same to him, smiling down upon him, from the heights of my sufficiency.

Soon we were set to breakfast, as it might have been the day before.

"Well, sir," said I, with a jeering tone, "have you nothing more to say

to me?" And then, as he made no articulate reply, "It will be time,

I think, to understand each other," I continued. "You took me for

a country Johnnie Raw, with no more mother-wit or courage than a

porridge-stick. I took you for a good man, or no worse than others at

the least. It seems we were both wrong. What cause you have to fear me,

to cheat me, and to attempt my life--"

He murmured something about a jest, and that he liked a bit of fun; and

then, seeing me smile, changed his tone, and assured me he would make

all clear as soon as we had breakfasted. I saw by his face that he had

no lie ready for me, though he was hard at work preparing one; and I

think I was about to tell him so, when we were interrupted by a knocking

at the door.

Bidding my uncle sit where he was, I went to open it, and found on the

doorstep a half-grown boy in sea-clothes. He had no sooner seen me than

he began to dance some steps of the sea-hornpipe (which I had never

before heard of far less seen), snapping his fingers in the air and

footing it right cleverly. For all that, he was blue with the cold; and

there was something in his face, a look between tears and laughter, that

was highly pathetic and consisted ill with this gaiety of manner.

"What cheer, mate?" says he, with a cracked voice.

I asked him soberly to name his pleasure.

"O, pleasure!" says he; and then began to sing:

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