“Doctor Liss, sir,” he said quietly; and a quick, eager-looking little man in snuff-coloured coat and long, salt-box-pocketed waistcoat entered the room, handing his cocked hat and stick to the butler, and nodding pleasantly from one to the other.
“Who was that shouting for the doctor?” he said cheerily, as he rubbed his hands; then took out a gold snuff-box, tapped it, opened it, and handed it to the captain.
“You, wasn’t it, Sir Thomas? Touch of your old enemy?”
“No,” grunted the admiral, “I’m sound as a roach. Bah!”
“Thankye, Liss,” said the captain, taking his pinch, and handing back the box; “sit down. Syd, pass those clean glasses.”
The admiral took a pinch, and then the new-comer took his, loudly snapped-to the box, and drew out a delicate cambric handkerchief to flap off some snuff from his shirt-frill.
As soon as the doctor was comfortably seated the port was passed, and then there was silence, Sydney looking from one to the other, and wondering what was coming next.
The doctor, too, looked from one to the other and formed his own opinion.
“Hullo!” he said. “In disgrace, Sydney? What have you been doing, sir?”
“Eating walnuts,” said the boy, mischievously.