e us to escape our pursuers. It
would have been tantalising to have lost our prize and have been taken
prisoners ourselves, and some of the least hopeful declared that such
would be our fate. `Well,' exclaimed Lord Reginald, `we must submit,
but nothing can take away the honour we have gained by capturing a
French frigate of superior force.' Your ladyship will perceive the
courage and spirit of your gallant son; indeed, he has exhibited them on
many occasions, and I hope that some day we may see him leading
England's fleets to victory."

"What's that you are saying about me?" exclaimed Lord Reginald, from the
other end of the table, for during the sudden silence of those around
him he had caught the last words uttered by his messmate.

"Mr Voules is only speaking of you as you deserve, my dear Reginald,"
said the marchioness. "He has been giving us an account of the battle
and the gallant way in which you behaved."

"We all behaved gallantly, or we should not have thrashed the enemy,"
said Reginald, laughing.

"I hope Mr Voules has given you a clearer account than Reginald has
himself, for, except that the two ships spent the morning in pounding
away at each other, and that at length the Frenchman, being tired of the
amusement, and having lost his foremast, hauled down his colours, I have
heard no details of the action," said the marquis.

"Then his modesty prevented him relating how he lashed the bowsprit to
the rigging and saved the captain's life," observed the marchioness.

"I lash the bowsprit to the rigging? Why, the men did that, and very
imperfectly they performed the work, or our antagonist would not have
got clear again; and as to saving the captain's life, I know only that I
took up a musket and brought down a Frenchman, or he would have knocked
over the captain or me, or somebody else."

"Whose account is to be relied on?" asked the marquis, looking somewhat
puzzled.

"I do not wish to gainsay my noble messmate, but your lordship must make
allowance for his modesty, and give me credit for stating facts as they
occurred," answered Voules.

"I see how it is," observed the marquis, glancing approvingly at his
son.

"Merit is always modest, which may account, Mr Voules, for your not
having described your own gallant deeds," said the marchioness, looking
hard at him. Being a clear-sighted woman, she may have suspected why
the smooth-tongued young gentleman had praised his noble messmate.

"But