ver this crucial question.

"Well, sir--Cap'en Mordaunt that is, begging your pardon, sir, ag'in,"
said he--"as you goes on to make sich a favour on it, sir, we'll see
about it, sir."

"See about it?--Stuff and nonsense, Bowling, my man, that won't do for
me!" exclaimed the other, as, resting his hand lightly on my shoulder as
he crossed the thwarts, he stepped out of the wherry on to the landing-
stage. "I tell you what it is, young Tom must go to sea, my man--aye,
and to-morrow too!"

"Lor' sakes, you're just the same, sir, as you were aboard the old
_Blazer_ twenty years ago!" said father, breaking into a regular horse-
laugh, which he never did except something particularly funny tickled
his fancy. "You allers gave your orders sharp as a youngster, and some
of us used for to call you `Commander Jack' sometimes. Lor', I
remembers it all as if it wer' but yesterday!"

"All right, Bowling, I'm glad your memory is so good," replied Captain
Mordaunt, standing on the pontoon and looking down at us, with a smile
on his cheery, handsome face. "You will remember, too, that my word was
always as good as any bond, and when I say a thing I mean a thing! I'm
stopping for a day or two at the Keppel's Head, and if you'll come over
there this evening after dinner, or send young Tom, should you like that
better than a glass of grog, why, I will give you a letter for him to
take on board the _Saint Vincent_ to the commander, who's an old friend
of mine like yourself, and we'll have young Tom entered on the books of
the training-ship in a brace of shakes!"

"Thank you kindly, sir," said father, raising his hand to his cap again
in salute as the captain turned to leave us. "You're very good, sir,
for to h'interest yourself, sir, in this yere young scamp of a son o'
mine, sir!"

"Not a bit of it, Bowling, not a bit of it," rejoined the other
cheerily, as he chucked father a sovereign for his fare ashore, and told
him to be sure to come up to the Keppel's Head on the Hard and see him
in the evening for the letter of introduction for me. "It's a shame
that such a likely young fellow should not be allowed to follow in his
father's footsteps and turn out as brave and handy a sailor as himself.
He's a born seaman, every inch of him, Bowling, and a regular chip of
the old block!"

CHAPTER TWO.

"A CHIP OF THE OLD BLOCK!"

"Oh!" exclaimed mother, when an hour or so later father set about
explaining the matter of our meet