etrated, and Ella seemed too much interested to notice
it.) "Dangerous! why, what's the boy thinking about, to take away the
little barkie's character that a-way?"

"I wish, Bob, you would not keep calling Ha--, Mr Collingwood, a _boy_;
he is quite as much a man as you are, though of course not so old. I
don't like--I don't think it sounds respectful," exclaimed Ella rather
petulantly.

"Not call him a boy?" echoed Bob; "why, what _should_ I call him then,
missie? In course, now you comes to mention it, I knows as he _is_ a
man, and an uncommon fine speciment too; but, Lord, when I knowed him
fust he was quite a dapper young sprig; and it comes nat'ral-like to
speak of him as a boy. Hows'ever," continued he apologetically, "in
course, since you don't like it, I won't call him a boy no more. What
_shall_ I call him, so please your ladyship?"

"Now you are laughing at me, you horrid old creature," said Ella, with a
little stamp of passion upon the deck; "and I never said I did not like
it; I merely said that it did not sound respectful. Why do you not call
him captain?"

"Why not, indeed?" answered Bob. "He's got as good a right to be called
`skipper' as e'er a man as ever walked a deck; and dash my old wig if I
ain't a good mind to do it, too; my eyes! how he would stare. 'Twould
be as good as a pantomime to see him;" and the worthy old fellow
chuckled gleefully as his fancy conjured up the look of surprise which
he knew such a title on his lips would evoke from me.

"I declare," exclaimed Ella, in a tone of great vexation, "you are the
most provoking-- But there, never mind, Bob dear, I do not mean it; you
are very kind to me, and must not take any notice of my foolish
speeches. And so you really think the _Water Lily_ is _not_ dangerous?
Why then should Mr Collingwood wish me to leave her? He told me this
morning that he should be sorry if I did so, and yet he seems unwilling
to let me stay."

"Don't you believe it, little one," I heard Bob answer. "He don't want
ye to go; it's some kind of conscientious scruple as he's got into his
head that makes him talk that a-way. Between you and me,"--here his
voice sank to a kind of confidential growl, but I distinctly heard every
word, nevertheless--"it's my idee that he's got some sort of a notion as
we may yet fall in with that infarnal _Albatross_ ag'in; but, if we do,
we've got chances of getting away from the chap that large ships
haven't; and for my part