The guard had already paid the porter, having received the money for that purpose from Mrs. Conway; and the latter setting down the box in the passage at once went off.  Ralph felt a little forlorn, and wondered what he was to do next.  But a minute later the landlady came out from the bar.

“Do you want a bed?” she asked.  “The porter should have rung the bell.  I am afraid we are full, unless it has been taken beforehand.  However, I will see if I can make shift somehow.”

“I should be very much obliged if you can,” Ralph said; “for I don’t know anything about London, and am going on by the Weymouth coach in the morning.”

“Oh, might your name be Conway?”

“Yes, that is my name,” Ralph said, surprised.

“Ah, then there is a bedroom taken for you.  A gentleman came three days ago and took it, saying it was for a young gent who is going through to Weymouth.  Tom,” she called, “take this box up to number 12.  Supper is ready for you, sir.  I dare say you would like a wash first?”

“That I should,” Ralph replied, following the boots upstairs.

In a few minutes he returned, and a waiter directed him to the coffee-room.  In a short time a supper consisting of fish, a steak, and tea was placed before him.  Ralph fell to vigorously, and the care that had been bestowed by Mr. Penfold in securing a bedroom and ordering supper for him greatly raised him in the boy’s estimation; and he looked forward with warmer anticipations than he had hitherto done to his visit to him.  As goon as he had finished he went off to bed, and in a few minutes was sound asleep.  At half-past six he was called, and after a hearty breakfast took his seat on the outside of the Weymouth coach.

Sitting beside him were four sailors, belonging, as he soon learned, to a privateer lying at Weymouth.  They had had a long trip, and had been some months at sea; and as their ship was to lie for a fortnight at Weymouth while some repairs were being done to her, they had obtained a week’s leave and had ran up to London for a spree.  Weymouth during the war did a brisk trade, and was a favorite rendezvous of privateers, who preferred it greatly to Portsmouth or Plymouth, where the risk of their men being pressed to make up the quota of some man-of-war just fitted out was very great.

The sailors were rather silent and sulky, at first at the cruise on land being nearly over, but after getting off the coach where it changed horses they recovered their spirits, and amused Ralph greatly with their talk about the various prizes they had taken, and one or two sharp brashes with French privateers.  Toward evening they became rather hilarious, but for the last two hours dozed quietly; the man sitting next to Ralph lurching against him heavily in his sleep, and swearing loudly when the boy stuck his elbow into his ribs to relieve himself of the weight.  Ralph was not sorry, therefore, when at ten o’clock at night the coach arrived at Weymouth.  The landlord and servants came out with lanterns to help the passengers to alight, and the former, as Ralph climbed down the side into the circle of light, asked: