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Then he looked at his painting and frowned, as if considering the best spot in which to place this "figure." Then he began to work. Meanwhile the Moor sat down to smoke in such a position that he could see both painter and sitter. It was a severe test of our middy's capacity to act the "hyperkrite!" His heart was thumping at his ribs like a sledge-hammer anxious to get out.
Nevertheless, such a society in my juvenile estimation, during my short escapade from the middy's berth, had its charms, and I was rolling in with a tolerable swagger, when Mr. Treenail pinched my arm. "Mr. Cringle, come here into my room."
Mark felt miserable, for, as Bob kindly told him afterwards, he looked just like an escaped lunatic, who had jumped out of a strait waistcoat into a middy's uniform. He felt as if the men were smiling in derision at his aspect, especially Tom Fillot and Dance, who were grinning, while Soup and Taters displayed nearly every one of their magnificent white teeth.
He remained under such pupilage until the age of fifteen, when the beginning of the academic year, October, 1851, saw him installed in "Middy's" uniform at that institution, and the business of life for him had begun in earnest.
Her eyes rested a moment upon him, before she could gather voice to say: "Will you let me stay with you, Pappy Lon, for a few days?" "I'll let ye stay till I tell ye to go," growled Lon, "and I don't want no sniveling, nuther." "When are you going to tell me to go?" "When I like. Middy's gittin' the skiff ready to take ye out. Scoot there, and light a fire in the hut!
Tom Long, who was rather low-spirited about the matter, took the middy's advice, and went back to the island, where the visitors had already been ushered into the resident's reception room, the captain and major dropping in directly after as if by accident. It was the most friendly of visits.
"Oh," said the officer suspiciously; and he looked from the doctor to the skipper, and from thence ran his eye over the crew gathered forward, while the midshipman altered the pitch of his hat, turned towards Rodd, whom for the last few moments he had been ignoring, and looked him up and down in a supercilious manner which made the blood mount to the boy's forehead, and set him staring down at the middy's bright shoes, from whence he slowly raised his eyes as far as the belt which supported the dirk, and from there higher up to his hat, where he fixed his eyes upon the officer's cockade and kept them obstinately there, till the lad's nostrils began to expand, he grew as red in the face as Rodd, and his menacing eyes seemed to say, You insolent young civilian, how dare you!
Our middy's aim was so exact that the vessel only grazed the boat as it flew past. In that moment young Foster sprang with the agility of a cat, capsized the boat with the impulse, caught the bulwarks and rigging of the vessel, and in another moment stood panting on her deck. "Hallo! Neptune, what do you want here?" cried a gruff voice at Foster's elbows.
Several persons witnessed the accident, and the prodigious splash the middy's body made in striking the water immediately made known to every one else that a struggle for life had commenced. Cobbett could not swim a stroke, and was much hampered by his heavy clothes and boots.
There were busy days during the next week, with men from the sloop and cutter, brought back by the middy's "despatch," going up and down the zigzag like so many ants, bringing up the principal treasures of the cave, the sailors working with all their might over the greatest haul they had ever made, and chuckling over the amount of prize money they would have to draw.
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