"Midshipman?"
"He might not be a midshipman now, you know. That is nine years ago."
"True. I do not know of a Lieutenant Crowninshield in the navy—and I am sure there is no captain of that name."
"That is what I thought," said Dolly. "I do not believe he is alive. Whenever I saw in the papers mention of a ship of the navy in port, I used to go carefully over the lists of her officers; but I never could find the name of Crowninshield."
Mr. Shubrick here produced his pocket-book, and after some opening of inner compartments, took out a small note, which he delivered to Dolly. Dolly handled it at first in blank surprise, turned it over and over, finally opened it.
"Why, this is my note!" she cried, very much confounded. "My own little note to that midshipman. Here is my name. And here is his name. How did you get it, Mr. Shubrick?" she asked, looking at him. But his face told her nothing.
"It was given to me," he said.
"By whom?"
"By the messenger that brought it from you."
"The messenger? But you you—you—are somebody else!"