Bound to Please

Front matter

BOUND TO PLEASE. BY HENRY SPICER, AUTI10B OF "OLD STYLEs'S;" ''SIGHTS AND SOUNDS;" ** A WHITE HAND AND A BLACK THUMB ;" ETC. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON : TINSLEY BROTHERS, 18, CATHERINE ST., STRAND. 1867. [_Ml Eights Reserved.] wt^m.n and sons," Pb/nters, GREAT QUJillH B TtiBl'T, LINCOLN'!. INN FIELDS, LONDON, WC. CONTENTS OF VOLUME II. DRAWING A BADGER page 1 ABOARD THE " EVELEEN BROWN " 18 THE lodger's STORY 33 LUPKIN ON DAVINGPODGE 76 AN INTERESTING YOUNG PERSON 86 A HERO MISUNDERSTOOD 106 AN UNPATENTED GHOST 117 HERMIT BOB 137 PARADISE REVISITED 164 BUSILY ENGAGED 178 LOVE AND GLORY 205 THE HORROR IN THE HOUSE 229 ON THE ROCK WITH GARIBALDI 268 AWFUL EXPERIENCE IN THE LIFE OF FILUS KROAST . . . IRDER to sail at eight for Messina, in the Kertsch, with stores," growled Frank Wdcox, with whom I was dining at the club at Malta.

He flung the missive across to me with unmitigated disgust. " ' England exp ' " "Bosh!" returned Lieutenant Wilcox. "In my humble opinion, England never knew how much she did expect, till Nelson told her. In revenge, she sets no bounds to her anticipations. The Terrible must be precious hard up in the matter of holystones, if I'm only allowed two hours' notice. Duty's duty, but, dash my buttons ! let us dine ! Waiter, bring the wind." The waiter executed this weird office by presenting the hourly weathercard, adding, as he did so, " Dead calm, sir, since five." " They'll have to tow us well out. I shouldn't wonder if the admiral escorted us in person," said Frank. " This Kertsch — confound the old tub ! — is h. B his peculiar darling. Hang it, George, we must post pone the chess, unless — eh — ha — unless, I say But no, of course you wouldn't " "Wouldn't what?"

" Go with me, you know ! Ha — ha — ha !" " With the greatest pleasure." "Nonsense, old boy !" He extended his honest hand. I returned the pressure. My preparations were soon complete, and I was on board the Kertsch, in harbour, at a quarter before eight. She was a schooner, of little more than a hundred tons. She had been built at Valetta for a gunboat during the Crimean war, with a twin-sister, now the admiral's yacht ; but, fortunately for our enemies, was not completed in time to take part in the struggle. Perhaps this had preyed upon her spirits, and induced that premature old age which seemed to affect every plank, beam, and rope about her. She was the most dejected-looking craft I ever saw, and sat so heavily on the water, that it appeared as if nothing short of a tornado would waken her from her stupor, or even set her in motion at all.