Chapter 3

The Skipper felt very uncomfortable when he reached home carrying his boat, for almost the first person he saw, was his mother, who met him in the hall, to catch him in her arms, without taking any notice of the big sailor, who saluted her, by pulling at a tuft of shaggy hair on his forehead, bending forward and kicking out one leg behind, before patting down his load.

"You can go in the kitchen, Jeffs," said the Captain, appearing at the drawing-room door, "and have your meal there."

"Ay, ay, sir!"

"There will be a portmanteau to take back with you, but, you can stay till the evening if you like. The boat will be at the stairs at seven."

"Ay, ay, sir!" said the sailor, saluting, and backing out, trying hard to catch the Skipper's eye; but the boy was watching his mother, for he saw that she had been crying.

"Father's been telling her," he said to himself; and he took the first opportunity of slipping away. But he had to come back when the big bell rang for early dinner, feeling very guilty, and longing to tell his mother that he was always going to be very brave and manly in the future, and never do anything wrong again. But, he had no chance, for soon after dinner, Mrs. Trevor, who looked very unhappy, told him to take Dot and go and play.

"Ah! yes, little ones," said the Captain gravely. "You can go, both of you, but don't go far away. I shall want to see all I can of you to-day."

Bob felt more uncomfortable still, as he reached the door, but, before he was outside, the Captain called him back. "I suppose you would like to have Jeffs to help you this afternoon?" he said quietly.

"Ye--es, please, Papa," said the boy.

"Very well. Fetch me those two parcels he brought."

Bob hurried out into the hall, closely followed by Dot, who said sagely, "You made Pa and Ma both cry by teasing me."

But the thought of the parcels chased away the trouble in the boy's heart, as he caught them up and ran with them into the drawing-room, followed by Dot, whose little face grew serious, when the parcels were opened, and found to contain little square boxes.

"Open them," said the Captain, while Mrs. Trevor stood beside them, biting her lower lip.

The boy's cheeks flushed, and his heart beat, for there, bright and new, were the things he had been longing for: a large metal model, carriage and all, of a breech-loading cannon, and a patent brass anchor.

"Oh, Pa!" he cried, half wild with joy.

"For someone who is always going to act like a man," said the Captain seriously, "and--ah! my little one, what a sad face!" he cried. "Did she think she was forgotten? Why! where's that basket, Jeffs brought?"

Dot needed no telling: she darted out of the room, to come back directly with her eves sparkling, and before the basket was open, she was upon her father's knee, laughing, and kissing his sad face, her mother directly after coming in for her share of caresses. For the basket was found to contain a long parcel and a box, the trembling little fingers having plenty of difficulty in tearing off the paper, to display a new doll, of wonderful construction, and an attractive-looking box of sweets.

"You spoil them, my dear;" said Mrs. Trevor sadly.

The Captain sighed as he said:--"I do not have much chance, love. There, it makes them happy. I don't spoil you; do I, Bob?"

"No, Pa," replied the boy quickly; and the scene by the lake came back, to make him feel guilty again.

"There, run along," cried the Captain; and the next minute all was forgotten, for there was so much to do.

"Jack Robinson" was waiting, ready to grin with pleasure as Dot rushed at him, to show him the new doll, which he was allowed to take in his hands, the child trembling and flushing a little, as she saw directly after, that there were tarry marks upon his palms; but, _the dark drown did not come off_.

Then "Jack Robinson" was turning over the gun and the anchor, after which, with a wink and grin, he drew a little coil of new fishing-line from out of his breast. "We shall be ship-shape now," he cried.

"Yes; come into our room," cried the Skipper. "You may come and see too, Dot;" and the next minute, they were in the play and school-room. There were plenty of expensive toys, but they were as nothing now beside the "Flash," which was placed on the table before Jack Robinson, who took his seat between the children, though the Skipper soon climbed from his chair, on to the table, where he sat, cross-legged, like a sailor making a sail, while Jack opened his big knife, to fit in the gun in its proper place, forward.

Just then the Skipper caught sight of Dot bending the new doll's legs to seat her on the table, and help see the proceedings.

In an instant the boy caught up the knife and held it out.

"Here, 'Jack,'" he cried, with mock ferocity, "get hold of that doll, and I'll cut off her head."

"Oh!" shrieked Dot, but her cry was smothered by the noise made by the sailor's fist, as he banged it down on the table.

"Avast!" he roared fiercely. "You put down that there jack-knife. Didn't the Cap'n say as you wasn't to tease your sister?"

"Oh, yes!" cried the boy; "I forgot. It was only my fun."

"Your fun!" cried the sailor, looking his ugliest. "Don't you cry, my pretty. If ever he teases you I'll mut'ny, and never help him to rig a boat agen. And look here: if he don't say he's sorry, I won't do this here."

"But I am sorry," cried the boy. "Oh, I say, Dot, don't be a little silly. I tell you it was only my fun."

"Your fun!" growled "Jack," passing his left arm round Dot, and looking very savage, as he held up a great rough finger at the offender, and shook his head at him warningly. "Now look-ye here. There was some boys once as stood round chuckin' stones at some frogs in a pond, and----"

"Yes, I know," cried the Skipper hastily, "and the frogs said--"

"Avast!" roared the sailor--"nay, I don't mean they said 'Avast,' that's what I says. Don't you int'rup' older folks, as is talking to you for your good. Mebbe you do know what the frogs said, but it won't hurt you to hear it agen. The frogs said--I mean croaked out--'Avast!'"

