ed that I was right, and
consented to do as I had advised; assuring him, however, that she would
never change. I was thankful to hear this, as it saved me from speaking
to the captain, which I should have otherwise felt bound to do.

A few days after this I received orders to join the _Vestal_ frigate;
and though neither I nor they expected it, Reginald and Harry were
appointed as master's mates to the same ship. I had to go on board at
once, and they joined a few days afterwards. We were ordered to fit out
with all despatch, and were quickly ready for sea.

I felt sorry at having to leave without again hearing from Jerry, for of
course I could not tell what might happen to me; and there was nothing I
more desired, for Harry's sake, than to find out who his parents had
been. When I thought what a fine, handsome, gallant young fellow he
was, I could not help hoping that he would have no reason to be ashamed
of them. At all events, he would not be worse off than he was; and
supposing that, after all, his birth was not such as he could boast of,
he might still win a name for himself, as many another officer had done,
who had, as the saying is, "gone in through the hawse-hole," just as the
renowned Captain Cook and several of our bravest captains and admirals
had done.

We had gone out to Spithead, and "Blue Peter" was flying from the fore,
when who should come alongside in a boat from Ryde but Susan herself. I
had bidden her good-bye, and did not expect to see her again.

"I have brought a letter," she said; "and as it is from Jerry, I did not
like to trust it to anyone else."

She had just given it to me, when I received the order to "Pipe up
anchor"; so all I could do was to shove it into my pocket, while Susan
hurried down the side without knowing its contents. This was very
trying to her, and I wished that she had looked at it before bringing it
off.

When a ship is making sail, the boatswain has more to do than anybody
else, and some hours passed before I could get to my cabin and break the
seal; it was, as Susan supposed, from Jerry. Having it still by me, I
give it in his own words:--

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dear old Ship,--I am comfortably moored at last in a cottage of my own,
with a small independence left me by my father--more than I deserved. I
might have had it years ago, if my good sister Mary and her husband, Mr
Pengelley, had known where