Mark obeyed promptly, doffing his tarpaulin respectfully with one hand, while with the other he jammed his tiller down and brought the surf-skiff alongside so easily that the blow would not have crushed an egg.
“I am glad to see you, Miss Virgene, for I intended stopping at the tavern to thank you for your great kindness to me the other day when I got into trouble. Hello, Sam, how are you?”
“I’m O. K., Master Mark, and I only wish I’d a been ’round ’tother day to punish them fellers for you,” answered Sam.
“Master Mark seemed fully capable of taking care of himself, Sam,” answered Virgene with a smile, and then she continued:
“Are you not expecting a letter of importance, Master Mark?”
“No, miss, no one writes to me.”
“Strange, for I have two for you—for, you know, father is postmaster at B——, and I help him with the mails, and these arrived some days ago, so I determined to take them to you, as Sam offered to sail me there.’
“I’m sorry I started from home, miss, for my mother would like to thank you for your kindness to me; but I am obliged for the letters—ah! I know what they are now,” and the lad’s face flushed as he beheld a large official envelope bearing the stamp upon it:
“Navy Department.”
The other was a smaller letter, and had a flag in one corner.