He had actually reached the grassy acclivity above, before he was at all aware of any person's being near him.
Turning, he perceived that the midshipman was at his heels, respect alone preventing one of the latter's active limbs and years from skipping past his superior on the ascent.

The admiral recollected how little there was to amuse one of the boy's habits in a place like Wychecombe, and he good-naturedly determined to take him along with himself.
"You are little likely to find any diversion here, Lord Geoffrey," he said; "if you will accept of the society of a dull old fellow, like myself, you shall see all I see, be it more or less." "I've shipped for the cruise, sir, and am ready and happy, too, to follow your motions, with or without signals," returned the laughing youngster.

"I suppose Wychecombe is about as good as Portsmouth, or Plymouth; and I'm sure these green fields are handsomer than the streets of any dirty town I ever entered." "Ay, green fields are, indeed, pleasant to the eyes of us sailors, who see nothing but water, for months at a time.

Turn to the right, if you please, my lord; I wish to call at yonder signal-station, on my way to the Hall." The boy, as is not usual with lads of his age, inclined in "the way he was told to go," and in a few minutes both stood on the head-land.

As it would not have done for the master to be absent from his staff, during the day, with a fleet in the roads, Dutton was already at his post, cleanly dressed as usual, but trembling again with the effect of the last night's debauch on his nerves.