192 THE LEOPARD 



Almost everybody was ashore except the Royal 

 Naval Reserve Commander, a man of deeply 

 devout conviction and habit, who, devotional 

 book in hand, paced nervously backward and 

 forward, furtively eyeing with an expression of 

 the strongest disapproval the dilapidated copy 

 of a Princess's Novelette which fluttered in the 

 hands of the elderly ex-naval quartermaster 

 seated on the fo'c'sle head. Time passed, and 

 that cheery, red-faced individual had almost 

 read to the last page of his rather unsabbatarian 

 print when his commander slowly and somewhat 

 uneasily approached him. 



" Lovely evening, Watson," he remarked. 

 " Always seems to me one can tell Sundays from 

 other days ; doesn't it to you ? " 



" Can't say as 'ow it does, sir," replied the old 

 salt, rather shortly, casting an apprehensive glance 

 at the book the officer still bore in his hands. 



" Look here, Watson," the latter resumed, 

 though manifestly not without an effort, 

 " wouldn't you like to hear a chapter or two of 

 the Word read to-night ? Quite take you home 

 it would, wouldn't it ? " 



The old man changed his position uneasily, 

 reflected for a moment, and said, with great 

 conviction, " Well, no, sir, thank you all the same. 

 The fact is, sir, I don't 'old much with Scripture 

 readin'. It wouldn't take me 'ome, not much it 

 wouldn't ; and if it did, I don't know as I should 

 be best pleased." 



" Ah, well, never mind, Watson," said the 

 commander, stifling a sigh, " perhaps a little later 



