"If he will say as much as that to me, he shall be released at once."
"He will, sir."
"It is very strange to me that I noticed nothing peculiar in the boy's speech or manner at the time," added the principal. "He certainly did not seem to be intoxicated."
"Probably he had taken just enough to inflame his evil passions, without affecting his manner," suggested the chaplain.
"I did not even discover the odor of wine upon him."
"Perhaps you did not go near enough to him. If you please, Mr. Lowington, we will go down and see him; and you can judge for yourself whether or not it is prudent to release him."
"I will."
"Thank you, sir. I feel a deep interest in the young man, and I hope he may yet be saved."
When Mr. Agneau left the brig, after his second visit, Wilton, who was very anxious to know what Shuffles meant by "making a chain," came out of his mess room. He had been watching the chaplain, and wondering what the prisoner could have to say to him.
"What's up, Shuffles?" asked Wilton, when Mr. Agneau had left the steerage.