"I suppose you're close on sixteen, eh ?" "Dear me, no," I laughed, light-heartedly.

"Why, I'm only just fourteen! I told you I was four when my poor father was killed; and that, as you yourself said, happened ten years ago, so you can calculate yourself." "Bless me, so you must be by all accounts; but, sure, you look fully two years older! Humph, you're a little bit too young yet to get apprenticed to the sea regularly as I thought of; but there's plenty o' time for us to study the bearings of it arter we fetch home.

Come along, step out.

I feel kind o' peckish with all this palavering, and thinks as how I could manage a bit of dinner pretty comfably, and it'll be just about ready by the time we reach Stoke, as Jane's mighty punctual to having it on the table by eight bells; step out, my hearty!" Presently, turning off from the main road into a sort of bye-lane, my conductor finally stopped before the entrance porch of a neat little cottage, standing in a large garden of its own, that stretched away for some distance on either side.

There was an orchard also in the rear, the fruit-trees of which, such was the mildness of the season, appeared ready to break into bud.
"Here's my anchorage, laddie," said he, with a wave of his hand-- indicating the extent of his property.
"What a jolly little place!" I exclaimed.
"Yes," he replied, with pardonable pride, "I set my heart on the little cabin years ago--afore I left the navy--and I used to save up my pay and prize money, so as to buy it in time.