“If he’d said he was a lawyer, we would have known what to do.  But it’s a take in, Jack.”

“So I think.  Howsomdever, we’ll serve him out when we catch him, you know.”

“Good—­so we will.”

“And, then, again, he may know something about Master Charles, sir, you know.  Lord love him, don’t you remember when he came aboard to see you once at Portsmouth?”

“Ah!  I do, indeed.”

“And how he said he hated the French, and quite a baby, too.  What perseverance and sense.  ‘Uncle,’ says he to you, ’when I’m a big man, I’ll go in a ship, and fight all the French in a heap,’ says he.  ’And beat ’em, my boy, too,’ says you; cos you thought he’d forgot that; and then he says, ’what’s the use of saying that, stupid?—­don’t we always beat ’em?’”

The admiral laughed and rubbed his hands, as he cried aloud,—­

“I remember, Jack—­I remember him.  I was stupid to make such a remark.”

“I know you was—­a d——­d old fool I thought you.”

“Come, come.  Hilloa, there!”

“Well, then, what do you call me no seaman for?”

“Why, Jack, you bear malice like a marine.”

“There you go again.  Goodbye.  Do you remember when we were yard arm to yard arm with those two Yankee frigates, and took ’em both!  You didn’t call me a marine then, when the scuppers were running with blood.  Was I a seaman then?”

“You were, Jack—­you were; and you saved my life.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“I say I didn’t—­it was a marlin-spike.”

“But I say you did, you rascally scoundrel.—­I say you did, and I won’t be contradicted in my own ship.”

“Call this your ship?”

“No, d—­n it—­I—­”

“Mr. Crinkles,” said the landlord, flinging the door wide open, and so at once putting an end to the discussion which always apparently had a tendency to wax exceedingly warm.

“The shark, by G—­d!” said Jack.

A little, neatly dressed man made his appearance, and advanced rather timidly into the room.  Perhaps he had heard from the landlord that the parties who had sent for him were of rather a violent sort.

“So you are Crinkles, are you?” cried the admiral.  “Sit down, though you are a lawyer.”

“Thank you, sir.  I am an attorney, certainly, and my name as certainly is Crinkles.”

“Look at that.”

The admiral placed the letter in the little lawyer’s hands, who said,—­

“Am I to read it?”

“Yes, to be sure.”

“Aloud?”

“Read it to the devil, if you like, in a pig’s whisper, or a West India hurricane.”

“Oh, very good, sir.  I—­I am willing to be agreeable, so I’ll read it aloud, if it’s all the same to you.”

He then opened the letter, and read as follows:—­

     “To Admiral Bell.