taking counsel as to his hand, of Susan Nipper. Miss Nipper was giving it, with all due secresy and circumspection. Diogenes was listening, and occasionally breaking out into a gruff, half-smothered fragment of a bark, of which he afterwards seemed half-ashamed, as if he doubted having any reason for it. Steady, steady!" said the Captain to Diogenes, "what's amiss with you? You don't seem easy in your mind to-night, my boy!"

Diogenes wagged his tail, but pricked up his ears immediately afterwards, and gave utterance to another fragment of a bark; for which he apologized to the Captain, by again wagging his tail.

"It's my opinion, Di," said the Captain, looking thoughtfully at his cards, and stroking his chin with his hook, "as you have your doubts of Mrs. Richards; but if you're the animal I take you to be, you'll think better o' that; for her looks is her commission. Now, Brother:" to Mr. Toots: "if so be as you're ready, heave ahead.”

The Captain spoke with all composure and attention to the game, but suddenly his cards dropped out of his hand, his mouth and eyes opened wide, his legs drew themselves up and stuck out in front of his chair, and he sat staring at the door with blank amazement. Looking round upon the company, and seeing that none of them observed him or the cause of his astonishment, the Captain recovered himself with a great gasp, struck the table a tremendous blow, cried in a stentorian roar, "Sol Gills ahoy!" and tumbled into the arms of a weather-beaten pea-coat that had come with Polly into the room.

In another moment, Walter was in the arms of the weatherbeaten pea-coat. In another moment, Florence was in the arms of the weather-beaten pea-coat. In another moment, Captain Cuttle had embraced Mrs. Richards and Miss Nipper, and was violently shaking hands with Mr. Toots, exclaiming, as he waved his hook above his head, "Hooroar, my lad, hooroar!" Το which Mr. Toots, wholly at a loss to account for these proceedings, replied with great politeness, "Certainly, Captain Gills, whatever you think proper!"

The weather-beaten pea-coat, and a no less weather-beaten cap

and comforter belonging to it, turned from the Captain and from Florence back to Walter, and sounds came from the weatherbeaten pea-coat, cap, and comforter, as of an old man sobbing underneath them; while the shaggy sleeves clasped Walter tight. During this pause, there was an universal silence, and the Captain polished his nose with great diligence. But when the peacoat, cap, and comforter lifted themselves up again, Florence gently moved towards them; and she and Walter taking them off, disclosed the old Instrument Maker, a little thinner and more care-worn than of old, in his old Welsh wig and his old coffeecolored coat and basket buttons, with his old infallible chronometer ticking away in his pocket.

"Chock full o' science," said the radiant Captain, as ever he was! Sol Gills, Sol Gills, what have you been up to, for this many a long day, my old boy?"

"I'm half blind, Ned," said the old man, "and almost deaf and dumb with joy."

"His wery woice," said the Captain, looking round with an exultation to which even his face could hardly render justice— "his wery woice as chock full o' science as ever it was! Sol Gills, lay to, my lad, upon your own wines and fig-trees, like a taut old patriark as you are, and overhaul them there adwentures o' yourn, in your own familior woice. 'Tis the woice," said the Captain, impressively, and announcing a quotation with his hook, "of the sluggard, I heerd him com-plain, you have woke me too soon, I must slumber again. Scatter his ene-mies, and make 'em fall!"

The Captain sat down with the air of a man who had happily expressed the feeling of everybody present, and immediately rose again to present Mr. Toots, who was much disconcerted by the arrival of anybody appearing to prefer a claim to the name of Gills.

Although," stammered Mr. Toots, "I had not the pleasure of your acquaintance, Sir, before you were you were—' "Lost to sight, to memory dear," suggested the Captain, in a low voice.

"Exactly so, Captain Gills!" assented Mr. Toots. "Although I had not the pleasure of your acquaintance, Mr.-Mr. Sols,"

said Toots, hitting on that name in the inspiration of a bright idea, "before that happened, I have the greatest pleasure, I assure you, in—you know, in knowing you. I hope," said Mr. Toots, "that you're as well as can be expected."

With these courteous words, Mr. Toots sat down blushing and chuckling.

The old Instrument Maker, seated in a corner between Walter and Florence, and nodding at Polly, who was looking on, all smiles and delight, answered the Captain thus:

"Ned Cuttle, my dear boy, although I have heard something of the changes of events here, from my pleasant friend there— what a pleasant face she has, to be sure, to welcome a wanderer home!" said the old man, breaking off, and rubbing his hands in his old dreamy way.

"Hear him!" cried the Captain gravely. "'Tis woman as seduces all mankind. For which," aside to Mr. Toots, "you'll overhaul your Adam and Eve, brother."

“I shall make a point of doing so, Captain Gills," said Mr. Toots.

"Although I have heard something of the changes of events, from her," resumed the Instrument Maker, taking his old spectacles from his pocket, and putting them on his forehead in his old manner," they are so great and unexpected, and I am so overpowered by the sight of my dear boy, and by the❞—glancing at the downcast eyes of Florence, and not attempting to finish the sentence-" that I-I can't say much to-night. But my dear Ned Cuttle, why didn't you write ?"

The astonishment depicted in the Captain's features positively frightened Mr. Toots, whose eyes were quite fixed by it, so that he could not withdraw them from his face.

"Write!" echoed the Captain.

Aye," said the old man, "either to Barbados, or Jamaica, or Demerara. That was what I asked."

"What you asked, Sol Gills!" repeated the Captain.

"Aye," said the old man. "Don't you know, Ned? Sure you have not forgotten? Every time I wrote to you."

The Captain took off his glazed hat, hung it on his hook, and

smoothing his hair from behind with his hand, sat gazing at the group around him: a perfect image of wondering resignation. "You don't appear to understand me, Ned!" observed old Sol.

"Sol Gills," returned the Captain, after staring at him and the rest for a long time, without speaking, "I'm gone about and adrift. Pay out a word or two respecting them adwentures, will you! Can't I bring up, nohows? nohows?" said the Captain ruminating, and staring all round.

"You know, Ned," said Sol Gills, "why I left here. Did you open my packet, Ned ?”

"Why, aye, aye," said the Captain. "To be sure, I opened the packet."

"And read it ?" said the old man.

"And read it," answered the Captain, eyeing him attentively, proceeding to quote it from memory. "My dear Ned Cuttle, when I left home for the West Indies in forlorn search of intel. ligence of my dear There he sits! There's Wal'r!" said the Captain, as if he were relieved by getting hold of anything that was real and indisputable.

"Well, Ned. Now attend a moment!" said the old man. "When I wrote first-that was from Barbados-I said that though you would receive that letter long before the year was out, I should be glad if you would open the packet, as it explained the reason of my going away. Very good, Ned. When I wrote the second, third, and perhaps the fourth times—that was from Jamaica-I said I was in just the same state, couldn't rest, and couldn't come away from that part of the world, without knowing that my boy was lost or saved. When I wrote nextthat, I think, was from Demerara, wasn't it?"

"That he thinks was from Demerara, warn't it!" said the Captain, looking hopelessly around.

"I said," proceeded old Sul, "that still there was no certain information got yet. That I found many captains and others, in that part of the world, who had known me for years, and who assisted me with a passage here and there, and from what I was able, now and then, to do a little in return in my own craft. That every one was sorry for me, and seemed to take a sort of