nine
o'clock
I have no doubt we shall suit each other ; and be assured it shall be my study to make you as comfortable as possible . '' To this very sensible and polite address , I made a suitable reply . He then stated that he expected to sail in a few days ; that the officer whom I was to supersede had not exactly suited his ideas , although he believed him to be a very worthy young man ; and that , in consequence , he had applied and succeeded in obtaining for him another appointment ; that it was necessary he should join his ship immediately ; but , of course , he must first be superseded by me . `` Therefore , '' said he , `` you had better meet me on board the brig to-morrow morning at nine o'clock , when your commission shall be read ; and after that I beg you will consider yourself your own master for a few days , as I presume you have some little arrangements to prepare for your cruise . I am aware , '' pursued he , smiling most benignantly , `` that there are many little comforts which officers wish to attend to ; such as fitting their cabins and looking to their mess , and a thousand other nameless things , which tend to pass the time and break up the monotony of a sea-life . Forty years have I trod the king 's planks , man and boy , and not with any great success , as you may perceive , by the rank I now hold , and the life I am leading ; for here I sit over a glass of humble grog , instead of joining my brother captains in their claret at the Crown ; but I have two sisters to support , and I feel more satisfaction in doing my duty as a brother , than indulging my appetite ; although I own I have no dislike to a glass of claret , when it does not come before me in a questionable shape : I mean when I have not got to pay for it , which I can not afford . Now do not let me take up any more of your time .