"I"m sure that we shall hear nothing but what is pleasant and sensible and right," said Jack, with less veracity than it was his wont to speak.
Mrs Bubsby gave a "hem!" and Jack, bowing, left the cabin in possession of his fair guests.
The major was pacing the deck, fussing and fuming. Something had gone wrong with him. Jack kept out of his way. He had already got hold of one of his own junior officers, to whom he was explaining what had happened. At last he came up to Jack.
"I must beg you, Captain Rogers, to put back. My dressing-case, with valuables to a large amount, has been left behind; and it will to a certainty be stolen. I cannot do without it while campaigning; and it will be a fearful inconvenience not to have it on board. I will give you a written request, if you think it necessary to have one."
"I cannot return to harbour for such a purpose, even with a written request from you," answered Jack, scarcely able to restrain his laughter. "Perhaps the case in question has been brought on board after all. If not, anything I possess I shall be happy to place at your disposal."
"You do not possess what I require, I am sure," answered the major.
"But tell me what it is that your case contains which I cannot supply!"
said Jack.
The major took Jack by the arm and led him out of earshot of his officers. "My second set of teeth," he whispered. "I confide the fact to you; I shall never masticate my food without them; I shall die of indigestion."
Jack could not help giving way to his inclination to laugh. "I own, major, I do not possess a second set of teeth of any description, but we will try the doctor; he is a clever man, and although such things are not supplied among our medical stores, he may possibly have some."
"I shall be most grateful if he can furnish me," answered the major, in the same tone as before; "but if you will not return into port, I must request you to inst.i.tute a search for the dressing-case. You will not speak of its contents?"
Jack promised to do as the major requested, and directed Tom to learn if any case belonging to one of the officers had been carried forward or stowed away by mistake.
The major having allowed his "woman kind," as he called them, time to shake into their berths, went below. He had not been there long before Jack, who had gone to his cabin, heard a low whispering from within. He caught the words--
"It was your fault!"
"It was yours!"
"I tell you it was not. I looked after everything entrusted to me.
Sniggins should have kept a better eye on your baggage."
"No; he was not to blame. It was your business to look after the smaller articles; for what other reason do I carry you and your daughters about?"
"I"m sure I don"t want to go. You and the girls made me."
"I made you? I never made you do anything in your life which you did not like. My beloved, you are losing your temper!"
"I tell you I am as cool as a cuc.u.mber!" answered the lady, the tone of her voice belying the a.s.sertion.
"Don"t fall out about it, papa," said a younger voice. "You are inclined to be aggravating."
"My dear, I am as calm as your mamma," said the major.
"Then why do you come here and accuse me of doing what I didn"t?" cried the lady. "I will not stand such treatment. It is all your fault!"
"It"s your fault, I say! Why was that case left behind?"
"It was not my fault," exclaimed Mrs Bubsby. "I"ll teach you not to repeat such falsehoods!" There was a slight scream from Eugenia, echoed by Angelica, while some sounds greatly resembling those produced when a person is having his ears boxed, proceeded through the canvas. Directly afterwards the major, with a flushed countenance and a bald head, rushed out at the door, followed by a wig sent as a missile after him. On seeing Captain Rogers reading at the further corner of the cabin, he tried to pick it up, but the vessel giving a gentle roll at the time, sent him flying into the middle of the cabin before he had succeeded in his object. Pulling out his handkerchief in a vain endeavour to conceal his shaven crown, he uttered a groan. Jack tried not to look at him, but believing that he had been hurt, was compelled at length to inquire what was the matter.
"I confessed to you, Captain Rogers, that I made use of some false teeth in addition to my own natural ones, and now you have discovered that I wear a wig. But you will not, I trust, make it known to my officers, or they may lose the respect they now entertain for me."
A scornful laugh from within showed that the major"s last observation had been overheard, and that some one did not agree with it.
Jack, however, kindly rising from his seat, picked up the major"s wig, and having handed it to him, helped him to get on his legs.
"Do you wish to return to your cabin?" asked Jack.
