Chapter I: Preface

“It seems to me,” said a philosopher once, “that there are no entirely good men in the world, and none completely bad. Single out your best man, and you will find that he lacks perfection in some part of him; and examine your worst, and you will see that he has at least one redeeming quality.”

In this book the men mostly verge towards bad: but some are better than others. Because they are merely human, they act according to their lights. You may meet others like them any day if you go out and about, and most of them give extremely good dinners. Till they are found out, you consider them amusing: afterwards, being better than they, you instantly set them down as most pernicious scoundrels, and shake hands with yourself, and write to your tailor to order more noticeable phylacteries on the next new suit. This is called “keeping up a healthy moral tone,” and does a great deal of good in the world.

SCALLOWAY,
SHETLAND ISLANDS,
1895.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE

I. The Antecedents of Patrick Onslow 11

II. A Fortune for the Pair of us 18

III. The Requirements of Mrs. Shelf 27

IV. Business at a Ball 36

V. Bimetallism 44

VI. The Tempting of Captain Owen Kettle 55

VII. £500,000—in Gold 66

VIII. The Send-off 75

IX. Ground-Bait 88

X. Mutiny 100

XI. To-Night 111

XII. A Dereliction 124

XIII. Three for Twenty-seven 137

XIV. A Pirates’ Harbor 147

XV. Results in London 162

XVI. For the Birthday List 170

XVII. In the Matter of a Trust 184

XVIII. The Plume-Hunters’ Dinner-Party 198

XIX. Subjects for Matrimony 213

XX. At Point Sebastian 224

XXI. The Cyclone 235

XXII. Mr. Shelf’s Little Surprise 250

XXIII. Decisions 263

XXIV. A Flight and a Resting-place 277

XXV. Closing Strands 288

XXVI. The Lucky Man 295

HONOR OF THIEVES.