“I do know,” replied the youngster, boldly; “but I never will tell.”

“Then either you or I shall leave the service.  Man the first cutter;” and when the boat was manned, the first lieutenant sent some papers on shore, which he had been desired to do by the captain.

When the boat returned, the clerk was sent for, and desired by Mr W——­ to make out Mr Aveleyn’s discharge, as the officers and midshipmen thought (for Mr W——­ had kept his secret), for his disobedient conduct.  The poor boy, who thought all his prospects blighted, was sent on shore, the tears running down his cheeks, as much from the applause and kind farewells of his shipmates, as from the idea of the degradation which he underwent.  Now, the real culprit was young Malcolm, who, to oblige the captain, had taken his station at the foretop-gallant mast-head, because the dog “Ponto” thought proper to cut off his own tail.  The first lieutenant, in his own woe, forgot that of others; and it was not until past nine o’clock at night that Malcolm, who thought that he had stayed up quite long enough, ventured below, when he was informed of what had taken place.

The youngster immediately penned a letter to the captain, acknowledging that he was the offender, and requesting that Mr Aveleyn might not be discharged from the service; he also ventured to add a postscript, begging that the same lenity might be extended towards himself; which letter was sent on shore by the captain’s gig, when it left the ship the next morning, and was received by Captain L——­ at the very same time that young Aveleyn, who had not been sent on shore till late in the evening, called upon the captain to request a reprieve from his hard sentence.

The boy sent up his name and was immediately admitted.

“I presume you know why you are discharged from the service?” said Captain L——­, smiling benignantly.

“Yes, sir,” replied the boy, holding his head down submissively, “because of that accident—­I’m very sorry, sir.”

“Of course you must, and ought to be.  Such heavy blows are not common, and hard to bear.  I presume you go immediately to Buckhurst?”

“I suppose I must, sir; but I hope, Captain L——­, that you’ll look over it.”

“I shall have very great pleasure in so doing,” replied Captain L——­; “I hear that it is—­”

“Thanky, sir, thanky,” replied the youngster, interrupting the captain.  “Then may I go on board again and tell the first lieutenant?”

“Tell the first lieutenant what?” cried Captain L——­, perceiving some mistake.  “Why, has not Mr W——­told you?”

“Yes, sir, he told me it was your orders that I should be dismissed his Majesty’s service.”

“Discharged—­not dismissed.  And I presume he told you why:  because your two elder brothers are dead, and you are now Lord Aveleyn.”

“No, sir!” cried the youngster with astonishment; “because his three front teeth are knocked out with a bottle of scaldchops, and I would not peach who stowed it away in the bunt of the sail.”