Parson and Telson suddenly recollected that they had never called to pay their respects at Brown's after the pleasant evening they had spent there a few weeks ago.

Strutter, Tedbury, and a few other Limpets were anxious to study geology that afternoon at the Town Museum, Pringle wanted to see how his "uncle" was getting on, etcetera, etcetera.
All which ingenious pretexts the captain very naturally saw through and firmly declined, much to the mortification of the applicants--who many of them returned to the charge with fresh and still more ingenious arguments for making an exception in their particular case.

But all to no effect.

About midday the captain's study was empty, and the following notice pasted on the door told its own story.
Notice.
_By the Doctor's order, no permits will be allowed to-morrow.

Call-over will be at four instead of five_.
A.