“Oh, mamma, mamma, here’s the very one for the captain of the buccaneers!”
The startling announcement was followed by the appearance of a tall, stalwart, handsome young man of a certain naval aspect, whom Lady Merrifield introduced as Captain Armytage.
“We must congratulate him, Gillian,” she said. “I see you are gazetted as commander.”
Primrose, who had something of the licence of the youngest, observed—
“We have been telling him all about it. He used to be Oliver Cromwell in ‘How Do You Like It?’ and now he will be a buccaneer!”
“Oliver Cromwell, you silly child!” burst out Gillian, with a little shake, while the rest fell into fits of laughing.
“I fear it was a less distinguished part,” said Captain Armytage.
“May I understand that you will help us?” said Lancelot. “I heard of you at Devereux Castle.”
“I don’t think you heard much of my capabilities, especially musical ones. I was the stick of the party,” said Captain Armytage.
It was explained that Captain Armytage had actually arrived that afternoon at the Cliff Hotel, and had walked over to call at Clipstone, whence he found the young ladies setting out to walk to Rockstone. He could not deny that he had acted and sung, though, as he said, his performance in both cases was vile. Little Miss Primrose had most comically taken upon her to patronize him, and to offer him as buccaneer captain had been a freak of her own, hardly to be accounted for, except that Purser Briggs’s unsuitableness had been discussed in her presence.