knew of my engagement, it was
unlikely we should ever meet again. "At any rate," I said, "I shall
never seek her; and if accident should throw me in her way, I trust I
shall behave like a man of honour."

I did not think it necessary to inform her of the musket-shots fired at
me by order of Talbot, as that might have injured him in the estimation
of both Emily and Clara. When I had concluded my narrative, Emily
sighed and looked very grave. I asked her if she had forgiven me.

"Conditionally," said she, "as you said to the mutineers."

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

In all states of Europe, there are a set of men who assume from their
infancy a pre-eminence independent of their moral character. The
attention paid to them from the moment of their birth, gives them the
idea that they are formed for command, and they soon learn to consider
themselves a distinct species and, being secure of a certain rank and
station, take no pains to make themselves worthy of it. RAYNAL.

It is now time to make my reader acquainted with my new ship and new
captain. The first was a frigate of the largest class, built on purpose
to cope with the large double-banked frigates of the Yankees. She
carried thirty long twenty-four pounders on her main deck, and the same
number of forty-two pound carronades on her quarter gangways and
forecastle.

I had been a week on board, doing duty during the day, and flirting on
shore, at Mr Somerville's at Blackheath, during the evening. I had
seen no captain yet, and the first lieutenant had gone on shore one
morning to stretch his legs. I was commanding officer; the people were
all at their dinner; it was a drizzling soft rain, and I was walking the
quarter-deck by myself, when a shore-boat came alongside with a person
in plain-clothes. I paid him no attention, supposing him to be a
wine-merchant or a slop-seller come to ask permission to serve the ship.
The stranger looked at the dirty man-ropes which the side-boy held off
to him, and inquired if there was not a clean pair? The lad replied in
the negative; and the stranger, perceiving there was no remedy, took
hold of the dirty ropes and ascended the side.

Reaching the quarter-deck, he came up to me, and showing a pair of
sulphur-coloured gloves bedaubed with tar and dirt, angrily observed,
"By G---, sir, I have spoiled a new pair of gloves."

"I always take my gloves off when I come up the side," said I.

"But I choose to ke