ilver bell, but made no other remark upon her. We had,
however, exchanged but few words before her father came in,
accompanied by Captain Levee, and we sat down to our morning's repast
of chocolate.

After we had broken our fast, Captain Levee hastened away on board of
his vessel. My imprisonment had detained him from sailing, and Mr.
Trevannion was anxious that he should be off as soon as possible to
make up for lost time, as the expenses of the vessel were heavy.

"Farewell, Elrington, for the present," said he; "I shall come to you
on board of your schooner some time during the day." When Captain
Levee was gone--for, to tell the truth, I was afraid of his
ridicule--I thought it a good opportunity to give my thoughts to my
owner, and as I had nothing to say, which his daughter might not hear,
I began as follows:

"Mr. Trevannion, I think it right to state to you that during my
imprisonment a great change has come over my feelings upon certain
points. I am not ashamed to acknowledge that it has been occasioned by
the death which stared me in the face, and from my having seriously
communed with myself, and examined, more than I perhaps have done
during the whole of my former life, the sacred writings which are
given us as our guide. The point to which I refer is, that I have come
to a conviction that privateering is not a lawful or honourable
profession, and with these feelings I should wish to resign the
command of the schooner which you have had the kindness to give me."

"Indeed, Elrington," replied Mr. Trevannion. "Well, I should not have
thought to have heard this from you I confess. Much as I respect your
scruples, you are too scrupulous. I can hardly imagine that you have
turned to the sect of the Quakers, and think fighting is contrary to
the Scriptures."

"No, Sir, not so far as that. I consider war, as a profession, both
necessary and honourable, and a nation is bound to be prepared for any
foreign attack, and to act upon the defensive, or on the offensive, if
it is necessary. It is not that. I do not consider the soldier who
fights for his country is not doing his duty, nor the seamen who are
employed by the state are not equally justified in their profession.
What I refer to is privateering. That is, vessels fitted out for the
purpose of aggression by private merchants, and merely for the sake of
profit. They are not fitted out with any patriotic motives, but merely
for gain. They are speculations in w