yards. "What little tempers we have got," he said grinning. "Regular
little spitfires, both of you. Now back you come till we have had a
talk."

I noticed then that he was much better dressed than formerly. His
clothes were of the very finest sea-cloth, and well cut. The buttons
on his scarlet waistcoat were new George guineas; and the buttons on
his coat were of silver, very beautifully chased. His shoes had big
silver buckles on them, and there was a silver buckle to the flap of
his grey slouch hat. The tattoo marks on his left hand were covered
over by broad silver rings, of the sort the Spanish onion-boys used to
sell in Dartmouth, after the end of the war. He looked extremely
handsome in his fine clothes. I wondered how I could ever have been
afraid of him.

"Yes," he said with a grin, when he saw me eyeing him, "my ship came
home all right. I was able to refit for a full due. So now we'll see
what gifts the Queen sent."

We wondered what he meant by this sentence; but we were not kept long
in doubt. He led us through the briars to the ruins of the shed where
the quarry overseer had formerly had his office.

"Come in here," he said, shoving us in front of him, "and see what the
Queen'll give you. Shut your eyes. That's the style. Now open."

When we opened our eyes we could hardly keep from shouting with
pleasure. There, on the ground, kept upright by a couple of bricks was
a three-foot model of a revenue cutter, under all her sail except the
big square foresail, which was neatly folded upon her yard. She was