promotion—nor three thousand pounds I have made in prize-money—the command of a fine frigate—and now four thousand pounds in a windfall.”

The governor thought that he was more indebted to Jack than to his father for some of these advantages, but he was careful not to point them out.

“It’s very true,” observed the governor, “that Mr. Easy was of service to you when you were appointed; but allow me to observe, that for your ship, your prize-money, and for your windfall, you have been wholly indebted to your own gallantry in both senses of the word; still Mr. Easy is a fine generous fellow, and so is his son, I can tell you. By-the-bye, I had a long conversation with him the other day.”

“About himself?”

“Yes, all about himself. He appears to me to have come into the service without any particular motive, and will be just as likely to leave it in the same way. He appears to be very much in love with that Sicilian nobleman’s daughter. I find that he has written to her, and to her brother, since he has been here.”

“That he came into the service in search of what he never will find in this world, I know very well; and I presume that he has found that out—and that he will follow up the service is also very doubtful; but I do not wish that he should leave it yet; it is doing him great good,” replied Captain Wilson.

“I agree with you there—I have great influence with him, and he shall stay yet awhile. He is heir to a very large fortune, is he not?”

“A clear eight thousand pounds a year, if not more.”

“If his father dies he must, of course, leave: a midshipman with eight thousand pounds a year would indeed be an anomaly.”

“That the service could not permit. It would be as injurious to himself as it would to others about him. At present, he has almost, indeed I may say, quite an unlimited command of money.”

“That’s bad, very bad. I wonder he behaves so well as he does.”

“And so do I: but he really is a very superior lad, with all his peculiarities, and a general favourite with those whose opinions and friendship are worth having.”

“Well, don’t curb him up too tight—for really he does not require it. He goes very well in a snaffle.”