Syd Belton Part 23

"There--there, your honours! Hear that?" cried Barney, excitedly.

"Aren't that the right stuff too? Here, your honour, begging your pardon, that bit of rope's-end's mine."

He caught up the rope, and gave it a flourish over his head.

"Here, stop! what are you going to do?" cried Sydney, dashing at him, and getting hold of one end of the rope.

"Going to do, Master Syd?--burn it; you may if you like. It's done it's dooty, and done it well. I asks your honours, both on you--aren't that wirtoo in a bit o' rope? See what it's made of him. Nothing like a bit o' rope's-end, neatly seized with a bit o' twine."

"Ah, well, you've a right to your opinion, Strake," said the captain.

"There, you can take him back home. I dare say we can manage to get him entered in the same ship as my son."

"And if he's going to do the right thing now," said Sir Thomas, "I'll pay for his outfit too."

"Thank, your honour; thank, your honour!" cried Barney.

"Oh!"

This last was from Pan, who had received a side kick from his father's shoe.

"Then why don't yer touch yer hat to the admiral and say thankye too, you swab?" growled Barney, in a deep, hoa.r.s.e whisper.

"There," said the captain, "you can go now."

"Long life to both your honours," cried Barney. "Come, Pan, my lad, get home; you dunno it, but your fortune's made."

"Well, Syd, are you satisfied?" said the captain, as soon as they were alone.

"Yes, father."

"Then we'll go up by to-night's coach and see Captain Dashleigh to-morrow. What do you say?"

"I'm ready, father. Will uncle come too?"

"Uncle Tom come too, you young humbug! how can I?" cried the admiral.

"No, I'm on sick leave, till my figure-head's perfect, so I shall have to stop here and sip the port."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

A supercilious-looking waiter--that is to say, a waiter who has had a good season and saved a little money--was standing at the door of the oldest hotel in Covent Garden, when a clumsy coach was driven up to the door.

The coach was so old and shabby, and drawn by two such wretched beasts, that the supercilious waiter could not see it; and after looking to his right and his left he turned to go in.

"Here, hi!" came from the coach; but the waiter paid no heed.

"Here, Syd, fetch that scoundrel here."

The door was flung open, the lad leaped out and went at the waiter like a dog, seizing him by the collar, spinning him round, and racing him protesting the while down the steps and over the rough pavement to the coach door.

"You insolent scoundrel, why didn't you come when I called?" said Captain Belton, from inside the fusty coach.

"Don't I tell you we're full!" cried the waiter; "and don't you come putting--"

"Silence, sir! how dare you!" cried the captain in his fiercest tones.

"How do you know that we want to stay in your dirty hotel? Take my card up to Captain Dashleigh, and say I am waiting."

The man glanced at the card, turned, and ran with alacrity into the house.

"That's just the sort of fellow I should like to set Strake at, Syd, with his mates and the cat. A flogging would do him good."

The next minute the waiter was back at the coach door with Captain Dashleigh's compliments, delivered in the most servile tones, and would Captain Belton step up?

"Get down my valise and pay the coachman," said the captain. "We shall sleep here to-night, though you are full."

They were shown into a room where a little, dandified man in full uniform was walking up and down, evidently dictating to his secretary, who was busily writing.

Syd stared. He had been accustomed to look upon his father and uncle, and the friends who came to see them, as types of naval officers--big, loud-spoken, grey-haired, bluff men, well tanned by long exposure to the weather; and he wondered who this individual could be who walked with one hand upon the hilt of his sword, pressing it down so that the sheath projected nearly at right angles between the tails of his coat, and as he walked it seemed to wag about like a monkeyish part of his person.

The other hand held a delicate white handkerchief, which he waved about, and at each movement it scented the air.

"Ah, my dear Captain Belton, so glad to see you. Lucky your call was now. So much occupied, you see. Sit down, my dear sir. And this is your son? Ah," he continued, inspecting Syd through a gold-rimmed eyegla.s.s, "nice little lad. Looks healthy and well. Seems only the other day I joined the service in his uncle's ship. I have your brother's letter in my secretary's hands. So glad to oblige him if I can. How is the dear old fellow?"

"Hearty, Captain Dashleigh," said Syd's father. "Desired to be kindly remembered to you."

"Ah, very good of him. Splendid officer! The service has lost a great deal through his growing too old."

"We don't consider ourselves too old for service. Timbers are sound.

We only want the Admiralty to give us commands."

"Ah, yes, to be sure," said the dandy captain, who seemed to be about eight-and-thirty; and he continued his walk up and down the room as his visitors sat.

"You have succeeded well, Dashleigh," said Captain Belton.

"Well, yes--pretty well--pretty well. Very arduous life though."

"Oh, hang the arduous life, sir," said Captain Belton. "It's a grand thing to be in command of a two-decker."

"Yes," said the little man, who in physique was rather less than Sydney; "the Government trust me, and his Majesty seems to have confidence in my powers. But you will, I know, excuse me, my dear old friend, if I venture to hint that my time is not my own. Sir Thomas said you would call and explain how I could serve him. What can I do? One moment--I need not say that I look upon him as my father in the profession, and that I shall be delighted to serve him. You will take a pinch?"

He handed a magnificent gold snuff-box set with diamonds, and a portrait on china in the lid indicated that it came from one of the ministers.

"Thanks, yes. But, my dear Dashleigh, you should not use scented snuff."

"Eh?--no? The fashion, my dear sir. Now I am all attention."

"Then why don't you sit down as a gentleman would?" said Captain Belton to himself. Then aloud--"My business is very simple, sir. This is my son, whom I wish to devote to the King's service, and my brother, Sir Thomas Belton, asks, and I endorse his pet.i.tion, that you will enter him in your ship, and try to do by him as my brother did by you."

"My dear Captain Belton! Ah, this is sad! What could have been more unfortunate! If you had only been a week sooner!"