Mr. Shubrick gave her a glance of surprise at first, at this very irrelevant propounding of questions; then a gleam came out of his blue eyes, which were not in the least like Mr. St. Leger's blue eyes; but he answered quite gravely.
"You have a right to know, if anybody in the world has; and yet I cannot tell you, Dolly. I did nothing more than hundreds of others; nothing but my duty. Only it happens, that if a man is always doing his duty, now and then there comes a time that draws attention to him, and brings what he does into prominence; and he gets advancement perhaps; but it does not follow that he has done any more than hundreds of others would have done."
"Are there so many men that are 'always doing their duty'?"
"I hope so. I believe so. In naval affairs."
"You have not told me what was the occasion that brought your doings into prominence?"
He glanced at her with a flash in his eyes again.
"Is that pressing just now?"
"Isn't now a good time?" said Dolly, smiling.
"No, for my head is full of something else. I can't tell you how I came to be promoted first. After I was raised to a lieutenancy, I got special credit for disciplining the crew."
"Disciplining?" said Dolly.