"Doest thou not know me?"
A few days after the fleet under the command of Lord Fitz-Ullin had
arrived on its station, the Glorious, Edmund's old ship, joined, and
making the usual signal for a lieutenant from each vessel at anchor,
our hero, as officer from the Erina, went on board. While receiving the
salutations of his former friends, his attention, as well as theirs,
was arrested by the appearance of a boat, which was falling alongside,
and in which, if they could believe their own eyes, they beheld, in
the shape of a lieutenant, Mr. St. Aubin.
Henry came on board. All his old messmates collecting round him,
demanded clamourously how he had got out of the scrape in which they
had left him.
"Scrape!" repeated Henry, in a contemptuous tone. "The best thing that
ever happened to me; I might have been a poor devil of a middy, down
there in your confounded cockpit yet, but for it!"
"Why, d-- it," said Walton, "if I thought they would make me a
post-captain for it, I would get drunk to night! but tell us how you
got made, man, after our throwing you out, like spare ballast, on that
rascally beach at Plymouth?"
"Why," answered Henry, "I waited upon the first lord of the Admiralty,
and informed him that I should prefer being a lieutenant to remaining
a midshipman: upon which his lordship very politely gave me the
commission I now have the honour to hold."
"Yier taste was sae vara uncommon, sir!" observed the Scot, "that his
lordship did na care te balk ye?"
"Precisely so, sir," said Henry, with a bow.
"But, joking apart, Henry," said Edmund, "do tell us how it happened."
In fact, the friend Henry had met with at Plymouth, but whom he did not
name even to Edmund, had informed him that Lord L. was just returned to
England on business connected with his diplomacy, and was at that time
actually in London. Henry had set out that night for London, waited
on Lord L., and, without any mention of his being in disgrace, said
that his time being served, he had hastened to town to secure, if
possible, his promotion while his lordship was on the spot. Lord L.,
accordingly, taking Henry with him, made his application in person. The
commission was granted so immediately, that the business was concluded
before Captain B.'s report, respecting Mr. St. Aubin's unofficer-like
conduct, had reached the Admiralty. Lord L., however, highly resented
the trick thus put upon him, and declared himself determined never
again to use any interest of his on Henry's behalf. And in this resolve
he persevered.