"I say, I'm in a great hurry," said the boy; "my girl's waiting for me. Will you take these letters to Captain Smith, or I'll miss my train back? I'll give you a bob." "Righto!" said Geordie; and he pouched the shilling and the letters, and the young fellow ran for his train. [Illustration: "'JERUSH,' SAID GEORDIE, 'THIS CAN'T BE ME!'"] "The letters can wait," said Geordie Potts, "but the bob can't, and I've five more besides. Jack might have had his whack out of it if he hadn't wanted to be my manager when he ain't fit for it." He put the letters into his pocket and made his way to the Sandridge Arms, where he sat and drank by himself. It was seven o'clock, and he was by then tolerably "full," before it occurred to him to see if he still had the letters. He took them out, and the very first his eyes lighted on was one in a long envelope addressed to "GEORGE POTTS, ESQ., c/o Captain Smith, _Patriarch_." "Jerush," said Geordie, "this can't be me! 'Esq.' is what they puts after names of gents. Even the skipper don't have it after his." He fingered the long envelope and took another drink to consider the matter on. "Snakes! it must be me," he said, as he drew confidence out of his glass; "there's no other Potts but me." He was over-full by now, and he opened the letter and began to read it:-- "MY DEAR SIR----" "By all that's living," said Geordie, "me 'my dear sir'!" He went on reading:-- "MY DEAR SIR,--We regret to inform you of the sudden death of your uncle, Mr. Thomas Tyser, on the 10th instant. He left no will, and you, as the next of kin and heir-at-law, are entitled to all his real and personal estate, which is, as you are doubtless aware, very large. According to our present estimate it will amount to at least half a million sterling, and as we have been his legal advisers for the last twenty years and know all his affairs we can assure you that with proper management of certain undertakings at present in our hands, it may be much more than our estimate. In order that you may return at once we enclose you a draft on the Union Bank of Australia for two hundred pounds, and have instructed Captain Smith to give you your discharge, which he will, of course, do at once. "We hope, as we have been so long in the confidence of Mr. Tyser, that you will see no reason to complain of our care of your interests. "We are, my dear sir, "Your obedient servants, "THOMAS WIGGS AND CO." "My stars!" said Geordie. And he stared aghast at a square piece of paper, which he had reason to believe represented two hundred pounds. "My stars! what a pot o' money!" He gasped and took another drink. "I'm the owner of the _Patriarch_," he said, and grasping all the letters and his two-hundred-pound draft he rammed them down into the bottom of his inside breast-pocket. "I'm the owner of--hic--the--hic--_Patriarch_." He came out of his corner and went to the bar.