Walter now turned to him with a whispered request which he seemed to grant as readily as his father had the one made of him.
At that Rosie and Lucilla, who were watching Walter with apparent interest in his proceedings, exchanged a glance of mingled amusement and satisfaction, while Grace, whose eyes were following his movements, laughed softly to herself; for she was in the mood for a bit of fun, and saw in all this the promise of some.
"Dear me, what a lot o' folks! and all lookin' so comfortable-like.
They've had a good dinner,--or supper, whichever they call it--you bet, Joe, while we're as hungry as bears," said a rough, masculine voice which seemed to come from a spot close in Captain Raymond's rear.
Before the sentence was half finished every other voice was hushed and all eyes were turned in the direction from which the sound seemed to come.
Everyone was startled for an instant, but by the time the sentence was finished the captain looked perfectly calm and cool.
"Who are you?
and how did you come aboard the vessel ?" he asked.
"In the boat, sir; same as the rest o'e company," was the reply in the same voice.
"Without waiting for an invitation, eh ?" "Humph! might 'a' missed it if we'd waited.

Say, capting, are you mean enough to let us fellows go hungry when you have a vessel full o' good things for eatin'?
To say nothing of a pocket full o' tin ?" "If any would not work, neither should he eat," quoted the captain.

"What work have you two been about to-day ?" "Same as yerself, sir; lookin' at the exhibits in this here big World's Fair." "Very well; you may go and ask the steward for some supper." A sound of retreating footsteps followed, and those of the guests who were not in the secret looked about here and there in blank astonishment.
"Well, really! am I going blind ?" ejaculated young Percy Landreth, passing his hand over his eyes in a bewildered way.

"I couldn't see those fellows at all." "Oh, no!" said Lucilla, "one can sometimes hear what one cannot see." But at that instant there was a "cluck, cluck," as of a hen which seemed to come from Annis' lap, and at which she sprang to her feet with a slight cry of astonishment and dismay, but seeing nothing, "Why, where is it ?" she asked half breathlessly, and the "cluck, cluck," was repeated apparently from behind the chair of her next neighbor, and immediately followed by a loud barking as if a dog were in chase of the chicken.
"Oh!" exclaimed Annis, turning her eyes upon the elder Mr.Lilburn, "I think I know--I've heard----" But a warning gesture from Violet, whose face was full of amusement, stopped her, and she dropped into her chair again with a slight, mirthful laugh and a look of relief and diversion.
Percy saw it and suddenly comprehended pretty accurately what was going on.

Yet at the same moment he was startled and annoyed by a loud buzzing about his ears as though a bee were flying round and round his head.