harbour into the open sea, while Amelia Kybird tore her yellow locks
ashore. It was a vision to cheer any self-respecting father's heart, and
he brought his mind back with some regret to the reality of the anchored
ship.

He walked home slowly. At the Kybirds' door the proprietor, smoking a
short clay pipe, eyed him with furtive glee as he passed. Farther along
the road the Hardys, father and son, stepped briskly together.
Altogether a trying walk, and calculated to make him more dissatisfied
than ever with the present state of affairs. When his daughter shook her
head at him and accused him of going off on a solitary frolic his stock
of patience gave out entirely.

[Illustration: "The proprietor eyed him with furtive glee as he passed."]

A thoughtful night led to a visit to Mr. Wilks the following evening. It
required a great deal of deliberation on his part before he could make up
his mind to the step, but he needed his old steward's assistance in a
little plan he had conceived for his son's benefit, and for the first
time in his life he paid him the supreme honour of a call.

The honour was so unexpected that Mr. Wilks, coming into the parlour in
response to the tapping of the captain's stick on the floor, stood for a
short time eyeing him in dismay. Only two minutes before he had taken
Mr. James Hardy into the kitchen to point out the interior beauties of
an ancient clock, and the situation simply appalled him. The captain
greeted him almost politely and bade him sit down. Mr. Wilks smiled
faintly and caught his breath.

"Sit down," repeated the captain.