"Ay, Mrs Drew, through God's mercy I am here. But help me: I have not strength to carry her _now_." Marion had nearly fainted, and was led with the assistance of her mother to a retired part of the garden, and placed in an easy-chair. Seeing that the girl was recovering, the other ladies judiciously left them, and Miles explained to the mother, while she applied smelling-salts to Marion, that he had come on purpose to meet them, hoping and expecting that they would be attracted to the concert, like all the rest of the world, though he had scarcely looked for so peculiar a meeting! "But how did you know we were here at all?" asked Mrs Drew in surprise. "I saw you in the hospital," replied Miles, with a peculiar look. "Your kind daughter gave me a rose!" He pointed as he spoke to a withered bud which was fastened to his coat. "But--but--that young man had lost his hand; the nurse told us so," exclaimed Mrs Drew, with a puzzled look. Miles silently pointed to the handless arm which hung at his left side. Marion had turned towards him with a half-frightened look. She now leaned back in her chair and covered her face with both hands. "Mr Miles," said the wise old lady, with a sudden and violent change of subject, "your friends Armstrong and Molloy are in the Institute at this moment waiting for you!" Our hero needed no second hint. Next minute he dashed into the entrance hall, with wonderful vigour for an invalid, for he heard the bass voice of Molloy exclaiming-- "I don't care a button, leave or no leave, I'll make my way to John Mi-- Hallo!" The "Hallo!" was caused by his being rushed into by the impetuous Miles with such force that they both staggered. "Why, John, you're like the ram of an iron-clad! Is it really yourself? Give us your flipper, my boy!" But the flipper was already in that of Willie Armstrong, while the others crowded round him with congratulations. "Wot on airth's all the noise about in that there corner?" exclaimed a Jack-tar, who was trying hard to tell an interminable story to a quiet shipmate in spite of the din. "It's only that we've diskivered our captin," cried Molloy, eager to get any one to sympathise. "Wot captin's that?" growled the Jack-tar. "Why, him as led us on the hillock, to be sure, at Suakim."