he
middle of the ocean, with nothing but his sextant to depend upon, and I
do not know that I should have felt very sure of him.

He coughed, and seemed to mumble to himself as he ground upon the piece
of tobacco in his cheek, then said, "And how's the young lady adoing,
sir?"

"The motion of the vessel rendered her somewhat uneasy, but she is now
sleeping."

I took a peep as I said this, to be certain, and saw her resting
stirless, and in the posture I had left her in. No skylight ever
framed a prettier picture of a sleeping girl. Her hair looked like
beaten gold in the illusive lamplight; and to my eye, coming from the
darkness of the sea and the great height of star-laden gloom, the
sleeping form in the tender radiance of the interior was for the moment
as startling as a vision, as something of unreal loveliness. I
returned to Caudel.

"Sorry to hear she don't feel well, sir," he exclaimed; "but this here
sea-sickness I'm told, soon passes."

"I want her to be well," said I. "I wish her to enjoy the run down
Channel. We must not go ashore if we can help it; or one special
object I have in my mind will be defeated."

"Shall I keep the yacht well out, then, sir? No need to draw in, if so
be--"

"No, no, sight the coast, Caudel, and give us a view of the scenery.
And now, whilst I have the chance, let me thank you heartily for the
service you have done me to-night. I should have been helpless without
you; and what other man of my crew--what other man of any sort, indeed,
could I have depended upon?"

"Oh, dorn't mention it, Mr. Barclay, sir; I beg and entreat that you
worn't mention it, sir," he replied, as though affected by my
condescension. "You're a gentleman, sir, begging your pardon, and that
means a man of honour, and when you told me how things stood, why,
putting all dooty on one side, if so be as there can be such a thing as
dooty in jobs which aren't shipshape and proper, why, I says, of
course, I was willing to be of use. Not that I myself have much
confidence in these here elopements, saving your presence. I've got a
grown-up darter myself in sarvice, and if when she gets married she
dorn't make a straight course for the meeting-house, why, then, I shall
have to talk to her as she's never yet been talked to. But in this
job"--he swung off from the tiller to expectorate over the rail--"what
the young lady's been and gone and done is what I should say to my
darter or any other young wom