I will go in at once." He scribbled a cheque, put it in an envelope, put on his broad straw hat, and strolled in through the garden to pay his morning call.
It was a singular sight which met his eyes as he entered the sitting-room of the Admiral.

A great sea chest stood open in the center, and all round upon the carpet were little piles of jerseys, oil-skins, books, sextant boxes, instruments, and sea-boots.

The old seaman sat gravely amidst this lumber, turning it over, and examining it intently; while his wife, with the tears running silently down her ruddy cheeks, sat upon the sofa, her elbows upon her knees and her chin upon her hands, rocking herself slowly backwards and forwards.
"Hullo, Doctor," said the Admiral, holding out his hand, "there's foul weather set in upon us, as you may have heard, but I have ridden out many a worse squall, and, please God, we shall all three of us weather this one also, though two of us are a little more cranky than we were." "My dear friends, I came in to tell you how deeply we sympathize with you all.

My girl has only just told me about it." "It has come so suddenly upon us, Doctor," sobbed Mrs.Hay Denver.

"I thought that I had John to myself for the rest of our lives--Heaven knows that we have not seen very much of each other--but now he talks of going to sea again.
"Aye, aye, Walker, that's the only way out of it.