“Ease off, Fred, ease off now; there wasn’t any whiskey there; I tried to get some of the old Twin Tulip brand for punch, but——”
“But the devil happened to be asleep, and you got a chance to behave yourself,” said Fred.
Crayme looked appealingly. “Fred,” said he, “tell me about her yourself; I’ll take it as a favor.”
“Why, she looked like a lot of lilies and roses,” said Fred, “except that you couldn’t tell where one left off and the other began. As she came into the room I felt like getting down on my knees. Old Bayle was telling me a vile story just then, but the minute she came in he stopped as if he was shot.”
“He wouldn’t drink a drop that evening,” said Crayme, “and I’ve puzzled my wits over that for five years——”
“She looked so proud of you,” interrupted Fred with some impatience.
“Did she?” asked Crayme. “Well, I guess I was a good-looking fellow in those days: I know Pike came up to me once, with a glass in his hand, and said that he ought to drink to me, for I was the finest-looking groom he’d ever seen. He was so tight, though, that he couldn’t hold his glass steady; and though you know I never had a drop of stingy blood in me, it did go to my heart to see him spill that gorgeous sherry.”
“She looked very proud of you,” Fred repeated; “but I can’t see why, for I’ve never seen her do it since.”
“You will, though, hang you!” exclaimed the captain. “Get out of here! I can think about her now, and I don’t want anybody else around. No rudeness meant, you know, Fred.”