"I think, you know, that we are a couple of old fools, to be troubling ourselves about Aggie's future, at present.

Still, in a matter which concerns us both so nearly, we cannot be too careful.

If we had a woman with us, we could safely leave the matter in her hands; as it is, we must blunder on, as best we may." And so it was settled, and a week later, Richard Horton received an official letter from the admiralty, ordering him to proceed at once to Portsmouth to join the Thetis, to which he was appointed as fourth lieutenant.

The order gave Richard extreme satisfaction.

He was beginning to find his life desperately dull, and he was heartily sick of playing the attentive nephew.