"Archie Winters!"

"Here I am," said Archie.

"Well, go up on deck," said the mate; "the captain wants to see you."

"The captain wants to see me!" repeated Archie, in surprise.

"Yes; and you had better bear a hand, too, for the captain isn't the man
to wait long when he sends after any one."

Archie accordingly went on deck, trying all the while to think what he had
done that was wrong, and expecting a good blowing up for some
unintentional offense. Perhaps the captain had by some means learned who
it was that had made the descent on the cook's galley, and had called him
up for the purpose of punishing him.

Finding the captain on deck, talking with the executive officer, he very
politely remained out of hearing, holding his hat in his hand, and waited
for a chance to speak to him. At length the captain inquired:

"Hasn't Winters come up yet?"

"Yes, sir," answered Archie, stepping up with his best salute.

"Is this your writing?" inquired the captain, holding out to Archie a
letter addressed, in a splendid business hand, to James Winters, Esq.,
Boston.

"Yes, sir," answered Archie; "that's a letter I wrote to my father."