aps the young ladies may be inclined to
walk a minuet or to try a country-dance."

No young ladies of the party were likely to decline such an offer. The
captain himself led out Ellen, and two or three of his officers, with
Lieutenant Vinoy and some of the young gentlemen from the shore,
followed his example. The minuet being voted slow, a country-dance
quickly succeeded it. The young ladies who had the officers of the ship
for their partners were struck by their extraordinary taciturnity; for,
with the exception of the young lieutenant who had visited the shore,
not one of them spoke a word. Captain Dupin remarked that they were
rough fellows, little accustomed to the society of ladies, and were too
bashful to speak--though Miss Kathleen O'Rourke, one of the belles of
the party, observed that they seemed anything but bashful from their
looks.

"Ah, they are all more accustomed to French; indeed, scarcely one of my
crew knows a word of English," said the captain.

While the younger members of the party were dancing away on deck, the
captain, requesting another gentleman to take his place, invited the
merchants who had honoured him by a visit to come below into his cabin,
where they found an elegant supper spread, with an abundance of
sparkling wines. He begged them to be seated, remarking that the
dancers would be entertained on deck, and would prefer the fresh air to
the somewhat confined atmosphere of the cabin.

"We older hands are seasoned, and the quiet we can here enjoy is more to
our taste," he said. The party at once set to; the wine flowed freely,
and all declared they had never tasted finer claret or Burgundy. The
captain apologised for having only French wines on board, but remarked
that he liked to have them of the best. After some time, one of the
gentlemen reminded him that they had come on business, and begged to see
samples of the goods he had to dispose of. Others expressed the same
wish.

"As you desire it, gentlemen, I will have them brought," replied Captain
Dupin; and he spoke in French to one of the people in attendance, who in
a short time returned, accompanied by two other persons bringing in
numerous parcels and cases, pieces of cloth, satin and silk. The
captain called for a book, and read out the quantities of each,
requesting his guests in the mean time to examine them.

"They are sold in good faith, and I believe you will not be
disappointed," he observed. "Now, gentlemen,"