re they would suffer him to turn again and defy the
still scowling Lieutenant.

"Ay, sir; the British seaman, before whose collective valour the
crowned tyrants of Yurope shrink with diminished heads, dares to
proclaim himself a _Man_, and in despite of any petty tyrant of the
quarter-deck. Humble his lot, his station, may be. Callous he
himself may be to the thund'ring of the elements or the guns of his
country's foemen; but never will he be found irresponsive to female
distress in any shape or form. Leftenant Vandeloor, you have
upraised your hand against A Woman; you have struck her a Blow.
In your teeth I defy you!" (Frantic applause.)

"My word, Bill, the Duke ought to been here to 'ear that!"

"But why isn't he here?" asked the Major.

"Well," answered Ben Jope slowly, with a glance along the crowded
gallery and a wink at Bill Adams (but the Major saw neither the
glance nor the wink), "to-night, d'ye see, 'twouldn't ha' been
altogether the thing. He's not like you and me, the Duke isn't.
He has to study appearances."

"I should have thought that, if his Royal Highness studied
popularity, he could scarcely have found a better occasion."

"Look here," put in Mr. Jope sharply, "if the Duke chooses to be
drunk to-night, you may lay to it he knows his business. And look
here again; I took you for a victim o' misfortun', but if so be as
you're startin' to teach the R'yal family tact, w'y, I changes my
opinion."

"If I could only find my friend Basket, or get a message taken to
him," ingeminated the Major, whose teeth were chattering despite the
tropical atmosphere of the gallery.

"Eh? What's that you're sayin'?" the seaman demanded in a sudden
sharp tone of suspicion. "If there's a friend o' your'n in the
gallery, you keep by me and point him out when the time comes.
I ain't a-makin' no promise, mind; no more than to say it may be the
better for him; but contrariwise I don't allow no messages, and you
may belay to that!"

"But my friend is not in the gallery. He has a reserved seat
somewhere."

"Then you may take it he don't _require_ no message, bein' toler'bly
safe. As for yourself, you stick to me. Understand? Whatever
happens, you stick to me."

The Major did not understand in the least; but their conversation at
this moment was interrupted by a roar of applause from all quarters
of the house as Tom Taffrail, with a realistic blow from the
shoulder, laid his persecutor prostrate on the de