The major shook his head. "Not at present," he whispered; "I"ll wait until the storm has blown over. She is a good woman," pointing with his thumb to where it might be supposed Mrs Bubsby was standing; "but she"s a little hasty, as you see, at times. I would have left her behind, but I could not bring my girls without a chaperon, besides which she would come, whether I liked it or not. I am frank with you, Captain Rogers; but I am frank by nature."
"Would you like to walk on deck, Major Bubsby?" asked Jack, not wishing to make any remark in the presence of the lady, aware that every word he uttered would reach her ears.
"Yes, indeed, I would," answered the major; "a little fresh air would greatly restore me. These fits are apt to unman me for a time, but I quickly recover, and soon resume the command of my amazon forces."
Jack heard another scornful laugh from within, as the major hurried into the main cabin. The captain good-naturedly paced the deck with him for some minutes, listening to the account of his domestic woes, arising from Mrs Bubsby"s somewhat uncertain temper.
"She is in the main, however, a charming creature, charming when I married her--a perfect angel. Still charming, though less angelic, I"ll allow, at times."
Jack could not help smiling. The major observed him.
"You doubt my a.s.sertion! Wait until you have been married as long as I have, thirty years or more, and you"ll understand what"s what. You are not married, I conclude, Captain Rogers?"
"I have the happiness of being so, although we poor sailors are not allowed to carry our wives and families with us, as you military men have the privilege of doing."
"That will be a disappointment to Eugenia and Angelica," observed the major, apparently speaking to himself. "They fully speculated on your being a bachelor. You have some bachelor officers, however, captain?"
"Oh, yes," answered Jack laughing; "my three lieutenants are all unmarried, and so are the rest of the officers, with the exception of the doctor and paymaster."
"That"s some consolation, at all events. If there"s one thing I have at heart more than another, it is to see my charming daughters well married."
"I wish you every success in so laudable an object," said Jack, "but it is a matter in which I should decline to interfere with respect to my officers. Indeed they are all too young to take upon themselves the responsibilities of married life. In my opinion a naval officer should not venture to fall in love until he is thirty at least, if he intends to get on in the service, and it would be much better to wait a few years beyond that."
"Ah, but my daughters would not consider them too young," said the major. "Angelica once engaged herself to a young gentleman of seventeen, and would have married him too had not his father, who objected to the match, sent him off up the country, and the poor girl for a month at least could not hold up her head. It was not until a fresh regiment arrived that she in any way recovered her usual buoyant spirits, and had no less than three admirers at once dangling after her.
One was so old that she could not make up her mind to accept him.
Another was over head and ears in debt, and asked me to pay his bills, on condition that he would take my daughter off my hands, and a third had, I found out, an unacknowledged wife. So you see my sweet Angelica is perfectly free to give her heart and hand to the first person who asks her."
The major, as he made these revelations, did not appear at all aware of the effect they were likely to produce on his auditor, who, as may be supposed, found it difficult to offer any remark on some of them.
"I think I may now venture below, as time has been given for the storm which raged in a certain region to calm down," said the major, who was beginning to feel a little tired from so long pacing the deck.
Jack advised him by all means to return to his cabin. He wanted, indeed, to enjoy a good hearty fit of laughter by himself, as he felt every instant ready to explode. He somewhat astonished Tom, who was on deck, when he at length gave way to his feelings as the major"s head disappeared below the deck.
Tom, on hearing the account of the major"s expulsion from the cabin, as may be supposed, joined his brother Jack in his merriment, and it was with difficulty for hours afterwards that he could refrain from bursting into fits of laughter.
The _Bellona_ steamed on; not at full speed, however, for the engineer found something amiss with the machinery, and begged the captain, as soon as the wind should shift, to proceed under sail, that he might have an opportunity of repairing the defect.
The young ladies were constantly on deck, endeavouring to make themselves as charming as possible. Archie Gordon and Tom were respectfully polite, and took care not to commit themselves by any undue attentions. Billy Blueblazes was far less cautious. Whenever he could find a spare minute, he was sure to make his way to the side of the fair Angelica.
At last, one night, while Tom was on watch, he was surprised to find Billy walk up to him.