do.

A week afterwards the _Vestal_ sailed down Channel, and, judging by
Harry's last letter, I hoped that he had somewhat regained his spirits.

CHAPTER NINE.

I had been some time at home, and had pretty nearly recovered from my
wounds. Susan frequently went up to see Jane; and the ladies treated
her, notwithstanding what had occurred, as kindly as ever; but the
captain ceased to inquire after me, and he evidently had not got over
his annoyance, and still believed that Susan and I, if we had not
encouraged Harry, might have at all events prevented him from falling in
love with Miss Fanny. The poor young lady had not recovered her
spirits; and Susan said she was afraid that if anything should happen to
Harry it would bring her to her grave. This of course made us more than
ever anxious to hear again from Jerry. At last one day the postman
brought a letter to our door and demanded three shillings for it, which
I willingly paid, for I saw at a glance that it was from my old
shipmate. I have it still by me; here it is:--

"Dear old Ship--

"What I told you in my last has prepared you for the news I have now to
give. I thought over what Mr Pengelley had told me, and could not help
hoping that we should at last find out all about Harry Saint George.

"The very first time that I saw Mrs Stafford (though I did not know her
name then) she told me that her husband had been an officer on board the
_Royal George_, and that he was lost when the ship went down; but she
said nothing more at that time. When, however, I heard that she had had
a little boy who had disappeared with her young sister-in-law, I at once
jumped to the conclusion that the young lady who had come to your house
was Miss Stafford, and that the little boy was her nephew. It struck me
that nothing was more likely than that Miss Stafford should have set off
to see her brother, and consult with him what was best to be done for
the safety of his son; but, as you know, it's a very different matter to
guess a thing and to prove it. Still I am almost as certain as I am of
my own existence, that the little boy you saved from the wreck was Harry
Stafford's son; but my thinking so won't get him his rights. Biddulph
Stafford and I were young men together before I went off to sea, and
many a wild prank we played; some of them such as I don't like to think
about. There was an act of his, indeed, which, if known, would bring
him under the power of the law