"Why! you told us the frogs didn't say 'Avast,'" cried the boy.

"Did I? Ay! so I did. It wasn't 'Avast'; it were 'Belay there! Don't do that,' they says. And then the boys said, just as you did, 'It was only my fun.' And then the frogs says: 'Ha!' they says, 'what's fun to you means stones come aboard and sinkin' us, and sendin' on us to the bottom.'"

"That they didn't!" cried the boy archly.

"Well, I don't say it was them werry words, but what they says meant it, and here you will come bringing your fun, as you calls it, on deck, and hurtin' your pretty little sister; and you calls yourself a man."

"I don't," said the boy. "I said I'd try _and act like a man_."

"Then why don't yer hack like a man?" cried the sailor. "You're a-gettin' on: some o' these days you'll be skipper of a big craft o' your own, and you promised I should be your bo'sun; and here you goes and hacks like that. Why! big as I am, I wouldn't go an' hurt a little thing like this, for a golden king's crown.--Would I, my pretty?"

"No, 'Jack,'" said Dot seriously; "I'm sure you wouldn't. And it's very cruel of Bob."

"That's right, my dear; so it is; and I just tell him if he don't stick to his word like a young gent should, him and me ain't going to be messmates no more."

The Skipper's conscience was very busy again, but, he wouldn't show his trouble, and, he tried to turn it off by saying rapidly--

"Won't do so any more--won't do so any more," three times.

"Don't sound to me as if you was sorry," growled the man. "I heered what your father says to you, and he knows, and he's the finest gentleman in all Her Majesty's Service. On'y wish I'd got such a father."

"What nonsense, 'Jack'!" cried the Skipper; "why! you're too big, isn't he, Dot?"

"Yes," said the girl, "he does seem to be very big to have a father."

"Well, I ain't a wery little un, am I, my pretty?" said the sailor, chuckling. "But, you allus mind, and do what your father tells you, Master Bob."

"Oh! do go on with the ship," cried the Skipper impatiently. "But, I say, did you always do what your father told you, 'Jack'?"

"Nay, that I didn't, and wery sorry I am," said the big fellow, shaking his head. "That's the wust on it; we gets to be sorry for things when it's too late; and I'm wery much afeard, Master Bob, as this here gun'll make the 'Flash' a bit crank."

"What's crank?" asked the boy.

"What you shore-going folks calls top-heavy; and that either means cutting down her rigging----"

"No, I won't have the rigging touched," cried Bob.

"Well, it would be a mortal shame, seeing how she sails, but you wouldn't like her to capsize."

"No; of course not."

"Then, I tell you what: you must put some little bags o' shot in her hold, to act as ballast, and then she'll be all right."

Then, apparently satisfied with the boy's promise of amendment, "Jack Robinson," otherwise Tom Jeffs, worked away at the model, till the gun was fixed amidships, and the anchor swung to her bows, the cable having been knotted on, and the neatly coiled rings placed inside a little hatch in front.

All this being finished, as a man-of-war's man does such things, the Skipper sprang down from the table. "Now, 'Jack,' come along!" he cried; "let's see how she'll sail." But, just then tea-time was announced, and in spite of a loud "_Oh!_" full of disappointment, the big sailor had to go into the kitchen and have his tea, the children's evening meal being ready too; and directly after, they were summoned to say good-bye to the coxswain, who had to go back. The Captain and Mrs. Trevor were in the hall when the former nodded shortly to his man, and went into the drawing-room, while the Skipper saw his mother slip something, that looked like a yellow sixpence, into the man's big hand.

"Good-bye, and thank you, Jeffs," she said hurriedly, and her voice sounded broken. "I pray that you may have a good voyage."

"Then we shall, ma'am, and bless and thank you, but there ain't no need for this."

"For all you have done for my children," said Bob's mother.

"For that, ma'am! Why, it's been holidays and holidays to come up here, and bless 'em too.--May I, ma'am?"

"Yes, please do," cried Mrs. Trevor, in a choking voice, and the man caught up Dot.

"Good-bye, my little dymond," he cried huskily.

"Good-bye, 'Jack.' Come and see us again soon," cried Dot, responding to his kiss, and tickling her little pinky nose with "Jack's" whiskers, for it was like kissing some loose cocoa-nut fibre.

"Good-bye, Master Robert," the man continued; and the Skipper shook hands with him, like a man.

"Good-bye, 'Jack': when are you coming again?"

The sailor looked at him with a peculiar expression of countenance, and was silent for a few moments.

"Next time," he said huskily, and, making a rough bow, he caught up a small portmanteau standing ready, and hurried out of the house, while the Skipper's mother bit her lower lip, hard, as she turned away, to hide her swimming eyes.

"What's Mamma crying for?" asked Dot.

"She wasn't crying," said the Skipper gloomily, but, he felt she was ready to do so, and he turned to go into the drawing-room, after opening the door a little way, feeling all the while that his mother's looks were all on account of his behaviour.

Just then the boy stood perfectly still, for there was a burst of pitiable sobs, and he heard his mother say, in answer to some whispered words of the Captain's--"I do try, dear, but it seems so hard, so very hard."