“Nice young people,” announced the captain, who was in a sympathetic mood.  “There has been some reason for thinking that they meant to take up with each other for good and all.  I don’t know that either of them could do better, though I like the girl best; that’s natural; she’s my brother’s daughter, and I was her guardian; she only came of age last year.  Her father and yours were boys together, younger than I am by a dozen years, both gone before me too,” sighed the captain, and quickly changed so sad a subject by directing his companion’s attention to one of the old houses, and telling the story of it as they walked along.  Luckily they had the Highflyer all to themselves when they reached the wharf, for the keeper had gone up into the town, and his wife, who had set up a frugal housekeeping in the captain’s cabin, sat in the shade of the house with her sewing, the Monday’s washing having been early spread to the breeze in a corner of the main deck.  She accepted Captain Parish’s explanations of his presence with equanimity, and seemed surprised and amused at the young landswoman’s curiosity and eagerness, for a ship was as commonplace to herself as any farm-house ashore.

“Dear me! you wouldn’t know it was the same place,” said the captain, in the course of his enumeration of the ropes and yards and other mysterious furnishings of the old craft.  “With a good crew aboard, this deck is as busy as a town every day.  I don’t know how I’m going below until the keeper gets back.  I suppose you don’t want me to show you the road to the main-to’gallant cross-trees; once I knew it as well as anybody, and I could make quicker time now than most of the youngsters,” and the captain gave a knowing glance aloft, while at this moment somebody crossed the gangway plank.  It was a broken-down old sailor, who was a familiar sight in Dunport.

“Mornin’ to you, sir,” and the master of the Highflyer, for the time being, returned the salute with a mixture of dignity and friendliness.

“Goin’ to take command?” chuckled the bent old fellow.  “I’d like to ship under ye; ’twouldn’t be the first time,” and he gave his hat an unsettling shake with one hand as he looked at Nan for some sign of recognition, which was quickly given.

“You’ve shipped under better masters than I. Any man who followed the sea with Cap’n Jack Prince had more to teach than to learn.  And here’s his grand-daughter before you, and does him credit too,” said Captain Walter.  “Anna, you won’t find many of your grandfather’s men about the old wharves, but here’s one of the smartest that ever had hold of a hawser.”

“Goodsoe by name:  I thank ye kindly, cap’n, but I ain’t much account nowadays,” said the pleased old man, trying to get the captain’s startling announcement well settled in his mind.  “Old Cap’n Jack Prince’s grand-darter?  Why Miss Nancy’s never been brought to change her mind about nothing, has she?”

“It seems so,” answered Nan’s escort, laughing as if this were a good joke; and Nan herself could not help smiling.