“Girls in those novels don’t talk to their mothers like that,” said the elder woman severely.

“They have different sorts of mothers,” said Nancy, serenely turning over a page.  “I hate little pokey ships and sailors smelling of tar.  I never saw a sailor I liked yet.”

The mate’s face fell.  “There’s sailors and sailors,” he suggested humbly.

“It’s no good talking to her,” said the mother, with a look of fat resignation on her face, “we can only let her go her own way; if you talked to her twenty-four hours right off it wouldn’t do her any good.”

“I’d like to try,” said the mate, plucking up spirit.

“Would you?” said the girl, for the first time raising her head and looking him full in the face.  “Impudence!”

“Perhaps you haven’t seen many ships,” said the impressionable mate, his eyes devouring her face.  “Would you like to come and have a look at our cabin?”

“No, thanks!” said the girl sharply.  Then she smiled maliciously.  “I daresay mother would, though; she’s fond of poking her nose into other people’s business.”

The mother regarded her irreverent offspring fixedly for a few moments.  The mate interposed.

“I should be very pleased to show you over, ma’am,” he said politely.

The mother hesitated; then she rose, and accepting the mate’s assistance, clambered on to the side of the steamer, and, supported by his arms, sprang to the deck and followed him below.

“Very nice,” she said, nodding approvingly, as the mate did the honours.  “Very nice.”

“It’s nice and roomy for a little craft like ours,” said the mate, as he drew a stone bottle from a locker and poured out a couple of glasses of stout.  “Try a little beer, ma’am.”

“What you must think o’ that girl o’ mine I can’t think,” murmured the lady, taking a modest draught.

“The young,” said the mate, who had not quite reached his twenty-fifth year, “are often like that.”

“It spoils her,” said her mother.  “She’s a good-looking girl, too, in her way.”

“I don’t see how she can help being that,” said the mate.

“Oh, get away with you,” said the lady pleasantly.  “She’ll get fat like me as she gets older.”

“She couldn’t do better,” said the mate tenderly.

“Nonsense,” said the lady, smiling.

“You’re as like as two peas,” persisted the mate.  “I made sure you were sisters when I saw you first.”

“You ain’t the first that’s thought that,” said the other, laughing softly; “not by a lot.”

“I like to see ladies about,” said the mate, who was trying desperately for a return invitation.  “I wish you could always sit there.  You quite brighten the cabin up.”

“You’re a flatterer,” said his visitor, as he replenished her glass, and showed so little signs of making a move that the mate, making a pretext of seeing the engineer, hurried up on deck to singe his wings once more.