing
with you quietly, and you can tell me where it isn't quite right."

I gladly agreed to render him all the assistance in my power. I thought
if there was very much more of the same style