at
up to watch that night to see if the men would fetch away the kegs and
bales; hence her presence during the scene, and when she had awakened to
the fact that the midshipman had played spy and was ready to denounce
her father, she felt that all was over.

Three times over, after listening at the head of the stairs for sounds
from below where her prisoner was confined, Celia had crept on tiptoe to
her father's door, only to shrink away again not daring to speak.

For what would he say to her? She thought. She had no right to be
downstairs watching the acts of the smugglers, and she dreaded to make a
confession of her knowledge of these nocturnal proceedings.

At last, bewildered, anxious, and worn-out, she knelt down by her bed,
to consider with her head in her hands, ready for kindly nature to bring
her comfort, for when she started up again the sun was streaming
brightly in at her window.

She pressed her hands to her temples, and tried to think about the
business of the past night, and by degrees she collected her thoughts,
and recalled that the smugglers had come to take up their kegs and bales
from the temporary store to carry them further inland, that she had
discovered the young midshipman watching, and to save her father she had
shut their enemy in the lower corner room.

Celia stood with her cheeks burning, trembling and anxious, and after
bathing her face and arranging her hair, she went out into the broad
passage and listened at her father's door.

It was too soon for him to be stirring yet, and determining at last to
go and declare his innocency, and make an appeal to the frank-looking
lad, she crept timidly down the grand old flight of stairs, trying to
think out what she would say.

There were two flights to descend, and the first took a long time; but
she worked out a nice little speech, in which she would tell the
cutter's officer that her father had once been rich, but he had espoused
the young Pretender's cause, and the result had been that he had become
so impoverished that there had been a time when they had had hardly
enough to keep them and the old maid-servant who still clung to their
fallen fortunes.

By the time she was at the bottom of the second flight she was ready and
quite hopeful, and, with the tears standing in her eyes, she felt sure
that the frank, gentlemanly lad would be merciful, forgive her, and save
her father from a terrible disgrace.

She had, then, her speech all r