“I have no doubt I could have done better; but I believe now that I have done well enough to keep my place.”
“What are you going to do about it? get up a mutiny?”
“I feel like doing something about it.”
“Wait a minute before you do it,” laughed Blair. “You may be all right yet.”
“I can’t be any thing better than fourth master, and below Speers and Lingall.”
“Fourth master,” continued the vice-principal, when the excitement of the last announcement had in a measure subsided; and then he paused again, not to prolong the agony of the students, but to make sure that no mistake was made.
“We shall know all about it in another minute,” said Blair; “and you will learn whether or not you need go on with your mutiny.”
“I haven’t said any thing about a mutiny: you said that, Blair.”
“Mutinies don’t pay in this squadron: besides, we shall be homeward bound in a few days,” laughed Blair.
“Fourth master, Richards,” read the vice-principal from his list.