hey had hurried into the boat. The mate said it was
impossible to get at the leaks, which were in the fore peak, and under
the cabin deck in the run; that he wondered Captain Green had not made
it known, but he supposed he must have been drunk: "The ship," continued
the mate, "must have gone down in twelve hours after we left her."

This was reported to the Admiralty by my captain, and my poor father was
formally acquainted with the fatal story. Five months had elapsed since
I was last heard of, and all hopes of my safety had vanished: this was
the reason that when I knocked at the door, I found the servant in
mourning: he was one who had been hired since my departure, and did not
know me. Of course he expressed no surprise at seeing me.

"Good heavens!" said I, "who is dead?"

"My master's only son, sir," said the man, "Mr Frank --- drowned at
sea."

"Oh! is that all?" said I, "I am glad it's no worse."

The man concluded that I was an unfeeling brute, and stared stupidly at
me as I brushed by him and ran upstairs to the drawing-room. I ought to
have been more guarded; but, as usual, I followed the impulse of my
feelings. I opened the door, when I saw my sister sitting at a table in
deep mourning, with another young lady whose back was turned towards me.
My sister screamed as soon as she saw me. The other lady turned round,
and I beheld my Emily, my dear, dear Emily she too was in deep mourning.
My sister, after screaming, fell on the floor in a swoon. Emily
instantly followed her example, and there they both lay, like two
petrified queens in Westminster Abbey. It was a beautiful sight,
"pretty, though a plague."

I was confoundedly frightened myself, and thought I had done a very
foolish thing; but as I had no time to lose, I rang the bell furiously,
and seeing some jars with fresh flowers in them, I caught them up and
poured plentiful libations over the faces and necks of the young ladies;
but Emily came in for much the largest share, which proves that I had
neither lost my presence of mind nor my love for her.

My sister's maid, Higgins, was the first to answer the drawing-room
bell, which, from its violent ringing, announced some serious event.
She came bouncing into the room like a ricochet shot. She was an old
acquaintance of mine; I had often kissed her when a boy, and she had
just as often boxed my ears. I used to give her a ribbon to tie up her
jaw with, telling her at the same time that she h