"Nothing, ma'am, nothing," he replied, turning round to her--"only I've this moment thought of a way of `killing two birds with one stone.' I promised these youngsters, you know, if they were good--" "I know, I know what's coming now," cried Miss Nell, again interrupting him. Really she was a very rude little lady sometimes. "You're going to tell us at last!" "What, missy?" said the Captain chuckling, as she and Bob executed a triumphal dance round him, while Dick stood grinning in the background, his face, which had filled out considerably in the last week or two, making him look very different to the lantern-jawed lad they had encountered in the train, all one smile. "What, missy?" "You're going to take us out somewhere," Bob and Nellie cried in concert. "You promised, you know you did!" "But, that was if you were good," he answered, enjoying their antics. "That was the proviso, young people." "We _are_ good," they shouted together. "Auntie says so." The Captain put his hands to his ears to shut out their voices. "Are they good?" he asked Mrs Gilmour. "Eh, ma'am?" "Well, yes, I think so," said she, smiling. "Good enough as far as such children can be, I suppose! I suppose I must not tell tales out of school, sure, about what a little girl said the other day when somebody, whom I won't name, went away?" "What, what?" inquired the old sailor, looking from one to the other. "Tell me what she said!" Nellie put her hand over Mrs Gilmour's mouth. "Hush auntie," she cried appealingly. "You mustn't say anything; I didn't mean it!" "I dare say you called me a sour old curmudgeon?" hinted the Captain, pretending to be very much grieved. "Didn't you?" "No, I didn't," said Nellie, jumping up and throwing her arms round his neck to kiss him. "I think you are the dearest and kindest old Captain that ever was!" "Humph!" he ejaculated in a smothered voice, addressing her aunt. "There's no doubt, ma'am, where she gets the `blarney' from. It runs in the family!" "Sure an' small blame to her either," retorted the other defiantly. "It's fortunate for us women that we have something wherewith to get the better of you hard men sometimes." "Sometimes, eh? always, I think," growled the Captain, looking very knowing and laughing the while. "But, I won't argue the point with you, ma'am--sure to get the worst of it if I do. Tell you what I'll do, that is if it is agreeable to you. What say you to all of us crossing over to-morrow to the Island, eh?" "Oh, auntie, how nice!" cried Nellie, hugging her and the Captain alternately. Bob contented himself with uttering only the single word "jolly!" But, the ejaculation spoke volumes, Bob's highest appreciation being ever expressed by that expressive but slangy term "jolly!" "Will it do, d'ye think?" said the Captain to Mrs Gilmour; there was no need of his asking either of the children, their faces giving an unhesitating assent at once, as did Dick's. "Eh, ma'am?"