Chapter Twenty Eight.
Ram sat there holding out his hand to the midshipman, but it was not taken, and for a space they gazed into each other’s eyes. The silence was broken by Ram.
“Well,” he said at last, “won’t you shake hands?”
“An officer and a gentleman cannot shake hands with one like you,” replied Archy coldly.
“Oh, can’t he?” said Ram quietly. “You’re a gentleman. Was it being a gentleman made you come down and pull me on here.”
“I don’t know whether being a gentleman made me do it,” said Archy coldly. “I saw you would lose your life if I did not get a rope and come to you, and so I did it.”
“Yes; that’s being a gentleman made you do that,” said Ram thoughtfully. “None of our fellows would have done that.”
“I suppose not.”
“I know I wouldn’t.”
“Yes, you would.”